USA > Virginia > Encyclopedia of Virginia biography, Volume I > Part 45
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48
Ware, Rev. Jacob, was minister of St. Peter's parish, New Kent, from 1690 to 1695 and afterwards was minister of Henrico parish, till his death in 1709.
Wareham, Thomas, was a burgess for Mounts Bay in 1632 and 1632-1633.
Waring, Francis, son of Colonel Thomas Waring, was colonel of the Essex county militia, and burgess for Essex in 1758-1761. 1761-1765 and 1766-1768; was one of the signers of the Northern Neck protest against the Stamp Act. He died in 1771.
Waring, Thomas, emigrated from Eng- land and settled at "Goldsberry," St. Anne's parish, Essex county, Virginia, in the latter part of the seventeenth century. He was vestryman, justice of the peace, and mem- ber of the house of burgesses in 1736. He died at his family seat, January, 1754, leav- ing two sons Francis and Thomas, and three daughters, Elizabeth who married Thomas Todd of King and Queen county, Mary who married Henry Robinson, of Hanover, and Anne who married Rev. James Smith, of Essex. He married Lucy Cocke, daughter of William Cocke.
Warne, Thomas, was a burgess for James City county in 1645.
Warnet, Thomas, of Southwark, London, son of John Warnet, of Hempstead, Sussex, was the principal merchant at Jamestown in 1628. He died in February, 1630, and the legacies given in his will show the style of living in his day. His wife was Thoma- sine, daughter of William Hall, of Wood- alling, county Norfolk, England.
Warren, Thomas, born in 1621, patented lands in Charles City county in 1635, due by reason of the personal adventure of his wife Susan Greenleafe, and of Robert Greenleafe, "an ancient planter," her former husband. He was member of the house of burgesses for James City county in 1644, 1645, and for Surry county in 1658-1659 and 1666. He died about 1670, leaving a widow Jane and son William. His sister Alice was wife of Major William Marriott, of Surry county.
Washbourn, John, was a burgess for Ac- comac county in 1703-1705.
Washer, Ensign, was a burgess for Flower dieu Hundred in the first assembly 1619.
Washington, Augustine, youngest son of Augustine Washington and Jane Butler, his wife, was born in 1720 and was given by his father, Augustine, the family estate in Westmoreland county, known as "Wake- field." He was a burgess for Westmoreland county from 1754 to 1758, and a member of the Ohio Company. He married Anne Ay- lett, daughter and coheiress of William Aylett, of Westmoreland county. Half- brother of General George Washington.
Washington, Colonel John, son of Rev. Lawrence Washington, royalist clergyman, of Purleigh in county Essex, England, was
353
BURGESSES AND OTHER PROMINENT PERSONS
born about 1631, came to Virginia as a master's mate under Edward Prescott about 1657; chosen vestryman of Appomattox parish, Westmoreland, July 3, 1661; jus- tice of the peace June 24, 1662 ; lieutenant- colonel in 1670, and member of the house of burgesses 1666, 1676. He commanded against the Indians in 1675, and was friendly to Sir William Berkeley in 1676. He died in 1677. He was ancestor of General George Washington.
Washington, John, settled in Surry county before 1658, was justice of the peace and major of the militia. Issue a son Rich- ard, who sold land in 1678 and died in 1725. He was ancestor of Sidney Lanier, but no known relative to the Washingtons of West- moreland county.
Washington, Lawrence, merchant, son of a royalist clergyman, Rev. Lawrence Wash- ington, of Purleigh, county Essex, England, came to Virginia about 1656. He married Mary Jones, of Luton, county Bedford, Eng- land; died in Virginia. He was brother of Colonel John Washington (q. v.).
