Individual Details

Sarah Shelton

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Sarah has an interesting, if doubtful history.

Discussion from the Shelton-L Archives:
It might be interesting in these days of equal rights for women, to mention an ancetress, Sarah Shelton, daughter of Charles Shelton, a commander in the British Navy, who was lost with his ship, the Coronation, in the English Channel, in September 1691. Tradition says that Sara came with her brother William, to Virginia, where she married Richard Gissage, a merchant from London, who settled in New Kent, now King William county. She must have been a most impressive person, as her son, Ralph, took as his surname, the maiden name of his mother, being known as Ralph Shelton, of St. Marys Parish.

Response:
Maybe the updated version on Sarah would be interesting at this time.

There is a headright record on a Sarah Shelton in the records of King and
Queen County, Va.,
to-wit: recorded October 24, 1701 Lewis David transported Sarah Shelton
into King & Queeen Count in St. John's Parish. (source: my research)

This is also confirmed in an article which appeared in TIDEWATER VIRGINA
FAMILIES in the February/March 1995 issue entitled "The Two Ralph Sheltons"
by Jeanne Brooks Gart, C.G. (meaning "certified genealogist") who stated and
I quote:
"Ralph Shelton born in King and Queen County 25 September 1698, his
sponsors in baptism being Vincent Inge, Ralph Pea, and Lydia Searcy.
Mr. Ellis states that he was the son of Richard Gissage and
his wife, Sarah, and that the child, for reasons unknown, took the
maiden name of his mother. [Note: Mr. Ellis is the man who wrote a
collection of genealogy articles on this family in 1879
published in the newspaper, "The Amherst (Virginia) Enterprise"]

"The Sarah Shelton who married Mr. Gissage would seem to be the same
Sarah Shelton named as a headright on 24 October 1701 for a
grant of land in St. John's Parish, King and Queen County, in
Pamunkey Neck, although she obviously had been in that exact location for
several years by this time. Colonel Bell examines the possibilities of
Ralph's birth and concludes that 'the scenario which
would seem to mechanically best fit the known
circumstances is that Ralph was born out of wedlock'. This is probably
true, but emotionally it seems an unsatisfactory explanation.
Richard Gissage was a prominent widower in the
community. That he would marry an unmarried woman with a child seems
unlikely. Is it possible that Sarh Shelton's husband died
on the passage to Virginia or even soon after arrival, perhpas
leaving her a pregnant widow?

"Ralph must have been about five years old when his father, or
step-father died, and we have
no evidence that Ralph was mentioned in the Gissage will. Would
primogeniture have been a factor? According to a study by C.
Ray Keim, promgeniture ... remained substaintially that set in
England during the reign of Henry VIII ... lands ... could be devised by
will, yet the law of
primogenture held in all cases of intestacy...."

This was not a case of intestacy and Sarah married Joseph Bickley in 1703.
Prior to the marriage,
Bickley signed an agreement to educate Ralph and give Ralph certain goods
when he reached maturity. This would seem to have been unnecessary if Ralph
had inherited from Richard Gissage.

Gart concluded by "It seems impossible at this time to acertain the
acts." -- Oh, Ms. Gart was not unaware of the History of Baldwin County
Georgia version of the story. That story about the sea captain and the
shipwreck has been assigned to the families of both Ralph of King & Queen
(later King William) and the Middlesex line. I have yet to see anyone who
can tie it to fact and it appears to me to be one of those genealogical
tales that a descendant 100 or 200 years after the fact likes to spin.


From a WorldConnect database:
In Tidewater Virginia in the early eighteenth century there were two Ralph Sheltons whose histories have sometimes been confused by genealogists.
The older of the two contemporary Ralph Sheltons was most likely born in England. He was in Virginia by at least 1702, when Thomas Meriwether, a substantial Essex Co planter, received land for having transported several persons, including Ralph Shelton, into the colony. When Thomas Meriwether died, early in 1709, he left 65 acres of land to Ralph Shelton. The time of Ralph Shelton's birth is not known ; however, since he apparently married soon after arriving in Virginia, it is likely that h e was born in the early 1680s. About 1706 he married Mary, whose surname may have been Crispin, as several family researchers have maintained, although the only evidence known to support this is the use of that name for one of their sons. He died in Middlesex County 13 Mar 1733 /4 (Parish Register of Christ Church)

