Individual Details
William BOURN
(23 Aug 1743 - 8 Jun 1836)
William and Rosa Bourne
Rosamond Jones and William Bourne were early settlers of Grayson County, Virginia. Rosa was born in 1750 in Virginia, possibly to Thomas and Elizabeth "Bette" Jones. William was born in 1743 to Stephen and Hanna Bourne of Louisa County, Virginia. William and his brothers Stephen and John -- also Grayson pioneers -- grew up on the original 300 acre land grant obtained by their grandfather, William Bourne II, in the year 1719. The text of this grant appears in the Cutchshaw book and was signed by Alexander Spottswood, the Lieutenant Governor of the Virginia Colony. The property can be found today at the intersections of highways 611 and 635 at the southern tip of Louisa County near the Hanover border.
William and Rosa were married in about 1765. He was 22 years of age and she was just 15. They lived in Louisa County for a least the first 10 years of their marriage because William and his brother Stephen appear in Louisa County tax books up until 1775.
The 1775 tax lists show the brothers as "patrollers" who scouted the region looking for
runaway slaves. Stephen was said to have gained the nickname "Devil Steve" because of his work as a slave trader and his willingness to beat his own slaves as well as the slaves of others settlers who didn't have the stomach for the "task."
In 1768, the Iroquois Nation signed a treaty with King George III abandoning all their claims to the Virginia Territory south of the Ohio River and west of the Cumberland mountains thus making this area available for white settlement.
Sometime before 1782 William and Rosa received a land grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia and left their colonial home for the unsettled territory in southwest Virginia. It was said that settlers selected this land along the New River and its tributaries because it was rich with wild pea vine and other vegetation for their stock.
Rosa and William traveled by wagon as far as Fort Chisel and then had to pack their
household goods onto horses to cross the Iron Mountains. They chose Knob Fork on Elk Creek near where it empties into the New River as their home site, joining eight other families who had already settled in the region.
Having to travel as they did, it seems unlikely that they were able to bring much in the way of household goods, but surprising among their possessions was a grandfather clock made in Boston by Aaron Willard of Common House Clocks. It was Grayson County's first clock and was anything but common. Made of mahogany with rosewood inlays, it stood at over 8 feet 3 inches. The fittings were of brass including the key in the shape of a "Z." It was wound every eight days and showed the phases of the moon, as well as telling the time. Some years later it served as a model for a local clock maker. The clock remains in the family residing in the home of a sixth generation descendant in Cleveland, Tennessee.
When William and Rosa arrived in the New River country, they built cabins and other
temporary buildings and cleared out the best portion of the land for farming. They grew their own grains, vegetables and fruit and their meat came from whatever game they found in the surrounding forest. They wore homespun clothing made from wool, cotton or flax, and wore shoes or moccasins from the leather they tanned themselves.
William became involved in local government and was among those who successfully
lobbied the Virginia State Legislature to create Grayson County from Wythe County in 1792. It was named for William Grayson, one of the first senators of Virginia.
The first Grayson County Court was held in the Bourne barn on May 21, 1793. Later court records of that year mention the court sitting in "Rosa's cabin." William was elected Clerk of the Court, a position he held for 17 years. Some time later other relatives were also appointed to important posts -- Shadrack Greer becoming a Justice of the Peace, and Major Minetree Jones becoming a Magistrate.
Like my ancestor Stephen Hopkins of the Plymouth Colony, William turned his home into an inn. On June 24, 1794 the Grayson County Court fixed these rates to be observed by his establishment and all other "Ordinary Houses."
Shillings Pence
A breakfast with Coffee 1 3
Ditto Without Coffee 1 0
Dinner Warm, if good 1 6
Cold 1 3
Lodging Clean for 1 in bed 0 6
2 in bed 0 4
More than 2 in bed 0 0
West India rum per half-pint 1 0
Gin per Do. 0 8
Whiskey per Do. 0 6
Good Beer per Do 0 6
Small beer 0 4
It appears that lodging was quite affordable if you were willing to eat cold food, drink small beers, and share a bed with strangers.
Eventually William became so successful that he went into partnership with his son William Bourne III and bought 100 acres of land that included the Point Hope Furnace and Forge, gristmill, sawmill and yards, barns, stables, gardens, and houses. The old Point Hope Furnace at the falls on Peach Bottom Creek was Grayson County's first industry. It had been used to process iron ore since before the Revolutionary War.
