I have seen exact birthdate as 29 Sep 1735 and death date as 7 Dec 1807, but without knowing how accurate they are or where they were obtained, I am reluctant to list those dates as I do not want to perpetuate errors.
Ancestors of John Booth
Generation No. 1
1. John Booth, born Abt. 1730 in Amelia Co., VA?; died 1807 in Franklin Co., VA. He was the son of 2. Thomas Booth and 3. Dorcas ?. He married (1) Mary Smith Bef. 1757 in probably Amelia Co., VA or Lunenburg Co., VA. She was born Abt. 1730 in Lunenburg Co., VA?, and died Bef. 26 Aug 1807 in Franklin Co., VA. She was the daughter of Richard Smith, Jr. and Agnes Cocke.
Notes for John Booth:
The following is quoted from pages 11-14 of "Booth(e) Family History: One Lineage from Thomas, Sr. (1705-1767) of Amelia County, Virginia to Present" (1994) by Timothy Douglas Booth (1948-2002) of Centreville, VA, with the kind permission of his widow:
John was the youngest of five sons of Thomas Senior. He is our patriot ancestor as registered with the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution.
John was probably born on Thomas Senior's plantation on Sweathouse Creek in Amelia County in about 1730. (Note: Amelia County was formed from Prince George County in 1734). The birth date is based on projecting backwards from known dates and events. We know he died (before) December 7, 1807 in Franklin County when his Will was probated. His age at death would have been in his late 70's.
John and his wife Mary Smith had eight children. Six children were sons, and two were daughters.
We know from Thomas' will in chapter one that John inherited what was left of his father's plantation, a total of 338 acres in 1766 at Thomas' death. John must have felt secure, because he did not swear witness to his father's Will until three years later in 1769.
Thus, John's early adulthood was probably spent working on or tending to his father's plantation. There are land records that show John also acquired a couple of tracts of land between the time his father divided land among his four older brothers and his father's death. So, on his and his father's land de developed the skills and experience that he would apply to his own farm later in life.
John Booth married Mary Smith in the early 1750's when they were both in their twenties. Mary was the daughter of Richard Smith and Agnes Cocke of Lunenburg County, who had three sons and nine daughters. Lunenburg County is located south of Nottoway County which is south of Amelia County; it was formed in 1746 from Brunswick and Charlotte Counties. Mary's father Richard Smith owned a plantation on Spring Branch in the parish of Cumberland.
Curiously, Mary's sister Temperance was married to John's older brother Nathaniel. Actually, sisters marrying brothers was common in those days. Nathaniel and Temperance had six children. Nathaniel died in 1785 in Lunenburg County.
(Note: Attempts to locate the marriage record of John and Mary have been unsuccessful. County clerks of Lunenburg, Amelia, Prince Edward and Chesterfield counties gave a negative report. Two books were checked: "Lunenburg Co., VA Marriages, 1750-1853," by Vogt & Kethley, 1988, and "Marriages of Lunenburg Co., VA 1746-1853," by Matheny & Yates, 1967. Yet, the will of Richard Smith and notes in the Raney Collection agree that they must have married in the 1750's).
In Richard Smith's Will signed in 1757 and proved in 1760, he left "daughter Mary Booth, one silver spoon" and "daughter Temperance Booth, feater bed and two cows." Probably they had received a dowry when they got married. In Agnes Cocke Smith's Will signed 1773 and proved in 1774, one seventh of her estate went to Nathaniel Booth and another one seventh went to granddaughter Agnes Clardy, daughter of John and Mary Booth.
John and Mary's children's names were Richard, Thomas, Peter, John Jr., Stephen, Mary, Benjamin (our ancestor), and Agnes Clardy. Two sons, Richard and Peter, served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Our ancestor, Benjamin, was only a boy and too young to join the arm
In March 1772, when he was in his forties, John bought land in what was then Bedford County on both sides of the Staunton (now called Roanoke) River. The amount of land totaled 446 acres in three portions. In October 1772, he sold his land in Amelia County and moved about 100 miles west "as the crow flies" to his new land.
In 1785, the Staunton River became the dividing line between Bedford County on the north and the newly formed Franklin County on the south. Most of John's initial land was on the south side of the river, placing him in Franklin County. The Booths came to stay; John and four successive generations would live in Franklin County.
Why did John move? During this time 1755-1770's in Virginia's history, there was a movement of people westward from the Tidewater to the Piedmont areas. The winning of the French and Indian War during the 1750's had lessened the fears of attacks and established peaceful outposts. Plantations owned by fathers in the east were being divided among sons with each generation, so sons were looking to the west where land was plentiful. By 1776, the western-most county was Botetourt.
There are records to indicate that others of the Booth family moved west to Bedford County before John. George Booth, John's brother, died in 1767 and the order of his wife Judith receiving her dower is recorded in Amelia and Bedford Counties. This would indicate, therefore, that Judith moved to be with some of George's and her children which were the first ones in Bedford. Perhaps John was persuaded by them to move west.
Today, the location of what was John's land is within sight of Smith Mountain Lake, a resort area which was completed in 1966 by damming the Roanoke River. It was down the river from "Hales's ford" crossing of the river, and is known today as Hale's Ford Bridge on the main highway Rt. 122 between the county seat towns of Bedford and Rocky Mount. From Rt. 122, you turn on Rt. 666 at Epsworth Church and go 1.7 miles to the Booth family cemetery on the right.
John's older sons were fairly grown and went with him when he moved in 1772. As stated above, sons Thomas and Peter served in the Revolutionary War sometime between 1776 and 1781. Thomas, who served in the 8th Virginia Regiment and lost a finger, was later placed on the pension roll in 1786. Peter is referred to in records as Colonel Peter Booth. Son Richard patented land in Franklin County in 1787, and Peter patented land in 1797.
In the first obtainable census taken from "Virginia Tax Payers 1782-87" from the National Archives, only list heads of households and their number of slaves. For Bedford County, the following three Booths are listed: John with 19 slaves, son Richard with 2 slaves, and son Thomas with no slaves. Also listed in other parts of the state are his brothers and cousins, such as brother Nathaniel in Lunenburg County with 4 slaves. Unfortunately, the 1790 and 1800 Virginia censuses were destroyed by fire.
Since nineteen slaves were accounted to John in the above tax list, you can imagine that his plantation or farm operations were rather extensive to require such labor. He had inherited fifteen from his father Thomas' estate, and one of his sisters had inherited two from Thomas. Probably tobacco was still the cash crop, with other crops and vegetables for food to be sold. The land was probably very fertile, being along the rive
The Roanoke, or formerly Staunton River, flows east through Altavista and southeastward down to Buggs Island Lake on the Virginia-North Carolina border. Since there is no obvious markets on the river, it is doubtful that it was used as the primary means to transport crops to market in John's day or any other. So, dependence on waterways in this part of the state was diminished.
During the Revolutionary War, John furnished the army's commissary twice with 1,025 pounds of beef, 16 diets(?), 12 pecks of corn and pasturage on the first occasion, and 325 pounds of beef on the second. We guess he did not want his two sons to starve! After the Yorktown victory in 1781, those who furnished supplies registered (for compensation?) with their county court. John Booth is recorded in Bedford County Court Order Book Number 6 on page 341 for March 23, 1782 and page 347 on March 25, same year.
Thus, John Booth meets the requirements and has become a registered patriot ancestor by the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) and the Sons of the American Revolution (S.A.R.) effective October 1993. Any adult descendant of John Booth can become a member of either the D.A.R. or S.A.R. by showing their lineage to him. The author helped his sister with her application and above documentation for John Booth and have both joined the D.A.R. and S.A.R. at the time of this writing. Membership in this exclusive group is an eloquent statement and testament to one's early American heritage and family pride!
Other activities of John are documented in Bedford and Franklin County records. For example, he must have been concerned about transportation and roads. John is listed in Bedford County records as appointed to view (survey) for a road twice in 1774 and once in 1775. In January 1786, the year after Franklin County was formed and new officers were being appointed, John Booth along with ten other men "were each appointed road surveyor--a thankless job that required each surveyor periodically to call out gangs of his neighbors to repair the county's dusty ruts and mudholes." Also in 1786 he was ordered to "survey road from fork near Peter Holland's to Radford's Ford on Staunton River."
John Booth died in December 1807. Mary likely died before John since she is not mentioned in his Will. John, and perhaps Mary, are likely buried in the Booth family cemetery that still exists on Rt. 666, but there are no markers for either of them.
More About John Booth:
Census: 1782, Bedford Co., VA--John Booth listed with 19 slaves, Richard with 2, Thomas with 1.
Military service: 1782, John Booth proved he had furnished 1025 pounds of beef for the (Continental) army.
Probate: 07 Dec 1807, Franklin Co., VA
Property 1: 24 Oct 1772, John Booth of Amelia conveyed to Thomas Griffin Peachy Tract #1, part of the 1554 acres granted to Thomas Booth, Sr. on 29 Sep 1735.
Property 2: 13 Mar 1772, Patented 46 acres on Staunton River, Bedford Co., VA.
Property 3: 14 Mar 1772, Patented 250 acres on Staunton River.
Property 4: 24 Mar 1772, Joseph and Mary Calland of Cumberland Co. conveyed to John Booth of Amelia Co. 150 acres on the south side of Staunton River in Bedford Co. (that part now in Franklin Co., probably underneath Smith Mountain Lake).
Residence 1: Bef. 1772, Amelia Co., VA
Residence 2: Aft. 1772, Present-day Franklin Co., VA
Will: 26 Aug 1807, Franklin Co., VA Will Book 1, p. 332; left his son Benjamin "land I now live on in Bedford County" (at that time that part was probably Franklin County).
Generation No. 2
2. Thomas Booth, born Abt. 1705 in Prince George Co., VA?; died Abt. 1766 in Amelia Co., VA. He married 3. Dorcas ?.
3. Dorcas ?
Notes for Thomas Booth:
The following is quoted from "Booth(e) Family History: One Lineage from Thomas, Sr. (1705-1767) of Amelia County, Virginia to Present" by Timothy Douglas Booth (1948-2002) of Centreville, VA, with the kind permission of his widow:
Thomas Senior is our first known ancestor, since we are not sure who his father was. (See Chapter 2., "Who Was the Father of Thomas, Sr.?")
Thomas was born probably in the Tidewater or Southside areas of Virginia sometime before 1705. The birth date is based on projecting backwards from known dates and events. We know he died in 1766 when his will was probated, or "read." His age at death would be in early 60's. He lived in colonial times and died before the American Revolution. He was a "planter" who owned at one time 2000 acres with a plantation (large farm) having crops and livestock. Only one planter in ten had an estate of more than a thousand acres. His plantation was located in Southside Virginia in present-day Amelia County about 23 miles west-northwest of Petersburg and 27 miles southwest of Richmond. He lived most of his adult life in this area.
(Note: Amelia County was formed in 1734/5 from Prince George County which was formed in 1703 from Charles City County).
Thomas had a wife and seven children; five were sons and two were daughters. Many good bloodied Americans living today are their descendants.
We are fairly certain his wife's name was Dorcas. A deed record in 1724 says, "...Dorcas, wife of said Booth,, relinquishes her dower." (A dower, or dowry, is the money, goods or estate a woman brings to her husband at marriage.) Also, there are parish records of Thomas and Dorcas Booth, and a child. Some researchers think that Thomas, Sr.'s wife is Elizabeth Cobbs, but I am fairly certain that she was the wife of his son, Thomas, Junior. With both men named Thomas, the confusion after all these years is understandable.
Nothing is known about Dorcas, such as what her maiden name was, or where she was from. She did raise seven children, which is a remarkable accomplishment for a lifetime. In Thomas Senior's will he made in 1758, there is no mention of a wife, so she was probably deceased at the time the will was made.
Their children's names were Thomas (Jr.), Nathaniel, William, George, John (our ancestor), Joyce and Ann. They were all mentioned in their father's will.
Most of what we know about Thomas comes from court records such as deed books, and his will. No family records exist.
