Young Origins in Virginia

Who is Samuel Young who made a will in 1777 in Amelia County, Virginia, and who are his children?

In January 2022, I discovered a will made 22 November 1777 in Raleigh Parish, Amelia County, Virginia (WB Vol. 2, pp. 251-253) by Samuel Young. It names nine (possibly 10) children and a grandson, Frederick Brown. One of the named children was Stephen, the father of “our” James Young who married Orena Burks in adjacent Prince Edward County, VA in 1797, who went to Kentucky. I believe this Samuel Young in Amelia County is our ancestor. I have not found his probate record.

Several online trees propose that he is the same man as Samuel Young (allegedly born abt. 1720 Goochland County, VA) who married Judith Burton and died in Mecklenburg County, Virginia in 1802. While there are indeed similarities, I do not yet accept that theory due to numerous discrepancies. Quite possibly they are related. Some give the name of his wife as Susanna Barber, without citing evidence. There was a Susanna Young in Amelia County who may have been Samuel-the-will-writer’s widow, but that is a story for future speculation. Here I’ll focus on the will and attempts to link Samuel Young to my ancestor Stephen Young and his siblings.

I will list the names of persons identified in Samuel Young’s 1777 will and what I have learned about them.

Drury Young (son)

Item 1, to my son Drury Young – the tract of land whereon I now live, lying on West Creek, containing by estimation 77 acres more or less;

There are a surprising number of Youngs named Drury, Drewery, Andrew, etc. A Drury Young died about 1799 in Amelia County; could this be him? It seems mostly logical due to the Amelia County connection. Administrator was Pleasant Roberts. Is he the same Drury Young who married Winnie Palmer 1 Dec 1789 in Prince Edward County, VA? I believe they were parents of Bernard (d. 1860 in AL), Sally/Celia (md. Wiley Adams), William, John Jackson (d. 1878 in Wayne Co, IL), Johnson, James C. (md. Elizabeth Powless and went to Wayne Co, IL), Sarah/Nancy, and Elisha Young (md Polly Denny and went to IL).

There is a mention of a different Drury Young b 11 Apr 1754 in Southside Virginia Families, Vol. I. This Drury was the son of Thomas Young, Jr and Mary Tatum, and he died in Sussex Co, VA in 1785 and left his entire estate to his brother Joshua —so this is NOT “our” Drury.

There is also a Drury Young who died in Perry County, Kentucky in 1828 who shows up in many of my dad’s Y-DNA matches’ trees. I presume this Drury was born about 1800, so he is probably a son of one of these Young siblings, but which one is unknown. His wife was Nancy Madden, and they had at least two children, Reece Young (abt 1823-1910) and William Madden Young (1827-1899), both dying in Knott County, KY.

I also give to my son Drury Young one Negro boy named Sterling, one young mare called Fly, my saddle and bridle, one feather bed and furniture and one cow and calf.

Sterling (enslaved)

I have a separate analysis of the enslaved Sterling or Starling, which I will write about later.

Anna Young (daughter)

But that my two daughters Anna and Martha Young live on the said land as long as they remain unmarried;

Item 2, to my daughter Anna Young one Negro girl named Doll, one feather bed and furniture and one cow and calf.

She must be Anna/Nancy Young who married after 1777 and before 1781 to John Hudson and had a child, Patty Hudson, ca 1780-82. I am guessing that Ann/Nancy was born about 1760. John Hudson must have died around 1782, because then there is another marriage record between Ann Hudson and Jacob Edwards on 27 Jun 1783 in Amelia, VA, and Ellison Young (her brother) is surety. I cannot find info on Jacob Edwards; there was a RW soldier in Accomack Co, VA who went to NC but I can’t tell if that is him.

And then, there are trees including one by a DNA match who claims that this is the Ann Young who married David Rosser; they had a daughter, Susan Rosser (1773-1844). Another tree proposes that Nancy Ann Young was born in 1743 Campbell County, VA and married in 1764 to David Rosser (1741-1790), and that Nancy died 1805 in Warren, VA. She says parents of Nancy are Samuel Young (1693-ca 1778) and Susannah Barber (1703-ca 1798). David Rosser (not the same one who married Elizabeth Rives) died around 2 Sep 1790 in Campbell Co, VA; his will named his wife, Ann, and mentioned an enslaved woman Doll.

Doll (enslaved)

Doll was bequeathed to Anna as previously noted. I need to research an undocumented note that an enslaved woman named Doll is also referenced in the Campbell County estate of David Rosser (1741-1790).

Martha Young (daughter)

Item 3, to my daughter Martha Young one Negro boy named Jack, one feather bed and furniture and one cow and calf.

Martha Young died about Nov 1781 unmarried; her will (Amelia County, recorded 22 November 1781) named executors “Ellarson Young” (her brother) And William Thompson (who is he?). She referred to her sister as Nancy Hudson (not Ann as named in their father’s will).

