A HUGE THANK YOU to Find-A-Grave member, "LSP" who created this memorial! Without that kind of dedication to preserving family history, this discovery of Willoughby Mayburry's final resting place would have been impossible! Our family has searched for him for 20+years! Buried in 1830, he is finally being linked with the rest of his beloved family.
Listed as "Willoughby Mayburn," 11 Feb 1830 (only one date is listed). Source of burial data: Book: Rockbridge County, Virginia Cemeteries, South River and Walker Creek Districts, by the Rockbridge Area Genealogical Society, 1999, page 138.
** NOTES: His last name is actually Mayburry and was mistakenly transcribed in the 1999 Cemetery Book as "Mayburn." So often the ancient handwriting from the early 1800's is difficult to decipher!
Inscription on Headstone: In Memory of Willoughby Mayburry Who departed this life Feb 11th, 1830
THE MAYBURRY FAMILY...THE "IRONMASTERS" IN PENNSYLVANIA, MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA
WILLOUGHBY MAYBURRY is a descendant of THOMAS MAYBURRY (I) who was born in England in 1690.
THOMAS MAYBURRY (I). Thomas and his wife, Elizabeth, came to America as early at 1716 when Thomas received a 10 acre land grant in Newton, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was this Thomas Mayburry (I) who began the grand legacy of American "ironmasters." He was engaged in the iron industry in Shropshire, England and was the first of four more generations of ironmaster Mayburry's in America.
In May 1742, Thomas Mayburry (I) signed a contract with William Vestal, John Traden, Richard Stevenson and Daniel Burnett to build a bloomery for making bar iron on William Vestal's land on the Shenandoah River in Frederick County, Virginia. This site was not far from Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Mayburry stayed in Virginia and managed the furnace until the fall of 1749 when he returned to Pennsylvania. He sold his original land grant in Newton to another iron master, Thomas Potts and returned to manage the Vestal Furnace in Virginia. In 1755, he received a Fairfax grant for 400 acres at the mouth of the Shenandoah River, using the land for much needed charcoal to operate the Vestal Furnace.
THOMAS MAYBURRY II. Thomas’s son, Thomas Mayburry II, was probably born in Hertfordshire, England, in 1692, and may have come to America with his father as early as 1716. This Thomas II purchased land on the branch of the Rich Valley Creek in Philadelphia County, PA, in 1742 and built the infamous Green Lane Forge. He also built the Hereford Furnace on the west bank of the Perkiomen Creek in Berks County, PA in 1745…another very successful iron operation. A third venture for Thomas II was the Mt. Pleasant Forge which he rented from Thomas Potts, a fellow ironmaster. Thomas Mayburry II died in 1747. He was married to Sophia Rutter in Pennsylvania and they had 4 children: Catharine, William, Dorothy and THOMAS MAYBURRY III.
Thomas Mayburry II died in testate and all of his properties were tied up in the Orphans’ Court until 1762. William, the eldest son, eventually bought his siblings shares and became the Ironmaster of Green Lane Forge.
THOMAS MAYBURRY III. Thomas Mayburry III and Rebecca Warder, were married at the Philadelphia Meeting House and made their home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They had 9 children: WILLIAM, Mary, WILLOUGHBY, Sophia, Rebecca, Lydia, Ann, THOMAS IV and Jeremiah.
Thomas III purchased the Green Lane Forge from his brother, William’s, estate in 1764. He owned this forge until his death in 1797. Again, he died in testate and the will was tied up in court until May 1798. After the debts were paid, the only property left was Green Lane Forge. In October 1798, his sons, William and Willoughby, purchased their siblings shares and became the co-owners of the Forge. On March 9, 1813, Willoughby sold his interest to his brother, Thomas Mayburry IV. Brothers William and Thomas IV sold Green Lane Forge on January 11, 1814.
WILLOUGHBY MAYBURRY. Willoughby Mayburry is the son of Thomas Mayburry III and Rebecca Warder. He married Susan Eckert in The Reformed Church in Reading, Pennsylvania, on May 2, 1799. They had 6 children: Anna Mayburry, Elizabeth Mayburry, Susan Margaret Mayburry, Jane Biddle Mayburry, Sarah Ann Mayburry and Rebecca Warder Mayburry.
Willoughby's wife, Susan Eckert, is the daughter of Valentine Eckert (1735-1821), who came to America from Hanover, Germany in 1752. He was a prominent person in Pennsylvania during the American Revolution. Valentine was a member of the Provincial Conference in June 1776 and the Convention of July 15, 1776. He also was a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1776 and 1779, and in 1778 he was one of the commissioners for the purchase of provisions for the Army. He commanded a company of calvary in the Battle of Germantown, where he was wounded. Valentine was promoted to Lieutenant in the Army of the Revolution on June 6, 1781. After the Revolution he served for 7 years as a Judge on the Court of Common Pleas, Berks County, Pennsylvania, an appointment that commenced in 1784. Valentine Eckert was the proprietor of the Mascelum Furnace near Reading, Pennsylvania, and was appointed the Brigade Inspector of Berks County on April 11th, 1793, an office which he held for 20 years.