William also became a member of the Virginia legislature which required yearly trips to
Richmond. On one of these trips he attended a slave auction and bought a woman and
little girl, apparently a mother and child. The woman's name was Granny Beck and the child's Aimy. In his book, Nuckolls briefly recounts Aimy's story of her kidnaping in Africa and subsequent trip to America on a sailing ship. Granny Beck was put to work tending the cattle on the range and Aimy was the house girl, waiting on her "master and mistress" as long as they lived.
According to Nuckolls, William gave Aimy her freedom in his will stating, "Aimy has been a faithful, good servant and has raised for me 18 children. She is not to be sold or taken in, in the divide." Nuckolls goes on to say "With his children she should be free to go where she pleased."
There has been some debate among the descendants about the meaning of Nuckolls' last sentence and where he obtained this information. The will, as recorded in the courthouse at Independence, does not contain the above passage. Instead, each of the Bourne children is given two slaves and their progeny in addition to $500. While we may never know if these slave children were in fact William's progeny, it certainly wasn't unusual for slave-owners, and often their sons, to have fathered these children.
After William and Rosa's deaths, Aimy went to Old Town to live with Mary Dickenson who owned her daughter Mourning. When Mary died, Aimy went to Elk Creek to the home of Francis Hale who owned Winny, another of her daughters. Aimy died there and is buried in the Hale family cemetery.
Rosa had a reputation for providing well for their slaves. Nuckolls writes, "She was their doctor when sick, their comfort in trouble. When they were ill she'd say, 'You must pray to the Lord for help and I will pray for you and help you all I can.' She was also helpful to her friends and neighbors and would go to them in their time of need."
Nuckolls also tells this story of Rosa's resourcefulness. Each fall William and several of his slaves trekked "over the hollow" to the nearest mill in North Carolina to have their corn ground into meal for their bread. They carried the grain in sacks on their horses, following an old Indian trail through the Blue Ridge Mountains.
One year a deep snow kept them from returning home before the family's food supply ran out. Rosa took matters into her own hands and early one morning roused one of her slaves and told her, "We must hunt for something to eat."
Armed with a rifle and butcher knife, they hiked into the forest looking for prey. They soon found a large deer sleeping in the snow under a tree. Rosa raised her gun and fired, but missed. Fortunately, the startled deer jumped up and struck its head against a limb, breaking its neck. The slave ran and cut the deer's throat, and they drug it back to the house in the snow. The family fed well on venison and hominy while they waited for the men to return with the meal.
William and Rosa had nine children who raised large families of their own and lived to be quite elderly. The daughters were all widowed at the same time but none remarried. All were said to have managed their estates well. The children were:
Patience Bourne born 18 Nov 1770, married Jonathan Thomas, died 29 Sep 1854.
Milly Bourne born 7 Mar 1773, married Jessie McKinney.
Charity Bourne born 7 Nov 1775, married John Blair.
Stephen G. Bourne born 26 Feb 1779, married Patsy Mays, died 29 Apr 1849.
Mary Bourne born 5 Jan 1782, married Martin Dickinson, died Sep 1860.
Elizabeth Bourne born 20 Mar 1785, married Lewis Hale.
Frances Bourne born 5 Jun 1788.
Celia Bourne born 25 Dec 1790, married Robert Johnstone, died 19 Jan 1863.
William Bourne, Jr. born 4 May 1794, married Mary Johnstone.
My line descends through their daughter Patience Bourne Thomas. What follows is a letter she wrote to her daughter Elizabeth Cox in the summer of 1852. It is a testament to the strength and energy of the Bourne women. She was homesick to see her children and didn't mind walking for two days to see them, but at the age of 82 was hesitant to "waid the waters" of New River in July during the rainy season.
Dear children,
I drop you a line which will inform you that I am in good health as I have been in some time I believe better my cough has not hurt me much since I left your house. I do not know when I shall come unless you come after me or send some word that you want me to come down.
I wish you to write often and let me know how you all are getting along and perticklur how Betty is I have nothing of interest to write at present I should like to see you all very much if I could conveniently do so.
I believe I could walk down in a bout two days but I would not like to waid the waters at this season of the year. Well I must bring my letter to a close by ascribing myself your affectionate Mother till death.
Patience Thomas
In 1836, William sold their large estate on Knob Fork to A.M.Young of Iredell County, North Carolina. The original estate was subdivided and sold to more settlers during the early 19th century.
William and Rosa lived on Knob Fork for over 40 years and are buried where they built their first house. Their graves are marked with large tombstones made of soapstone by their son-in-law John Blair. He wrote the inscription for Rosa's tombstone which reads:
Here Rosa Bourne's body laid
of whom in truth no harm was said
Her Sovereign will was much obeyed
While here with us on Earth she Stayed
Because that her deportment made
through perfect love, all feel afraid.
