Michael Woods1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

M, ID# 631, (c 1683 - 1762)
Father:Sir John Andrew Woods II (1654 - b 1724)
Mother:Elizabeth Woods (a 1659 - 1745)
     Michael Woods was born c 1683 at Dunshaughlin Castle, Co Meath, Leinster, Irish Republic. He was the son of Sir John Andrew Woods II and Elizabeth Woods. Michael Woods married Mary Campbell, daughter of Unknown Campbell, in 1705. Michael Woods immigrated in 1724 to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died in 1762 at Woods Gap, Albemarle Co, Virginia. He was buried at Albemarle Co, Virginia. His estate was probated on 11 Jun 1762 at Albemarle Co, Virginia.
      Michael Woods may have moved north to Newry, Ireland thinking of joining the mercantile business. His brother-in-law, Samuel Wallace was a merchant sea-captain and the Wallaces owned both lands in County Down, but more significantly four quays with warehouses in Newry, and had connections in Belfast also. More than a century before, the Wallaces of Failford had planted branches of the family and bought townhomes and business in several cities in northern and northwestern Europe building a mercantile trading empire/network.

According to the Woods family Bible records, Michael Woods had children beginning in 1705. British law and church tradition dictated males married at adult age -- not less than 23 years and 6 months. This means the absolute latest Michael could have been born was 1682. Bible records written by Michael Woods' children and grandchildren about the birthplace of Michael's children all list Dunshaughlin Castle (not Rossmead.) Family Bible records from her children and grandchildren identified Michael's wife as Mary Campbell.

In the Woods line, large families were the norm with members taking an active interest in the community life and working with their neighbors. All generations had military members and education was a goal. This pre-revolution generation was concerned with establishing good land holdings, churches and schools. They enjoyed a high standard of living. The family was likely impacted by the famines that began in the early 1720s and decided to go to America.

Michael Woods emigrated up the Delaware River to Philadelphia, PA from Ireland in 1724 with four of his siblings -- Elizabeth, William, James and Andrew. These siblings were all heads of families when they sailed from Ireland.

There are many different Woods families in Pennsylvania and Virginia and clearly more research is required to divide the families accurately. Note records are still being researched to sort out family relationships in the Samuel and Michael Woods families and among their brothers, particularly on Cecelia Fabos-Becker's website at www.AmeriCeltic.net.

The earliest records of our Michael Woods are in 1725 on tax records for Chester County, PA. The brothers Michael, William and Andrew Woods recorded twelve deeds in West Chester Co, PA. After staying about a decade the clan moved to Virginia and North Carolina, reportedly to escape new religous persecution but also perhaps because they had difficulty getting title to their land.

At least in Old Augusta Co (including Albemarle), there were evidently three or more men named "Michael Woods." One was Michael Woods who settled near Woods Gap in Albemarle Co about 1734 and married Mary Campbell; another was Michael Woods who married Ann Lambert and died 1776 in Botetourt Co, VA; then there was a Michael Woods, son of Archibald Woods and Isabella Gass. There were also a number of Woods in addition to Archibald who named a child Michael.

From Pennsylvania Michael Woods traveled over 200 miles to Augusta Co, VA in Aug 1732 and crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains at a gap he named Woods Gap in 1734. Michael brought with him to Virginia his wife, five each of daughters and sons, three nephews and a niece; another son was born in Virginia. Michael settled in Henderson's Quarter near Woods Gap in Albermarle Co, VA in 1734; he was believed to have led the first whites through Woods' Gap -- using an old Indian trail -- and was thought to have been the first settler in West Albemarle and perhaps anywhere along the east foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The first half of the immigration south would not have been difficult because the Old Indian Trail ran through Lancaster Co, PA down to the Potomac River. This was a relatively good wagon road as this was settled country. Then the clan continued down the Indian trail which became more and more primitive as they descended the Valley of Virginia because the Indians did not use wagons. The only form of transportation used was horseback so they could not bring their wagons through the gap. Preserved by the National Park Service, more than half the original Indian trail still exists in its primitive state as when Michael Woods led our clan south because much of the Woods Gap area lies within Shenandoah National Park.

Three years after the Woods clan arrived in Virginia they built the Mountain Plain Church on the plantation of Michael Woods.

In 1737 in Albemarle Co, VA Michael received a land grant on 4 Jun 1737 for 400 acres on Licking Hole Creek for a sum of five shills; in addition to the purchase price, Woods was also to pay an annual "fee rent" (quit-rent) in the amount of one shilling per fifty acres. Michael also patented 1,300 acres on Mechum's River and Licking Hole where buffalo and deer came to lick salt; he also purchased 2,000 acres on the headwaters of Ivy Creek. Michael founded an estate near the mouth of Woods Gap; different sources stated the home was originally called Mountain Plain or Blair Park. The plantation lay directly on the path of the Indian War Trail used to facilitate raids and full scale battles; the raiding parties had to go through this Woods Gap, and to go through this gap they had to go through Michael Wood’s plantation.

According to the baptismal records of the first minister at Timber Ridge and Fairfield before actual churches were built and when the parishioners of both congregations sometimes met at the home of Gilbert Campbell in Augusta Co, after Michael Woods of Pennsylvania moved to Virginia in 1737 his son Samuel Woods was baptized.

After 1737 it is unclear what became of Michael and Mary. Mary reportedly was killed in 1742, but there is no evidence she was killed by Indians. Whether Michael remained in their home or went to live with his son is uncertain.

One researcher stated Michael stayed in the area and in 1762 built the Mountain Plain Church near his home and the Rockfish Presbyterian Church. Michael died in 1762 at his home "Blair Park" and was interred in the family burying ground 100 yards from the house, which has since burned. In the mid 1700s it was not customary to put headstones on most Presbyterian graves in the Shenandoah mountains and most graves were in family burying grounds, not church grounds at the time, so when his stone marker was erected is unknown. His tombstone was standing when an element of the Union army used the cemetery for target practice during the Civil War. The only remaining large piece discovered in the late 1800s had the name Michael Woods and a birth year of 1684.