As mentioned above, Willoughby and his brother William were the proprietors of the Green Lane forge near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania until 1811 when Willoughby sold his shares to his brother, THOMAS IV. Willoughby then moved to Frederick County, Maryland, where he and Thomas IV purchased the Catoctin Furnace. At that time Maryland was a great center for iron works and Catoctin was an important forge. The brothers expanded and operated the Cactocin Furnace from 1813 to 1820. In 1820, Willoughby and Thomas sold the furnace to John O'Brien. The home that Willoughby built on the property still exists today and is recorded as an historical home in Maryland.
Willoughby moved his family to Clarksburg, West Virginia, and ran the hotel that was on the site now occupied by the Harrison County Courthouse. Willoughby and Susan's daughter, ANNA MAYBURRY, met her husband, WILLIAM ALEXANDER HARRISON while living in Clarksburg and the couple married on November 19, 1823. Anna was just 16 and her new husband was a young lawyer of 28. [ ** Notes: William Alexander Harrison was elected as the first Justice on the Supreme Court of Appeals for the State of West Virginia, the highest court in West Virginia, when West Virginia became a state in 1863].
Shortly after Anna and William were married, Willoughby moved the rest of his family to Rockbridge County, Virginia, where he rejoined his brother, Thomas IV in operating several forges and furnaces. Very close to her family, Willoughby’s daughter, Anna, and her husband would ride horseback to visit her them. These long journeys were arduous, taking a week of traveling through wild, rough and dangerous territory.
[**NOTES: THOMAS IV had partnered with William Weaver, another iron master from Philadelphia, in 1814 and purchased The Buffalo Forge, The Retreat and The Etna Furnaces in Rockbridge County, Virginia. The partnership was precarious from the beginning and was dissolved in 1825. In 1828, Thomas IV purchased The Gibralter Forge, northern Rockbridge County, Virginia, in 1828. He built a new blast furnace named Vesuvius. Willoughby stayed with The Gibraltar Forge and managed the operation. Thomas IV also began purchasing property in Louisa County, Virginia, and built another blast furnace, Victoria. He sold the Gibraltar Forge in 1839. Thomas Mayburry IV settled at his Victoria Furnace property and died there in July 1840. He was married to a widow with 2 children, Eleanor Musgrave Brooke; Thomas IV had no children of his own.]
Willoughby died 11 February 1830, in Rockbridge County. He is buried in Raphine in the New Providence Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Row 20.
**NOTES: For many years, we searched for his burial site and finally discovered it on Find-A-Grave where an incredible genealogist had created his memorial. Years ago when the cemetery records were transcribed by volunteers, his last name was mistakenly written as “Mayburn”…a very common mistake when trying to decipher ancient handwriting in records from the early 1800’s! He has now rejoined the rest of the Mayburry and Harrison families!
After Willoughby Mayburry’s death, his wife, Susan Eckert Mayburry, and their two single daughters, Sarah Ann and Rebecca Mayburry, moved to Berkeley County, West Virginia, to be close to another daughter, Jane Biddle Mayburry Boyd and her family. They are all buried in Morgan Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley County, West Virginia.
INFORMATION ABOUT WILLOUGHBY AND SUSAN MAYBURRY'S CHILDREN:
(1) ANNA MAYBURRY (1807-1887); in 1823 married William Alexander Harrison (1795-1870) in Clarksburg, WV. Buried in the IOOF Cemetery in Clarksburg next to her husband.Had 11 children: Thomas Willoughby Harrison, Matthew Waite Harrison, Frederick Jones Harrison, Charles Tyler Harrison, William Gustavus Harrison, Mayburry Harrison, Susan Ellen Harrison, Elizabeth J. Harrison, Llewellyn Cuthbert Harrison, Sarah Jane Harrison and Anna Rebecca Harrison.
(2) Elizabeth Mayburry (1810-unknown date, Amherst Co., VA); in 1824 married Dr. Warner Jones (1798-1862) in Clarksburg, WV. They had no children. After her husband died, she made her home with her sisters at different times. In her later years were spent in Clarksburg, WV with her sister, Anna Mayburry Harrison. Elizabeth is buried next to her sisters, Anna Mayburry Harrison and Susan Mayburry Harris, in the IOOF Cemetery in Clarksburg.
(3) Susan Margaret Mayburry (abt 1811 Frederick Co., MD - 1897 Doddridge Co., WV); in 1830 married Thomas Griggs Harris (1801-1868 Rockbridge Co., VA). They had 4 children: Samuel Harris, Willoughby Mayburry Harris, Ann Rebecca Harris and William Henry Harris. Susan is buried next to her sisters, Anna Mayburry Harrison and Elizabeth Mayburry Jones, in the IOOF Cemetery in Clarksburg.
(4) Jane Biddle Mayburry (1820 Philadelphia, PA - 1856 Martinsburg, WV); in 1831 married John Elisha Boyd (1811-1888 born/died in Martinsburg, VA). Both are buried in Morgan's Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley, WV. They had 4 children: Clarence Willoughby Mayburry Boyd, John Elisha Boyd Jr., Hunter Holmes Boyd and Charles Boyd.
(5) Sarah Ann Mayburry (unknown birth - 1860 Martinsburg, WV). Never married. Buried in Morgan's Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley, WV.