The location of Thomas' land was on both sides of Sweathouse Creek which runs into Deep Creek. Deep Creek flows a few miles north into the Appomattox River which flows eastward into the James River at Hopewell. Waterways were important to farmers because it gave them a way to transport crops and people to markets.
First-cousin [of the author] Carlson Fitzhugh Booth, 8th generation, has visited Thomas' land in Amelia County. On his last visit in April 1993, he was accompanied by two other Booth's also descended from Thomas, but from a different son. They video-taped their visit and the author has a copy of the tape. According to Carlson, Thomas obtained first part of his land in 1724. He built a brick house in 1725 using bricks which came over from England as ballast in the boats. Also, the house was constructed from locally made bricks from reddish clay. Both kinds of brick are found on the property and are shown in the videotape. On the original site, there now stands a wooden house constructed about 1840. Mr. and Mrs. Ben Haigwood (Hogwood?), who live there, hosted Carlson and his two Booth cousins.
According to deed records, Thomas was granted 1554 acres (2.4 square miles) on 29 September 1735. Another record says he patented additional land, totaling 2000 acres (3.1 square miles). (Note: 640 acres = 1 square mile). This is a lot of land! Thomas later divided his land among his five sons. His four older sons received their shares in 1749, totaling 1210 acres of the 1554 acres. His youngest son, John, our descendant [correction--ancestor], was willed his share of 338 acres when Thomas died. Probably John was living at home with his father and working his future share.
Thomas probably grew tobacco which was the cash crop of those times and vital to the economy. He may have grown staples such as wheat and corn also.
Prince George County wills and deeds records from 1713-1728 list Thomas Booth several times as an appraiser of deceased men's estate inventories. This would indicate that his judgment was respected enough to be called upon to give an honest estimate. The earliest record is 1718. In 1723 and 1724, Thomas had his land surveyed by Robert Bolling, a surveyor of Prince George County during this period. One of Bolling's records said that Thomas was of Martins Brandon Parish (of the Episcopal Church).
Surveyor Bolling also listed the performance of individual surveys in another part of Prince George County for George Booth of Surry County. These were done in 1719, 1721, and 1724 on both sides of Turkey Egg Creek, at least 12 miles from Thomas's land. (Turkey Egg Creek is shown on today's maps in present Dinwiddie County which was formed in 1752 from Prince George County).
It is thought that Thomas and George are related, since they both had their lands within the same county surveyed about the same time by the same surveyor. In the book "Carlby," which documents the history of a manor home in Southside area, shows this relationship that George of Turkey Egg Creek was a nephew to Thomas Sr. George's (George II) father was named George, who we will call George I, who lived at Stony Creek and Sappony Creek. George III of this line actually built Carlby with his grandfather's money.
"Carlby" shows a Booth family genealogy chart showing our Thomas, Sr. to have two brothers, George I and Robert. Their father is shown as another Thomas, but this line is labeled conjectural and not documented. This chart shows Thomas with no birth date, a death date of 1766 (correct), and married to "Doecorrs (Dorcas)." Of his seven children, only his son John is shown, with four more successive generations. The chart mostly shows the descendants of George I, brother of Thomas, Sr.
Interestingly, then, a Thomas is mentioned several times in Amelia County's Court Order Book 1, 1735-1746 as either a witness, plaintiff, or juror in several cases. In one of these cases a Thomas Booth, Sr. was a witness, and a Thomas Booth, Jr. was the plaintiff. This could be father-son. Or, in those days if two unrelated people with the same name lived in the same area, people used "senior" and "junior" to designate who was oldest. Further study is needed to unravel the relationships.
Chapter 2
Who Was the Father of Thomas, Sr.?
Many Booth researchers ask, "Who was the father of Thomas, Sr.?"
Unfortunately, no sufficient old records still exist to definitely answer this question. There is no known Will which can make the lineage. Booth names are found in county records of late 1600's and early 1700's.
To research county records, one must be aware of when counties existed. Here is a list of counties around the James River area, giving the year they were formed, and from what parent county:
Amelia County was formed in 1734 from Prince George County.
Prince George County was formed in 1703 from Charles City County.
Charles City County is an original county formed in 1634.
Sussex County was formed in 1754 from Surry County.
Surry County was formed in 1652 from James City County.
James City County is an original county formed in 1634.
We know that Thomas patented land in Amelia County in 1720's and -30's, he gave shares of his land to his four oldest sons in 1749, and that he died in Amelia County in 1766. So, Thomas's father may be found in records of:
Charles City County in late 1600's to 1703.
Prince George County starting 1703 to 1734.
Amelia County starting 1734.
Surry County in late 1600's.
Unfortunately, Prince George County is a "burned" county, meaning many old records were destroyed in fires.
There are different theories, some of which are listed below.
Theory 1--Another Thomas.
A source for this theory is the following book:
Spann, Barbara T., "Carlby," Fairfax County Office of Comprehensive Planning, August, 1976.
This book is about a manor home constructed by a George Booth III in about 1768 on land he inherited from his grandfather George I near the confluence of Sappony and Stony Creeks in Sussex County (near Dinwiddie County line and Interstate 95) and was moved in the 20th century to Fairfax County near Mt. Vernon. Appendix C, "Booth Family Genealogy," gives the following lineage: [a chart showing a Thomas Booth with sons Robert, George I (born 1679), and Thomas (died 1766)].
The chart shows a "conjectural relationship" rather than a "documented relationship." "Sources for this genealogy are described in the Preliminary Draft of the Sussex County Chapters."
On page 29, the book has a section, "Booth Family Origins," and describes George Booth I. "While it is possible that he may have come from an affluent and aristocratic Booth line in York County, the circumstantial evidence points to a much more humble background."
"Likely, his father was a skilled workman, indentured in a sequence to several landowners of Surry County, in each case for a term of only a few years. Two Booth men, Thomas and John, fit this description during the years 1668-1686. This pattern of indenture suggests the skill of Booth's father may have been that of "joiner," the master carpenter...served as supervisor of its (house) entire construction."
This theory seems plausible, and the book's Preliminary draft is on file at the Fairfax County Virginia Room. Worth looking into.
Basically the same family tree as in Ms. Spann's "Carlby" was drawn by Lee Sutton Booth, Jr. of Lynchburg, VA based on research by his father, L.S., Sr. (Did they collaborate? Ms. Spann says "no.") Booth writes:
"A Thomas Booth, along with John and Joseph, was transported from England in 1673 and landed in Maryland. They were next heard from in Surry County. Joseph bought 987 acres in Nansemond County in 1704. George I, son of Thomas, settled in Sussex County in 1715."
NOTES: 1. Nansemond County was formed in 1642; it was formerly Upper Norfolk. Nansemond's county seat is Suffolk. 2. Sussex was formed in 1754 from Surry. 3. "Carlby" also says that George I settled in what became Sussex County.
Theory 2--George Booth of Surry.
This would be the George I referred to in Theory I. He is the oldest of the George's found in the Prince George County records who had land at the Sappony and Stony Creeks. Rather than brothers, could George I be Thomas, Sr.'s father? Yet, his genealogy in "Carlby" shows he had a son named Thomas who married an Ann and died in 1751.
Could it be George II who acquired land on Turkey Egg Creek? According to "Carlby," he had a son named Thomas who married a Martha.
Theory 3. George Booth of Gloucester.
This theory is found in William and Mary Quarterly, Volume 6, Series 2, page 259, and was written in 1926(?) by Mrs. Wirt Johnson Carrington.
She says "From family tradition we have it that George Booth of Gloucester was the father of Thomas of Prince George County, and following this Thomas Booth up we find that he was the Thomas Booth of Amelia County who received the patent of 1554 acres on Sweathouse Creek, Prince George County (Amelia was formed from Prince George in 1734)."
She then lists land patent records of Prince George County for George and Thomas Booth. In this paragraph she lists George Booth of Surry buying land on Turkey Egg Creek. It is presumed that she thinks he is the same as George Booth of Gloucester.
Later, she states that "Thomas..married Elizabeth___. Will dated September 15, 1758. John Booth (son of Thomas, son of George) 'leaves to his wife, Elizabeth (Cobb) Booth, for life.'" This conflicts with information we have because Thomas married Dorcas, not Elizabeth, and his son John married Mary Smith, not Elizabeth Cobb. I think Mrs. Carrington has mistaken Thomas, Sr.'s son Thomas, Jr. for him. Thomas Jr.'s wife was named Elizabeth.
Also, Mrs. Carrington' theory is disputed by Booth researcher Mary Edna Booth Mitchell of Waco, Texas, in her "Lineage of George Edward Booth" written in 1965. Mrs. Mitchell offered several possibilities, but nothing conclusive.
Theory 4. Richard from North Carolina.
In Mrs. Mitchell's write-up mentioned above, she paraphrases from a book written by Mrs. Lillie Boothe Nesbitt of Chapel Hill, N.C. Her line originates from a Richard Booth who came over in 1631 and was one of the founders of Strafford, Conn. Somehow, this same line and perhaps same person came to Edenton, N.C. There were natural ties between Southside Virginia and East North Carolina, with roads and commerce in between. It is possible that Thomas, Sr. could be from North Carolina.
Theory 5. From New Castle, Delaware Booth's.
New Castle, Delaware was an important seaport in the early days for people moving from the North to the South (VA, MD, NC). A Booth family was very prominent there, serving as judge, merchants, etc. There is an old graveyard in the center of town in the village green. One old Booth tombstone there has a royal crown imbedded in the headstone above the inscriptions, also made of marble.
First-cousin Carlson Booth has visited New Castle, seen the tombstones, and did some research there. He was unable to find anything conclusive, however.
Theory 6. From Northern Colonies Booth's.
Family folklore refers a couple of times to "relatives from the North." Such relatives supposedly taught the early Franklin County Booth's how to manufacture felt hats.
Another reference to northern relatives is when the daughter of John DeWitt Booth took her new husband to New York to meet the relatives.
These two references to northern relatives suggest some link. Whether it ties with Thomas, Sr. is yet to be determined.
Summary
These are just some of the theories as to who the father of Thomas, Sr. is. Another possibility is Maryland's Eastern Shore. As you can see, this is a subject which seems somewhat elusive. Praise be to the Booth scholar who figures it out!
Family Legend on Booth Origins in America or: "Three Brothers Flee England"
The following two pages in this chapter were originally written by Miss Lucy Pemberton Booth (6th generation), daughter of Confederate officer DeWitt Clinton Booth, on September 24, 1920, when she was age 52, in a handwritten letter to her young niece, Mary White Booth (later Staney).
In a letter to her brother, Mary's father, Lucy writes:
"I have written Mary White what I could remember hearing of the Booth family, and I hope it will interest her."
Most of what Lucy wrote to her young niece is a story of three young brothers who fled England during the turbulent times in England after the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658. The English Booths were Royalists, and were escaping persecution from the Roundheads who were in power at the time.
Note in the third paragraph (middle of first page) that "...George (Booth) seemed to have been the father of Thomas Booth..." This supports Theory 2 or 3 outlined in Chapter 2.
According to the legend, George's father or grandfather appears to be Richard, one of the three original American Booth brothers.
Apparently this story was handed down through the generations. Verification of this legend needs to be attempted. It is entirely plausible, and for lack of any other story, we should accept the legend as the most likely story on the Booth origins in America.
I, Carlson Fitzhugh Booth, (son of Henry Clinton--son of Mac Henry--son of DeWitt Clinton--son of John D.) acquired the following information concerning the Booth family from Mrs. Mary Stamey (1522 Roanoke Ave., S.W. Roanoke, Va.) on Feb. 20, 1957. Mrs. Mary Stamey is the daughter of Walter Booth, son of DeWitt Clinton, son of John D.
This information was gathered by Lucy Pemberton Booth, daughter of DeWitt Clinton. The authenticity of the following information to my knowledge has not been verified. It has been passed down to me. C.F.B.
***About the time of Oliver Cromwell's death (1658), English history records an unfortunate insurrection to restore the Royal Family to Power. The leaders of this attempt which failed dismally were named Booth and Middleton. The former known in family annals as the old General, was according to our family traditions, Uncle to Richard Booth, our first American ancestor.