A different tradition was that after the murder of his wife in 1742 Michael senior probably moved from his home to live with a son in Goochland, VA. At the time of his move, Michael may have made a pre-death settlement on several of his older children; this is the justification for other children not being included in his will. Only six of his reputed children were mentioned in his 24 Nov 1761 will, and he died soon after writing it. Whether the children not mentioned in Michael's will were his or not has been analyzed as follows: The children not mentioned did not have sons named Michael but did have sons named Samuel. Some records suggested Michael had either a brother or son named Samuel who lived in Augusta Co, VA. A record of Smith's Store in Staunton, VA shows Samuel Woods frequented it in 1734 – three years before Michael Woods signed for his grant from the Earl of Gooch and four years before his own name appears in the store records. It is possible this Samuel was an older brother of the non-mentioned children and became their guardian in the wake of their mother's death and father's grief and departure. The reputed children not included in Michael's will were Martha, Richard, Magdalena [who had plenty income of her own], Andrew and Michael junior [junior did not necessarily mean son of another by the same name.] So half of the children included for Michael may not be his.

The late St. Clair Co, MO historian John Mills, a Woods family researcher, found the graves of both Michael Woods senior and his wife Mary Catherine Campbell near the first site of the Forks of the James Meeting House near Glasgow, VA. That site was lost when graves were moved to accommodate either a freeway or highway junction, leaving only Michael's and Mary's graves behind and unmaintained. According to the late John Mills, on the monument that may still exist with these graves is an inscription noting Mary was the first white woman in the Shenandoah Valley murdered by Indians in 1742. This was believed to be the same incident in which her son-in-law John McDowell sold liquor to the Iroquois party on its way to attack Cherokees as a result of a Cherokee hunting excursion that went too far north. Several contemporary accounts mentioned a few unnamed white settlers were killed before McDowell was ordered to go after the Indians. Some accounts in the papers of Capt Preston of the colonial militia and early Revolution can be found in the Lyman Draper collection in the Library of Congress and at the University of Wisconsin.

Michael prepared his will on 24 Nov 1761: In the name of God, Amen, this twenty fourth Day of November One thousand seven Hundred and Sixty one, I, Michael Woods of the Colony of Virginia and County of Albemarle, being very sick and weak in Body, But of Perfect mind and memory thanks to God.... I give devise and Dispose of in the following manner and form. Firstly, Get all my Debts paid. Second, I give and bequeath to my Son Archibald Woods ten pounds. Thirdly, I give and bequeath to my Son John Woods Ten pounds. Fourthly, I give and bequeath to Daughter Sarah Ten Pounds, Fifthly, I give and Bequeath to daughter Hannah Ten pounds, Sixthly, I give and Bequeath my Deceased Daughter Margaret's children Ten Pounds. Seventhly, I give and bequeath to Son Archibald and Son John my six hundred and eighty acres of Land Lying on Ivy Creek and the said Land shall be Sold and the Money Divided among Sons John and William Wallace's Families and that each Grand child now in being shall have an Equall Share. Eighthly, I give and bequeath to Son William Woods Twenty Shillings which shall be paid out of Said Land. Ninthly, I give to William's Son Michael Twenty Shillings which shall be paid out of Such Land. Tenthly I give and bequeath to Daughter Sarah one pistole which Shall be of the Ready money now By me. Eleventhly, I give and Bequeath to Son Archibald's Son Michael my Great Coat. And I do hereby utterly revoke and disallow all and every other former Testaments Wills Legatees Bequeaths and Executions by me in any ways before named Willed and Bequeathed, Ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last Will and Testament In Witness whereof, I have hereunto Set my Hand and Seal the Day and Year above written. /s/ Michael Woods. Signed Sealed Published Pronounced and Declared by the said Michael Woods as his last Will and Testament in presence of us the Subscribers: Michael Woods, Minor, and Michael Wallace [witness signatures thought to be forgeries.] I Do by this presents constitute and appoint Son Archibald Woods, John Woods & William Wallace to be my Sole Executors as Witness my hand the year A.D. above written. /s/ Michael Woods.

The following purported children are not those of Michael: Michael born in 1708 and married Anne Garth or Lambert; Charles who died circa 1761; Samuel who died in 1784; Andrew born in Ireland in 1720, married Martha Poage in 1750 in Augusta Co and died in 1781 in Botetourt Co, VA; and his brother Samuel's children. None of these men were included in Michael's 1761 will although they were alive at that time.

Note there are at least two sets of Michael seniors and juniors in four succeeding generations in that geographical area, so without dates there is no way to tell which set of Michaels is being discussed. The later set is said to have had a grandson/son named Samuel.


Other detailed sources:

(1) "Augusta County, VA Families," by Jean T. Gillett (http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com, jeant_5, 31 Aug 2005).
(2) "A Genealogy of the Burford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allies Families," by Marcus Bainbridge Buford (San Francisco, 1903) p.78.
(3) "Early Settlers of Augusta County, Virginia" (http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Early_Settlers_of_Augusta_County%2C_Virginia, 10 Nov 2011).
(4) "Albemarle Co, VA Wills, 1748-1800," The Woods Family Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Jul 1978).
(5) Ancestry World Trees, citing land grant.
(6) Major Error in Michael Wood's lineage, http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/woods/724/ (not son of John Woods and Elizabeth Worsop)
(7) Jim Tracy, Tracy Family History (includes Wallace, Woods, Campbell, McDowell), Aug 2004, http://www.thetracyfamilyhistory.net.
(8) Mountain Plain Church, 4297 Old Three Notched Road, Charlottesville, VA 22901, www.mountainplain.org; before visiting this site more detailed history would be needed to understand the various structures of the same name, if various versions of the same-named church were built over the years, and whether each was built on the same site; the site of the first or Mountain Plains Church was next to the cemetery in the gap.
(9) Ruth Lamar Petracek, Woods-Wallace Cousin Clues, online.