(6) Rebecca Mayburry (unknown birth - 1874 Martinsburg, WV.) Never married. Buried in Morgan's Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley, WV.
Listed as "Willoughby Mayburn," 11 Feb 1830 (only one date is listed). Source of burial data: Book: Rockbridge County, Virginia Cemeteries, South River and Walker Creek Districts, by the Rockbridge Area Genealogical Society, 1999, page 138.
** NOTES: His last name is actually Mayburry and was mistakenly transcribed in the 1999 Cemetery Book as "Mayburn." So often the ancient handwriting from the early 1800's is difficult to decipher!
Inscription on Headstone: In Memory of Willoughby Mayburry Who departed this life Feb 11th, 1830
THE MAYBURRY FAMILY...THE "IRONMASTERS" IN PENNSYLVANIA, MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA
WILLOUGHBY MAYBURRY is a descendant of THOMAS MAYBURRY (I) who was born in England in 1690.
THOMAS MAYBURRY (I). Thomas and his wife, Elizabeth, came to America as early at 1716 when Thomas received a 10 acre land grant in Newton, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was this Thomas Mayburry (I) who began the grand legacy of American "ironmasters." He was engaged in the iron industry in Shropshire, England and was the first of four more generations of ironmaster Mayburry's in America.
In May 1742, Thomas Mayburry (I) signed a contract with William Vestal, John Traden, Richard Stevenson and Daniel Burnett to build a bloomery for making bar iron on William Vestal's land on the Shenandoah River in Frederick County, Virginia. This site was not far from Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Mayburry stayed in Virginia and managed the furnace until the fall of 1749 when he returned to Pennsylvania. He sold his original land grant in Newton to another iron master, Thomas Potts and returned to manage the Vestal Furnace in Virginia. In 1755, he received a Fairfax grant for 400 acres at the mouth of the Shenandoah River, using the land for much needed charcoal to operate the Vestal Furnace.
THOMAS MAYBURRY II. Thomas’s son, Thomas Mayburry II, was probably born in Hertfordshire, England, in 1692, and may have come to America with his father as early as 1716. This Thomas II purchased land on the branch of the Rich Valley Creek in Philadelphia County, PA, in 1742 and built the infamous Green Lane Forge. He also built the Hereford Furnace on the west bank of the Perkiomen Creek in Berks County, PA in 1745…another very successful iron operation. A third venture for Thomas II was the Mt. Pleasant Forge which he rented from Thomas Potts, a fellow ironmaster. Thomas Mayburry II died in 1747. He was married to Sophia Rutter in Pennsylvania and they had 4 children: Catharine, William, Dorothy and THOMAS MAYBURRY III.
Thomas Mayburry II died in testate and all of his properties were tied up in the Orphans’ Court until 1762. William, the eldest son, eventually bought his siblings shares and became the Ironmaster of Green Lane Forge.
THOMAS MAYBURRY III. Thomas Mayburry III and Rebecca Warder, were married at the Philadelphia Meeting House and made their home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They had 9 children: WILLIAM, Mary, WILLOUGHBY, Sophia, Rebecca, Lydia, Ann, THOMAS IV and Jeremiah.
Thomas III purchased the Green Lane Forge from his brother, William’s, estate in 1764. He owned this forge until his death in 1797. Again, he died in testate and the will was tied up in court until May 1798. After the debts were paid, the only property left was Green Lane Forge. In October 1798, his sons, William and Willoughby, purchased their siblings shares and became the co-owners of the Forge. On March 9, 1813, Willoughby sold his interest to his brother, Thomas Mayburry IV. Brothers William and Thomas IV sold Green Lane Forge on January 11, 1814.
WILLOUGHBY MAYBURRY. Willoughby Mayburry is the son of Thomas Mayburry III and Rebecca Warder. He married Susan Eckert in The Reformed Church in Reading, Pennsylvania, on May 2, 1799. They had 6 children: Anna Mayburry, Elizabeth Mayburry, Susan Margaret Mayburry, Jane Biddle Mayburry, Sarah Ann Mayburry and Rebecca Warder Mayburry.
Willoughby's wife, Susan Eckert, is the daughter of Valentine Eckert (1735-1821), who came to America from Hanover, Germany in 1752. He was a prominent person in Pennsylvania during the American Revolution. Valentine was a member of the Provincial Conference in June 1776 and the Convention of July 15, 1776. He also was a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1776 and 1779, and in 1778 he was one of the commissioners for the purchase of provisions for the Army. He commanded a company of calvary in the Battle of Germantown, where he was wounded. Valentine was promoted to Lieutenant in the Army of the Revolution on June 6, 1781. After the Revolution he served for 7 years as a Judge on the Court of Common Pleas, Berks County, Pennsylvania, an appointment that commenced in 1784. Valentine Eckert was the proprietor of the Mascelum Furnace near Reading, Pennsylvania, and was appointed the Brigade Inspector of Berks County on April 11th, 1793, an office which he held for 20 years.