Washington, Lawrence, second child and oldest surviving son of Augustine Washing- ton and Jane Butler, his first wife, was born at Pope's Creek, Westmoreland county, Virginia, in 1718. He was a half brother of General George Washington. He was edu- cated in England and settled upon the "Hunting Creek Plantation," devised him by his father in Fairfax county. He was burgess for Fairfax from 1742 to 1749 and was one of the originators of the Ohio Company (1749). He was also interested in the manufacture of iron, both in Vir- ginia and in Maryland. He was a captain VIR-23
in the British army, and in 1740-1742 served under Admiral Vernon in the expedition. against Carthagena. Later he was com- missioned a major in the Virginia service. On account of sickness he resigned and in 175I went to Barbadoes for his health in company with his brother George. He died July 26, 1752, at his residence "Mt. Vernon" named in honor of his old commander, Ad- miral Vernon. He married on July 19, 1743, Anne, eldest daughter of Hon. William Fairfax of "Belvoir," but left no surviving issue.
Waters, Edward, born 1584, and left England for Virginia in the same ship, the Seaventure, which brought Sir Thomas Gates, as first governor of Virginia under the second charter (1609) ; wrecked on the Bermudas; went with the other castaways to Jamestown in 1610; in the same year re- turned with Sir George Somers to Bermuda ; when Matthew Somers sailed for England he was one of the three who remained to hold the island for England and found an immense piece of ambergris ; member of the council of Bermuda ; left Bermuda for Vir- ginia in 1618 or 1619; married, probably about 1620, Grace O'Niel; taken prisoner with his wife by the Indians of Nansemond at the great massacre in 1622; escaped, and in January, 1625, was living at Blunt Point, James river, with his wife and two children, William and Margaret. He had the rank of captain, and in 1628 was appointed com- mander of the plantations in Elizabeth City county ; burgess in 1625. He is sometimes confounded with Robert Waters, left be- hind by Gates in the Bermudas, when he sailed in 1610 for Jamestown, and who killed a man.
354
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Waters, William, son of Edward Waters, of Elizabeth City county, was high sheriff of Northampton county in 1652, major of militia in March, 1652, and a justice of the quorum ; burgess for Northampton in 1654 and 1659-1660. He married the widow of George Clarke, and his will probated in 1685 names sons William, Richard, Thomas, John, Obedience and Edward.
Waters, William, son of Major William Waters, was sheriff for Northampton county in 1696, and burgess in 1696, 1705 1714, 1718 and 1720. He died before 1722.
Watkins, Benjamin, son of Stephen Wat- kins, whose will is recorded in Chesterfield county (1758), was clerk of the county from 1749 to 1779 and burgess for Chesterfield in the assembly of 1772-1774 and 1775-1776 and member of the conventions of 1774, 1775 and 1776.
Watkins, Henry, was a burgess in 1624 and signed "The Tragical Relation." He was then living on the eastern shore.
Watkins, Micajah, son of John Watkins. of Prince Edward county, whose will dated April 20, 1762, is on record. He was burgess for Halifax county in the assembly 1775- 1776, and served in the conventions of 1775 and 1776.
Watson, Abraham, was a burgess for James City county in 1652, 1653, 1654.
Watson, Joseph, was a burgess for Dun- more county (Shenandoah) in 1772 and 1773. He died before May 5, 1774.
Watts, Matthew, was a burgess for Eliza- beth City county at the April session, 1696, of the house of burgesses.
Waugh, James, succeeded Henry Fitz- hugh, who died, as burgess for Stafford county in 1744 and served till 1747. He was a captain of militia, etc., and was a grand- son of Rev. John Waugh (q. v.).
Waugh, Rev. John, was a minister of the church of England in a parish in Stafford county, Virginia, where he was living as early as 1666. During the reign of James II., Virginia, like England, was very much agitated with rumors of Popish plots, and John Waugh greatly inflamed the people by his harangues against the Catholics. In 1699, he was elected to the general assem- bly, but declared ineligible as a minister. He died in 1706, leaving a wife Christian and sons Joseph, John, Alexander and David.
Waugh, John, son of Rev. John Wauglı, was burgess for Stafford county in 1710- 1712.
Wayles, John, an eminent lawyer, born at Lancaster, England, in 1715. He resided in Charles City county, Virginia, where his residence was called "The Forest." He mar- ried at least twice, (first) Martha, widow of Lewellyn Eppes, who was herself an Eppes before marriage, and (second) Elizabeth Lomax, widow of Reuben Skelton. Martha, his child, by Martha Eppes, married Thomas Jefferson. He died in 1773.