Children of Michael Woods and Mary Campbell

Citations

  1. [S3] "Elizabeth Harriet Perry Research."
  2. [S90] Joseph A. Waddell, Annals of Augusta Co, VA.
  3. [S17] Rev. Neander M. Woods, Woods-McAfee Memorial.
  4. [S20] W. H. Miller, History and Genealogies.
  5. [S43] John S. Wurts, Magna Carta.
  6. [S76] Mrs. John Russell Sampson (1854- ), Kith and Kin.
  7. [S84] Edna Wallace Seivers, Robert Wallace.
  8. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.
  9. [S37] Oren F. Morton, History of Rockbridge Co, VA.
  10. [S518] Cecilia Fabos-Becker Research.

Martha Woods1,2,3

F, ID# 632, (c 1718 - 1790)
Father:Samuel Woods I (a 1681 - )
Mother:Elizabeth Campbell (a 1685 - )
Charts:Susan Paulding Ruff * lineage
     Martha Woods was born c 1718 at Dunshaughlin Castle, Co Meath, Leinster, Irish Republic. She was the daughter of Samuel Woods I and Elizabeth Campbell. Martha Woods immigrated in 1724 to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She married Peter Wallace, son of Captain Samuel Wallace and Elizabeth Woods, c Mar 1739 at Cecil Co, Maryland. Martha Woods died in 1790 at Lexington, Rockbridge Co, Virginia. She was buried at Rockbridge Co, Virginia.
      Martha Woods likely landed in Philadelphia, PA with her immigrating family and then lived with them in Lancaster Co, PA and Albemarle Co, VA before marrying and moving to Rockbridge Co, VA.

Martha was not the daughter of Michael M. Woods and Mary Campbell as reported in many sources. The proof of her parentage was derived from Chalkley's Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish (available online), which contain abstracts of records from Augusta Co, VA and daughter counties to Augusta. Martha was specifically noted as the wife of Peter Wallace and the sister of Magdelena Woods-McDowell-Borden-Bowyer and Sarah Woods Lapsley in early 1800 court testimony.

Children of Martha Woods and Peter Wallace

Citations

  1. [S3] "Elizabeth Harriet Perry Research."
  2. [S17] Rev. Neander M. Woods, Woods-McAfee Memorial.
  3. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.

Malcolm Wallace1,2

M, ID# 633, (c 1744 - 1775)
Father:Peter Wallace (c 1717 - Jan 1786)
Mother:Martha Woods (c 1718 - 1790)
     Malcolm Wallace was born c 1744 at Augusta Co, Virginia. He was the son of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods. Malcolm Wallace died in 1775 at Boston, Massachusetts.
      Malcolm Wallace was in the army under Gen Morgan.

Citations

  1. [S20] W. H. Miller, History and Genealogies.
  2. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.

LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11

M, ID# 634, (1745 - 20 Mar 1786)
Father:Peter Wallace (c 1717 - Jan 1786)
Mother:Martha Woods (c 1718 - 1790)
Charts:Susan Paulding Ruff * lineage
     LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace was born in 1745 at Augusta Co, Virginia. He was the son of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods. LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace married Rebecca Anderson, daughter of ENS William Anderson I and Elizabeth Campbell, in 1771 at Augusta Co, Virginia.12 LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace died on 20 Mar 1786 at Rockbridge Co, Virginia. He was buried at 'Thorn Hill' Plantation, Lexington, Rockbridge Co, Virginia.
      Samuel Wallace was a patriot, soldier and civil servant. When Samuel was born, Augusta Co, VA included what later became Rockbridge Co, VA in 1777. In July 1771 he qualified as a lieutenant colonel. In about 1774 during the French and Indian War, Samuel commanded at Fort Young on the Virginia frontier at Covington, VA, which may have been where he was wounded. He appears to have been in the battle at Point Pleasant, WV. He was commissioned a captain in 1777 in the Continental Line. Samuel served in Col. Henry Bowyer's Regiment, Gen. Muhlenberg's Brigade, which fought at the Battle of Yorktown during the Revolutionary War. After the Revolutionary War, Samuel was commissioned Lt Col of the Virginia Militia in Rockbridge Co., VA by Gov. Thomas Nelson.

Samuel's home was a log cabin built on a high hill several hundred yards behind the current brick Wallace home one mile south of Lexington, VA on the east extension of Houston Street on what was the Richard S. Nuckols dairy farm in 1990. The area is marked by gently rolling grassy hills; this site was likely chosen because of the constant supply of cool, fresh water in the nearby spring. In the early days of settling this area, incursions by the Shawnees were so frequent that tradition says the family never ventured to forest, field or church without rifles.

Rockbridge Co, VA was created in 1778 and the first court of Rockbridge Co was held in Samuel Wallace's home 7 April 1778 with John Bowyer as presiding justice. The court was to meet at the Wallace home the first Tuesday of each month. All the officers except two were Samuel's relatives. On 9 April 1778 at his home during the third court meeting, the site for Lexington was selected and James McDowell ordered to make the survey.

The court sat again at Samuel's home on 18 April and 5 May 1778 for the trial of Captain James Hall and Hugh Galbraith for the killing of Chief Cornstalk and two other Indians at Point Pleasant, WV in 1777. Cornstalk, principal chief of the Shawnee Indian septs who had led the Shawnees in the Battle of Point Pleasant, went with his son Elinipsico and a subchief Red Hawk to Fort Randolph under a flag of truce to inform Capt. Arbuckle he would no longer restrain his warriors from joining raiding parties. Capt. Arnuckle had the three Indians held hostage. A group of soldiers and frontiersmen came to see the prisoners on 10 Oct 1777, and Capt John Hall, recognizing Cornstalk, shot him. Immediately the other soldiers fired and all three Indians were killed. This incited the Shawnees to avenge the deaths by attacking the Kentucky settlements and torturing captives. Because no one testified against the men during their 1778 trial, they were acquitted; the next year Samuel's daughter married a Galbraith.

