Individual Details

Unity outlived William as she is listed as a widow on the 1789 Tax List of Capt. Pearson's Company. [This area later became Davie County] She had 672 acres and 9 Black polls. An earlier Tax List - 1778 - gave money evaluation only and William's was $3106. Higher than most. ROWAN COUNTY NC TAX LISTS 1757-1800, Jo White Linn.

1790 Rowan Co Census: Unity Haiden 1m over 16 [Douglas was married, I don't know who this was - an overseer?]; 2 females [Unity and youngest daughter Molly] 11 slaves

I have seen her surname as "Wyatt" but no proof has ever been offered. There is also speculation she was Unity Aylett, daughter of a Martha Aylett who died in King William Co in 1747. I believe both of these are simply guesses.

I did find record of a will in Rowan Co NC that might be the source of assuming Unity was Unity Wyatt:
Rowan Co NC Will Abstracts, Vol. 1 1753-1805 Books A-F
Vol II 1805-1850 Books G-K
Jo White Linn, 1970-1971 [Bound together - separate indexes]
p.72
WB D:268 William Weyatt Aug 6, 1804; prb 1806. Wife not named. Sons: Cornelius Weyatt. Dau: Lucrecy, Mary, Unity, Ruth. Son Wm Weyatt's son William. Exr: Sons Christopher & William.
Wit: John Stinchcomb,, James Thompson
This will should be examined further but it apparently did not give the surnames, if any, of the daughters. Obviously this William Wyatt was a grandfather in 1804. The thought has also occurred to me, since William Haden's children were born over at least at twenty-year period and Unity outlived him - she could have been a second wife and younger. They were married by 1765 as evidenced by a Louisa Co deed.

Another much more likely possibility is that Unity was the daughter of Edward Lane & Elizabeth Dumas of Louisa County. There is an entry in The Douglas Register that has been interpreted as being that of William Haden & Unity Lane.
Born to Will: Harton and Unity Lane, Jeremiah Harton on 19 Feb 1757, baptized 17 Apr 1757. Since there is no Haden in this family named Jeremiah, and no other children of William Haden baptized at St. James Northam, I have reservations regarding making such an assumption. It is true that other Hadens had children baptized at St. James. Records indicate that William and Unity had children born before 1757 as well as after that date - Jeremiah would have been something of a middle child. The record also does not suggest parents for Unity and there are many Lane entries in The Douglas Register.

There are records that indicate Edward Lane's wife was Elizabeth Dumas - the given name Jeremiah does occur in her family as it was her father's name, and her mother is believed to have been Unity Smith, daughter of George Smith & Mary White. Mary White thought to have had both a sister and aunt named Unity. But the name Unity is certainly found in other families.

There is a deed of gift in Louisa Co, dated 15 Dec 1755. Edward Lane Senior of Fredericksville Parish, of perfect mind and memory, gave slaves to his sons and daughters, Mary Freeman, wife of Thomas - one Negro Boy Frank age 12, Elizabeth Lane - Girl Venice age 7 years, Sarah Lane - Girl Judea age 2, Littlebury Lane - a Negro woman named Caign of the age of 30 years, and to Edward Lane, the Girl Lucy age 9 years.
The deed was witnessed by Tarlton Brown, William Sharp Smith, and William Haden. This deed has been cited as "proof" that William Haden was a son-in-law. It isn't any sort of proof at all, except that the men were acquainted - and there are other ties between the Hadens and a Lane family in Albemarle Co. It seems most peculiar to me that Edward Lane would have given slaves to only some of his children and there is certainly no mention of Unity in this deed. Brown and Smith apparently were not sons-in-law.

This deed is in Louisa Co, Deed Book D,, p.37-38. LDS Microfilm #0032202
To all Christian People to whom these presents shall Come that I Edward Lane for the Love and Affection I bear unto Mary Freeman wife of Thomas Freeman and Eliz Lane Sarah Lane Littlebury Lane and Edward Lane, send Greeting unto our Lord God Everlasting.
Know ye that I Edward Lane Senior for the Good will and Affection that I the Said Edward Lane Senior to bear Mary Freeman – Eliz Lane Sarah Lane Littleberry Lane & Edward Lane Sons and Daughters of the aforesaid Edward Lane Senior of the Parish of Fredricksville in the County of Louisa in the Colony of Virginia I the said Edward Lane Senior being in perfect Memory having Giving Granted & Confirmed and by these presents in writing do fully freely and Absolutely Give Grant and Confirm unto Mary Freeman One Negro Boy named Frank of the Age of Twelve Years and unto Eliz Lane one Negro Girl Named Venice of ye age of Seven years and to Sarah Lane Lane one Negro Girl Named Judea of ye age of Two Years and to Littleberry Lane one negro woman named Caign of the Age of Thirty years and to Edward Lane one Negro Girl named Lucy of the Age of Nine years To have hold and Dispose of take and Injoy after the decease of the said Edward Lane Senior without any Manor of Claim Challenge or Demand whatsoever or by any person or persons whatever and I the Said Edward Lane Senior, the aforesaid Negros Frank Venice Judea Caign and Lucy unto the Said Mary Freeman Eliz Lane Sarah Lane and Edward Lane & Littleberry Lane There Heirs Administrators and Assigns against all persons after my Decease shall and will warrant and forever defend by the said Edward Lane Senior have given of after my decease unto the said Mary Freeman Eliz Lane Sarah Lane Littleberry Lane & Edward Lane full possession of the Same. Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and affixt my Seal this Fifteenth Day of December one thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty Five.
Edward Lane
Signd Seald and Delivered
In the presence of
Tarlton Brown WilliamSharp Smith William Haden
At a Court Held for Louisa County on the ________
this Indenture etc was this day in open Court Proved by theOaths of the Witnesses thereto and by the Court admitted to Record and isRecorded
Teste JamesLittlepage, Ct Crk