As mentioned above, Willoughby and his brother William were the proprietors of the Green Lane forge near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania until 1811 when Willoughby sold his shares to his brother, THOMAS IV. Willoughby then moved to Frederick County, Maryland, where he and Thomas IV purchased the Catoctin Furnace. At that time Maryland was a great center for iron works and Catoctin was an important forge. The brothers expanded and operated the Cactocin Furnace from 1813 to 1820. In 1820, Willoughby and Thomas sold the furnace to John O'Brien. The home that Willoughby built on the property still exists today and is recorded as an historical home in Maryland.
Willoughby moved his family to Clarksburg, West Virginia, and ran the hotel that was on the site now occupied by the Harrison County Courthouse. Willoughby and Susan's daughter, ANNA MAYBURRY, met her husband, WILLIAM ALEXANDER HARRISON while living in Clarksburg and the couple married on November 19, 1823. Anna was just 16 and her new husband was a young lawyer of 28. [ ** Notes: William Alexander Harrison was elected as the first Justice on the Supreme Court of Appeals for the State of West Virginia, the highest court in West Virginia, when West Virginia became a state in 1863].
Shortly after Anna and William were married, Willoughby moved the rest of his family to Rockbridge County, Virginia, where he rejoined his brother, Thomas IV in operating several forges and furnaces. Very close to her family, Willoughby’s daughter, Anna, and her husband would ride horseback to visit her them. These long journeys were arduous, taking a week of traveling through wild, rough and dangerous territory.
[**NOTES: THOMAS IV had partnered with William Weaver, another iron master from Philadelphia, in 1814 and purchased The Buffalo Forge, The Retreat and The Etna Furnaces in Rockbridge County, Virginia. The partnership was precarious from the beginning and was dissolved in 1825. In 1828, Thomas IV purchased The Gibralter Forge, northern Rockbridge County, Virginia, in 1828. He built a new blast furnace named Vesuvius. Willoughby stayed with The Gibraltar Forge and managed the operation. Thomas IV also began purchasing property in Louisa County, Virginia, and built another blast furnace, Victoria. He sold the Gibraltar Forge in 1839. Thomas Mayburry IV settled at his Victoria Furnace property and died there in July 1840. He was married to a widow with 2 children, Eleanor Musgrave Brooke; Thomas IV had no children of his own.]
Willoughby died 11 February 1830, in Rockbridge County. He is buried in Raphine in the New Providence Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Row 20.
**NOTES: For many years, we searched for his burial site and finally discovered it on Find-A-Grave where an incredible genealogist had created his memorial. Years ago when the cemetery records were transcribed by volunteers, his last name was mistakenly written as “Mayburn”…a very common mistake when trying to decipher ancient handwriting in records from the early 1800’s! He has now rejoined the rest of the Mayburry and Harrison families!
After Willoughby Mayburry’s death, his wife, Susan Eckert Mayburry, and their two single daughters, Sarah Ann and Rebecca Mayburry, moved to Berkeley County, West Virginia, to be close to another daughter, Jane Biddle Mayburry Boyd and her family. They are all buried in Morgan Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley County, West Virginia.
INFORMATION ABOUT WILLOUGHBY AND SUSAN MAYBURRY'S CHILDREN:
(1) ANNA MAYBURRY (1807-1887); in 1823 married William Alexander Harrison (1795-1870) in Clarksburg, WV. Buried in the IOOF Cemetery in Clarksburg next to her husband.Had 11 children: Thomas Willoughby Harrison, Matthew Waite Harrison, Frederick Jones Harrison, Charles Tyler Harrison, William Gustavus Harrison, Mayburry Harrison, Susan Ellen Harrison, Elizabeth J. Harrison, Llewellyn Cuthbert Harrison, Sarah Jane Harrison and Anna Rebecca Harrison.
(2) Elizabeth Mayburry (1810-unknown date, Amherst Co., VA); in 1824 married Dr. Warner Jones (1798-1862) in Clarksburg, WV. They had no children. After her husband died, she made her home with her sisters at different times. In her later years were spent in Clarksburg, WV with her sister, Anna Mayburry Harrison. Elizabeth is buried next to her sisters, Anna Mayburry Harrison and Susan Mayburry Harris, in the IOOF Cemetery in Clarksburg.
(3) Susan Margaret Mayburry (abt 1811 Frederick Co., MD - 1897 Doddridge Co., WV); in 1830 married Thomas Griggs Harris (1801-1868 Rockbridge Co., VA). They had 4 children: Samuel Harris, Willoughby Mayburry Harris, Ann Rebecca Harris and William Henry Harris. Susan is buried next to her sisters, Anna Mayburry Harrison and Elizabeth Mayburry Jones, in the IOOF Cemetery in Clarksburg.
(4) Jane Biddle Mayburry (1820 Philadelphia, PA - 1856 Martinsburg, WV); in 1831 married John Elisha Boyd (1811-1888 born/died in Martinsburg, VA). Both are buried in Morgan's Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley, WV. They had 4 children: Clarence Willoughby Mayburry Boyd, John Elisha Boyd Jr., Hunter Holmes Boyd and Charles Boyd.
(5) Sarah Ann Mayburry (unknown birth - 1860 Martinsburg, WV). Never married. Buried in Morgan's Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley, WV.
(6) Rebecca Mayburry (unknown birth - 1874 Martinsburg, WV.) Never married. Buried in Morgan's Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley, WV.