I need to go back and find the will and probate record of Martha and document more about her and the enslaved Jack.

Jack (enslaved)

William Young (son)

Item, my will and desire is that all the residue of my estate of every kind to be sold by my Executors and the money arising from the sale thereof be first applied in paying my just debts and funeral expenses and the remainder thereof be equally divided among my following children…

There is supposed to be a land transaction (per an index only) in Prince Edward County, VA “p. 107b, 13 Sep 1757,” where Samuel Young “for the love I have for my son, William Young, I have given one parcel of land of 100 acres on the branches of Sandy River, and bounded by the road in Watson’s line, Brown, Harrison.” There was a similar entry for son John. So then, John and William must have been at least 21 years old, making their birthdates 1736 or earlier.

I wondered if he could be the William who married Elizabeth Stegall (Stegale)? “Stigall’s land” is mentioned in an entry near one where William Young and his brother Allen Ridley Young’s lands are mentioned in a 1786 deed in Franklin County, VA.  And, the William Young married to Elizabeth Stegall supposedly had a child, Frances, born in about 1760 in Franklin County. All of their other children were supposedly born in Pittsylvania County. But that William was supposedly the son of Robert Young of Halifax Co, VA who went to NC.

Or, is it possible that this William is the one (ca 1744-1818) in Jackson (now Putnam) County, TN? He was supposedly married in Frederick Co, VA and married to Elizabeth Huff. That William Young was a Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War in VA and NC Militias. He named a son Samuel (which could be for his father). One of his sons named a son Allen (which could be for his brother). But the other children’s names are unfamiliar: Jacob, Mark, Naomi, David Adolpheus (who, by the way, joined the LDS church like some of William’s nephews, sons of Johnston Young).

John Young (son)

As noted, John and his brother William received land from their father in Prince Edward County in 1757, so he must have been born before 1746. There are many John Youngs of the approximate age, so this one is a tough one. A John Young married Susanna Harger in 1811 in Franklin County, Virginia (where John’s brothers William and Allen Ridley are known to have migrated), and he named a brother Stephen and sister Nancy in his 1837 will, but he seems too young to be the John I am looking for.

Allen Ridley Young (son)

There does not appear to be a comma between the names Allen and Ridley in the list of children in Samuel Young’s 1777 will. I believe this references one person’s name, Allen Ridley Young, and not two. There are references in Amelia County court records to Allen Ridley Young. His name is among those who took an oath of allegiance to the US in 1777 in HENRY county, VA. He was then 43 years old, so he would have been born about 1734.

I found the will of Allen Ridley Young in Franklin County, VA in 1792. It names his wife Catherine or Caty, and 8 children: John, Elizabeth, William, Spencer, Abelia (Maria? I can’t read it), Milley, Catherine “Caty,” and Mary Polly Young. The only one of these children I can track is Elizabeth who married Isham Turner in 1792; they went to Georgia.

Where does the middle name “Ridley” come from? It’s interesting that the family of previously mentioned Judith Burton (wife of Samuel Young of Mecklenburg County) has connections to the Ridley family, again pointing to research needed on that family.

Stephen Young (son)

I believe Stephen is my direct ancestor. I am just guessing at his birthdate as 1740. I have not yet found a marriage record for him and Mary. Stephen consented to his daughters’ marriages in 1796 to 1797, so he did not die until after then. So far, I have identified four of his children: (1) Johnston Young ca 1768-1855 Allen Co, KY (some of his descendants joined the LDS church); (2) James ca 1774-after 1830, our ancestor who married Orena “Oney” Burks in 1797 Prince Edward County, VA (witness Elijah Young – relationship unknown, possible another son; see next paragraph) and migrated to Kentucky; (3) Elizabeth Betsey Young (ca 1775-?) who md Daniel Holt (s/o Plunkett and Anne Holt) in 1796 Prince Edward Co – consent, Betsey’s father Stephen, surety Wm Rutledge) and (4) Polly (who married Joel Puckett in 1797 Prince Edward Co, consent by father; surety, Johnson Young, her uncle). I have not found a probate record for Stephen Young either.

I found a reference to Revolutionary War Capt Stephen Young who served from VA in Library of VA documents, which I will write about another time. [He is not the same as the Stephen Young RW Vet who went to GA and died there in 1816.] From those I presume that it was Stephen’s son (4) Abijah/Elijah Young who married in 1810 in Shelby Co, KY to Sarah RICHEY (RITCHIE) and lived in Spencer Co, KY where he md 2) Mary CRAIG in 1826; two of his daughters went to IN. An Elijah Young had been in Prince Edward Co, VA in 1810 near James and Johns(t)on Young (his presumed brothers) and Thomas Elaba YOUNG (a son of Henry Young, relationship as yet unknown).

