Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-06-27
Genealogical Notes
Queries and Answers
Address NIL communicate TONS to
Genealogical Editor, The Times
Dispatch.
MerIwcthcr. walker, pngc. nivc..

his sovereign, lord, the King of Eng
i land--are very rare. One can almost
count them upon ones fingers
These are Brandon. Shirley. Sabine
Hall. Mount Airy. Blandield. and al
though descendants of the Booths live
on part of Bclleville the manor
house itself Is not of the family. The
Bayiors own an original grant in Car
oiine County, but the house does not
exist; indeed. on the spur OF the mo-
mcnt we can think OF no other great
mansion on original patents still owned
by the family, except Castle Hill, in
Albcmarle County. and ii has come
down through the female line. The
coolidges indeed own ancestral acres
in Tuckahoe, but Tuckahoe had passed
through several hands before they re-
bought 1t.
The subject is almost as interesting
as those very first families, which we
treated a little while ago. and may
develop as beautifully ana prove our
premises false. The late Robert f..
Lee lived at Romancoke which came
down 20 him from his great -great-
grandmother. Mrs. Washington. but
komancoke was & Claiborne patent.
The pathos Of old estates is in tho
usual commentary. out or the family"
CastieHill Is still in the family. in
asmuch as 1t is owned and has always
been owned by descendants OF Nicholas
Mer!wethcr. who was granted by
George II. Of England 1900 acres OF
land in Albcma-le County.
! II is sometimes most announcement to
be accurate. for to make things sure
We went to the records just at the close
OF the previous sentence and found that
Castle Hll is not in the hands OF the
descendants OF the patcntee. II might
have been II old Nchola. Meriwethcr
had not died so young. II he had not
died he might have had n son TO in
merit his vast estates. But dying, ne
left only daughter. and his widow.
evidently inheriting his vast acres, of
course married again, and another
mans. son inherited the beautiful prin-
cipal!ty.
The widow aier!wether. with her
vast estate. had possibly beauty, Ger
tain!y pedigree. Mildred Thorneon
Mer!wether was the daughter of Reu-
ben Thornton and Elizabeth Gregory.
/ Reuben Thornton was son OF Francis
Thornton. and Mildred Gregory was
the daughter Of Roper Gregory and
Mildred Washington, sister OF Angus
tine Washington, the father of the
father OF his country. The owners Of
Castle Hill get this ancestry from the
widow Neriwethcr. who repriccd and
revelled, no doubt. In tho broad and
picturesque acres which King George
ii. had graciously bestowed on her
departed husband. Her second hus-
band. DIR. Thomas Walker. from whom
P. the owners OF Castle Hill descended,
was man OF great distinction, no
doubt, descended from Thomas Walker.
Of Gloucester. member of the colonial
assembly in l6s2-certainly from
Thomas Walker. % King and Queen
who married Susanna (rrohably)
Peachey and had Mary Peachey mar
red DR.. George Gilmcr, OF Williams
burg, John, who lived IN King and
Queen. and Thomas. afterwards mas
ter of Castle Hill. He was born in
King and Queen County. 1915, and died
at Castle Hill, 1874. His experiences
were interesting; he was in Kentucky
before Daniel Boone and the Ratchet
with which he blazed his way. marked
7. w. is in n Louisville museum. The In
dian Cornstall1. as we all remember, was
defeated at the Battle of Point Pleas
ant. and II is said that this battle was
caused by the Indians breaking the
Treaty OF Lancaster. This Treaty OF
Lancaster, made between representa-
tives OF the six nations and commits
sioners OF George H.. was last in the
possession OF DR.. Thomas Walker, and
Is now owned by his descendants. 1t
is rather illuminative, as It deposes
that the Colony Of Virginia was pur-
chased from the Indians for about
$1,000. but that was not such poor
bargain. as New York made-for the
Dutch paid only s24 for the whole of
Manhattan Island.
CTo Be Continued)
In the Walthal pedigree. as pub
lished in The Times Dispatch of 18th.
the will of Henry Walthall was dated
October 10, 1913, and probated August.
1894 The 1888 must be a typogra phical
error. as Henry came into possession
of the 435 acres Of land devised to son
Thomas on goth July. 174s.
Henry Walthall had already OBJ
tained on 18th January, 1747. 500 acres
n n m N n al do 0f tue
In Amelia County (now Prince Edward,
formed in 1859. The 435 acres. taken
up the next year. lay on the lower or
east side of Buffalo River.
In 1852 the 435 acres are entered on
the land book of Prince Edward in
name of Henry Walthalls estate" He
twas, therefore. dead in 1882. though.
Through some mishap, his will was not
found or proven till 1894.
Jeremiah WalthaI, brother to Henry,
who died in 1850. without children, had
obtained on January II, 1747, 400 acres
iof land lying on both sides OF Briery
River, in Amelia County, Va Nothing
is said about the 500 acres OF Henry
Walthall on the lard book for 17S2,
and only two persons of the name are
entered as land owners-Archibald
Walthall asa acres and Henry WAL
thalFs estate. 49, acres. My notes from
the records skip to 1887; where the land
books show: christopher Walthall. 375
acres lower district, Sandy River. John
Walthall. 1872 1-2 acres in same district;
Archer, 3l9 acres, and Thomas 421 1-2
acres In same district.
1t may be that these two last named
,obtainci the S00-acre tract that by re-
survey turned $40 acres. as most of
George Walton's surveys for the Ran
dolps all fell short. Alexander Mar
i shall married Ann Walthall. AIeXnn-
der Marshall is mentioned in the births
in Bristol Parish register of 1921, and
Aleck Marshall died in 1921, over eighty
years old. Ann Walthall was born
March 10, 1888, and died 1893. The
.,leck of 1921 could not he the one who
married Ann Walthall about 1850 and
a nens, IN is 80 was ,5 me tanner AifE
twenty-five years old, tho father OF
Alex. who married Ann S. But another
trouble arises, IL Alex. (2) married Ann,
even as late as 1766, and was twenty
one then, he would be nearly 100 In
1924.