Webb, George, son of Conrad Webb, of London, merchant, resided in New Kent county, Virginia, circa 1728, father of Lewis Webb (q. v.).
Webb, Giles, was a burgess for Nanse- mond county in 1658, 1659, 1660. He was probably father of Giles Webb, of Henrico
355
BURGESSES AND OTHER PROMINENT PERSONS
county, who died in 1713, and of Thomas Webb, of the city of Gloucestershire, Eng. land, gentleman, who was alive in 1718.
Webb, Lewis, son of George Webb and Lucy. his wife, of New Kent county, was born April 19, 1731, and was a burgess for New Kent county in the assembly of 1758- 1761.
Webb, Stephen, born at Breshley, Wor- cestershire, and baptized there September I, 1598, son of Stephen and Ann Webb. He was a burgess for James City county, then including Surry, in March, 1643, and October, 1644. He had two sons who died without issue, and his property in Virginia vent to his brother William Webb, of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England.
Webb, Wingfield, was a burgess for Glou- cester county in 1654.
Webster, Richard, probably son of Roger Webster; he resided at Jamestown where he purchased from the colony the "Country House"; was major of the militia, and bur- gess for James City county, March, 1657 -. 1658.
Webster, Roger, and Joanna. his wife, was living at Hog Island in 1625, member of the house of burgesses for "Glebe Land and Archer's Hope" September. 1632 ; prob- ably father of Major Richard Webster, of Jamestown.
Weekes, Abraham, was chosen as ves- tryman of Lancaster county in 1657, and justice in 1666. He was afterwards a jus- tice of Middlesex and burgess at the assem - blies October 10, 1676, and October 10, 1677. He died in 1692. The Middlesex
county records show that in 1738 the eldest descendant bearing the name was Thomas Hobbes Weekes, Esq., of Southampton, England.
Weir (Weyer), Major John, settled in Old Rappahannock county. In 1666 he had three grants of land, aggregating 6,570 acres. He was burgess for Rappahannock March, 1658-1659. In 1697 Elizabeth Gard- ner, of St. Mary's county, Maryland, dauglı- ter and heiress of John Weire, late of Rap- pahannock county, deceased, conveyed 2,502 aeres in Richmond county, patented by him June 6, 1666.
Welbourn, Thomas, burgess for Acco- mae county in 1700-1702.
Weldon, Poynes, a lawyer, burgess for James City county in 1695-96. He was probably son of Major Samuel Weldon, of London, who came to Virginia in 1675 and died in James City about 1693. The latter in turn was doubtless a son of Rev. John Weldon. minister in 1666 of the parish of St. Mary Newington, Surry county, Eng- land. The city of Weldon, in North Caro- lina, was named for this family (see "Wil- liam and Mary Quarterly." vi, p. 121).
Wellford, Dr. Robert, was born in Eng- land, April 12, 1753; he came to America in 1775, and in 1776 was surgeon in the British army. After the war, having rendered him- self popular with the American prisoners by his tender attentions, he settled in Fred- ericksburg and acquired a large practice. He married, January 1, 1781, Mrs. Catherine Thornton, widow of John Thornton, Esq., of Stafford county, and daughter of Bar- tholomew Yates, of Gloucester county. Died April 24, 1823.
356
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Wells, Richard, was a burgess for Upper Norfolk county in 1645.
West, Anthony, came to Virginia in 1622; in 1624 resided at James City, and in 1625 at the plantations opposite on the south side ; settled in Northampton county, where he was one of the justices and lieutenant- colonel of the militia. He died in 1651, leav- ing a son, John West. He was some rela- tion to Lord Delaware, as the arms of his family were the same as those of his lord- ship. Anne, his widow, married (second) Stephen Charleton.
West, Francis, burgess for King William county in 1748-1749, 1756-1758, was a son of Captain Thomas West, who was a grand- son of Captain John West, brother to Lord Delaware. He was justice of the peace and colonel of the militia. He married Jane Cole, widow, first, of Ferdinand Leigh, and afterward of Stephen Bingham. He had a daughter Agnes, who married William Dan- dridge.