On the eve of his execution, the general sent a trusty servant with a bag of gold to Richard, then a lad of twenty (20) urging him to take his two young brothers and flee from the country to escape death. The vessel that brought the boys to America also carried other refugees and their families.
During the voyage, Richard fell in love with pretty Mary Clifton or Clifden and they were married upon reaching New York. They remained in N.Y. for a time but finally settled in Virginia. He is believed to be Richard Booth who took up large grants of land from the land office in 1680 in the Isle of Wight County and who appears to be the father or grandfather of George Booth, who likewise received extensive grants of land later. George seemed to have been the father of Thomas Booth who had the honor of being great grandfather to our grandfather John D. Booth.
Thomas fluorished in Amelia County and left a large family. A few years after he died in 1766, his youngest son, John, sold all his land in Amelia and moved to Bedford County. John's oldest son, Thomas, went in the Revolutionary War (at age 18) with a company of men from Bedford County. He lived to be a very old man and received a pension for his services in the Revolution.
John's other sons were Peter, Benjamin, Stephen, John and Richard; also, two daughters Mary and Agnes. Benjamin lived in Franklin Co. His three sons Moses, Stephen and John D., likewise, eight daughters: Nancy (Mrs. Boyd), Betsy (Mrs. Walker, Major Walker's Mother), Sallie (Cousin Card's Mother--Mrs. Ferguson), Mary died young, also Maria, Mahalia (Mrs. Webb), Kitty (Mrs. Burroughs or Burrows), and Emily (Mrs. Joplin). John D. our grandfather also lived in Franklin and married Temperance Williamson, daughter of McHenry Williamson, whose wife was Rebecca Mason (aunt of John Y. Mason of Confederate fame), this connecting us with the Mason family and indirectly with the Lees. I forgot to say that when Richard Booth came to Virginia, one brother remained in New York and all Booths of New York and Pennsylvania are said to be his descendants. The other brother settled in South Carolina. In his boyhood, John D. visited Mack Booth one of his descendants. He was very wealthy and lived in regal style, being a very large slave owner. He was an old man then and never married. That branch of the family is said to be extant.
The Booth's coat of arms is a big blue cross on a white field supported on one side by a black lion and on the other side by a black eagle. The lion had a little white black flecked here and there with gold dots hanging around his neck with a gold chain. The eagle also wore another block around its neck just like it, and there was another gold spangled block between the upper arms of the cross, for it was a form known as the St. Andrews cross rather like it and not the usual cross.
After Charles II regained the throne, Middleton and some other Booths who had fled to France or Ireland returned and enjoyed the Royal favor for having loyally, though unsuccessfully, tried to help him before.
When the Booths recovered their family estates and gained new honors and dignities they seemed for a long term of years to expect Richard or his descendants would return to England to share in the family's good fortune. As they never came back, finally one Lord Booth left a very large sum of money in the Bank of England to be held in trust for Richard Booth's descendants, but they failed to appear in England to claim it. After ninety years, this trust fund was to be divided among such descendants of the said Richard Booth as could be found. They probably didn't know about the fortune awaiting them, for they made no move to claim it 'till the ninety years were up. Then when Richard's heirs were sought for by English lawyers, all the American branches joined forces and put up a spirited legal battle to win this great trust fund. But interest had run it up very high by that time and the English lawyers were unwilling to let such a sum leave their country and go to remote heirs across the sea demanded such rigid legal proof at every step that the American Booth's had finally to abandon the cause and Lord Booth's luckless legacy reverted to the English Crown. This occurred sometime (I think) between 1835 and 1840, though possibly some years earlier. ***
More About Thomas Booth:
Probate: Jun 1766, Amelia Co., VA.
Residence: Aft. 1735, Settled on Sweathouse Creek, which flows into Deep Creek, which in turn flows into the Appomattox River, in Amelia Co., VA. The remains of his brick house were standing in 1993, but there was a newer wooden house built over it abt 1840. Owned 2000 acres.
Will: 15 Sep 1758, Will Book 2X, p. 290, Amelia Co., VA.
Notes for Dorcas ?:
Children of Thomas Booth and Dorcas ? are:
i. Thomas Booth, Jr., married Elizabeth Cobb 04 Nov 1772.
ii. George Booth, died 1767 in Amelia Co., VA; married Judith McEwen.
iii. William Booth
iv. Joyce Booth
v. Ann Booth
vi. Nathaniel Booth, born in Amelia Co., VA?; died Abt. 1785 in Lunenburg Co., VA; married Temperance Smith; died Aft. 1784.
More About Nathaniel Booth:
Probate: 08 Dec 1785, Lunenburg Co., VA
Will: 08 May 1784, Lunenburg Co., VA
1 vii. John Booth, born Abt. 1730 in Amelia Co., VA?; died 1807 in Franklin Co., VA; married Mary Smith Bef. 1757 in probably Amelia Co., VA or Lunenburg Co., VA.
Ancestors of John Booth
Generation No. 1
1. John Booth, born Abt. 1730 in Amelia Co., VA?; died 1807 in Franklin Co., VA. He was the son of 2. Thomas Booth and 3. Dorcas ?. He married (1) Mary Smith Bef. 1757 in probably Amelia Co., VA or Lunenburg Co., VA. She was born Abt. 1730 in Lunenburg Co., VA?, and died Bef. 26 Aug 1807 in Franklin Co., VA. She was the daughter of Richard Smith, Jr. and Agnes Cocke.
Notes for John Booth:
The following is quoted from pages 11-14 of "Booth(e) Family History: One Lineage from Thomas, Sr. (1705-1767) of Amelia County, Virginia to Present" (1994) by Timothy Douglas Booth (1948-2002) of Centreville, VA, with the kind permission of his widow:
John was the youngest of five sons of Thomas Senior. He is our patriot ancestor as registered with the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution.
John was probably born on Thomas Senior's plantation on Sweathouse Creek in Amelia County in about 1730. (Note: Amelia County was formed from Prince George County in 1734). The birth date is based on projecting backwards from known dates and events. We know he died (before) December 7, 1807 in Franklin County when his Will was probated. His age at death would have been in his late 70's.
John and his wife Mary Smith had eight children. Six children were sons, and two were daughters.
We know from Thomas' will in chapter one that John inherited what was left of his father's plantation, a total of 338 acres in 1766 at Thomas' death. John must have felt secure, because he did not swear witness to his father's Will until three years later in 1769.
Thus, John's early adulthood was probably spent working on or tending to his father's plantation. There are land records that show John also acquired a couple of tracts of land between the time his father divided land among his four older brothers and his father's death. So, on his and his father's land de developed the skills and experience that he would apply to his own farm later in life.
John Booth married Mary Smith in the early 1750's when they were both in their twenties. Mary was the daughter of Richard Smith and Agnes Cocke of Lunenburg County, who had three sons and nine daughters. Lunenburg County is located south of Nottoway County which is south of Amelia County; it was formed in 1746 from Brunswick and Charlotte Counties. Mary's father Richard Smith owned a plantation on Spring Branch in the parish of Cumberland.
Curiously, Mary's sister Temperance was married to John's older brother Nathaniel. Actually, sisters marrying brothers was common in those days. Nathaniel and Temperance had six children. Nathaniel died in 1785 in Lunenburg County.
(Note: Attempts to locate the marriage record of John and Mary have been unsuccessful. County clerks of Lunenburg, Amelia, Prince Edward and Chesterfield counties gave a negative report. Two books were checked: "Lunenburg Co., VA Marriages, 1750-1853," by Vogt & Kethley, 1988, and "Marriages of Lunenburg Co., VA 1746-1853," by Matheny & Yates, 1967. Yet, the will of Richard Smith and notes in the Raney Collection agree that they must have married in the 1750's).
In Richard Smith's Will signed in 1757 and proved in 1760, he left "daughter Mary Booth, one silver spoon" and "daughter Temperance Booth, feater bed and two cows." Probably they had received a dowry when they got married. In Agnes Cocke Smith's Will signed 1773 and proved in 1774, one seventh of her estate went to Nathaniel Booth and another one seventh went to granddaughter Agnes Clardy, daughter of John and Mary Booth.
John and Mary's children's names were Richard, Thomas, Peter, John Jr., Stephen, Mary, Benjamin (our ancestor), and Agnes Clardy. Two sons, Richard and Peter, served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Our ancestor, Benjamin, was only a boy and too young to join the arm
In March 1772, when he was in his forties, John bought land in what was then Bedford County on both sides of the Staunton (now called Roanoke) River. The amount of land totaled 446 acres in three portions. In October 1772, he sold his land in Amelia County and moved about 100 miles west "as the crow flies" to his new land.
In 1785, the Staunton River became the dividing line between Bedford County on the north and the newly formed Franklin County on the south. Most of John's initial land was on the south side of the river, placing him in Franklin County. The Booths came to stay; John and four successive generations would live in Franklin County.
Why did John move? During this time 1755-1770's in Virginia's history, there was a movement of people westward from the Tidewater to the Piedmont areas. The winning of the French and Indian War during the 1750's had lessened the fears of attacks and established peaceful outposts. Plantations owned by fathers in the east were being divided among sons with each generation, so sons were looking to the west where land was plentiful. By 1776, the western-most county was Botetourt.
There are records to indicate that others of the Booth family moved west to Bedford County before John. George Booth, John's brother, died in 1767 and the order of his wife Judith receiving her dower is recorded in Amelia and Bedford Counties. This would indicate, therefore, that Judith moved to be with some of George's and her children which were the first ones in Bedford. Perhaps John was persuaded by them to move west.
Today, the location of what was John's land is within sight of Smith Mountain Lake, a resort area which was completed in 1966 by damming the Roanoke River. It was down the river from "Hales's ford" crossing of the river, and is known today as Hale's Ford Bridge on the main highway Rt. 122 between the county seat towns of Bedford and Rocky Mount. From Rt. 122, you turn on Rt. 666 at Epsworth Church and go 1.7 miles to the Booth family cemetery on the right.
John's older sons were fairly grown and went with him when he moved in 1772. As stated above, sons Thomas and Peter served in the Revolutionary War sometime between 1776 and 1781. Thomas, who served in the 8th Virginia Regiment and lost a finger, was later placed on the pension roll in 1786. Peter is referred to in records as Colonel Peter Booth. Son Richard patented land in Franklin County in 1787, and Peter patented land in 1797.
In the first obtainable census taken from "Virginia Tax Payers 1782-87" from the National Archives, only list heads of households and their number of slaves. For Bedford County, the following three Booths are listed: John with 19 slaves, son Richard with 2 slaves, and son Thomas with no slaves. Also listed in other parts of the state are his brothers and cousins, such as brother Nathaniel in Lunenburg County with 4 slaves. Unfortunately, the 1790 and 1800 Virginia censuses were destroyed by fire.
Since nineteen slaves were accounted to John in the above tax list, you can imagine that his plantation or farm operations were rather extensive to require such labor. He had inherited fifteen from his father Thomas' estate, and one of his sisters had inherited two from Thomas. Probably tobacco was still the cash crop, with other crops and vegetables for food to be sold. The land was probably very fertile, being along the rive
The Roanoke, or formerly Staunton River, flows east through Altavista and southeastward down to Buggs Island Lake on the Virginia-North Carolina border. Since there is no obvious markets on the river, it is doubtful that it was used as the primary means to transport crops to market in John's day or any other. So, dependence on waterways in this part of the state was diminished.
During the Revolutionary War, John furnished the army's commissary twice with 1,025 pounds of beef, 16 diets(?), 12 pecks of corn and pasturage on the first occasion, and 325 pounds of beef on the second. We guess he did not want his two sons to starve! After the Yorktown victory in 1781, those who furnished supplies registered (for compensation?) with their county court. John Booth is recorded in Bedford County Court Order Book Number 6 on page 341 for March 23, 1782 and page 347 on March 25, same year.