A HUGE THANK YOU to Find-A-Grave member, "LSP" who created this memorial! Without that kind of dedication to preserving family history, this discovery of Willoughby Mayburry's final resting place would have been impossible! Our family has searched for him for 20+years! Buried in 1830, he is finally being linked with the rest of his beloved family.
Listed as "Willoughby Mayburn," 11 Feb 1830 (only one date is listed). Source of burial data: Book: Rockbridge County, Virginia Cemeteries, South River and Walker Creek Districts, by the Rockbridge Area Genealogical Society, 1999, page 138.
** NOTES: His last name is actually Mayburry and was mistakenly transcribed in the 1999 Cemetery Book as "Mayburn." So often the ancient handwriting from the early 1800's is difficult to decipher!
Inscription on Headstone: In Memory of Willoughby Mayburry Who departed this life Feb 11th, 1830
THE MAYBURRY FAMILY...THE "IRONMASTERS" IN PENNSYLVANIA, MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA
WILLOUGHBY MAYBURRY is a descendant of THOMAS MAYBURRY (I) who was born in England in 1690.
THOMAS MAYBURRY (I). Thomas and his wife, Elizabeth, came to America as early at 1716 when Thomas received a 10 acre land grant in Newton, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was this Thomas Mayburry (I) who began the grand legacy of American "ironmasters." He was engaged in the iron industry in Shropshire, England and was the first of four more generations of ironmaster Mayburry's in America.
In May 1742, Thomas Mayburry (I) signed a contract with William Vestal, John Traden, Richard Stevenson and Daniel Burnett to build a bloomery for making bar iron on William Vestal's land on the Shenandoah River in Frederick County, Virginia. This site was not far from Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Mayburry stayed in Virginia and managed the furnace until the fall of 1749 when he returned to Pennsylvania. He sold his original land grant in Newton to another iron master, Thomas Potts and returned to manage the Vestal Furnace in Virginia. In 1755, he received a Fairfax grant for 400 acres at the mouth of the Shenandoah River, using the land for much needed charcoal to operate the Vestal Furnace.
THOMAS MAYBURRY II. Thomas’s son, Thomas Mayburry II, was probably born in Hertfordshire, England, in 1692, and may have come to America with his father as early as 1716. This Thomas II purchased land on the branch of the Rich Valley Creek in Philadelphia County, PA, in 1742 and built the infamous Green Lane Forge. He also built the Hereford Furnace on the west bank of the Perkiomen Creek in Berks County, PA in 1745…another very successful iron operation. A third venture for Thomas II was the Mt. Pleasant Forge which he rented from Thomas Potts, a fellow ironmaster. Thomas Mayburry II died in 1747. He was married to Sophia Rutter in Pennsylvania and they had 4 children: Catharine, William, Dorothy and THOMAS MAYBURRY III.
Thomas Mayburry II died in testate and all of his properties were tied up in the Orphans’ Court until 1762. William, the eldest son, eventually bought his siblings shares and became the Ironmaster of Green Lane Forge.
THOMAS MAYBURRY III. Thomas Mayburry III and Rebecca Warder, were married at the Philadelphia Meeting House and made their home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They had 9 children: WILLIAM, Mary, WILLOUGHBY, Sophia, Rebecca, Lydia, Ann, THOMAS IV and Jeremiah.
Thomas III purchased the Green Lane Forge from his brother, William’s, estate in 1764. He owned this forge until his death in 1797. Again, he died in testate and the will was tied up in court until May 1798. After the debts were paid, the only property left was Green Lane Forge. In October 1798, his sons, William and Willoughby, purchased their siblings shares and became the co-owners of the Forge. On March 9, 1813, Willoughby sold his interest to his brother, Thomas Mayburry IV. Brothers William and Thomas IV sold Green Lane Forge on January 11, 1814.
WILLOUGHBY MAYBURRY. Willoughby Mayburry is the son of Thomas Mayburry III and Rebecca Warder. He married Susan Eckert in The Reformed Church in Reading, Pennsylvania, on May 2, 1799. They had 6 children: Anna Mayburry, Elizabeth Mayburry, Susan Margaret Mayburry, Jane Biddle Mayburry, Sarah Ann Mayburry and Rebecca Warder Mayburry.
Willoughby's wife, Susan Eckert, is the daughter of Valentine Eckert (1735-1821), who came to America from Hanover, Germany in 1752. He was a prominent person in Pennsylvania during the American Revolution. Valentine was a member of the Provincial Conference in June 1776 and the Convention of July 15, 1776. He also was a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1776 and 1779, and in 1778 he was one of the commissioners for the purchase of provisions for the Army. He commanded a company of calvary in the Battle of Germantown, where he was wounded. Valentine was promoted to Lieutenant in the Army of the Revolution on June 6, 1781. After the Revolution he served for 7 years as a Judge on the Court of Common Pleas, Berks County, Pennsylvania, an appointment that commenced in 1784. Valentine Eckert was the proprietor of the Mascelum Furnace near Reading, Pennsylvania, and was appointed the Brigade Inspector of Berks County on April 11th, 1793, an office which he held for 20 years.