In 1891 the town council named Wallace Street in Lexington to commemorate the first sessions of the county court in his home and in recognition of his family's outstanding military contributions in the American Revolution and the war with Mexico; Samuel lost four brothers in the Revolution. All traces of the small log cabin in which these important meetings occurred disappeared from the gently rolling hills of the Nuckols dairy farm about 1930 according to the inhabitants of the farm in 1990.

In 1784 Samuel returned to Lexington from Richmond, VA where he had obtained three bounty land warrants totaling 10,666 acres signed by Gov. Benjamin Harrison which entitled Samuel as heir-at-law to land earned by his three brothers who died in service during the Revolutionary War: #3194 Ensign James Wallace with 2666 2/3 acres; #3195 Capt. Adam Wallace with 4000 acres; and #3196, Capt. Andrew Wallace with 4000 acres. Samuel died without acting on the warrants, thus the patents were not issued before his own death.

Samuel was a farmer of modest rank in the local society. When he moved into town Samuel supplemented his farming income by keeping an inn at his home on lot one in Lexington. In 1808 his heirs sold the house to his daughter Martha and her husband John Ruff for $166; they sold part of it in Jun 1812 for $500.

At his death Samuel owned three slaves; seven horses; cattle; nine sheep; hogs; plough and wagon; five beds; a well-made walnut desk; walnut chest; two mirrors; four tables; twenty chairs; carpentry and agriculture implements; two Bibles and three other books.

Samuel was reportedly buried in the family plot at Thorn Hill, the home of his mother's sister, Magdelena Woods through her marriage to John Bowyer. At Thorn Hill plantation about one-half mile south of Lexington at what is now 1196 Thorn Hill Road, in 1990 there were several unmarked and two marked graves (a young Wallace and another non-Wallace family member) in the family plot in the overgrown pasture. Thorn Hill is a remarkable 1792 home, well kept on the outside and partially unrestored within; the view of the valley is incredible and much like where the Martins family hailed from in southern Scotland.

A local historian told me in 2010 "many of our commnon ancestors are in the Oxford Church cemetery south of Lexington." For later generations of Wallaces indirectly related to our lines there is also more information available in my hardcopy family files; the data available was too voluminous to include all descendants not in our direct lines.

The following reseach by Arlene Dickson is included herein:

Many complexities impacted settling the estate of Samuel Wallace. First, Samuel was the beneficiary of two brother’s estates at the time of his death, Adam and Andrew Wallace, both killed in the Revolutionary War. When Samuel died in 1786 his will directed his six children were to be educated and provided for until the age of 21 and their inheritance preserved. Samuel’s wife Rebecca remarried shortly after his death and her new husband James Grigsby apparently poorly managed the assets of the estate. Samuel’s children began a legal battle in 1801 against their step-father James Grigsby to claim their inheritance and the legal situtation was not settled until 1811.
Samuel’s Will

Samuel apparently prepared his 20 Mar 1786 will just before his death. He left his house and lot in Lexington to Rebecca to be used until her death and then to be equally divided among his six children. Rebecca also received “the use” of the tract of land where his plantation was adjoining John Paxton and Joseph Lapsley’s property with the purpose of “raising the children until the youngest child shall come of age.” He gave his oldest daughter Elizabeth “one negro wench named Hester” which she was to have at the age of 18 or when she married. He bequeathed “a negro girl named Sal” to his daughter Martha. He gave his tract of land where the plantation was to the remainder of the children: James, William, Andrew and the “child my wife is now pregnant with” (Anderson Wallace) to be equally divided when the youngest child (Anderson) reached the age of 21. He gave his land warrants for military service to Rebecca and his children to be equally divided when the youngest came of age and the interest from the warrants to be applied to the children’s education. His wife Rebecca and Samuel’s brother John Wallace were appointed joint executors. James Grigsby, a neighbour, was a witness to the will. An inventory of Samuel’s estate listed “one negro wench named Hester, one negro wench named Kathy, and one girl named Sal.” These slaves had been bequeathed as personal property in Samuel's will.

After Samuel’s death James Grigsby married Rebecca and they lived with her six children on the plantation. Together, they had three more children. Since Samuel's children were all under the age of 21 at the time of their father’s death, their inheritance had to be managed until they were of age. Witnesses later testified that Rebecca insisted on administering the estate herself and did not ask for help from the co-administrators named in the will. The questions later raised in court were whether James Grigsby sufficiently preserved the value of the estate according to the direction in the will and whether he used money from the estate to raise and educate Samuel’s children.

In 1790 Samuel’s oldest daughter Elizabeth married into the Grigsby family and left home. William, age 10, and Andrew, age 7, went to live in Augusta Co, VA with Alexander Anderson, Rebecca’s brother. Another brother of Rebecca's in Augusta County, Robert Anderson, took in James, age 12. This left two of Samuel’s children at home with their mother – Martha and Anderson – in addition to three children from the Grigsby marriage. Perhaps the older children were sent away because it was difficult for Rebecca and James to raise so many children in their home.

At his death Samuel was one of the heirs to his brother Adam’s estate. Adam Wallace died during the Revolutionary War in 1780 in the siege of Charleston. At the time of his death, Adam owned land in Virginia and as a result of his death during military service was awarded bounty land in Kentucky. Having never married, Adam’s estate was to be divided equally among all of his brothers and sisters with Samuel and his brother John Wallace appointed joint executors. Just prior to Adam leaving for the war, Samuel purchased a horse and saddle and other items from Adam and owed him about 480 pounds which Adam never collected. After Adam’s death John Wallace and Samuel agreed that Samuel would give up his share of the lands in exchange for retiring his debt to Adam of 480 pounds. John and Samuel agreed to destroy the bond for the debt, but that was never done. Adam’s estate was not settled prior to Samuel’s death and even the inventory of his estate was not filed until 1789.