Thus, John Booth meets the requirements and has become a registered patriot ancestor by the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) and the Sons of the American Revolution (S.A.R.) effective October 1993. Any adult descendant of John Booth can become a member of either the D.A.R. or S.A.R. by showing their lineage to him. The author helped his sister with her application and above documentation for John Booth and have both joined the D.A.R. and S.A.R. at the time of this writing. Membership in this exclusive group is an eloquent statement and testament to one's early American heritage and family pride!
Other activities of John are documented in Bedford and Franklin County records. For example, he must have been concerned about transportation and roads. John is listed in Bedford County records as appointed to view (survey) for a road twice in 1774 and once in 1775. In January 1786, the year after Franklin County was formed and new officers were being appointed, John Booth along with ten other men "were each appointed road surveyor--a thankless job that required each surveyor periodically to call out gangs of his neighbors to repair the county's dusty ruts and mudholes." Also in 1786 he was ordered to "survey road from fork near Peter Holland's to Radford's Ford on Staunton River."
John Booth died in December 1807. Mary likely died before John since she is not mentioned in his Will. John, and perhaps Mary, are likely buried in the Booth family cemetery that still exists on Rt. 666, but there are no markers for either of them.
More About John Booth:
Census: 1782, Bedford Co., VA--John Booth listed with 19 slaves, Richard with 2, Thomas with 1.
Military service: 1782, John Booth proved he had furnished 1025 pounds of beef for the (Continental) army.
Probate: 07 Dec 1807, Franklin Co., VA
Property 1: 24 Oct 1772, John Booth of Amelia conveyed to Thomas Griffin Peachy Tract #1, part of the 1554 acres granted to Thomas Booth, Sr. on 29 Sep 1735.
Property 2: 13 Mar 1772, Patented 46 acres on Staunton River, Bedford Co., VA.
Property 3: 14 Mar 1772, Patented 250 acres on Staunton River.
Property 4: 24 Mar 1772, Joseph and Mary Calland of Cumberland Co. conveyed to John Booth of Amelia Co. 150 acres on the south side of Staunton River in Bedford Co. (that part now in Franklin Co., probably underneath Smith Mountain Lake).
Residence 1: Bef. 1772, Amelia Co., VA
Residence 2: Aft. 1772, Present-day Franklin Co., VA
Will: 26 Aug 1807, Franklin Co., VA Will Book 1, p. 332; left his son Benjamin "land I now live on in Bedford County" (at that time that part was probably Franklin County).
Generation No. 2
2. Thomas Booth, born Abt. 1705 in Prince George Co., VA?; died Abt. 1766 in Amelia Co., VA. He married 3. Dorcas ?.
3. Dorcas ?
Notes for Thomas Booth:
The following is quoted from "Booth(e) Family History: One Lineage from Thomas, Sr. (1705-1767) of Amelia County, Virginia to Present" by Timothy Douglas Booth (1948-2002) of Centreville, VA, with the kind permission of his widow:
Thomas Senior is our first known ancestor, since we are not sure who his father was. (See Chapter 2., "Who Was the Father of Thomas, Sr.?")
Thomas was born probably in the Tidewater or Southside areas of Virginia sometime before 1705. The birth date is based on projecting backwards from known dates and events. We know he died in 1766 when his will was probated, or "read." His age at death would be in early 60's. He lived in colonial times and died before the American Revolution. He was a "planter" who owned at one time 2000 acres with a plantation (large farm) having crops and livestock. Only one planter in ten had an estate of more than a thousand acres. His plantation was located in Southside Virginia in present-day Amelia County about 23 miles west-northwest of Petersburg and 27 miles southwest of Richmond. He lived most of his adult life in this area.
(Note: Amelia County was formed in 1734/5 from Prince George County which was formed in 1703 from Charles City County).
Thomas had a wife and seven children; five were sons and two were daughters. Many good bloodied Americans living today are their descendants.
We are fairly certain his wife's name was Dorcas. A deed record in 1724 says, "...Dorcas, wife of said Booth,, relinquishes her dower." (A dower, or dowry, is the money, goods or estate a woman brings to her husband at marriage.) Also, there are parish records of Thomas and Dorcas Booth, and a child. Some researchers think that Thomas, Sr.'s wife is Elizabeth Cobbs, but I am fairly certain that she was the wife of his son, Thomas, Junior. With both men named Thomas, the confusion after all these years is understandable.
Nothing is known about Dorcas, such as what her maiden name was, or where she was from. She did raise seven children, which is a remarkable accomplishment for a lifetime. In Thomas Senior's will he made in 1758, there is no mention of a wife, so she was probably deceased at the time the will was made.
Their children's names were Thomas (Jr.), Nathaniel, William, George, John (our ancestor), Joyce and Ann. They were all mentioned in their father's will.
Most of what we know about Thomas comes from court records such as deed books, and his will. No family records exist.
The location of Thomas' land was on both sides of Sweathouse Creek which runs into Deep Creek. Deep Creek flows a few miles north into the Appomattox River which flows eastward into the James River at Hopewell. Waterways were important to farmers because it gave them a way to transport crops and people to markets.
First-cousin [of the author] Carlson Fitzhugh Booth, 8th generation, has visited Thomas' land in Amelia County. On his last visit in April 1993, he was accompanied by two other Booth's also descended from Thomas, but from a different son. They video-taped their visit and the author has a copy of the tape. According to Carlson, Thomas obtained first part of his land in 1724. He built a brick house in 1725 using bricks which came over from England as ballast in the boats. Also, the house was constructed from locally made bricks from reddish clay. Both kinds of brick are found on the property and are shown in the videotape. On the original site, there now stands a wooden house constructed about 1840. Mr. and Mrs. Ben Haigwood (Hogwood?), who live there, hosted Carlson and his two Booth cousins.
According to deed records, Thomas was granted 1554 acres (2.4 square miles) on 29 September 1735. Another record says he patented additional land, totaling 2000 acres (3.1 square miles). (Note: 640 acres = 1 square mile). This is a lot of land! Thomas later divided his land among his five sons. His four older sons received their shares in 1749, totaling 1210 acres of the 1554 acres. His youngest son, John, our descendant [correction--ancestor], was willed his share of 338 acres when Thomas died. Probably John was living at home with his father and working his future share.
Thomas probably grew tobacco which was the cash crop of those times and vital to the economy. He may have grown staples such as wheat and corn also.
Prince George County wills and deeds records from 1713-1728 list Thomas Booth several times as an appraiser of deceased men's estate inventories. This would indicate that his judgment was respected enough to be called upon to give an honest estimate. The earliest record is 1718. In 1723 and 1724, Thomas had his land surveyed by Robert Bolling, a surveyor of Prince George County during this period. One of Bolling's records said that Thomas was of Martins Brandon Parish (of the Episcopal Church).
Surveyor Bolling also listed the performance of individual surveys in another part of Prince George County for George Booth of Surry County. These were done in 1719, 1721, and 1724 on both sides of Turkey Egg Creek, at least 12 miles from Thomas's land. (Turkey Egg Creek is shown on today's maps in present Dinwiddie County which was formed in 1752 from Prince George County).
It is thought that Thomas and George are related, since they both had their lands within the same county surveyed about the same time by the same surveyor. In the book "Carlby," which documents the history of a manor home in Southside area, shows this relationship that George of Turkey Egg Creek was a nephew to Thomas Sr. George's (George II) father was named George, who we will call George I, who lived at Stony Creek and Sappony Creek. George III of this line actually built Carlby with his grandfather's money.
"Carlby" shows a Booth family genealogy chart showing our Thomas, Sr. to have two brothers, George I and Robert. Their father is shown as another Thomas, but this line is labeled conjectural and not documented. This chart shows Thomas with no birth date, a death date of 1766 (correct), and married to "Doecorrs (Dorcas)." Of his seven children, only his son John is shown, with four more successive generations. The chart mostly shows the descendants of George I, brother of Thomas, Sr.
Interestingly, then, a Thomas is mentioned several times in Amelia County's Court Order Book 1, 1735-1746 as either a witness, plaintiff, or juror in several cases. In one of these cases a Thomas Booth, Sr. was a witness, and a Thomas Booth, Jr. was the plaintiff. This could be father-son. Or, in those days if two unrelated people with the same name lived in the same area, people used "senior" and "junior" to designate who was oldest. Further study is needed to unravel the relationships.
Chapter 2
Who Was the Father of Thomas, Sr.?
Many Booth researchers ask, "Who was the father of Thomas, Sr.?"
Unfortunately, no sufficient old records still exist to definitely answer this question. There is no known Will which can make the lineage. Booth names are found in county records of late 1600's and early 1700's.
To research county records, one must be aware of when counties existed. Here is a list of counties around the James River area, giving the year they were formed, and from what parent county:
Amelia County was formed in 1734 from Prince George County.
Prince George County was formed in 1703 from Charles City County.
Charles City County is an original county formed in 1634.
Sussex County was formed in 1754 from Surry County.
Surry County was formed in 1652 from James City County.
James City County is an original county formed in 1634.
We know that Thomas patented land in Amelia County in 1720's and -30's, he gave shares of his land to his four oldest sons in 1749, and that he died in Amelia County in 1766. So, Thomas's father may be found in records of:
Charles City County in late 1600's to 1703.
Prince George County starting 1703 to 1734.
Amelia County starting 1734.
Surry County in late 1600's.
Unfortunately, Prince George County is a "burned" county, meaning many old records were destroyed in fires.
There are different theories, some of which are listed below.
Theory 1--Another Thomas.
A source for this theory is the following book:
Spann, Barbara T., "Carlby," Fairfax County Office of Comprehensive Planning, August, 1976.
This book is about a manor home constructed by a George Booth III in about 1768 on land he inherited from his grandfather George I near the confluence of Sappony and Stony Creeks in Sussex County (near Dinwiddie County line and Interstate 95) and was moved in the 20th century to Fairfax County near Mt. Vernon. Appendix C, "Booth Family Genealogy," gives the following lineage: [a chart showing a Thomas Booth with sons Robert, George I (born 1679), and Thomas (died 1766)].
The chart shows a "conjectural relationship" rather than a "documented relationship." "Sources for this genealogy are described in the Preliminary Draft of the Sussex County Chapters."
On page 29, the book has a section, "Booth Family Origins," and describes George Booth I. "While it is possible that he may have come from an affluent and aristocratic Booth line in York County, the circumstantial evidence points to a much more humble background."
"Likely, his father was a skilled workman, indentured in a sequence to several landowners of Surry County, in each case for a term of only a few years. Two Booth men, Thomas and John, fit this description during the years 1668-1686. This pattern of indenture suggests the skill of Booth's father may have been that of "joiner," the master carpenter...served as supervisor of its (house) entire construction."
This theory seems plausible, and the book's Preliminary draft is on file at the Fairfax County Virginia Room. Worth looking into.
Basically the same family tree as in Ms. Spann's "Carlby" was drawn by Lee Sutton Booth, Jr. of Lynchburg, VA based on research by his father, L.S., Sr. (Did they collaborate? Ms. Spann says "no.") Booth writes:
"A Thomas Booth, along with John and Joseph, was transported from England in 1673 and landed in Maryland. They were next heard from in Surry County. Joseph bought 987 acres in Nansemond County in 1704. George I, son of Thomas, settled in Sussex County in 1715."
NOTES: 1. Nansemond County was formed in 1642; it was formerly Upper Norfolk. Nansemond's county seat is Suffolk. 2. Sussex was formed in 1754 from Surry. 3. "Carlby" also says that George I settled in what became Sussex County.
Theory 2--George Booth of Surry.
This would be the George I referred to in Theory I. He is the oldest of the George's found in the Prince George County records who had land at the Sappony and Stony Creeks. Rather than brothers, could George I be Thomas, Sr.'s father? Yet, his genealogy in "Carlby" shows he had a son named Thomas who married an Ann and died in 1751.
Could it be George II who acquired land on Turkey Egg Creek? According to "Carlby," he had a son named Thomas who married a Martha.
Theory 3. George Booth of Gloucester.