West, Henry, patented 900 acres on the Blackwater, in Isle of Wight county, 1673. He took part in Bacon's rebellion, and by court-martial, held January 24, 1677, was found guilty of treason and rebellion and banished from Virginia for seven years, and all of his estate except five pounds confis- cated.
West, Hugh, was descended from John West, who came from Muston, in York- shire, it is believed, about the latter part of the seventeenth century. He was a bur- gess for Fairfax county, Virginia, 1752, 1753, 1754. He died the latter year and was suc- ceeded by his son, Hugh West (q. v.).
West, Hugh, Jr., attorney-at-law, was son
of Hugh West (q. v.), and succeeded him as the representative for Fairfax county in 1754. He continued to sit for Fairfax until 1755, when he removed to Frederick county and represented that county in 1756, 1757, 1758. His will was proved in Fairfax county, June 18, 1767, and names issue.
West, Lieutenant-Colonel John, of North- ampton county, was son of Anthony West. He was a contemporary of Colonel John West, of West Point, but unlike him took sides with Bacon in 1676. He was pardoned by Sir William Berkeley on due submission and acknowledgment of his guilt. He mar- ried Matilda Scarburgh and had issue-An- thony, Alexander, John the eldest, Jona- than, and John the younger.
West, Colonel John, son of Captain John West, governor, etc., was born at "Bell- field," York river, in 1632, being the first child of English parents born on York river ; lived at West Point; sat on the courts- martial that tried the rebels in Bacon's time ; senior justice and colonel of the New Kent county militia ; married Unity, daugh- ter of Major Joseph Croshaw; burgess for New Kent county in 1685 and 1686. He had three sons-John, Nathaniel and Thomas, and one daughter-Unity, who married Henry Fox, of King William county.
West, John, known as "Capt. John West, Jr.," was son of Hugh West (q. v.), and represented Fairfax in the house of bur- gesses from 1755 till his death in 1775. He married Catherine, daughter of Major Thomas Colville, and left issue.
West, John, of King William county, son of Colonel John West and Unity Croshaw, his wife, was a member of the house of bur-
357
BURGESSES AND OTHER PROMINENT PERSONS
gesses in 1702-1706. He married, in Octo- ing issue. He gave his estate to his five sisters.
ber. 1698, Judith, daughter of Major An- thony Armistead, of Elizabeth City county, and had one son Charles, who, dying with- out issue, left the West Point estate (4,000 acres) to his cousin, Thomas West.
West, Captain Thomas, of King William county, son of Colonel John West and Unity Croshaw, his wife, was burgess for King William in 1702-1706. He married Agnes -, and had a son Thomas, who was given the West Point estate (4,000 acres) by his cousin, Charles West.
West, Thomas, son of Captain Thomas West, of King William county, was a bur- gess for that county in 1742-1747. He died in 1743. before the assembly ended. Charles West, his cousin, left him the West Point estate. He married Elizabeth Seaton, daughter of George Seaton, of King and Queen county, and left issue, of whom the eldest son was John West.
West, William, nephew of Lord Dela- ware, killed by the Indians at the falls of James river, Virginia, in 1611.
Westcomb, James, was clerk of West- moreland county from January 24, 1690, to July, 1709, and burgess for the county in the assembly of 1700-1702.
Westhrope, John, was a London mer- chant, who in 1650 patented 1,500 acres on Ward's creek, in Charles City county (now Prince George). He was major of militia, and in 1644 represented Charles City county in the house of burgesses. His will, dated September 24, 1655, was proved in London. June 12, 1658. He married a daughter of John Sadler, of London, but had no surviv-
Westwood, William, was son of Worlich Westwood, of Elizabeth City county, and was a member of the house of burgesses in 1736-40, 1742-47, 1748-49, 1752-55, 1756-58. His will was proved in May, 1770.
Westwood, Worlich, son of William Westwood, of Elizabeth City county, was a member of the house of burgesses in 1772- 1774 and 1775-1776, and of the conventions of 1775, 1776 and 1788, and member of the house of delegates in 1785, 1790 and 1802-03.