As mentioned above, Willoughby and his brother William were the proprietors of the Green Lane forge near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania until 1811 when Willoughby sold his shares to his brother, THOMAS IV. Willoughby then moved to Frederick County, Maryland, where he and Thomas IV purchased the Catoctin Furnace. At that time Maryland was a great center for iron works and Catoctin was an important forge. The brothers expanded and operated the Cactocin Furnace from 1813 to 1820. In 1820, Willoughby and Thomas sold the furnace to John O'Brien. The home that Willoughby built on the property still exists today and is recorded as an historical home in Maryland.
Willoughby moved his family to Clarksburg, West Virginia, and ran the hotel that was on the site now occupied by the Harrison County Courthouse. Willoughby and Susan's daughter, ANNA MAYBURRY, met her husband, WILLIAM ALEXANDER HARRISON while living in Clarksburg and the couple married on November 19, 1823. Anna was just 16 and her new husband was a young lawyer of 28. [ ** Notes: William Alexander Harrison was elected as the first Justice on the Supreme Court of Appeals for the State of West Virginia, the highest court in West Virginia, when West Virginia became a state in 1863].
Shortly after Anna and William were married, Willoughby moved the rest of his family to Rockbridge County, Virginia, where he rejoined his brother, Thomas IV in operating several forges and furnaces. Very close to her family, Willoughby’s daughter, Anna, and her husband would ride horseback to visit her them. These long journeys were arduous, taking a week of traveling through wild, rough and dangerous territory.
[**NOTES: THOMAS IV had partnered with William Weaver, another iron master from Philadelphia, in 1814 and purchased The Buffalo Forge, The Retreat and The Etna Furnaces in Rockbridge County, Virginia. The partnership was precarious from the beginning and was dissolved in 1825. In 1828, Thomas IV purchased The Gibralter Forge, northern Rockbridge County, Virginia, in 1828. He built a new blast furnace named Vesuvius. Willoughby stayed with The Gibraltar Forge and managed the operation. Thomas IV also began purchasing property in Louisa County, Virginia, and built another blast furnace, Victoria. He sold the Gibraltar Forge in 1839. Thomas Mayburry IV settled at his Victoria Furnace property and died there in July 1840. He was married to a widow with 2 children, Eleanor Musgrave Brooke; Thomas IV had no children of his own.]
Willoughby died 11 February 1830, in Rockbridge County. He is buried in Raphine in the New Providence Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Row 20.
**NOTES: For many years, we searched for his burial site and finally discovered it on Find-A-Grave where an incredible genealogist had created his memorial. Years ago when the cemetery records were transcribed by volunteers, his last name was mistakenly written as “Mayburn”…a very common mistake when trying to decipher ancient handwriting in records from the early 1800’s! He has now rejoined the rest of the Mayburry and Harrison families!
After Willoughby Mayburry’s death, his wife, Susan Eckert Mayburry, and their two single daughters, Sarah Ann and Rebecca Mayburry, moved to Berkeley County, West Virginia, to be close to another daughter, Jane Biddle Mayburry Boyd and her family. They are all buried in Morgan Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley County, West Virginia.
INFORMATION ABOUT WILLOUGHBY AND SUSAN MAYBURRY'S CHILDREN:
(1) ANNA MAYBURRY (1807-1887); in 1823 married William Alexander Harrison (1795-1870) in Clarksburg, WV. Buried in the IOOF Cemetery in Clarksburg next to her husband.Had 11 children: Thomas Willoughby Harrison, Matthew Waite Harrison, Frederick Jones Harrison, Charles Tyler Harrison, William Gustavus Harrison, Mayburry Harrison, Susan Ellen Harrison, Elizabeth J. Harrison, Llewellyn Cuthbert Harrison, Sarah Jane Harrison and Anna Rebecca Harrison.
(2) Elizabeth Mayburry (1810-unknown date, Amherst Co., VA); in 1824 married Dr. Warner Jones (1798-1862) in Clarksburg, WV. They had no children. After her husband died, she made her home with her sisters at different times. In her later years were spent in Clarksburg, WV with her sister, Anna Mayburry Harrison. Elizabeth is buried next to her sisters, Anna Mayburry Harrison and Susan Mayburry Harris, in the IOOF Cemetery in Clarksburg.
(3) Susan Margaret Mayburry (abt 1811 Frederick Co., MD - 1897 Doddridge Co., WV); in 1830 married Thomas Griggs Harris (1801-1868 Rockbridge Co., VA). They had 4 children: Samuel Harris, Willoughby Mayburry Harris, Ann Rebecca Harris and William Henry Harris. Susan is buried next to her sisters, Anna Mayburry Harrison and Elizabeth Mayburry Jones, in the IOOF Cemetery in Clarksburg.
(4) Jane Biddle Mayburry (1820 Philadelphia, PA - 1856 Martinsburg, WV); in 1831 married John Elisha Boyd (1811-1888 born/died in Martinsburg, VA). Both are buried in Morgan's Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley, WV. They had 4 children: Clarence Willoughby Mayburry Boyd, John Elisha Boyd Jr., Hunter Holmes Boyd and Charles Boyd.
(5) Sarah Ann Mayburry (unknown birth - 1860 Martinsburg, WV). Never married. Buried in Morgan's Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley, WV.
(6) Rebecca Mayburry (unknown birth - 1874 Martinsburg, WV.) Never married. Buried in Morgan's Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley, WV.