This theory is found in William and Mary Quarterly, Volume 6, Series 2, page 259, and was written in 1926(?) by Mrs. Wirt Johnson Carrington.
She says "From family tradition we have it that George Booth of Gloucester was the father of Thomas of Prince George County, and following this Thomas Booth up we find that he was the Thomas Booth of Amelia County who received the patent of 1554 acres on Sweathouse Creek, Prince George County (Amelia was formed from Prince George in 1734)."
She then lists land patent records of Prince George County for George and Thomas Booth. In this paragraph she lists George Booth of Surry buying land on Turkey Egg Creek. It is presumed that she thinks he is the same as George Booth of Gloucester.
Later, she states that "Thomas..married Elizabeth___. Will dated September 15, 1758. John Booth (son of Thomas, son of George) 'leaves to his wife, Elizabeth (Cobb) Booth, for life.'" This conflicts with information we have because Thomas married Dorcas, not Elizabeth, and his son John married Mary Smith, not Elizabeth Cobb. I think Mrs. Carrington has mistaken Thomas, Sr.'s son Thomas, Jr. for him. Thomas Jr.'s wife was named Elizabeth.
Also, Mrs. Carrington' theory is disputed by Booth researcher Mary Edna Booth Mitchell of Waco, Texas, in her "Lineage of George Edward Booth" written in 1965. Mrs. Mitchell offered several possibilities, but nothing conclusive.
Theory 4. Richard from North Carolina.
In Mrs. Mitchell's write-up mentioned above, she paraphrases from a book written by Mrs. Lillie Boothe Nesbitt of Chapel Hill, N.C. Her line originates from a Richard Booth who came over in 1631 and was one of the founders of Strafford, Conn. Somehow, this same line and perhaps same person came to Edenton, N.C. There were natural ties between Southside Virginia and East North Carolina, with roads and commerce in between. It is possible that Thomas, Sr. could be from North Carolina.
Theory 5. From New Castle, Delaware Booth's.
New Castle, Delaware was an important seaport in the early days for people moving from the North to the South (VA, MD, NC). A Booth family was very prominent there, serving as judge, merchants, etc. There is an old graveyard in the center of town in the village green. One old Booth tombstone there has a royal crown imbedded in the headstone above the inscriptions, also made of marble.
First-cousin Carlson Booth has visited New Castle, seen the tombstones, and did some research there. He was unable to find anything conclusive, however.
Theory 6. From Northern Colonies Booth's.
Family folklore refers a couple of times to "relatives from the North." Such relatives supposedly taught the early Franklin County Booth's how to manufacture felt hats.
Another reference to northern relatives is when the daughter of John DeWitt Booth took her new husband to New York to meet the relatives.
These two references to northern relatives suggest some link. Whether it ties with Thomas, Sr. is yet to be determined.
Summary
These are just some of the theories as to who the father of Thomas, Sr. is. Another possibility is Maryland's Eastern Shore. As you can see, this is a subject which seems somewhat elusive. Praise be to the Booth scholar who figures it out!
Family Legend on Booth Origins in America or: "Three Brothers Flee England"
The following two pages in this chapter were originally written by Miss Lucy Pemberton Booth (6th generation), daughter of Confederate officer DeWitt Clinton Booth, on September 24, 1920, when she was age 52, in a handwritten letter to her young niece, Mary White Booth (later Staney).
In a letter to her brother, Mary's father, Lucy writes:
"I have written Mary White what I could remember hearing of the Booth family, and I hope it will interest her."
Most of what Lucy wrote to her young niece is a story of three young brothers who fled England during the turbulent times in England after the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658. The English Booths were Royalists, and were escaping persecution from the Roundheads who were in power at the time.
Note in the third paragraph (middle of first page) that "...George (Booth) seemed to have been the father of Thomas Booth..." This supports Theory 2 or 3 outlined in Chapter 2.
According to the legend, George's father or grandfather appears to be Richard, one of the three original American Booth brothers.
Apparently this story was handed down through the generations. Verification of this legend needs to be attempted. It is entirely plausible, and for lack of any other story, we should accept the legend as the most likely story on the Booth origins in America.
I, Carlson Fitzhugh Booth, (son of Henry Clinton--son of Mac Henry--son of DeWitt Clinton--son of John D.) acquired the following information concerning the Booth family from Mrs. Mary Stamey (1522 Roanoke Ave., S.W. Roanoke, Va.) on Feb. 20, 1957. Mrs. Mary Stamey is the daughter of Walter Booth, son of DeWitt Clinton, son of John D.
This information was gathered by Lucy Pemberton Booth, daughter of DeWitt Clinton. The authenticity of the following information to my knowledge has not been verified. It has been passed down to me. C.F.B.
***About the time of Oliver Cromwell's death (1658), English history records an unfortunate insurrection to restore the Royal Family to Power. The leaders of this attempt which failed dismally were named Booth and Middleton. The former known in family annals as the old General, was according to our family traditions, Uncle to Richard Booth, our first American ancestor.
On the eve of his execution, the general sent a trusty servant with a bag of gold to Richard, then a lad of twenty (20) urging him to take his two young brothers and flee from the country to escape death. The vessel that brought the boys to America also carried other refugees and their families.
During the voyage, Richard fell in love with pretty Mary Clifton or Clifden and they were married upon reaching New York. They remained in N.Y. for a time but finally settled in Virginia. He is believed to be Richard Booth who took up large grants of land from the land office in 1680 in the Isle of Wight County and who appears to be the father or grandfather of George Booth, who likewise received extensive grants of land later. George seemed to have been the father of Thomas Booth who had the honor of being great grandfather to our grandfather John D. Booth.
Thomas fluorished in Amelia County and left a large family. A few years after he died in 1766, his youngest son, John, sold all his land in Amelia and moved to Bedford County. John's oldest son, Thomas, went in the Revolutionary War (at age 18) with a company of men from Bedford County. He lived to be a very old man and received a pension for his services in the Revolution.
John's other sons were Peter, Benjamin, Stephen, John and Richard; also, two daughters Mary and Agnes. Benjamin lived in Franklin Co. His three sons Moses, Stephen and John D., likewise, eight daughters: Nancy (Mrs. Boyd), Betsy (Mrs. Walker, Major Walker's Mother), Sallie (Cousin Card's Mother--Mrs. Ferguson), Mary died young, also Maria, Mahalia (Mrs. Webb), Kitty (Mrs. Burroughs or Burrows), and Emily (Mrs. Joplin). John D. our grandfather also lived in Franklin and married Temperance Williamson, daughter of McHenry Williamson, whose wife was Rebecca Mason (aunt of John Y. Mason of Confederate fame), this connecting us with the Mason family and indirectly with the Lees. I forgot to say that when Richard Booth came to Virginia, one brother remained in New York and all Booths of New York and Pennsylvania are said to be his descendants. The other brother settled in South Carolina. In his boyhood, John D. visited Mack Booth one of his descendants. He was very wealthy and lived in regal style, being a very large slave owner. He was an old man then and never married. That branch of the family is said to be extant.
The Booth's coat of arms is a big blue cross on a white field supported on one side by a black lion and on the other side by a black eagle. The lion had a little white black flecked here and there with gold dots hanging around his neck with a gold chain. The eagle also wore another block around its neck just like it, and there was another gold spangled block between the upper arms of the cross, for it was a form known as the St. Andrews cross rather like it and not the usual cross.
After Charles II regained the throne, Middleton and some other Booths who had fled to France or Ireland returned and enjoyed the Royal favor for having loyally, though unsuccessfully, tried to help him before.
When the Booths recovered their family estates and gained new honors and dignities they seemed for a long term of years to expect Richard or his descendants would return to England to share in the family's good fortune. As they never came back, finally one Lord Booth left a very large sum of money in the Bank of England to be held in trust for Richard Booth's descendants, but they failed to appear in England to claim it. After ninety years, this trust fund was to be divided among such descendants of the said Richard Booth as could be found. They probably didn't know about the fortune awaiting them, for they made no move to claim it 'till the ninety years were up. Then when Richard's heirs were sought for by English lawyers, all the American branches joined forces and put up a spirited legal battle to win this great trust fund. But interest had run it up very high by that time and the English lawyers were unwilling to let such a sum leave their country and go to remote heirs across the sea demanded such rigid legal proof at every step that the American Booth's had finally to abandon the cause and Lord Booth's luckless legacy reverted to the English Crown. This occurred sometime (I think) between 1835 and 1840, though possibly some years earlier. ***
More About Thomas Booth:
Probate: Jun 1766, Amelia Co., VA.
Residence: Aft. 1735, Settled on Sweathouse Creek, which flows into Deep Creek, which in turn flows into the Appomattox River, in Amelia Co., VA. The remains of his brick house were standing in 1993, but there was a newer wooden house built over it abt 1840. Owned 2000 acres.
Will: 15 Sep 1758, Will Book 2X, p. 290, Amelia Co., VA.
Notes for Dorcas ?:
Children of Thomas Booth and Dorcas ? are:
i. Thomas Booth, Jr., married Elizabeth Cobb 04 Nov 1772.
ii. George Booth, died 1767 in Amelia Co., VA; married Judith McEwen.
iii. William Booth
iv. Joyce Booth
v. Ann Booth
vi. Nathaniel Booth, born in Amelia Co., VA?; died Abt. 1785 in Lunenburg Co., VA; married Temperance Smith; died Aft. 1784.
More About Nathaniel Booth:
Probate: 08 Dec 1785, Lunenburg Co., VA
Will: 08 May 1784, Lunenburg Co., VA
1 vii. John Booth, born Abt. 1730 in Amelia Co., VA?; died 1807 in Franklin Co., VA; married Mary Smith Bef. 1757 in probably Amelia Co., VA or Lunenburg Co., VA.
I have seen exact birthdate as 29 Sep 1735 and death date as 7 Dec 1807, but without knowing how accurate they are or where they were obtained, I am reluctant to list those dates as I do not want to perpetuate errors.
Ancestors of John Booth
Generation No. 1
1. John Booth, born Abt. 1730 in Amelia Co., VA?; died 1807 in Franklin Co., VA. He was the son of 2. Thomas Booth and 3. Dorcas ?. He married (1) Mary Smith Bef. 1757 in probably Amelia Co., VA or Lunenburg Co., VA. She was born Abt. 1730 in Lunenburg Co., VA?, and died Bef. 26 Aug 1807 in Franklin Co., VA. She was the daughter of Richard Smith, Jr. and Agnes Cocke.
Notes for John Booth:
The following is quoted from pages 11-14 of "Booth(e) Family History: One Lineage from Thomas, Sr. (1705-1767) of Amelia County, Virginia to Present" (1994) by Timothy Douglas Booth (1948-2002) of Centreville, VA, with the kind permission of his widow:
John was the youngest of five sons of Thomas Senior. He is our patriot ancestor as registered with the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution.
John was probably born on Thomas Senior's plantation on Sweathouse Creek in Amelia County in about 1730. (Note: Amelia County was formed from Prince George County in 1734). The birth date is based on projecting backwards from known dates and events. We know he died (before) December 7, 1807 in Franklin County when his Will was probated. His age at death would have been in his late 70's.
John and his wife Mary Smith had eight children. Six children were sons, and two were daughters.
We know from Thomas' will in chapter one that John inherited what was left of his father's plantation, a total of 338 acres in 1766 at Thomas' death. John must have felt secure, because he did not swear witness to his father's Will until three years later in 1769.
Thus, John's early adulthood was probably spent working on or tending to his father's plantation. There are land records that show John also acquired a couple of tracts of land between the time his father divided land among his four older brothers and his father's death. So, on his and his father's land de developed the skills and experience that he would apply to his own farm later in life.
John Booth married Mary Smith in the early 1750's when they were both in their twenties. Mary was the daughter of Richard Smith and Agnes Cocke of Lunenburg County, who had three sons and nine daughters. Lunenburg County is located south of Nottoway County which is south of Amelia County; it was formed in 1746 from Brunswick and Charlotte Counties. Mary's father Richard Smith owned a plantation on Spring Branch in the parish of Cumberland.