Wetherall, Robert, was burgess for James City county in 1645, 1652.
Wetherburn, Henry, keeper of the Raleigh Tavern, in Williamsburg. He married Anne Marot, widow of James Shields, also keeper of an ordinary. He died in 1752.
Whaley, James, son of Major Thomas Whaley, was born in 1652. He was a prom- inent merchant of York county, Virginia. He died May 16, 1701. He married, April, 1695, Mary Page, niece of Colonel John Page, and left an only son Matthew, who died at the age of nine years.
Whaley, Mary, daughter of Matthew Page, and widow of James Whaley, of York county, Virginia. Upon the death of her son Matthew, at the age of nine years, she established in 1706 a free school near Wil- liamsburg in his honor. She removed some years afterwards to England, where she died in St. Mary Bedfont parish, January 31, 1743. The school still continues under the supervision of the College of William and Mary.
358
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
Whaley, Thomas, was an early resident of York county, Virginia. In Bacon's re- bellion he was a major and commanded at Colonel Nathaniel Bacon's house on King's creek, where he repulsed an attack of Sir William Berkeley's men and killed their commander, Captain Hubert Farrell. At the collapse of the rebellion he rode away into the forest with Richard Lawrence and two others. He left a son, James Whaley, who married Mary Page.
Whateley (Wheatley), Rev. Solomon, came to Virginia from Maryland in 1700; was minister of Bruton church from 1702 to 1710. He died in Williamsburg the latter year. In the same year his brother, Thomas Whateley, of Bromeley St. Leonard's, in the county of Middlesex (England), gentleman, made a power of attorney concerning his estate, which was recorded in York county, Virginia.
Whitaker, Alexander, "the Apostle to Vir- ginia," son of Dr. William Whitaker, a cele- brated Puritan divine and head of St. John's College, Cambridge, was born at Cambridge in 1585 ; was Master of Arts of that Univer- sity about 1604; had a good parish in the northern part of England, but gave it up to come to Virginia in 1611 ; was preacher to the colony at Henrico in 1612 and after ; living at "Rock Hall," his parsonage, oppo- site Henrico, in 1614; minister at Bermuda Nether Hundred in the spring of 1616; drowned before June, 1617. He was author of "Good News from Virginia," published in 1613.
Whitaker, Dr. Walter, resided in Middle- sex county ; was justice, 1673; burgess in 1676; high sheriff, 1685. He died July 27,
1692. He married Sibella -, and a deed calls him "Walter Andrewes als. Whitaker."
Whitaker, William, probably a son of William Whitaker, Esq., of the council, was burgess for James City county in 1658-59, and captain of the militia. In 1681 William Whitaker and Agnes, his wife, kept the "French Ordinary," halfway between Mid- dle Plantation and York. In 1706 William Whitaker, of Warwick, and Sarah, his wife, daughter of Isaac Collier, joined in a deed.
Whittaker, Richard, was a member of the house of burgesses for Warwick county in 1685, 1688 and 1697, and the last year he was sheriff of Warwick.
Whitby, William, lived in Warwick county, which he represented in the house of burgesses in 1641, 1652, 1653, 1654; pre- siding as speaker in 1653. He received two considerable tracts of land, one in Warwick, where he lived, and the other on Potomac creek. He married Ruth Gorsuch, daugh- ter of Rev. John Gorsuch, and Anne Love- lace, sister of Colonel Francis Lovelace, and liad a son William, who lived in Middlesex county, Virginia, and died about 1676 issue- less.
White, John, was burgess for James City county in 1641. He had a lot at Jamestown il 1644, between the state house and the church. He was probably son of William White, haberdasher of London ("Virginia Magazine," xv, 64). His will was proved i" Surry county in 1679 and he left his prop- erty to his two sisters, Lucy Corker and Mary White.
White, Rev. William, minister, died in Lancaster county in 1658. He was probably
359
BURGESSES AND OTHER PROMINENT PERSONS
father of Rev. Jeremiah White, Cromwell's well-known chaplain.