Listed as "Willoughby Mayburn," 11 Feb 1830 (only one date is listed). Source of burial data: Book: Rockbridge County, Virginia Cemeteries, South River and Walker Creek Districts, by the Rockbridge Area Genealogical Society, 1999, page 138.
** NOTES: His last name is actually Mayburry and was mistakenly transcribed in the 1999 Cemetery Book as "Mayburn." So often the ancient handwriting from the early 1800's is difficult to decipher!
Inscription on Headstone: In Memory of Willoughby Mayburry Who departed this life Feb 11th, 1830
THE MAYBURRY FAMILY...THE "IRONMASTERS" IN PENNSYLVANIA, MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA
WILLOUGHBY MAYBURRY is a descendant of THOMAS MAYBURRY (I) who was born in England in 1690.
THOMAS MAYBURRY (I). Thomas and his wife, Elizabeth, came to America as early at 1716 when Thomas received a 10 acre land grant in Newton, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was this Thomas Mayburry (I) who began the grand legacy of American "ironmasters." He was engaged in the iron industry in Shropshire, England and was the first of four more generations of ironmaster Mayburry's in America.
In May 1742, Thomas Mayburry (I) signed a contract with William Vestal, John Traden, Richard Stevenson and Daniel Burnett to build a bloomery for making bar iron on William Vestal's land on the Shenandoah River in Frederick County, Virginia. This site was not far from Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Mayburry stayed in Virginia and managed the furnace until the fall of 1749 when he returned to Pennsylvania. He sold his original land grant in Newton to another iron master, Thomas Potts and returned to manage the Vestal Furnace in Virginia. In 1755, he received a Fairfax grant for 400 acres at the mouth of the Shenandoah River, using the land for much needed charcoal to operate the Vestal Furnace.
THOMAS MAYBURRY II. Thomas’s son, Thomas Mayburry II, was probably born in Hertfordshire, England, in 1692, and may have come to America with his father as early as 1716. This Thomas II purchased land on the branch of the Rich Valley Creek in Philadelphia County, PA, in 1742 and built the infamous Green Lane Forge. He also built the Hereford Furnace on the west bank of the Perkiomen Creek in Berks County, PA in 1745…another very successful iron operation. A third venture for Thomas II was the Mt. Pleasant Forge which he rented from Thomas Potts, a fellow ironmaster. Thomas Mayburry II died in 1747. He was married to Sophia Rutter in Pennsylvania and they had 4 children: Catharine, William, Dorothy and THOMAS MAYBURRY III.
Thomas Mayburry II died in testate and all of his properties were tied up in the Orphans’ Court until 1762. William, the eldest son, eventually bought his siblings shares and became the Ironmaster of Green Lane Forge.
THOMAS MAYBURRY III. Thomas Mayburry III and Rebecca Warder, were married at the Philadelphia Meeting House and made their home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They had 9 children: WILLIAM, Mary, WILLOUGHBY, Sophia, Rebecca, Lydia, Ann, THOMAS IV and Jeremiah.
Thomas III purchased the Green Lane Forge from his brother, William’s, estate in 1764. He owned this forge until his death in 1797. Again, he died in testate and the will was tied up in court until May 1798. After the debts were paid, the only property left was Green Lane Forge. In October 1798, his sons, William and Willoughby, purchased their siblings shares and became the co-owners of the Forge. On March 9, 1813, Willoughby sold his interest to his brother, Thomas Mayburry IV. Brothers William and Thomas IV sold Green Lane Forge on January 11, 1814.
WILLOUGHBY MAYBURRY. Willoughby Mayburry is the son of Thomas Mayburry III and Rebecca Warder. He married Susan Eckert in The Reformed Church in Reading, Pennsylvania, on May 2, 1799. They had 6 children: Anna Mayburry, Elizabeth Mayburry, Susan Margaret Mayburry, Jane Biddle Mayburry, Sarah Ann Mayburry and Rebecca Warder Mayburry.
Willoughby's wife, Susan Eckert, is the daughter of Valentine Eckert (1735-1821), who came to America from Hanover, Germany in 1752. He was a prominent person in Pennsylvania during the American Revolution. Valentine was a member of the Provincial Conference in June 1776 and the Convention of July 15, 1776. He also was a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1776 and 1779, and in 1778 he was one of the commissioners for the purchase of provisions for the Army. He commanded a company of calvary in the Battle of Germantown, where he was wounded. Valentine was promoted to Lieutenant in the Army of the Revolution on June 6, 1781. After the Revolution he served for 7 years as a Judge on the Court of Common Pleas, Berks County, Pennsylvania, an appointment that commenced in 1784. Valentine Eckert was the proprietor of the Mascelum Furnace near Reading, Pennsylvania, and was appointed the Brigade Inspector of Berks County on April 11th, 1793, an office which he held for 20 years.
As mentioned above, Willoughby and his brother William were the proprietors of the Green Lane forge near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania until 1811 when Willoughby sold his shares to his brother, THOMAS IV. Willoughby then moved to Frederick County, Maryland, where he and Thomas IV purchased the Catoctin Furnace. At that time Maryland was a great center for iron works and Catoctin was an important forge. The brothers expanded and operated the Cactocin Furnace from 1813 to 1820. In 1820, Willoughby and Thomas sold the furnace to John O'Brien. The home that Willoughby built on the property still exists today and is recorded as an historical home in Maryland.