Curiously, Mary's sister Temperance was married to John's older brother Nathaniel. Actually, sisters marrying brothers was common in those days. Nathaniel and Temperance had six children. Nathaniel died in 1785 in Lunenburg County.
(Note: Attempts to locate the marriage record of John and Mary have been unsuccessful. County clerks of Lunenburg, Amelia, Prince Edward and Chesterfield counties gave a negative report. Two books were checked: "Lunenburg Co., VA Marriages, 1750-1853," by Vogt & Kethley, 1988, and "Marriages of Lunenburg Co., VA 1746-1853," by Matheny & Yates, 1967. Yet, the will of Richard Smith and notes in the Raney Collection agree that they must have married in the 1750's).
In Richard Smith's Will signed in 1757 and proved in 1760, he left "daughter Mary Booth, one silver spoon" and "daughter Temperance Booth, feater bed and two cows." Probably they had received a dowry when they got married. In Agnes Cocke Smith's Will signed 1773 and proved in 1774, one seventh of her estate went to Nathaniel Booth and another one seventh went to granddaughter Agnes Clardy, daughter of John and Mary Booth.
John and Mary's children's names were Richard, Thomas, Peter, John Jr., Stephen, Mary, Benjamin (our ancestor), and Agnes Clardy. Two sons, Richard and Peter, served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Our ancestor, Benjamin, was only a boy and too young to join the arm
In March 1772, when he was in his forties, John bought land in what was then Bedford County on both sides of the Staunton (now called Roanoke) River. The amount of land totaled 446 acres in three portions. In October 1772, he sold his land in Amelia County and moved about 100 miles west "as the crow flies" to his new land.
In 1785, the Staunton River became the dividing line between Bedford County on the north and the newly formed Franklin County on the south. Most of John's initial land was on the south side of the river, placing him in Franklin County. The Booths came to stay; John and four successive generations would live in Franklin County.
Why did John move? During this time 1755-1770's in Virginia's history, there was a movement of people westward from the Tidewater to the Piedmont areas. The winning of the French and Indian War during the 1750's had lessened the fears of attacks and established peaceful outposts. Plantations owned by fathers in the east were being divided among sons with each generation, so sons were looking to the west where land was plentiful. By 1776, the western-most county was Botetourt.
There are records to indicate that others of the Booth family moved west to Bedford County before John. George Booth, John's brother, died in 1767 and the order of his wife Judith receiving her dower is recorded in Amelia and Bedford Counties. This would indicate, therefore, that Judith moved to be with some of George's and her children which were the first ones in Bedford. Perhaps John was persuaded by them to move west.
Today, the location of what was John's land is within sight of Smith Mountain Lake, a resort area which was completed in 1966 by damming the Roanoke River. It was down the river from "Hales's ford" crossing of the river, and is known today as Hale's Ford Bridge on the main highway Rt. 122 between the county seat towns of Bedford and Rocky Mount. From Rt. 122, you turn on Rt. 666 at Epsworth Church and go 1.7 miles to the Booth family cemetery on the right.
John's older sons were fairly grown and went with him when he moved in 1772. As stated above, sons Thomas and Peter served in the Revolutionary War sometime between 1776 and 1781. Thomas, who served in the 8th Virginia Regiment and lost a finger, was later placed on the pension roll in 1786. Peter is referred to in records as Colonel Peter Booth. Son Richard patented land in Franklin County in 1787, and Peter patented land in 1797.
In the first obtainable census taken from "Virginia Tax Payers 1782-87" from the National Archives, only list heads of households and their number of slaves. For Bedford County, the following three Booths are listed: John with 19 slaves, son Richard with 2 slaves, and son Thomas with no slaves. Also listed in other parts of the state are his brothers and cousins, such as brother Nathaniel in Lunenburg County with 4 slaves. Unfortunately, the 1790 and 1800 Virginia censuses were destroyed by fire.
Since nineteen slaves were accounted to John in the above tax list, you can imagine that his plantation or farm operations were rather extensive to require such labor. He had inherited fifteen from his father Thomas' estate, and one of his sisters had inherited two from Thomas. Probably tobacco was still the cash crop, with other crops and vegetables for food to be sold. The land was probably very fertile, being along the rive
The Roanoke, or formerly Staunton River, flows east through Altavista and southeastward down to Buggs Island Lake on the Virginia-North Carolina border. Since there is no obvious markets on the river, it is doubtful that it was used as the primary means to transport crops to market in John's day or any other. So, dependence on waterways in this part of the state was diminished.
During the Revolutionary War, John furnished the army's commissary twice with 1,025 pounds of beef, 16 diets(?), 12 pecks of corn and pasturage on the first occasion, and 325 pounds of beef on the second. We guess he did not want his two sons to starve! After the Yorktown victory in 1781, those who furnished supplies registered (for compensation?) with their county court. John Booth is recorded in Bedford County Court Order Book Number 6 on page 341 for March 23, 1782 and page 347 on March 25, same year.
Thus, John Booth meets the requirements and has become a registered patriot ancestor by the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) and the Sons of the American Revolution (S.A.R.) effective October 1993. Any adult descendant of John Booth can become a member of either the D.A.R. or S.A.R. by showing their lineage to him. The author helped his sister with her application and above documentation for John Booth and have both joined the D.A.R. and S.A.R. at the time of this writing. Membership in this exclusive group is an eloquent statement and testament to one's early American heritage and family pride!
Other activities of John are documented in Bedford and Franklin County records. For example, he must have been concerned about transportation and roads. John is listed in Bedford County records as appointed to view (survey) for a road twice in 1774 and once in 1775. In January 1786, the year after Franklin County was formed and new officers were being appointed, John Booth along with ten other men "were each appointed road surveyor--a thankless job that required each surveyor periodically to call out gangs of his neighbors to repair the county's dusty ruts and mudholes." Also in 1786 he was ordered to "survey road from fork near Peter Holland's to Radford's Ford on Staunton River."
John Booth died in December 1807. Mary likely died before John since she is not mentioned in his Will. John, and perhaps Mary, are likely buried in the Booth family cemetery that still exists on Rt. 666, but there are no markers for either of them.
More About John Booth:
Census: 1782, Bedford Co., VA--John Booth listed with 19 slaves, Richard with 2, Thomas with 1.
Military service: 1782, John Booth proved he had furnished 1025 pounds of beef for the (Continental) army.
Probate: 07 Dec 1807, Franklin Co., VA
Property 1: 24 Oct 1772, John Booth of Amelia conveyed to Thomas Griffin Peachy Tract #1, part of the 1554 acres granted to Thomas Booth, Sr. on 29 Sep 1735.
Property 2: 13 Mar 1772, Patented 46 acres on Staunton River, Bedford Co., VA.
Property 3: 14 Mar 1772, Patented 250 acres on Staunton River.
Property 4: 24 Mar 1772, Joseph and Mary Calland of Cumberland Co. conveyed to John Booth of Amelia Co. 150 acres on the south side of Staunton River in Bedford Co. (that part now in Franklin Co., probably underneath Smith Mountain Lake).
Residence 1: Bef. 1772, Amelia Co., VA
Residence 2: Aft. 1772, Present-day Franklin Co., VA
Will: 26 Aug 1807, Franklin Co., VA Will Book 1, p. 332; left his son Benjamin "land I now live on in Bedford County" (at that time that part was probably Franklin County).
Generation No. 2
2. Thomas Booth, born Abt. 1705 in Prince George Co., VA?; died Abt. 1766 in Amelia Co., VA. He married 3. Dorcas ?.
3. Dorcas ?
Notes for Thomas Booth:
The following is quoted from "Booth(e) Family History: One Lineage from Thomas, Sr. (1705-1767) of Amelia County, Virginia to Present" by Timothy Douglas Booth (1948-2002) of Centreville, VA, with the kind permission of his widow:
Thomas Senior is our first known ancestor, since we are not sure who his father was. (See Chapter 2., "Who Was the Father of Thomas, Sr.?")
Thomas was born probably in the Tidewater or Southside areas of Virginia sometime before 1705. The birth date is based on projecting backwards from known dates and events. We know he died in 1766 when his will was probated, or "read." His age at death would be in early 60's. He lived in colonial times and died before the American Revolution. He was a "planter" who owned at one time 2000 acres with a plantation (large farm) having crops and livestock. Only one planter in ten had an estate of more than a thousand acres. His plantation was located in Southside Virginia in present-day Amelia County about 23 miles west-northwest of Petersburg and 27 miles southwest of Richmond. He lived most of his adult life in this area.
(Note: Amelia County was formed in 1734/5 from Prince George County which was formed in 1703 from Charles City County).
Thomas had a wife and seven children; five were sons and two were daughters. Many good bloodied Americans living today are their descendants.
We are fairly certain his wife's name was Dorcas. A deed record in 1724 says, "...Dorcas, wife of said Booth,, relinquishes her dower." (A dower, or dowry, is the money, goods or estate a woman brings to her husband at marriage.) Also, there are parish records of Thomas and Dorcas Booth, and a child. Some researchers think that Thomas, Sr.'s wife is Elizabeth Cobbs, but I am fairly certain that she was the wife of his son, Thomas, Junior. With both men named Thomas, the confusion after all these years is understandable.
Nothing is known about Dorcas, such as what her maiden name was, or where she was from. She did raise seven children, which is a remarkable accomplishment for a lifetime. In Thomas Senior's will he made in 1758, there is no mention of a wife, so she was probably deceased at the time the will was made.
Their children's names were Thomas (Jr.), Nathaniel, William, George, John (our ancestor), Joyce and Ann. They were all mentioned in their father's will.
Most of what we know about Thomas comes from court records such as deed books, and his will. No family records exist.
The location of Thomas' land was on both sides of Sweathouse Creek which runs into Deep Creek. Deep Creek flows a few miles north into the Appomattox River which flows eastward into the James River at Hopewell. Waterways were important to farmers because it gave them a way to transport crops and people to markets.
First-cousin [of the author] Carlson Fitzhugh Booth, 8th generation, has visited Thomas' land in Amelia County. On his last visit in April 1993, he was accompanied by two other Booth's also descended from Thomas, but from a different son. They video-taped their visit and the author has a copy of the tape. According to Carlson, Thomas obtained first part of his land in 1724. He built a brick house in 1725 using bricks which came over from England as ballast in the boats. Also, the house was constructed from locally made bricks from reddish clay. Both kinds of brick are found on the property and are shown in the videotape. On the original site, there now stands a wooden house constructed about 1840. Mr. and Mrs. Ben Haigwood (Hogwood?), who live there, hosted Carlson and his two Booth cousins.
According to deed records, Thomas was granted 1554 acres (2.4 square miles) on 29 September 1735. Another record says he patented additional land, totaling 2000 acres (3.1 square miles). (Note: 640 acres = 1 square mile). This is a lot of land! Thomas later divided his land among his five sons. His four older sons received their shares in 1749, totaling 1210 acres of the 1554 acres. His youngest son, John, our descendant [correction--ancestor], was willed his share of 338 acres when Thomas died. Probably John was living at home with his father and working his future share.
Thomas probably grew tobacco which was the cash crop of those times and vital to the economy. He may have grown staples such as wheat and corn also.
Prince George County wills and deeds records from 1713-1728 list Thomas Booth several times as an appraiser of deceased men's estate inventories. This would indicate that his judgment was respected enough to be called upon to give an honest estimate. The earliest record is 1718. In 1723 and 1724, Thomas had his land surveyed by Robert Bolling, a surveyor of Prince George County during this period. One of Bolling's records said that Thomas was of Martins Brandon Parish (of the Episcopal Church).
Surveyor Bolling also listed the performance of individual surveys in another part of Prince George County for George Booth of Surry County. These were done in 1719, 1721, and 1724 on both sides of Turkey Egg Creek, at least 12 miles from Thomas's land. (Turkey Egg Creek is shown on today's maps in present Dinwiddie County which was formed in 1752 from Prince George County).