In 1792 James Grigsby and Rebecca Wallace Grigsby, Samuel’s widow, brought a lawsuit against John Wallace, Samuel’s brother, claiming John owed Samuel’s estate money from Adam’s estate. At issue was testimony from Rebecca and James that John visited Samuel on his death bed and Samuel asked him to tear up the bond for 480 pounds because it was no longer owing. According to their testimony, John Wallace agreed to tear up the bond. However, according to John Wallace and his sister’s testimony, there was no such discussion about the exchange of the debt for the land or about destroying the bond at any time, and particularly not at Samuel’s death bed. The outcome of this suit was that a judgement of 50 pounds was awarded to John Wallace against Rebecca and James Grigsby and the couple were directed to pay all court costs.

In 1793 Rebecca and James had still not provided an accounting of the administration of Samuel’s estate, so in February of that year the Court ordered that they provide an accounting of their executorship. In 1796 the house in Lexington, which was part of the estate, was “consumed by fire.” In Apr 1797 James and Rebecca moved from Lexington to Tennessee, about 300 miles away. They took two of Samuel’s children – Martha, now age 15 and Anderson, age 11 – and the three Grigsby children: John, Etchison and Samuel, leaving the older Wallace children in Virginia. James and Rebecca also took several slaves with them, one of whom was Sal, listed as bequeathed to Martha in Samuel’s will. Rebecca died in Sevier Co, TN in Jun 1800.

After Rebecca’s death, her oldest son James Wallace traveled to Tennessee in 1801 to bring Martha and Anderson home to Virginia. Martha was still under age but had inherited a slave, Sal, from her father which was listed in his will. Sal and her children had been taken to Tennessee with Martha and the Grigsby family. In a deposition presented in the Rockbridge Co, VA Court in 1808 James Wallace claimed that Grigsby “positively refused to give up the slave Sal and her children unless James Wallace gave his bond for $200 for the maintenance of Sal’s three children.” Rather than leave the slave Sal and her children in Tennessee where a dispute might be difficult, James Wallace signed the bond which was to be collected in Rockbridge Co, VA by Joseph Grigsby, James Grigsby’s brother. Upon his return to Virginia, Wallace maintained the bond was fraudulent and unreasonable and requested that the Court cancel the bond that he and his niece Martha had supposedly been forced to sign. Grigsby claimed he had raised the said negro children and maintained them, he was due the contested amount before the negroes left his property, and furthermore that there was no “sinister” intention of the bond.

Samuel’s will directed his children would inherit his assets when they came of age, which at that time was age twenty-one. Evidently Samuel’s children were not satisfied with James Grigsby’s administration of the estate or the amount they would inherit and launched a bitter lawsuit beginning in 1801 that lasted ten years. (Heirs of Samuel Wallace vs James Grigsby, et al; Rockbridge County, VA, Chancery Record Index #1811-008) A number of witnesses testified when Samuel died, Rebecca took on the administration of the estate on her own without the help of the men listed in the will who were co-executors. The men listed in the will were identified as co-defendants with James Grigsby in the lawsuit because they were responsible for ensuring the will was properly administered and they were charged with failing in their duty. Witnesses were summoned to appear in Court and give their testimony, however by 1802 many of the witnesses had not responded to the summons, including James Grigsby who was living in Tennessee at the time. The witnesses were held in contempt of Court and an order was placed with the Sheriff to make them appear. Finally the judge threatened the witnesses with a fine of $333.00 each if they did not appear. By 1803 the witnesses had still not appeared at the appointed court date, and they were again summoned on threat of being fined. By 1809 the Court had gathered depositions and was ready to hear from witnesses.

At issue was whether the plantation had been properly managed in order to substantially raise and educate the children. Grigsby submitted a belated inventory of the estate which showed the debts owed by Samuel to be more than his assets. The inventory of debts makes for interesting reading and includes a list of items Samuel purchased for his tavern from William Alexander. The debts included a bill from James Grigsby charging 133 pounds, 17 shillings for his help in raising and educating the children from the year he took possession of the estate. James Grigsby further claimed after their father’s death the estate would have been insufficient to maintain the children if they had continued to live with only their mother. He claimed improvements he made to the land increased the value. Grigsby also produced a receipt signed by Martha and James dated 1801 that claimed they settled their portion of the estate. Martha and James denied they had signed the receipt and accused Grigsby of being “deceiptful” about this and many other items he brought forward in Court.

Also at issue was the value of the military certificates for Samuel’s service in the militia which were given to him by the State. These warrants were mentioned in Samuel’s will and it was directed that the certificates not be sold until the youngest child came of age in 1807. The certificates were valued at 1,287 pounds.

In terms of Grigsby’s management of the plantation, James apparently cut and sold quite a bit of timber on Samuel’s land which led to a number of neighbors testifying either that the practice improved or diminished the value of the plantation.

Witnesses also challenged James’ accounting for the maintenance and schooling of the children. One witness testified Elizabeth and James, Samuel’s two oldest children, did not receive any schooling after the death of their father. The deposition of Alexander Anderson, Rebecca’s brother, maintained that one of Samuel’s boys, William Wallace came to live with him in Mar 1790 and at that time William could ”spell and read a little but could not say when he had been to school.” Alexander claimed William was entirely supported and clothed until he was 21 years old at the cost of Alexander and his grandfather. Alexander mentioned William could “pay his way” after age 10 when he could manage a plow. Alexander also took in Andrew Wallace at the age of 7 and supported him until he was 21. Robert Anderson, Rebecca’s other brother, took in James Wallace in 1791 and supported him for 12 or 15 months.