Whitehead, Philip, son of Richard White- head, living in Gloucester county in 1671; was burgess for King William county in the assemblies of 1723-1726 and 1727-1734. He used arms very nearly the same as the arms of Whitehead of Uplands, Lancaster county, England. His sister Mary married Philip Ryan, of King and Queen county, and a daughter married William Claiborne, of "Romancoke," King William county.
Whiting, Beverley, son of Henry Whiting and Anne Beverley, daughter of Peter Bev- erley, Esq., was burgess for Gloucester county from 1740 to 1755, when he died, and was succeeded by Thomas Whiting (q. v.).
Whiting, Thomas, of "Gloucestertown" and "Elmington," was burgess for Glouces- ter from 1755 to 1776, inclusive, and mem- ber of the conventions of 1775 and 1776. He was chairman of the Virginia naval board during the revolution. In his will, dated October 15, 1780, he names his children, Thomas (who was ancestor of the Whitings of Hampton), Henry, Horatio, Sarah, Cath- erine, Eliza L., Susanna, who married (first) in 1786, Gibson Cluverins and (second) John Lowry; Jane, who married Charles Grymes, and Anne, who married (first) Major John Pryor and (second) Charles Frémont, father of General John C. Fré- inont.
Wickliffe, David, first child of Protestant parents born in the state of Maryland, was the son of David Wickliffe, of Maryland, who died in 1642. After his father's death his mother emigrated to Mattox creek, Westmoreland county, where he married
Mary Nicholas, and had a son David. The Wickliffe family has been conspicuously represented in Kentucky, to which state members of the family immigrated.
Wilford, Thomas, was the second son of a knight who had been killed while fighting for King Charles. He was burgess for Northumberland county in 1651, acquired the Indian language and served as interpre- ter. In 1676 he joined with Bacon and was captured and executed. He is described "as a small man with a great heart."
Wilkins, John, was a burgess for Acco- mac county in 1641, and died in 1651. The Wilkins family is still prominent on the eastern shore, and has had frequent repre- sentatives in the assembly of Virginia.
Wilkinson, John, was a burgess for Acco- niac in 1632-33.
Wilkinson, William, a surgeon, who came with the first settlers in 1607.
Wilkinson, Rev. William, patented 700 acres near Ensign Thomas Keeling, on Lyn- haven river, due for the importation of his wife Naomi and other persons, and by as- signment from Robert Newkirk. In 1644 he was minister at Elizabeth City, and, re- moving to Maryland, was the second Prot- estant minister in that colony.
Willcox, Captain John, came to Virginia in 1620, and in 1621 made a settlement on "Old Plantation Creek," in Northampton county. In 1624 he was a burgess, being one of the signers of the "Tragical Rela- tion." After the massacre of 1622 he com- manded expeditions against the Indians. He died sometime before 1628, when his will, dated in 1622, was proved in England. He
360
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
mentions no children, but he had doubtless sons born after the date of his will and be- fore its proof.
Willcox, Captain John, was a burgess for Nansemond county in 1656, and for North- ampton county in 1658. He was doubtless a son of Captain John Willcox, the burgess 01 1624, and was born after the date of his will (1622). He died in 1662, leaving his property to his wife for life, with reversion to his unborn child. In case the child died he devised the estate to his wife's children, Edmund and Henry Yardley ; mentions his brother, Henry Willcox, and the Yardley children's uncle, John Custis.
Williams, Dr. Robert, was burgess for Isle of Wight county in 1666. The same year he patented 3,854 acres on the waters of the Black Swamp. He died in Isle of Wight in 1669, leaving a wife Jane, who married Mr. Robert Burnell, and sons, Robert, George, Arthur and Francis.
Williamson, Dr. James, married Ann Underwood, daughter of William Under- wood, of Isle of Wight county. John Ham- mond dedicated to him his tract, "Leah and Rachel." He afterwards moved to Lancas- ter county, where he was one of the justices ir: 1652, but died before 1656, leaving two daughters, Margaret, who married William Ball, Jr., and Mary, who married John Ros- ier, Jr. >
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.