Willoughby moved his family to Clarksburg, West Virginia, and ran the hotel that was on the site now occupied by the Harrison County Courthouse. Willoughby and Susan's daughter, ANNA MAYBURRY, met her husband, WILLIAM ALEXANDER HARRISON while living in Clarksburg and the couple married on November 19, 1823. Anna was just 16 and her new husband was a young lawyer of 28. [ ** Notes: William Alexander Harrison was elected as the first Justice on the Supreme Court of Appeals for the State of West Virginia, the highest court in West Virginia, when West Virginia became a state in 1863].
Shortly after Anna and William were married, Willoughby moved the rest of his family to Rockbridge County, Virginia, where he rejoined his brother, Thomas IV in operating several forges and furnaces. Very close to her family, Willoughby’s daughter, Anna, and her husband would ride horseback to visit her them. These long journeys were arduous, taking a week of traveling through wild, rough and dangerous territory.
[**NOTES: THOMAS IV had partnered with William Weaver, another iron master from Philadelphia, in 1814 and purchased The Buffalo Forge, The Retreat and The Etna Furnaces in Rockbridge County, Virginia. The partnership was precarious from the beginning and was dissolved in 1825. In 1828, Thomas IV purchased The Gibralter Forge, northern Rockbridge County, Virginia, in 1828. He built a new blast furnace named Vesuvius. Willoughby stayed with The Gibraltar Forge and managed the operation. Thomas IV also began purchasing property in Louisa County, Virginia, and built another blast furnace, Victoria. He sold the Gibraltar Forge in 1839. Thomas Mayburry IV settled at his Victoria Furnace property and died there in July 1840. He was married to a widow with 2 children, Eleanor Musgrave Brooke; Thomas IV had no children of his own.]
Willoughby died 11 February 1830, in Rockbridge County. He is buried in Raphine in the New Providence Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Row 20.
**NOTES: For many years, we searched for his burial site and finally discovered it on Find-A-Grave where an incredible genealogist had created his memorial. Years ago when the cemetery records were transcribed by volunteers, his last name was mistakenly written as “Mayburn”…a very common mistake when trying to decipher ancient handwriting in records from the early 1800’s! He has now rejoined the rest of the Mayburry and Harrison families!
After Willoughby Mayburry’s death, his wife, Susan Eckert Mayburry, and their two single daughters, Sarah Ann and Rebecca Mayburry, moved to Berkeley County, West Virginia, to be close to another daughter, Jane Biddle Mayburry Boyd and her family. They are all buried in Morgan Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley County, West Virginia.
INFORMATION ABOUT WILLOUGHBY AND SUSAN MAYBURRY'S CHILDREN:
(1) ANNA MAYBURRY (1807-1887); in 1823 married William Alexander Harrison (1795-1870) in Clarksburg, WV. Buried in the IOOF Cemetery in Clarksburg next to her husband.Had 11 children: Thomas Willoughby Harrison, Matthew Waite Harrison, Frederick Jones Harrison, Charles Tyler Harrison, William Gustavus Harrison, Mayburry Harrison, Susan Ellen Harrison, Elizabeth J. Harrison, Llewellyn Cuthbert Harrison, Sarah Jane Harrison and Anna Rebecca Harrison.
(2) Elizabeth Mayburry (1810-unknown date, Amherst Co., VA); in 1824 married Dr. Warner Jones (1798-1862) in Clarksburg, WV. They had no children. After her husband died, she made her home with her sisters at different times. In her later years were spent in Clarksburg, WV with her sister, Anna Mayburry Harrison. Elizabeth is buried next to her sisters, Anna Mayburry Harrison and Susan Mayburry Harris, in the IOOF Cemetery in Clarksburg.
(3) Susan Margaret Mayburry (abt 1811 Frederick Co., MD - 1897 Doddridge Co., WV); in 1830 married Thomas Griggs Harris (1801-1868 Rockbridge Co., VA). They had 4 children: Samuel Harris, Willoughby Mayburry Harris, Ann Rebecca Harris and William Henry Harris. Susan is buried next to her sisters, Anna Mayburry Harrison and Elizabeth Mayburry Jones, in the IOOF Cemetery in Clarksburg.
(4) Jane Biddle Mayburry (1820 Philadelphia, PA - 1856 Martinsburg, WV); in 1831 married John Elisha Boyd (1811-1888 born/died in Martinsburg, VA). Both are buried in Morgan's Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley, WV. They had 4 children: Clarence Willoughby Mayburry Boyd, John Elisha Boyd Jr., Hunter Holmes Boyd and Charles Boyd.
(5) Sarah Ann Mayburry (unknown birth - 1860 Martinsburg, WV). Never married. Buried in Morgan's Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley, WV.
(6) Rebecca Mayburry (unknown birth - 1874 Martinsburg, WV.) Never married. Buried in Morgan's Chapel Graveyard, Bunker Hill, Berkeley, WV.
Inscription
In Memory of Willoughby Mayburry
Who departed this life Feb 11th, 1830