Ellison Young (son)

An Ellison Young was witness to land transactions in Amelia County in 1769, so he must have been born before 1748. In 1781, he was the executor of the will of his sister, Martha Young (her will calls him “Ellarson Young”). In 1786, he was appointed guardian of Patty Hudson, his niece (daughter of John Hudson and Ann/Nancy Young). He is mentioned in Amelia Co court records up to 1787.

In 1803, Ellison Young, Sr. transferred lands to Fountain Young and Ellison Young, Jr. in Rockingham County, NC. Were they his sons? Ellison Young, Jr. married 17 May 1811 in Rockingham Co, NC to Susanna Mount, who had connections to the Chaffin or Chalfant family and to Fountain Young (abt 1779-after 1855), which deserves a write-up of its own. It is not known where or when Ellison Young, Sr. died.

Samuel Young (son)

There are myriad possibilities for the identity of this Samuel Young, son of the 1777 will writer. One with seeming potential is the Samuel Young (1757-abt 1798) who died in Rockingham County, NC, husband of Martha Brown. A witness to his 1798 will was Frederick Brown, and that is – perhaps coincidentally – the name of a grandson named by Samuel Young in Amelia County. Further, Martha Brown Young (born abt. 1748) was the daughter of Alexander Brown, and Ellison Young, Sr. was a witness to his land purchase in Amelia County, VA in 1769. And finally, it appears that this Samuel Young had a daughter, Martha (abt 1788-1847), who married Omega Chaffin (abt 1784-1865), whose sister married the Fountain Young previously mentioned.

Frederick Brown (grandson)

In the previous paragraph I mentioned Frederick Brown, who was a witness to the 1798 will of a Samuel Young in Rockingham County, NC. I suspect he is the same person as the Frederick Young, grandson, mentioned in the 1777 will. Probably he is the Frederick Young who married Mary Robertson in Prince Edward County, VA on 6 Dec 1804. The couple migrated from VA to Allen County, KY (where Ellison and Johnston Young, son of Stephen were found), by 1808 to TN, and by 1820 to KY, and finally to AR. According to Find a Grave, he was Frederick Richard Brown, born abt 1777 in VA, died in 1853 in Enola, Faulkner County, AR.

Executors

Executors named in Samuel Young’s 1777 will were Drury Young, who must have been the eldest son or another relative of the same name, and Thomas Bolling Munford (born abt 1736 – 1780 Amelia Co, VA). Munford was the son of Major James Munford and Elizabeth Bolling. His wife was Sarah Catherine Thomas, and they lived in Nottoway Parish in Amelia County. Apparently he was a trusted friend and contemporary of Samuel Young who wrote the 1777 will.

Witnesses

Drury Thompson was on 1768 poll list of Amelia Co, VA (Col. Thos. Tabb’s Poll), along with Thomas B Munford and Saml Young (Capt. Robert Munford’s Poll). No idea if it’s him, but there is a Madison Co, AL probate file for Drury Thompson in 1814. It involves an orphan and guardian and is practically illegible. There was also a Drury Thompson in 1783 Greensville Co, VA. And there is a Drury Thompson named in a 1751 will of Robert Thompson (wife Sarah) in Chesterfield Co, VA; the children were Robert, Peter, John Farley, Sarah, Mary, William, Martha, Drury, Isham, and Elizabeth. I don’t know if that’s his family either.

Thomas Appling was probably the one who was born before 1730 in Amelia County, and died in 1801 in Wilkes County, GA. Another one was born in 1755 in Amelia County, VA (son of previous Thomas Appling II) who died in 1835 in Amherst Co, VA and married Elizabeth Austin.

There was more than one Stith Hardaway; one was born abt 1715 and died in 1765 in Amelia County; he md 1) Martha Worsham and had sons Daniel b ca 1740-1807 [he md Anne Eggelston, prominent local family], and Stith ca 1750 [the likely witness in 1777], and md 2) Purefoy Booker in 1756; she was the d/o Richard Booker and Margaret Purefoy Hand. [See “Genealogies of Virginia Families from the William and Mary College Quarterly, Vol. II, Cobb-Hay.”]

Benjamin Smith may be the one born about 1740 in Amelia Co, son of James Smith (1720-1786) and Hannah Williams (1722-1812). The Smith family had connections to Bryant and Bailey families, and Goochland and Halifax counties. Another potential is Benjamin Smith, born abt. 1756 in Rockingham or Augusta counties of VA, son of Daniel Smith (1724-1781) of Ireland and wife Elizabeth Jane Harrison (abt 1635 Delaware, daughter of Daniel Harrison and Peggy Cravens).

If anyone has corrections or additions to this information, I would love to collaborate with you on further research.