The Man who wrote these lines to tell
of her character knew her well
He put these lines upon the Stone
To make it to the readers Known,
That they like her may do the same,
In order to obtain a name
And to perpetuate their fame.
Sources:
Everyday Life in Early America by David Hawke, Harper and Ross, New York, 1989.
Grayson County: A History in Words and Pictures by Betty-Lou Fields and Jene Hughs. Grayson County Historical Society, P.O. Box 529, Independence, VA. 24348-0529, 1976.
Pioneer Settlers of Grayson County, Virginia by Benjamin Floyd Nuckolls, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1001 North Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21202-3897, 1982.
Stephen Bourn and Rosamond Mallory: Descendants-Related Families 1650-1982 by Lura Cutchshaw. Grayson County Historical Society, P.O. Box 529, Independence, VA. 24348-0529, 1982.
Rosamond Jones and William Bourne were early settlers of Grayson County, Virginia. Rosa was born in 1750 in Virginia, possibly to Thomas and Elizabeth "Bette" Jones. William was born in 1743 to Stephen and Hanna Bourne of Louisa County, Virginia. William and his brothers Stephen and John -- also Grayson pioneers -- grew up on the original 300 acre land grant obtained by their grandfather, William Bourne II, in the year 1719. The text of this grant appears in the Cutchshaw book and was signed by Alexander Spottswood, the Lieutenant Governor of the Virginia Colony. The property can be found today at the intersections of highways 611 and 635 at the southern tip of Louisa County near the Hanover border.
William and Rosa were married in about 1765. He was 22 years of age and she was just 15. They lived in Louisa County for a least the first 10 years of their marriage because William and his brother Stephen appear in Louisa County tax books up until 1775.
The 1775 tax lists show the brothers as "patrollers" who scouted the region looking for
runaway slaves. Stephen was said to have gained the nickname "Devil Steve" because of his work as a slave trader and his willingness to beat his own slaves as well as the slaves of others settlers who didn't have the stomach for the "task."
In 1768, the Iroquois Nation signed a treaty with King George III abandoning all their claims to the Virginia Territory south of the Ohio River and west of the Cumberland mountains thus making this area available for white settlement.
Sometime before 1782 William and Rosa received a land grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia and left their colonial home for the unsettled territory in southwest Virginia. It was said that settlers selected this land along the New River and its tributaries because it was rich with wild pea vine and other vegetation for their stock.
Rosa and William traveled by wagon as far as Fort Chisel and then had to pack their
household goods onto horses to cross the Iron Mountains. They chose Knob Fork on Elk Creek near where it empties into the New River as their home site, joining eight other families who had already settled in the region.
Having to travel as they did, it seems unlikely that they were able to bring much in the way of household goods, but surprising among their possessions was a grandfather clock made in Boston by Aaron Willard of Common House Clocks. It was Grayson County's first clock and was anything but common. Made of mahogany with rosewood inlays, it stood at over 8 feet 3 inches. The fittings were of brass including the key in the shape of a "Z." It was wound every eight days and showed the phases of the moon, as well as telling the time. Some years later it served as a model for a local clock maker. The clock remains in the family residing in the home of a sixth generation descendant in Cleveland, Tennessee.
When William and Rosa arrived in the New River country, they built cabins and other
temporary buildings and cleared out the best portion of the land for farming. They grew their own grains, vegetables and fruit and their meat came from whatever game they found in the surrounding forest. They wore homespun clothing made from wool, cotton or flax, and wore shoes or moccasins from the leather they tanned themselves.
William became involved in local government and was among those who successfully
lobbied the Virginia State Legislature to create Grayson County from Wythe County in 1792. It was named for William Grayson, one of the first senators of Virginia.
The first Grayson County Court was held in the Bourne barn on May 21, 1793. Later court records of that year mention the court sitting in "Rosa's cabin." William was elected Clerk of the Court, a position he held for 17 years. Some time later other relatives were also appointed to important posts -- Shadrack Greer becoming a Justice of the Peace, and Major Minetree Jones becoming a Magistrate.
Like my ancestor Stephen Hopkins of the Plymouth Colony, William turned his home into an inn. On June 24, 1794 the Grayson County Court fixed these rates to be observed by his establishment and all other "Ordinary Houses."
Shillings Pence
A breakfast with Coffee 1 3
Ditto Without Coffee 1 0
Dinner Warm, if good 1 6
Cold 1 3
Lodging Clean for 1 in bed 0 6
2 in bed 0 4
More than 2 in bed 0 0
West India rum per half-pint 1 0
Gin per Do. 0 8
Whiskey per Do. 0 6
Good Beer per Do 0 6
Small beer 0 4
It appears that lodging was quite affordable if you were willing to eat cold food, drink small beers, and share a bed with strangers.