The handwriting made it too difficult to discern the outcome of the Court’s decision regarding this case. The original handwritten documents were digitized by the Library of Virginia and can be viewed online by searching the ‘Chancery Record Index’ for Rockbridge County, Index #1811-008: heirs of Samuel Wallace, plaintiffs, and James Grigsby, etc. defendants.

Children of LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace and Rebecca Anderson

Citations

  1. [S3] "Elizabeth Harriet Perry Research."
  2. [S20] W. H. Miller, History and Genealogies.
  3. [S21] 1836 Rockbridge Co, VA Court Orders.
  4. [S22] J. T. McAllister, Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War.
  5. [S421] Rev. William Henry Foote, Sketches of Virginia.
  6. [S17] Rev. Neander M. Woods, Woods-McAfee Memorial.
  7. [S24] Winifred Hadsel, Lexington Streets.
  8. [S84] Edna Wallace Seivers, Robert Wallace.
  9. [S195] John M. Ruff Memoir.
  10. [S9] "Davidson Family History."
  11. [S640] Samuel Wallace Estate Litigation.
  12. [S37] Oren F. Morton, History of Rockbridge Co, VA.

James Hugh Wallace1

M, ID# 635, (1750 - 1776)
Father:Peter Wallace (c 1717 - Jan 1786)
Mother:Martha Woods (c 1718 - 1790)
     James Hugh Wallace was born in 1750 at Augusta Co, Virginia. He was the son of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods. James Hugh Wallace died in 1776 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
      James Wallace, an ensign in the 2nd or 3rd Virginia Regiment, Continental Line under Colonel Christian Febriger, died unmarried of smallpox.

Citations

  1. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.

CPT Adam Wallace1,2,3,4

M, ID# 636, (1752 - 29 May 1780)
Father:Peter Wallace (c 1717 - Jan 1786)
Mother:Martha Woods (c 1718 - 1790)
     CPT Adam Wallace was born in 1752 at Augusta Co, Virginia. He was the son of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods. CPT Adam Wallace died on 29 May 1780 at Waxhaw, South Carolina.
      Captain Adam Wallace was captain of an 10th Virginia Regiment, Continental Line and was unmarried when killed during the massacre in Waxhaw, SC during the Revolution.

Citations

  1. [S20] W. H. Miller, History and Genealogies.
  2. [S3] "Elizabeth Harriet Perry Research."
  3. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.
  4. [S640] Samuel Wallace Estate Litigation.

CPT Andrew Wallace1,2

M, ID# 637, (1754 - 15 Mar 1781)
Father:Peter Wallace (c 1717 - Jan 1786)
Mother:Martha Woods (c 1718 - 1790)
     CPT Andrew Wallace was born in 1754. He was the son of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods. CPT Andrew Wallace died on 15 Mar 1781 at Guilford Courthouse, South Carolina.
      Captain Andrew Wallace from near Lexington was in the regular service and was a brave man. Andrew was captain of a Rockbridge Company in the 8th Virginia Regiment, Continental Line. He served at Valley Forge, Camp Middlebrook, Camp Smith, Camp Ramapaugh, Camp Haverstraw and Camp Morristown. Andrew was killed in a battle between Corwallis and Greene at the battle of Guilford Courthouse, SC. That morning he expressed a mournful presage that he would fall that day. In the course of battle, Andrew sheltered himself behind a tree with some indications of alarm. Being reproached, he immediately left the shelter and in a moment received his death wound. (Houston's Journal, pg 147.) He was unmarried when killed during the Revolution.

Citations

  1. [S20] W. H. Miller, History and Genealogies.
  2. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.

ENS John Wallace1,2,3

M, ID# 638, (1748 - 1838)
Father:Peter Wallace (c 1717 - Jan 1786)
Mother:Martha Woods (c 1718 - 1790)
     ENS John Wallace was born in 1748 at Augusta Co, Virginia. He was the son of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods. ENS John Wallace married Roseanna Jane Miller on 11 May 1780 at Greenbriar Co, Virginia. ENS John Wallace married Rebecca Norton in 1821. ENS John Wallace died in 1838 at Stilesville, Indiana. He was buried at Stilesville, Indiana.
      John Wallace may have been born in 1757. He was an ensign in a Rockbridge Company in 1780. In 1792 John build a federal-style brick home on a Virginia military land patent; it was still standing on the Buffalo River in 2010. In 1794 he sold his inheritance from his father and moved to the South. One reference stated John moved to Scott Co, Kentucky and another that he moved to Anderson Co and then Morgan or Putnam Co, Tn. John had eleven children with his first wife, Jane Miller.

Citations

  1. [S3] "Elizabeth Harriet Perry Research."
  2. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.
  3. [S640] Samuel Wallace Estate Litigation.

Roseanna Jane Miller1

F, ID# 639, (a 1760 - c 1820)
     Roseanna Jane Miller was born a 1760. She married ENS John Wallace, son of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods, on 11 May 1780 at Greenbriar Co, Virginia. Roseanna Jane Miller died c 1820.

Citations

  1. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.

Rebecca Norton

F, ID# 640, (a 1801 - )
     Rebecca Norton was born a 1801. She married ENS John Wallace, son of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods, in 1821.

Elizabeth Wallace1,2

F, ID# 641, (1749 - 1804)
Father:Peter Wallace (c 1717 - Jan 1786)
Mother:Martha Woods (c 1718 - 1790)
     Elizabeth Wallace was born in 1749 at Augusta Co, Virginia. She was the daughter of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods. Elizabeth Wallace married COL John Gilmore a 1769. Elizabeth Wallace died in 1804. She was buried at Gilmore Cemetery, Jessamine Co, Kentucky.

Citations

  1. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.
  2. [S195] John M. Ruff Memoir.

COL John Gilmore1

M, ID# 642, (a 1744 - )
     COL John Gilmore was born a 1744. He married Elizabeth Wallace, daughter of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods, a 1769. COL John Gilmore was buried at Rockbridge Co, Virginia.