It is thought that Thomas and George are related, since they both had their lands within the same county surveyed about the same time by the same surveyor. In the book "Carlby," which documents the history of a manor home in Southside area, shows this relationship that George of Turkey Egg Creek was a nephew to Thomas Sr. George's (George II) father was named George, who we will call George I, who lived at Stony Creek and Sappony Creek. George III of this line actually built Carlby with his grandfather's money.
"Carlby" shows a Booth family genealogy chart showing our Thomas, Sr. to have two brothers, George I and Robert. Their father is shown as another Thomas, but this line is labeled conjectural and not documented. This chart shows Thomas with no birth date, a death date of 1766 (correct), and married to "Doecorrs (Dorcas)." Of his seven children, only his son John is shown, with four more successive generations. The chart mostly shows the descendants of George I, brother of Thomas, Sr.
Interestingly, then, a Thomas is mentioned several times in Amelia County's Court Order Book 1, 1735-1746 as either a witness, plaintiff, or juror in several cases. In one of these cases a Thomas Booth, Sr. was a witness, and a Thomas Booth, Jr. was the plaintiff. This could be father-son. Or, in those days if two unrelated people with the same name lived in the same area, people used "senior" and "junior" to designate who was oldest. Further study is needed to unravel the relationships.
Chapter 2
Who Was the Father of Thomas, Sr.?
Many Booth researchers ask, "Who was the father of Thomas, Sr.?"
Unfortunately, no sufficient old records still exist to definitely answer this question. There is no known Will which can make the lineage. Booth names are found in county records of late 1600's and early 1700's.
To research county records, one must be aware of when counties existed. Here is a list of counties around the James River area, giving the year they were formed, and from what parent county:
Amelia County was formed in 1734 from Prince George County.
Prince George County was formed in 1703 from Charles City County.
Charles City County is an original county formed in 1634.
Sussex County was formed in 1754 from Surry County.
Surry County was formed in 1652 from James City County.
James City County is an original county formed in 1634.
We know that Thomas patented land in Amelia County in 1720's and -30's, he gave shares of his land to his four oldest sons in 1749, and that he died in Amelia County in 1766. So, Thomas's father may be found in records of:
Charles City County in late 1600's to 1703.
Prince George County starting 1703 to 1734.
Amelia County starting 1734.
Surry County in late 1600's.
Unfortunately, Prince George County is a "burned" county, meaning many old records were destroyed in fires.
There are different theories, some of which are listed below.
Theory 1--Another Thomas.
A source for this theory is the following book:
Spann, Barbara T., "Carlby," Fairfax County Office of Comprehensive Planning, August, 1976.
This book is about a manor home constructed by a George Booth III in about 1768 on land he inherited from his grandfather George I near the confluence of Sappony and Stony Creeks in Sussex County (near Dinwiddie County line and Interstate 95) and was moved in the 20th century to Fairfax County near Mt. Vernon. Appendix C, "Booth Family Genealogy," gives the following lineage: [a chart showing a Thomas Booth with sons Robert, George I (born 1679), and Thomas (died 1766)].
The chart shows a "conjectural relationship" rather than a "documented relationship." "Sources for this genealogy are described in the Preliminary Draft of the Sussex County Chapters."
On page 29, the book has a section, "Booth Family Origins," and describes George Booth I. "While it is possible that he may have come from an affluent and aristocratic Booth line in York County, the circumstantial evidence points to a much more humble background."
"Likely, his father was a skilled workman, indentured in a sequence to several landowners of Surry County, in each case for a term of only a few years. Two Booth men, Thomas and John, fit this description during the years 1668-1686. This pattern of indenture suggests the skill of Booth's father may have been that of "joiner," the master carpenter...served as supervisor of its (house) entire construction."
This theory seems plausible, and the book's Preliminary draft is on file at the Fairfax County Virginia Room. Worth looking into.
Basically the same family tree as in Ms. Spann's "Carlby" was drawn by Lee Sutton Booth, Jr. of Lynchburg, VA based on research by his father, L.S., Sr. (Did they collaborate? Ms. Spann says "no.") Booth writes:
"A Thomas Booth, along with John and Joseph, was transported from England in 1673 and landed in Maryland. They were next heard from in Surry County. Joseph bought 987 acres in Nansemond County in 1704. George I, son of Thomas, settled in Sussex County in 1715."
NOTES: 1. Nansemond County was formed in 1642; it was formerly Upper Norfolk. Nansemond's county seat is Suffolk. 2. Sussex was formed in 1754 from Surry. 3. "Carlby" also says that George I settled in what became Sussex County.
Theory 2--George Booth of Surry.
This would be the George I referred to in Theory I. He is the oldest of the George's found in the Prince George County records who had land at the Sappony and Stony Creeks. Rather than brothers, could George I be Thomas, Sr.'s father? Yet, his genealogy in "Carlby" shows he had a son named Thomas who married an Ann and died in 1751.
Could it be George II who acquired land on Turkey Egg Creek? According to "Carlby," he had a son named Thomas who married a Martha.
Theory 3. George Booth of Gloucester.
This theory is found in William and Mary Quarterly, Volume 6, Series 2, page 259, and was written in 1926(?) by Mrs. Wirt Johnson Carrington.
She says "From family tradition we have it that George Booth of Gloucester was the father of Thomas of Prince George County, and following this Thomas Booth up we find that he was the Thomas Booth of Amelia County who received the patent of 1554 acres on Sweathouse Creek, Prince George County (Amelia was formed from Prince George in 1734)."
She then lists land patent records of Prince George County for George and Thomas Booth. In this paragraph she lists George Booth of Surry buying land on Turkey Egg Creek. It is presumed that she thinks he is the same as George Booth of Gloucester.
Later, she states that "Thomas..married Elizabeth___. Will dated September 15, 1758. John Booth (son of Thomas, son of George) 'leaves to his wife, Elizabeth (Cobb) Booth, for life.'" This conflicts with information we have because Thomas married Dorcas, not Elizabeth, and his son John married Mary Smith, not Elizabeth Cobb. I think Mrs. Carrington has mistaken Thomas, Sr.'s son Thomas, Jr. for him. Thomas Jr.'s wife was named Elizabeth.
Also, Mrs. Carrington' theory is disputed by Booth researcher Mary Edna Booth Mitchell of Waco, Texas, in her "Lineage of George Edward Booth" written in 1965. Mrs. Mitchell offered several possibilities, but nothing conclusive.
Theory 4. Richard from North Carolina.
In Mrs. Mitchell's write-up mentioned above, she paraphrases from a book written by Mrs. Lillie Boothe Nesbitt of Chapel Hill, N.C. Her line originates from a Richard Booth who came over in 1631 and was one of the founders of Strafford, Conn. Somehow, this same line and perhaps same person came to Edenton, N.C. There were natural ties between Southside Virginia and East North Carolina, with roads and commerce in between. It is possible that Thomas, Sr. could be from North Carolina.
Theory 5. From New Castle, Delaware Booth's.
New Castle, Delaware was an important seaport in the early days for people moving from the North to the South (VA, MD, NC). A Booth family was very prominent there, serving as judge, merchants, etc. There is an old graveyard in the center of town in the village green. One old Booth tombstone there has a royal crown imbedded in the headstone above the inscriptions, also made of marble.
First-cousin Carlson Booth has visited New Castle, seen the tombstones, and did some research there. He was unable to find anything conclusive, however.
Theory 6. From Northern Colonies Booth's.
Family folklore refers a couple of times to "relatives from the North." Such relatives supposedly taught the early Franklin County Booth's how to manufacture felt hats.
Another reference to northern relatives is when the daughter of John DeWitt Booth took her new husband to New York to meet the relatives.
These two references to northern relatives suggest some link. Whether it ties with Thomas, Sr. is yet to be determined.
Summary
These are just some of the theories as to who the father of Thomas, Sr. is. Another possibility is Maryland's Eastern Shore. As you can see, this is a subject which seems somewhat elusive. Praise be to the Booth scholar who figures it out!
Family Legend on Booth Origins in America or: "Three Brothers Flee England"
The following two pages in this chapter were originally written by Miss Lucy Pemberton Booth (6th generation), daughter of Confederate officer DeWitt Clinton Booth, on September 24, 1920, when she was age 52, in a handwritten letter to her young niece, Mary White Booth (later Staney).
In a letter to her brother, Mary's father, Lucy writes:
"I have written Mary White what I could remember hearing of the Booth family, and I hope it will interest her."
Most of what Lucy wrote to her young niece is a story of three young brothers who fled England during the turbulent times in England after the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658. The English Booths were Royalists, and were escaping persecution from the Roundheads who were in power at the time.
Note in the third paragraph (middle of first page) that "...George (Booth) seemed to have been the father of Thomas Booth..." This supports Theory 2 or 3 outlined in Chapter 2.
According to the legend, George's father or grandfather appears to be Richard, one of the three original American Booth brothers.
Apparently this story was handed down through the generations. Verification of this legend needs to be attempted. It is entirely plausible, and for lack of any other story, we should accept the legend as the most likely story on the Booth origins in America.
I, Carlson Fitzhugh Booth, (son of Henry Clinton--son of Mac Henry--son of DeWitt Clinton--son of John D.) acquired the following information concerning the Booth family from Mrs. Mary Stamey (1522 Roanoke Ave., S.W. Roanoke, Va.) on Feb. 20, 1957. Mrs. Mary Stamey is the daughter of Walter Booth, son of DeWitt Clinton, son of John D.
This information was gathered by Lucy Pemberton Booth, daughter of DeWitt Clinton. The authenticity of the following information to my knowledge has not been verified. It has been passed down to me. C.F.B.
***About the time of Oliver Cromwell's death (1658), English history records an unfortunate insurrection to restore the Royal Family to Power. The leaders of this attempt which failed dismally were named Booth and Middleton. The former known in family annals as the old General, was according to our family traditions, Uncle to Richard Booth, our first American ancestor.
On the eve of his execution, the general sent a trusty servant with a bag of gold to Richard, then a lad of twenty (20) urging him to take his two young brothers and flee from the country to escape death. The vessel that brought the boys to America also carried other refugees and their families.
During the voyage, Richard fell in love with pretty Mary Clifton or Clifden and they were married upon reaching New York. They remained in N.Y. for a time but finally settled in Virginia. He is believed to be Richard Booth who took up large grants of land from the land office in 1680 in the Isle of Wight County and who appears to be the father or grandfather of George Booth, who likewise received extensive grants of land later. George seemed to have been the father of Thomas Booth who had the honor of being great grandfather to our grandfather John D. Booth.
Thomas fluorished in Amelia County and left a large family. A few years after he died in 1766, his youngest son, John, sold all his land in Amelia and moved to Bedford County. John's oldest son, Thomas, went in the Revolutionary War (at age 18) with a company of men from Bedford County. He lived to be a very old man and received a pension for his services in the Revolution.
John's other sons were Peter, Benjamin, Stephen, John and Richard; also, two daughters Mary and Agnes. Benjamin lived in Franklin Co. His three sons Moses, Stephen and John D., likewise, eight daughters: Nancy (Mrs. Boyd), Betsy (Mrs. Walker, Major Walker's Mother), Sallie (Cousin Card's Mother--Mrs. Ferguson), Mary died young, also Maria, Mahalia (Mrs. Webb), Kitty (Mrs. Burroughs or Burrows), and Emily (Mrs. Joplin). John D. our grandfather also lived in Franklin and married Temperance Williamson, daughter of McHenry Williamson, whose wife was Rebecca Mason (aunt of John Y. Mason of Confederate fame), this connecting us with the Mason family and indirectly with the Lees. I forgot to say that when Richard Booth came to Virginia, one brother remained in New York and all Booths of New York and Pennsylvania are said to be his descendants. The other brother settled in South Carolina. In his boyhood, John D. visited Mack Booth one of his descendants. He was very wealthy and lived in regal style, being a very large slave owner. He was an old man then and never married. That branch of the family is said to be extant.