Apparently William & Unity did live in Louisa Co at one point, or at least had land there:
FROM: Louisa Co., VA Deed Book C, pg 52
1765 July 14th Deed Proven
William HADEN to William RAGLAND for Pound 25, 150 acres Wm HARRIS line.......crossing the Southanna River to HARRIS's line........Elkanah RAY's corner........crossing the Southanna River.....Col. Thomas JOHNSON line.
Witnesses:
Signed: William HADEN, Unity HADEN
Wit:
James MERIWETHER
William HARRIS
Elkannah RAY
William HADEN to William RAGLAND, for Pound 25, 150 Acres

This is not the land that William had been given by his father, Anthony Haden. Was it perhaps land inherited from Unity's father?

I did find the following deeds in Louisa, which give neighbors of Edward Lane:
DB C, p.65 14 Jan 1752 Edward Lane of Fredricksville Parish, County of Louisa, Planter to John Woolams of the same. 15#'s 100 acres on Rock Creek and draughts thereof. Begin Harris's corner in Thomas Poindexters line, turning thence on Harris's line, Thomas Thompsons corner; his line; Poindexter's line. Signed: Edward Lane
Wit: Richd Yancey, Tyre Harris, Bert Brown
24 Feb 1751 Proved in Open Court by the witnesses and admitted to record.
[yes ...there is a problem with the dates....double checked –the deed must have been proved 24 Feb 1752, not 1751.]
DB B, p.75 25 Sep 1755 Samuel Ragland of St. Martins Parish to William Ragland of Fredericksville Parish. 23 #'s.. William in actual possession. 423 acres in Fredricksville Parish. Wm Raglands line, Hudsons line,Benjamin Johnsons corner, his line; Edward Lains line, low grounds of South Anna. Signed: Samuel Ragland. Wit: Robt. Anderson, William Thomson, John Ragland. 25 Nov 1755 – Ack by Samuel Ragland
DB B, p.267 12 Apr 1758 Edward Clark of Bedford Co to Edward Lane of Louisa, 788 acres. William Hudson's corner pine in John Ragland's line to a branch of the Southanna ...Hudson's line ....Francis Whittle's corner ...branch of Cuffey's Creek. Wit: John Moor Junr, Walter Mouzly, Elkanah Ray.
This deed mentions Ragland, the Southann & Elkanah Ray as did the above 1765 deed of William & Unity Haden.

William Harris who was one of the witnesses to William Haden's deed, also figures in the following deed along with Edward Lane:
Louisa DB C 1/2, p.163 11 Sep 1764 Dabney Pettus & Elizabeth his wife of Henrico to William Harris ...600 acres. 165#'s. Gilbert Gibson's line, Benjamin Johnson's line, Edward Lane's, crossing the Southanna River, Gilbert Gibson's corner, crossing the river. Signed: Dabney Pettus. Wit: Wm Snelson Junr, Chas. Daniel, Wm Thompson
Acknowledged by Pettus on the same day.

Sometime later in the surviving tax lists of Louisa County, the slave Frank was shown in the possession of Thomas Freeman, and Venus was shown in the possession of Elisha Freeman. From this, it is inferred that two brothers, Thomas and Elisha Freeman, married two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth Lane. Then in a Goochland County lawsuit some years later concerned with the ownership of several slaves, Thomas Freeman identified his wife as the granddaughter of Jeremiah Dumas, the original purchaser of some of the slaves.

Apparently a granddaughter, child of Unity's youngest daughter Mary, who married John Marshall, was named Unity Lane Marshall. Perhaps for her grandmother? But even so, that does not link Unity necessarily to the family of Edward.

Another descendant has thoroughly researched this problem and much of that research appears on FindAGrave #194047711 complete with maps of the likely locations of the cemetery.

Spouse	William Haden (1730 - 1789)
Child	Douglas Haden (1750 - 1801)
Child	Margaret "Peggy" Haden (1755 - 1818)
Child	Sarah "Sally" Haden (1758 - )
Child	Jane "Jenny" Haden (1760 - 1830)
Child	Elizabeth "Betsey" Haden (1765 - 1813)
Child	Mary "Molly or Polly" Haden (1770 - )