Eventually William became so successful that he went into partnership with his son William Bourne III and bought 100 acres of land that included the Point Hope Furnace and Forge, gristmill, sawmill and yards, barns, stables, gardens, and houses. The old Point Hope Furnace at the falls on Peach Bottom Creek was Grayson County's first industry. It had been used to process iron ore since before the Revolutionary War.
William also became a member of the Virginia legislature which required yearly trips to
Richmond. On one of these trips he attended a slave auction and bought a woman and
little girl, apparently a mother and child. The woman's name was Granny Beck and the child's Aimy. In his book, Nuckolls briefly recounts Aimy's story of her kidnaping in Africa and subsequent trip to America on a sailing ship. Granny Beck was put to work tending the cattle on the range and Aimy was the house girl, waiting on her "master and mistress" as long as they lived.
According to Nuckolls, William gave Aimy her freedom in his will stating, "Aimy has been a faithful, good servant and has raised for me 18 children. She is not to be sold or taken in, in the divide." Nuckolls goes on to say "With his children she should be free to go where she pleased."
There has been some debate among the descendants about the meaning of Nuckolls' last sentence and where he obtained this information. The will, as recorded in the courthouse at Independence, does not contain the above passage. Instead, each of the Bourne children is given two slaves and their progeny in addition to $500. While we may never know if these slave children were in fact William's progeny, it certainly wasn't unusual for slave-owners, and often their sons, to have fathered these children.
After William and Rosa's deaths, Aimy went to Old Town to live with Mary Dickenson who owned her daughter Mourning. When Mary died, Aimy went to Elk Creek to the home of Francis Hale who owned Winny, another of her daughters. Aimy died there and is buried in the Hale family cemetery.
Rosa had a reputation for providing well for their slaves. Nuckolls writes, "She was their doctor when sick, their comfort in trouble. When they were ill she'd say, 'You must pray to the Lord for help and I will pray for you and help you all I can.' She was also helpful to her friends and neighbors and would go to them in their time of need."
Nuckolls also tells this story of Rosa's resourcefulness. Each fall William and several of his slaves trekked "over the hollow" to the nearest mill in North Carolina to have their corn ground into meal for their bread. They carried the grain in sacks on their horses, following an old Indian trail through the Blue Ridge Mountains.
One year a deep snow kept them from returning home before the family's food supply ran out. Rosa took matters into her own hands and early one morning roused one of her slaves and told her, "We must hunt for something to eat."
Armed with a rifle and butcher knife, they hiked into the forest looking for prey. They soon found a large deer sleeping in the snow under a tree. Rosa raised her gun and fired, but missed. Fortunately, the startled deer jumped up and struck its head against a limb, breaking its neck. The slave ran and cut the deer's throat, and they drug it back to the house in the snow. The family fed well on venison and hominy while they waited for the men to return with the meal.
William and Rosa had nine children who raised large families of their own and lived to be quite elderly. The daughters were all widowed at the same time but none remarried. All were said to have managed their estates well. The children were:
Patience Bourne born 18 Nov 1770, married Jonathan Thomas, died 29 Sep 1854.
Milly Bourne born 7 Mar 1773, married Jessie McKinney.
Charity Bourne born 7 Nov 1775, married John Blair.
Stephen G. Bourne born 26 Feb 1779, married Patsy Mays, died 29 Apr 1849.
Mary Bourne born 5 Jan 1782, married Martin Dickinson, died Sep 1860.
Elizabeth Bourne born 20 Mar 1785, married Lewis Hale.
Frances Bourne born 5 Jun 1788.
Celia Bourne born 25 Dec 1790, married Robert Johnstone, died 19 Jan 1863.
William Bourne, Jr. born 4 May 1794, married Mary Johnstone.
My line descends through their daughter Patience Bourne Thomas. What follows is a letter she wrote to her daughter Elizabeth Cox in the summer of 1852. It is a testament to the strength and energy of the Bourne women. She was homesick to see her children and didn't mind walking for two days to see them, but at the age of 82 was hesitant to "waid the waters" of New River in July during the rainy season.
Dear children,
I drop you a line which will inform you that I am in good health as I have been in some time I believe better my cough has not hurt me much since I left your house. I do not know when I shall come unless you come after me or send some word that you want me to come down.
I wish you to write often and let me know how you all are getting along and perticklur how Betty is I have nothing of interest to write at present I should like to see you all very much if I could conveniently do so.