The other Ralph Shelton was the son of Sarah Gissage (Gissedge) widow of Richard Gissage. The identity of his father is not clearly established. Richard Gissage's land was in Pamunkey Neck, on the east side of Cohoke Swamp, extending downward from the tract which ha d been patented by Ambrose Lipscomb, and which lay below the courthouse. He gained title to 2 000 acres, within the Indian Ring, in June 1699, by the action of a committee appointed to settle the claims to land in Pamunkey Neck already developed [Malcolm Hart Harris, MD, OLD NEW KENT COUNTY; SOME ACCOUNT OF THE PLANTERS, ETC., IN KING WILLIAM COUNTY, ST. JOHN'S PARISH , Vol. II, privately printed, West Point, VA, 1977, 671].
He previously had received a patent to 337 acres in St. Stephen's Parish of New Kent County, for the transportation of seven persons into the colony [SHELTON FAMILY GENEALOGICAL NOTES, Manuscript Collection #30057, LVA] .
The will of Richard Gissage, written 3 Mar 1702/3 and entered for probate on 20 May of the same year, no longer exists. We know its contents and have other information on Ralph Shelton principally from a series of articles which appeared in THE AMHERST ENTERPRISE [THE AMHERST (VIRGINIA) ENTERPRISE, 1879, articles apparently written by Thomas H. Ellis]. Mr. Ellis says that Richard Gissage divided his real property into four parts, but does not specify to whom it was to be left. He is more specific concerning Mr. Gissage's personal property which was divided into three parts; one-third to his widow, Sarah, one-third to his daughter, Mary Lipscomb, wife of Ambrose Lipscomb; and one-third to his daughter, Christian Gissage [Again acc ording to Mr. Ellis, the daughter Christian married a Mr. Poindexter, and one of their descendants was the Hon. George Poindexter, first delegate to Congress from the Territory of Mississippi, later a governor of the state and a U.S. Senator]. Bequests were made to his friends William Noyes, Daniel Miles, and Robert Sercey. The will was witnessed by John Waller, Joseph Brown, and Isaac Ironshaw. The executors were Mary Lipscomb and William Noyes [Another source says that Daniel Miles was also an executor; Harris, OLD NEW KENT COUNTY 2:672]. On 30 Sep 1703, Joseph Bickley posted bond for securing certain personal property on behalf of Ralph Shelton, a minor son of Sarah Gissage, whom he, Joseph Bickley, covenanted to marry [Powell , Washington B. BICKLEY/BECKLEY FAMILY, 'William and Mary Quarterly (1) V, 1896, 124.]. The following Feb he received, on behalf of his wife, Sarah, her one-third share of the property o f her late husband [WMQ, 1, 124]. He also posted bond to guarantee two years schooling for his step-son [ABSTRACTS OF KING WILLIAM RECORD BOOKS, Nos. 1 & 2 and part of No. 3, 1702-1795 , 199, Binder #1, Archives and Records Division, LVA].
Mr. Ellis states that Joseph later had a distinguished career in Louisa County where he died in 1749. However, extensive work by Colonel John C. Bell, published in THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST in 1983, establishes that the Louisa County Joseph Bickley was, in fact, Joseph, Jr. Joseph, Sr., probably died in Middlesex Co between 04 Sep 1735 and 26 Oct 1740 and Sarah died after 26 Oct 1740. Their children, as far as Colonel Bell could establish, were Joseph Jr., Jane, Frances and John [THE VIRGINIA GENE ALOGIST, 27, 1983, 32].
Ralph Shelton was born in King and Queen County 25 Sep 1698, his sponsors in baptism being Vincent Inge, Ralph Pea and Lydia Searcy [This information, as well a s what follows concerning descendants of this family, is from the AMHERST ENTERPRISE articles previously cited]. Mr. Ellis states that he was the son of Richard Gissage and his wife, Sarah, and that the child, for reasons unknown, took the maiden name of his mother. The Sarah Shelton who married Mr. Gissage would seem to be the same Sarah Shelton named as a headright on 24 Oct 1701 for a grant of land in St. John's Parish, King and Queen County, in Pamunkey Neck, although she obviously had been in that exact location for several years by this time. Colonel Bell examines the possibilities of Ralph's birth and concludes that 'the scenario whic h would seem to mechanically best fit the known circumstances is that Ralph was born out of wedlock [Bell, 35]. This is probably true, but emotionally it seems an unsatisfactory explanat ion. That he would marry an unmarried woman with a child seems unlikely. Is it possible tha t Sarah Shelton's husband died on the passage to Virginia or even soon after arrival, perhaps leaving her a pregnant widow? Ralph must have been about five years old when his father, or step-father, died, and we have no evidence that Ralph was mentioned in the Gissage will. Would primogeniture have been a factor?
According to a study by C. Ray Keim, primogeniture, lik e many English customs and institutions, went through a period of change after reaching Virginia, befgore being abolished altogether [Keim, C. Ray, PRIMOGENITURE AND ENTAIL IN COLONIAL V IRGINIA, 'William and Mary Quarterly', 3, XXV, 1968, 54]. He says, '...during the first century of the Virginia colony the status of primogeniture and entail remained substantially that set in England during the reign of Henry VIII... the bulk of lands in England could be devised by will, yet the law of primogeniture held in all cases of intestacy...' This, however, was not a case of intestacy. Was it decided by Sarah Gissage after her husband's death that Ralph would henceforward be known by the name of his father, Sarah's first husband? Joseph Bickley undertook to guarantee his schooling, which would seem unnecessary if he had inherited from Richard Gissage. It seems impossible at this time to acertain the facts. At any event, the child was referred to shortly after Richard Gissage's death as Ralph Shelton, and so he was known throughout his life. He married, 05 Dec 1721, Mary Pollard, dau of Robert Pollard , Gent., of King William Co. Their children (surname Shelton) were [There is information on several of these lines in the articles by Mr. Ellis]: Elizabeth, b 16 Aug 1724, m Joseph Whitlock. Mary, b 01 Aug 1726, m Henry Gosney, had 4 ch. Richard, b 14 Aug 1728, m Mary Wright, had 12 ch. Jane, b 23 May 1730. William, b 03 Nov 1732. John, b 25 Apr 1734.
Ralph Shelton's will, dated 01 Jan 1743, was admitted to probate in King William Co, 21 Mar 1744. His 'loving brother John Bickley' was appointed executor, and his wife and children were mentioned by name . In only one instance did Mr. Ellis confuse the records of the two Ralph Sheltons. He mentions a land patent of 20 Sep 1745, for 400 acres in Amelia Co, on the north side of the Great Notoway River, which he believed was land of the Ralph Shelton born in King & Queen Co, recorded after his death. It was, rather, land of the Ralph Shelton who married Mary Daniell [sic] , as pointed out above. End of Article.
Note by Anne McElroy: As recently as a couple of years ago in England, the Duke of Marlborough (owns/resides Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill) had to petition the English Parliament for permission to break the line of primogeniture in his line because his eldest son is unfit to inherit (drug addictions, alcoholism , & major problems in eldest son's life). The law of primogeniture is still so strong in England that he couldn't break the line without Parliament's decision.
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=thevwguru&id=I282

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