Citations

  1. [S3] "Elizabeth Harriet Perry Research."

Janet Jennet 'Jean' Wallace1,2

F, ID# 643, (1758 - 3 Aug 1786)
Father:Peter Wallace (c 1717 - Jan 1786)
Mother:Martha Woods (c 1718 - 1790)
     Janet Jennet 'Jean' Wallace was born in 1758 at Augusta Co, Virginia. She was the daughter of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods. Janet Jennet 'Jean' Wallace married Thomas Wilson on 2 Aug 1786 at Rockbridge Co, Virginia. Janet Jennet 'Jean' Wallace died on 3 Aug 1786.

Citations

  1. [S3] "Elizabeth Harriet Perry Research."
  2. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.

Susannah Wallace1

F, ID# 644, (1760 - )
Father:Peter Wallace (c 1717 - Jan 1786)
Mother:Martha Woods (c 1718 - 1790)
     Susannah Wallace was born in 1760 at Augusta Co, Virginia. She was the daughter of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods. Susannah Wallace married William Pawling a 1780.

Citations

  1. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.

Rebecca Anderson1,2,3,4,5,6

F, ID# 645, (1752 - 1798)
Father:ENS William Anderson I (c 1722 - 1793)
Mother:Elizabeth Campbell (a 1726 - c 1799)
Charts:Susan Paulding Ruff * lineage
     Rebecca Anderson was born in 1752 at Augusta Co, Virginia. She was the daughter of ENS William Anderson I and Elizabeth Campbell. Rebecca Anderson married LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace, son of Peter Wallace and Martha Woods, in 1771 at Augusta Co, Virginia.7 Rebecca Anderson married James Grigsby in Apr 1786 at Lexington, Rockbridge Co, Virginia. Rebecca Anderson died in 1798 at French Broad River, Sevier Co, Tennessee.
      Rebecca Anderson may have also spelled her name Rebekah and may have been born in 1747. Rebecca was a woman in a hurry; a few days after her husband Samuel died, she had a baby, remarried James Grigsby and moved to Sevier Co, Tn, taking only her oldest daughter Elizabeth, who later married a Grigsby. Rebecca's six other children, including her newborn child, were raised by extended family. Rebecca had three children by James Grigsby.

Rebecca died at the French Broad River, which runs in part through what is currently northwest Sevier Co, TN.


Alice Gedge detailed:

(1) "Anderson Genealogy," by Mary Lynn Steward (1915/1916), typed manuscript from Miss Elizabeth Perry, Staunton, VA, 1976.
(2) "John M. Ruff, A Memoir of an Early 19th Century Citizen," by Samuel O. Ruff (unpublished, 1987) p.4.
(3) Janet Beall Broadbent, Beall Broadbent Family Org., Los Altos, CA 94022, Jan 1983. Cites: (a) William Wallace family Bible in possession of H.J. Geiger, Knoxville, TN.
(4) Arlis Anderson Renfro, Vancouver, WA (1998). Cites: (a) Genealogy by Dorothy York?, received from Theresa Hodge, thodge@magicnet.net.
(5) "Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County 1745-1800," by Lyman Chalkley, (Genealogical Pub. Co., Baltimore, 1966). Vol. 3, p.203. FHL #975.591/F2s.
(6) Esther Mott, CA. E-mail: emott@comcast.net (Oct 2004). Cites: (a) Rockbridge Co., VA deeds.
(7)"Early Settlers of Augusta County, Virginia" (http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Early_Settlers_of_Augusta_County%2C_Virginia, 22 Sep 2009). Cites: (a) Ancestral file.

Children of Rebecca Anderson and LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace

Citations

  1. [S3] "Elizabeth Harriet Perry Research."
  2. [S9] "Davidson Family History."
  3. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.
  4. [S195] John M. Ruff Memoir.
  5. [S97] Wallace - Ruff Bible.
  6. [S640] Samuel Wallace Estate Litigation.
  7. [S37] Oren F. Morton, History of Rockbridge Co, VA.

James Grigsby1,2

M, ID# 646, (a 1761 - )
     James Grigsby was born a 1761. He married Rebecca Anderson, daughter of ENS William Anderson I and Elizabeth Campbell, in Apr 1786 at Lexington, Rockbridge Co, Virginia.

Citations

  1. [S195] John M. Ruff Memoir.
  2. [S640] Samuel Wallace Estate Litigation.

Elizabeth Alice 'Betsy' Wallace1,2,3

F, ID# 647, (1772 - 1838)
Father:LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace (1745 - 20 Mar 1786)
Mother:Rebecca Anderson (1752 - 1798)
     Elizabeth Alice 'Betsy' Wallace was born in 1772 at Augusta Co, Virginia. She was the daughter of LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace and Rebecca Anderson. Elizabeth Alice 'Betsy' Wallace married Charles Grigsby on 18 Feb 1790 at Rockbridge Co, Virginia. Elizabeth Alice 'Betsy' Wallace died in 1838 at Blount Co, Tennessee. She was buried at Blount Co, Tennessee.

Citations

  1. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.
  2. [S84] Edna Wallace Seivers, Robert Wallace.
  3. [S640] Samuel Wallace Estate Litigation.

Charles Grigsby1

M, ID# 648, (a 1765 - )
     Charles Grigsby was born a 1765. He married Elizabeth Alice 'Betsy' Wallace, daughter of LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace and Rebecca Anderson, on 18 Feb 1790 at Rockbridge Co, Virginia. Charles Grigsby was buried at Tennessee.

Citations

  1. [S3] "Elizabeth Harriet Perry Research."

Andrew Wallace

M, ID# 649, (1776 - )
Father:LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace (1745 - 20 Mar 1786)
Mother:Rebecca Anderson (1752 - 1798)
     Andrew Wallace was born in 1776 at Augusta Co, Virginia. He was the son of LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace and Rebecca Anderson.