I believe I could walk down in a bout two days but I would not like to waid the waters at this season of the year. Well I must bring my letter to a close by ascribing myself your affectionate Mother till death.
Patience Thomas
In 1836, William sold their large estate on Knob Fork to A.M.Young of Iredell County, North Carolina. The original estate was subdivided and sold to more settlers during the early 19th century.
William and Rosa lived on Knob Fork for over 40 years and are buried where they built their first house. Their graves are marked with large tombstones made of soapstone by their son-in-law John Blair. He wrote the inscription for Rosa's tombstone which reads:
Here Rosa Bourne's body laid
of whom in truth no harm was said
Her Sovereign will was much obeyed
While here with us on Earth she Stayed
Because that her deportment made
through perfect love, all feel afraid.
The Man who wrote these lines to tell
of her character knew her well
He put these lines upon the Stone
To make it to the readers Known,
That they like her may do the same,
In order to obtain a name
And to perpetuate their fame.
Sources:
Everyday Life in Early America by David Hawke, Harper and Ross, New York, 1989.
Grayson County: A History in Words and Pictures by Betty-Lou Fields and Jene Hughs. Grayson County Historical Society, P.O. Box 529, Independence, VA. 24348-0529, 1976.
Pioneer Settlers of Grayson County, Virginia by Benjamin Floyd Nuckolls, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1001 North Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21202-3897, 1982.
Stephen Bourn and Rosamond Mallory: Descendants-Related Families 1650-1982 by Lura Cutchshaw. Grayson County Historical Society, P.O. Box 529, Independence, VA. 24348-0529, 1982.
Events
| Birth | 23 Aug 1743 | Hanover City, Hanover, Virginia |  | ||
| Marriage | Abt 1765 | Hanover City, Hanover, Virginia - Rosamond JONES | | ||
| Property | 15 May 1807 | Sale of Charlott, a 10-year-old slave, to Jonathan Thomas. - Grayson County, Virginia |  | ||
| Death | 8 Jun 1836 | Elk Creek, Grayson, Virginia | |
Families
| Spouse | Rosamond JONES (1750 - 1821) |
| Child | Patience BOURNE (1770 - 1854) |
| Child | Milly Bourne (1773 - ) |
| Child | Charity Bourne (1775 - ) |
| Child | Stephen G. Bourne (1779 - 1849) |
| Child | Mary Bourne (1782 - 1860) |
| Child | Elizabeth Bourne (1785 - ) |
| Child | Frances Bourne (1788 - ) |
| Child | Celia Bourne (1790 - 1863) |
| Child | William Bourne (1794 - 1882) |
| Father | Stephen BOURN Sr. (1720 - 1814) |
| Mother | Hanna [--?--] ( - 1814) |
| Sibling | Frances Bourn ( - 1828) |
| Sibling | John Bourn ( - ) |
| Sibling | Hannah Bourn ( - ) |
| Sibling | Ann "Nancy" Bourn ( - ) |
| Sibling | Sarah "Sally" Bourn ( - ) |
| Sibling | Mary Bourn ( - 1792) |
| Sibling | Stephen Bourn (1760 - 1849) |
| Sibling | Elizabeth Bourn (1769 - 1850) |
Notes
Property
From "$275" by Rich Ballard, Our Grayson Heritage Volume 5, 2011 p. 45Bill of Sale
Know all men by these presents that I William Bourn of the County of Grayson and state of Virginia have bargained and sold unto Jonathan Thomas in open market one negroe girl name Charlott a bout ten years ould for and in consideration of Two hundred and seventy five dollars paid by the said Jonathan Thomas before the ensealing and delivery of these preasents. Which said Negroe I hereby warrent to be sound and healthy and I further by these preaseants warrant and defend the right and title of the said negroe from me my heirs and all persons whatever unto the said Jonathan Thomas and his heirs forever. On witness where of I have hereinto set my hand and send this fifteenth day of May 1807.
Rich adds "In remembering those who fought in the Civil War we should remember that although many fought for "states rights," or to save the Union, etc. one of the immediate consquences of brought by the end of this war was that it was no longer legal to sell or own a 10 year old girl."
Endnotes
1. , Nuckolls, B.F, Pioneer Settlers of Grayson County, Virginia (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1982) (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).
2. Ancestry.com, Web: Virginia, Find A Grave Index, 1607-2012 (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012).
3. Heritage Consulting, Millennium File (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003).
4. Heritage Consulting, Millennium File (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003).
5. Ancestry.com, Web: Virginia, Find A Grave Index, 1607-2012 (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012).
6. Heritage Consulting, Millennium File (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003).