William Townes I Family
Virginia

William Townes I
b. 1720 in Amelia, Va
d. after March 18, 1775 and before August 4, 1777

m. Anne Childers
b. 1720 in Amelia, VA
d. S. C.*
her father: possibly Henry Childers
 her mother: possibly Lucretia 

his father: James Townes, England
his mother: unknown
Children with Anne Childers
Lucretia Townes b. 1748 in Amelia, VA d. 30 MAR 1817 SC 1m. William MOSELEY  (b: 1756)
2m. James Francis ROBERTSON 20 Mar. 1769  Amelia Co., VA ( b: 1746 in Chesterfield Co., VA)
3m. Tscherner de Graffenreid 14 Dec 1780 in Lunenburg County, VA
William Townes b. abt 1740 Culpepper Co., VA* d.11 APR 1826 m. Obedience Allen (b. 29 APR 1779)
Henry Townes b. 1754 d. Nov 1818 Henderson Co., KY m. Mary "Polly" Davis 31 Dec 1784 in Mecklenburg Ct. VA
(dau. of Baxter Davis and Amelia Hopkins)#
John Townes b. c1760 d. of yellow fever
 m.
Thomas Townes b. 1752 d. 28 Apr 1844 Polk co., Tenn. (aged 93)
 m.  Sarah Wade 14 Aug 1780  Halifax Co., VA
Joseph Townes b. 1759 d. 1824 Tenn or N. C.
m. Isabella (Hopkins)Wade
Halcott Townes b. 22 Feb 1765 Appomatox River, Amelia Co., VA
 d. 1803 Pennsylvania Co., VA
 m. Ann Coleman
2m. unknown
Mary "Molly" Townes*
 b. abt 1761
 d. m. William Pride 31 Aug 1764 in Amelia Co, VA
(son of John Pride and Francis)
Nancy Townes b. 1742 d. m. Charles Jones
Elizabeth Townes b. 28 APR 1753 d. m. Blackman Ligon
*records of Irving Grove III

Lived in Virginia and moved to South Carolina in the 1790's.

1755, January 25 - An indenture is signed between John Townes, a planter of Lunenburg Co., VA and William Marshall of Cumberland Co., VA. and William Townes of Amelia Co., VA.

This Indenture between John TOWNES, planter, of Lunenburg Co., of one part and William MARSHALL of Cumberland Co., and William TOWNES of Amelia County of the other part. John TOWNES, for 5 shillings VA money, "Bargained, Sold, Aliened, Enfeoffed and Confirmed" to William MARSHALL and William TOWNES one tract or parcel in Cumberland Parish, Lunenburg Co., containing 280 acres. Borders, Mathew HUBBARD's line on lower side of Little Roanoke River, PERREN's line, McGEE's line. Also another tract containing 450 acres in same Parish and County on Lickinghole Creek.......(section torn) my three brothers Joel TOWNS, Daniel TOWNS and Stephen TOWNES already conveyed to them. Also Negro Slaves: Will, Peter, Joe and Bess. First tract formerly conveyed to Mathew HUBARDLY patient date in Williamsburgh 7 October 1752. The second tract conveyed to John TOWNS by patent in Williamsburg 25 July 1751.
Signed John TOWNS.
Wit: Francis MARSHALL, Ben HARRIS, John HALL, Stephen BEDFORD, and William SAX.
[Recorded 4 February 1755, Lunenburg Co., Deed Book 4, pg. 28.] as copied by Patrick Gudaitis - godspeed@idt.net

1764- Aug. 31 - Mary Townes marries William pride. Witness by John Booker. 
                                [Amelia Co. Mar.  Bond. Vol. 16 No. 4. p. 279]

1769 - Lucretia Townes marries for a second time to James Francis Robertson. Witness by Wm Townes. She has  five children by James - William, John, Richard, Mary and John. [Amelia Co. Mar.  Bond. Vol. 16 No. 4. p. 281]
James dies and she remarries to Anthony Tscharner DeGraffenreid with whom she has three more children - Lucretia, Catherine, and Nancy.  [records of M. Sutherland, Rootsweb.com 2006-10-13]

1775-76 -  William Townes, the son of William, is listed as a 2nd Leut. of the Virginia Revolutionary Army by the DAR.  Wife is listed as Obediance Allen. [DAR Index. p. 2962]

1775, Mar 18 - William creates a will for his estate. The will is probated in August 4, 1777 so William Sr. has to have died between these dates.