James Wallace1,2

M, ID# 650, (1 Jan 1778 - 1808)
Father:LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace (1745 - 20 Mar 1786)
Mother:Rebecca Anderson (1752 - 1798)
     James Wallace was born on 1 Jan 1778 at Lexington, Rockbridge Co, Virginia. He was the son of LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace and Rebecca Anderson. James Wallace married Elizabeth Huffman on 12 Nov 1801. James Wallace died in 1808.
      James Wallace and Elizabeth Huffman had six children.

Citations

  1. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.
  2. [S640] Samuel Wallace Estate Litigation.

Elizabeth Huffman

F, ID# 651, (a 1781 - )
     Elizabeth Huffman was born a 1781. She married James Wallace, son of LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace and Rebecca Anderson, on 12 Nov 1801.

William Wallace1,2

M, ID# 652, (1780 - 4 Sep 1808)
Father:LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace (1745 - 20 Mar 1786)
Mother:Rebecca Anderson (1752 - 1798)
     William Wallace was born in 1780. He was the son of LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace and Rebecca Anderson. William Wallace died on 4 Sep 1808.

Citations

  1. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.
  2. [S640] Samuel Wallace Estate Litigation.

Martha 'Patsie' Porter1,2

F, ID# 653, (a 1798 - )
Father:Camp Porter (a 1772 - )
Mother:Frances 'Fannie' Alcock (a 1777 - )
     Martha 'Patsie' Porter was born a 1798. She was the daughter of Camp Porter and Frances 'Fannie' Alcock. Martha 'Patsie' Porter married James Wood Walker, son of CPT John 'Jack' Walker and Judith Wood, in 1820.

Child of Martha 'Patsie' Porter and James Wood Walker

Citations

  1. [S12] "Ella Virginia Auguste Perry (1870-1971) Research: Collection of hand-written Lanphier, Martin, Perry, Russell and Other Family Documents."
  2. [S75] Stephen P. Dorsey, Ralph Cole Hall, Deering Davis, Alexandria Houses 1750 - 1830.

Andrew E. Wallace I1,2,3,4,5

M, ID# 654, (8 Aug 1784 - 1846)
Father:LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace (1745 - 20 Mar 1786)
Mother:Rebecca Anderson (1752 - 1798)
     Andrew E. Wallace I was born on 8 Aug 1784 at Augusta Co, Virginia. He was the son of LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace and Rebecca Anderson. Andrew E. Wallace I married Jane Blair on 1 Mar 1812 at Rockbridge Co, Virginia. Andrew E. Wallace I married Mary C. Blair a 1832. Andrew E. Wallace I died in 1846 at Lexington, Rockbridge Co, Virginia. He was buried at Lexington, Rockbridge Co, Virginia.
     

Child of Andrew E. Wallace I

Children of Andrew E. Wallace I and Jane Blair

Citations

  1. [S3] "Elizabeth Harriet Perry Research."
  2. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.
  3. [S195] John M. Ruff Memoir.
  4. [S97] Wallace - Ruff Bible.
  5. [S640] Samuel Wallace Estate Litigation.

Jane Blair

F, ID# 655, (1790 - 1832)
     Jane Blair was born in 1790. She married Andrew E. Wallace I, son of LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace and Rebecca Anderson, on 1 Mar 1812 at Rockbridge Co, Virginia. Jane Blair died in 1832.

Children of Jane Blair and Andrew E. Wallace I

Mary C. Blair

F, ID# 656, (a 1792 - )
     Mary C. Blair was born a 1792. She married Unknown Poage a 1812. Mary C. Blair married Andrew E. Wallace I, son of LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace and Rebecca Anderson, a 1832.

Anderson Wallace1,2,3,4,5

M, ID# 657, (1 Apr 1786 - )
Father:LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace (1745 - 20 Mar 1786)
Mother:Rebecca Anderson (1752 - 1798)
     Anderson Wallace was born on 1 Apr 1786 at Lexington, Rockbridge Co, Virginia. He was the son of LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace and Rebecca Anderson. Anderson Wallace married Mary 'Polly' Galbraith on 3 May 1809. Anderson Wallace was buried at Lexington, Rockbridge Co, Virginia.
      Anderson Wallace bought a house and lot on Main Street in Lexington, VA in 1812 but may have stayed at the Wallace homestead until his 1816 purchase of a larger home. A family bible transcriber noted "Andrew Wallace to Polly Galbraith 30 March 1809." He died without issue.

Children of Anderson Wallace and Mary 'Polly' Galbraith

Citations

  1. [S3] "Elizabeth Harriet Perry Research."
  2. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.
  3. [S195] John M. Ruff Memoir.
  4. [S97] Wallace - Ruff Bible.
  5. [S640] Samuel Wallace Estate Litigation.

Mary 'Polly' Galbraith1

F, ID# 658, (a 1789 - )
     Mary 'Polly' Galbraith was born a 1789. She married Anderson Wallace, son of LTC Samuel Augustus Wallace and Rebecca Anderson, on 3 May 1809.

Children of Mary 'Polly' Galbraith and Anderson Wallace

Citations

  1. [S8] Janet Beall Broadbent Research.

(Unknown) Porter1

M, ID# 659
     (Unknown) Porter married Margaret Evans, daughter of COL Freddie Williams Evans II and Mariann Chappell, a 1974.

Citations

  1. [S1] "Virginia Winslett Research."

COL George Selden Wallace1

M, ID# 660, (9 Sep 1871 - 24 Apr 1963)
Father:Charles Wallace (a 1844 - )
Mother:Maria L. Sclater (a 1849 - )
     COL George Selden Wallace was born on 9 Sep 1871. He was the son of Charles Wallace and Maria L. Sclater. COL George Selden Wallace died on 24 Apr 1963 at age 91.

Citations

  1. [S3] "Elizabeth Harriet Perry Research."