Individual Details

No parent is proved for these Britts whose records are recorded at St. James Northam. They may be siblings, cousins, even no kin at all. But they do have records there in the same time period.

Some have proposed a father named John - but..... The William and Mary Quarterly Vol. 7 p 48-49, "Index to Wills in Goochland County Court House A-J", submitted by W. Mac Jones, Genealogist General to the Sons of the American Revolution. Lists names, year, book & page. No designation for what you may find - will, inventory, estate settlement, etc. An entry for Britt, John, shows a date of 1778 but then references DB 17, p.163 which is an inventory in 1797 - plainly one of these is wrong. The Goochland Deed Book 17, p 163 shows a 1797 death and inventory transactions for a John Britt. This 1797 death date is FOR THE JOHN who married Winifred Connolly - not for an older Britt. Other entries point to the correct book and page and have correct dates in the Index. This entry is an anomaly. It is also true that there has been no significant loss of wills and deeds in the time period of 1778, yet careful study of the index for and search of will and deed books shows no evidence of any such will, or estate settlement, for any Britt in 1778, or the few years following. It is also true that this Index as printed in the Quarterly is a transcription, not an original, and subject to human error - at least twice: in the copying by Mr. Jones and the typesetting in the Quarterly. It plainly states that the inventory & appraisment of the estate of John Britt Dec'd was dated 16 Oct 1797. On 21 June 1802 the estate is divided. On 22 Jan 1803 a new inventory is done. That John is definitely the man who married both perhaps a Randolph woman and Winfred Conally.


There are 4 Britts in this transcribed Index.
(1) Britt, Geo. H...1814 Book 23, p.78. (George Holman Britt died 1814);
(2) Britt, John....1778 Book 17,p.163 (Which leads to an Inventory in 1797, chronologically correct in book 17. The Inventory is for the estate of the John who married Winifred Conolly - not an earlier John. Either the date of 1778 or the reference page is wrong.
(3) Britt, John....1803 Book 18, p.508 Further settlement for the estate of the John Britt of 1797.(4) Britt, William...1787 Book 14, p.373 For William Britt who married Hannah Conolly.

Supposedly an earlier John Britt is the John Britt in the Index with the date 1778 but no matching book and page. There has been no loss of records in Goochland for this time period of 1778, and careful search of the deeds & wills reveals no record of any Britt dying near that date.
A proposed wife of Elizabeth Smith fulfills the condition as stated by Thomas Francis Christian Allgood, a great grandson of Elijah Christian and Elizabeth Britt. He wrote a family history about 1900 about this couple. [NOTE: written about 1900, more than 100 years after the fact, and subject to human memory] " Mother's grandfather married Miss Elizabeth Britt, a descendant of many old and honorable families, among them the Bretts....and the Gerards of Maryland, one of the oldest and most noble families in this country. Dr Thomas Gerard... was Lord of Snow Hill Manor, named after the family of his wife. The Gerards were Popish, but later were converted to Protestantism. I have heard of a connection between the Britts and the Washingtons, but not certain of the exact relationship to the General. My mother passed away in 1897 . She spoke often of the tales heard from her grandmother Christian of the history of the Britts and Woodsons in England and virginia." (The Gerard line has since been debunked with no real proof of Anne being a dau of Dr Thomas Gerard other than circumstantial...According to 2 depositions, Susanna is the oldest daughter of Thomas Gerard. Anne can not be any younger and still have a child by Walter Broadhurst before 10 oct 1647 named Susanna)
Only this line of Elizabeth Smith descends from both Obediah Smith, Woodsons, and the Britts.
the Historical Society of Goochland, Virgina, agrees .
Also a great grandchild is named Smith Britt born 1801

It was previously thought the John Britt married a Susan Holman. It was discovered that a later John Britt did that very thing. He was a grandson...and it is proven that the grandson married Susan Holman. That left our John Britt with the unknown wife that somehow inherited the Obediah name. That leaves Elizabeth Smith and her sister Ann who could have done that. I am favoring Elizabeth to be that woman.

The sister of John sr Britt was a Winifred Britt. Her name is passed down by John sr (died 1778)to son William to Jesse to Winifred

It was previously thought the John sr Britt married a Susan Holman .Not true. It was discovered that a later John Britt did that very thing. He was a grandson...and it is proven that the grandson married Susan Holman. That left our John Britt with the unknown wife that somehow inherited the Obediah name. That leaves Elizabeth Smith and her sister Ann who could have done that. I am favoring Ann to be that woman. there is a claim that Hannah has been named as his wife. I have been unable to substantiate that claim.

Which county in VA is John Sr Britt from? John appears 11 April 1750 on a deed in goochland co in which he bought a parcel of land. His son William Britt appears as a Witness for signing of that deed.
W & M Quarterly vol XX p 208 says in 1752 that John Brett was of King William co. (made 1702 from King and Queen made 1691 from New Kent made 1654 from York co.) It is also said he was from Northumberland( made 1648 from York)...That comes from a probable sister, Winnyfred Britt born 1708.The Virginia Colony Abstract vol 19 in the alphabetical listing shows a Britt, Winneyfred orphan of William Britt... The Tyler Quarterly vol 10 p 50 says John is a friend and executer of the will of Stephen Bingham in King william co. in 1759. All those little counties are so close and border each other that he could be, some time, from any one of them.

William Britt, his son, first appears in the record in Goochland co, 11 apr 1750 when he witnessed a deed in which John Britt bought a parcel of land. deed Book 6, 1748-1755 p p 61-63

Child	William Britt (1720 - 1787)
Child	Obadiah Britt (1730 - 1797)
Child	John Britt ( - )
Child	Elizabeth Britt ( - )