In a footnote for the Ligon family of South Carolina,

"Genealogy of the Mays Family by Samuel Edward Mays, 1929, p. 187. William Townes had brothers John, Thomas, Henry and Samuel.  John and Samuel came over with James Townes.  William Townes settled in Amelia Co., VA, on the Appomattox River.  He was born in 1711, married Anne Wood or Childer", and died June, 1774.  They had issue beside Elizabeth, who married Blackman Ligon:  William; Thomas; Henry; John; Joseph; Balcott; Molly (Mary?) married William Pride; Nancy (Ann?) married Charles Jones; Lucretia Townes married 1st in Amelia Co., Va., March 20, 1769, Francis Robertson, and had issue: Mary; William; Louise; James; and possibly Anne. She married 2nd Tscharner de Graffenreid and had issue, Catherine Jenner who married William Calhoun. "
                                    [Ligon. p493]

1776- Most of the sons of William served in the Revolutionary War and although most of the sons died before the pension for war heros became available. The records of Thomas Townes for application highlight some important facts. 

Thomas was at the seige of Norfolk resulting in its burning.  He became a lieutenant and was also at the battle of Stony Point.   Thomas was at the seige of York where he witnessed the surrender of Cornwallis when he gave up his sword.
Henry and Halcut were at the battle of Guilford.  John became a clerk for the board of war and was taken prisoner at Charleston then released to move to Philadelphia. [Blount 12/12/07]

Henry Townes lived in Amelia county, VA and had children: Henry, Jr., Baxter Davis, Alfred, Ann Pride, Amelia H., Elizabeth, and John Pride, Sr.

Thomas application for a soldier's pension of the Revolutionary War at the age of 82 in 1838 gives a number of the details which verify the facts of family Revolutionary War activities.   He was then living in Anderson Co., S. C. but having entered the service in Amelia, Va. in 1775.  He was a private in the regiment of Col. Meredith under the command of General Stephens in Virginia for 18 months in 1775.  The following document was dictated by Thomas for his application in the US Archives.

"The British had some forces on the Norfolk side of the river and in the defence of the magazine which was all we did there some firing passed between us and the enemy, from whom I received a shot which wounded me in the right hip. The wound disabled me for a few weeks, but was of no permanent injury. After this tour was over he declared he entered the service as a regular soldier. & entered under Capt. John Molten for three years, who was under the comand of Col. J. Morton. That he was stationed at Portsmonth, where he remained for nine months. Then hired a man (Robert Lawton) from Amelia county, to take his place in the army in order to return home, his father's esteem illness & solicitations calling for his aid and assistance.  His father dying soon after his arrival at home, he joined a volunteer company raised by Capt James Cobb (1776) which rendezvoused at Salsburg in North Carolina, to go with other companies against the British at Stone , South Carolina.  Apart of the different companies were left at Salsbury as guard at that Place among whom he was stationed where he served as one of that guard until after the Battle was fought at Stons then the companies, also the guard at Salsbury was discharged and returned home -- This was a tour of three months.  Again he volunteered for three months under the command of Capt B. Wall who raised a Volunteer Company at Hallifax - Henry Townes, his brother was his 1st Lieut. The company being orgainized it was immediately marched to Guilford Court House, where he was engaged ina Battle under Gen., Greene against Cornwallis-  After the Battle, he was discharged and returned home.
         After this, he again volunteered and marched with a company from Hallifax to Little York, where he saw Conwallis surrender his sword.  After Cornwallis was taken he was discharged - and was never ?? in the service -  Beside the nine months at Portsmonth as a regular soldier, he considers & believes that he served as a volunteer & as a malitiaman in different companies a term not less than nine months -  unaware of the value or importance, he is not able now to produce any of his old papers which might be of service, neither does he know any one now living whose testimony he can procure to prove the service he endured his county in the days of the Revolution."

Later details were given in the file that
"In 1835 the soldier, Thomas Townes, moved from Anderson District to Bradley County, Tennessee. He stated in 1838 that his wife (her name not given)  had died some years before 1835, and that his children had all married.  He did not give the names of any of the children, except John, who in 1835 had moved with his family from Anderson District, South Carolina to Bradley County, Tennessee, and whom the soldier was then living. " (letter written by A. D. Hiller, Assit. to Administrator, 22 Aug, 1933)
                    [Revolutionary War File: S6256]

1803- Researcher Elizabeth Blount indicated that Halcut was married twice.  He was a lawyer of some reknown but died at the age of 34 or 35.  She also indicates that Joseph was a carpenter and Henry was a cabinet maker. 

[Notes dictated about 1841 to George Franklin Townes by Thomas Townes, from the papers of Henry Keith Townes, posted by Elizabeth T. Blount on Genforum, 9 Apr 07]

1844, May  - Thomas Townes died at the residence of Capt. John Townes in Polk Co., Tenn. on April 28, 1844, aged ninety-three years.  A native of Amelia co., VA, a Revolutionary soldier, a Baptist.  He was the last of six brothers all Revolutionary Soldiers. 
          [Pendelton Messenger, S. C.]

Source:


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