The Booth's coat of arms is a big blue cross on a white field supported on one side by a black lion and on the other side by a black eagle. The lion had a little white black flecked here and there with gold dots hanging around his neck with a gold chain. The eagle also wore another block around its neck just like it, and there was another gold spangled block between the upper arms of the cross, for it was a form known as the St. Andrews cross rather like it and not the usual cross.
After Charles II regained the throne, Middleton and some other Booths who had fled to France or Ireland returned and enjoyed the Royal favor for having loyally, though unsuccessfully, tried to help him before.
When the Booths recovered their family estates and gained new honors and dignities they seemed for a long term of years to expect Richard or his descendants would return to England to share in the family's good fortune. As they never came back, finally one Lord Booth left a very large sum of money in the Bank of England to be held in trust for Richard Booth's descendants, but they failed to appear in England to claim it. After ninety years, this trust fund was to be divided among such descendants of the said Richard Booth as could be found. They probably didn't know about the fortune awaiting them, for they made no move to claim it 'till the ninety years were up. Then when Richard's heirs were sought for by English lawyers, all the American branches joined forces and put up a spirited legal battle to win this great trust fund. But interest had run it up very high by that time and the English lawyers were unwilling to let such a sum leave their country and go to remote heirs across the sea demanded such rigid legal proof at every step that the American Booth's had finally to abandon the cause and Lord Booth's luckless legacy reverted to the English Crown. This occurred sometime (I think) between 1835 and 1840, though possibly some years earlier. ***
More About Thomas Booth:
Probate: Jun 1766, Amelia Co., VA.
Residence: Aft. 1735, Settled on Sweathouse Creek, which flows into Deep Creek, which in turn flows into the Appomattox River, in Amelia Co., VA. The remains of his brick house were standing in 1993, but there was a newer wooden house built over it abt 1840. Owned 2000 acres.
Will: 15 Sep 1758, Will Book 2X, p. 290, Amelia Co., VA.
Notes for Dorcas ?:
Children of Thomas Booth and Dorcas ? are:
i. Thomas Booth, Jr., married Elizabeth Cobb 04 Nov 1772.
ii. George Booth, died 1767 in Amelia Co., VA; married Judith McEwen.
iii. William Booth
iv. Joyce Booth
v. Ann Booth
vi. Nathaniel Booth, born in Amelia Co., VA?; died Abt. 1785 in Lunenburg Co., VA; married Temperance Smith; died Aft. 1784.
More About Nathaniel Booth:
Probate: 08 Dec 1785, Lunenburg Co., VA
Will: 08 May 1784, Lunenburg Co., VA
1 vii. John Booth, born Abt. 1730 in Amelia Co., VA?; died 1807 in Franklin Co., VA; married Mary Smith Bef. 1757 in probably Amelia Co., VA or Lunenburg Co., VA.
Ancestors of John Booth
Generation No. 1
1. John Booth, born Abt. 1730 in Amelia Co., VA?; died 1807 in Franklin Co., VA. He was the son of 2. Thomas Booth and 3. Dorcas ?. He married (1) Mary Smith Bef. 1757 in probably Amelia Co., VA or Lunenburg Co., VA. She was born Abt. 1730 in Lunenburg Co., VA?, and died Bef. 26 Aug 1807 in Franklin Co., VA. She was the daughter of Richard Smith, Jr. and Agnes Cocke.
Notes for John Booth:
The following is quoted from pages 11-14 of "Booth(e) Family History: One Lineage from Thomas, Sr. (1705-1767) of Amelia County, Virginia to Present" (1994) by Timothy Douglas Booth (1948-2002) of Centreville, VA, with the kind permission of his widow:
John was the youngest of five sons of Thomas Senior. He is our patriot ancestor as registered with the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution.
John was probably born on Thomas Senior's plantation on Sweathouse Creek in Amelia County in about 1730. (Note: Amelia County was formed from Prince George County in 1734). The birth date is based on projecting backwards from known dates and events. We know he died (before) December 7, 1807 in Franklin County when his Will was probated. His age at death would have been in his late 70's.
John and his wife Mary Smith had eight children. Six children were sons, and two were daughters.
We know from Thomas' will in chapter one that John inherited what was left of his father's plantation, a total of 338 acres in 1766 at Thomas' death. John must have felt secure, because he did not swear witness to his father's Will until three years later in 1769.
Thus, John's early adulthood was probably spent working on or tending to his father's plantation. There are land records that show John also acquired a couple of tracts of land between the time his father divided land among his four older brothers and his father's death. So, on his and his father's land de developed the skills and experience that he would apply to his own farm later in life.
John Booth married Mary Smith in the early 1750's when they were both in their twenties. Mary was the daughter of Richard Smith and Agnes Cocke of Lunenburg County, who had three sons and nine daughters. Lunenburg County is located south of Nottoway County which is south of Amelia County; it was formed in 1746 from Brunswick and Charlotte Counties. Mary's father Richard Smith owned a plantation on Spring Branch in the parish of Cumberland.
Curiously, Mary's sister Temperance was married to John's older brother Nathaniel. Actually, sisters marrying brothers was common in those days. Nathaniel and Temperance had six children. Nathaniel died in 1785 in Lunenburg County.
(Note: Attempts to locate the marriage record of John and Mary have been unsuccessful. County clerks of Lunenburg, Amelia, Prince Edward and Chesterfield counties gave a negative report. Two books were checked: "Lunenburg Co., VA Marriages, 1750-1853," by Vogt & Kethley, 1988, and "Marriages of Lunenburg Co., VA 1746-1853," by Matheny & Yates, 1967. Yet, the will of Richard Smith and notes in the Raney Collection agree that they must have married in the 1750's).
In Richard Smith's Will signed in 1757 and proved in 1760, he left "daughter Mary Booth, one silver spoon" and "daughter Temperance Booth, feater bed and two cows." Probably they had received a dowry when they got married. In Agnes Cocke Smith's Will signed 1773 and proved in 1774, one seventh of her estate went to Nathaniel Booth and another one seventh went to granddaughter Agnes Clardy, daughter of John and Mary Booth.
John and Mary's children's names were Richard, Thomas, Peter, John Jr., Stephen, Mary, Benjamin (our ancestor), and Agnes Clardy. Two sons, Richard and Peter, served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Our ancestor, Benjamin, was only a boy and too young to join the arm
In March 1772, when he was in his forties, John bought land in what was then Bedford County on both sides of the Staunton (now called Roanoke) River. The amount of land totaled 446 acres in three portions. In October 1772, he sold his land in Amelia County and moved about 100 miles west "as the crow flies" to his new land.
In 1785, the Staunton River became the dividing line between Bedford County on the north and the newly formed Franklin County on the south. Most of John's initial land was on the south side of the river, placing him in Franklin County. The Booths came to stay; John and four successive generations would live in Franklin County.
Why did John move? During this time 1755-1770's in Virginia's history, there was a movement of people westward from the Tidewater to the Piedmont areas. The winning of the French and Indian War during the 1750's had lessened the fears of attacks and established peaceful outposts. Plantations owned by fathers in the east were being divided among sons with each generation, so sons were looking to the west where land was plentiful. By 1776, the western-most county was Botetourt.
There are records to indicate that others of the Booth family moved west to Bedford County before John. George Booth, John's brother, died in 1767 and the order of his wife Judith receiving her dower is recorded in Amelia and Bedford Counties. This would indicate, therefore, that Judith moved to be with some of George's and her children which were the first ones in Bedford. Perhaps John was persuaded by them to move west.
Today, the location of what was John's land is within sight of Smith Mountain Lake, a resort area which was completed in 1966 by damming the Roanoke River. It was down the river from "Hales's ford" crossing of the river, and is known today as Hale's Ford Bridge on the main highway Rt. 122 between the county seat towns of Bedford and Rocky Mount. From Rt. 122, you turn on Rt. 666 at Epsworth Church and go 1.7 miles to the Booth family cemetery on the right.
John's older sons were fairly grown and went with him when he moved in 1772. As stated above, sons Thomas and Peter served in the Revolutionary War sometime between 1776 and 1781. Thomas, who served in the 8th Virginia Regiment and lost a finger, was later placed on the pension roll in 1786. Peter is referred to in records as Colonel Peter Booth. Son Richard patented land in Franklin County in 1787, and Peter patented land in 1797.
In the first obtainable census taken from "Virginia Tax Payers 1782-87" from the National Archives, only list heads of households and their number of slaves. For Bedford County, the following three Booths are listed: John with 19 slaves, son Richard with 2 slaves, and son Thomas with no slaves. Also listed in other parts of the state are his brothers and cousins, such as brother Nathaniel in Lunenburg County with 4 slaves. Unfortunately, the 1790 and 1800 Virginia censuses were destroyed by fire.
Since nineteen slaves were accounted to John in the above tax list, you can imagine that his plantation or farm operations were rather extensive to require such labor. He had inherited fifteen from his father Thomas' estate, and one of his sisters had inherited two from Thomas. Probably tobacco was still the cash crop, with other crops and vegetables for food to be sold. The land was probably very fertile, being along the rive
The Roanoke, or formerly Staunton River, flows east through Altavista and southeastward down to Buggs Island Lake on the Virginia-North Carolina border. Since there is no obvious markets on the river, it is doubtful that it was used as the primary means to transport crops to market in John's day or any other. So, dependence on waterways in this part of the state was diminished.
During the Revolutionary War, John furnished the army's commissary twice with 1,025 pounds of beef, 16 diets(?), 12 pecks of corn and pasturage on the first occasion, and 325 pounds of beef on the second. We guess he did not want his two sons to starve! After the Yorktown victory in 1781, those who furnished supplies registered (for compensation?) with their county court. John Booth is recorded in Bedford County Court Order Book Number 6 on page 341 for March 23, 1782 and page 347 on March 25, same year.
Thus, John Booth meets the requirements and has become a registered patriot ancestor by the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) and the Sons of the American Revolution (S.A.R.) effective October 1993. Any adult descendant of John Booth can become a member of either the D.A.R. or S.A.R. by showing their lineage to him. The author helped his sister with her application and above documentation for John Booth and have both joined the D.A.R. and S.A.R. at the time of this writing. Membership in this exclusive group is an eloquent statement and testament to one's early American heritage and family pride!
Other activities of John are documented in Bedford and Franklin County records. For example, he must have been concerned about transportation and roads. John is listed in Bedford County records as appointed to view (survey) for a road twice in 1774 and once in 1775. In January 1786, the year after Franklin County was formed and new officers were being appointed, John Booth along with ten other men "were each appointed road surveyor--a thankless job that required each surveyor periodically to call out gangs of his neighbors to repair the county's dusty ruts and mudholes." Also in 1786 he was ordered to "survey road from fork near Peter Holland's to Radford's Ford on Staunton River."
John Booth died in December 1807. Mary likely died before John since she is not mentioned in his Will. John, and perhaps Mary, are likely buried in the Booth family cemetery that still exists on Rt. 666, but there are no markers for either of them.
More About John Booth:
Census: 1782, Bedford Co., VA--John Booth listed with 19 slaves, Richard with 2, Thomas with 1.
Military service: 1782, John Booth proved he had furnished 1025 pounds of beef for the (Continental) army.
Probate: 07 Dec 1807, Franklin Co., VA
Property 1: 24 Oct 1772, John Booth of Amelia conveyed to Thomas Griffin Peachy Tract #1, part of the 1554 acres granted to Thomas Booth, Sr. on 29 Sep 1735.
Property 2: 13 Mar 1772, Patented 46 acres on Staunton River, Bedford Co., VA.
Property 3: 14 Mar 1772, Patented 250 acres on Staunton River.
Property 4: 24 Mar 1772, Joseph and Mary Calland of Cumberland Co. conveyed to John Booth of Amelia Co. 150 acres on the south side of Staunton River in Bedford Co. (that part now in Franklin Co., probably underneath Smith Mountain Lake).
Residence 1: Bef. 1772, Amelia Co., VA
Residence 2: Aft. 1772, Present-day Franklin Co., VA
Will: 26 Aug 1807, Franklin Co., VA Will Book 1, p. 332; left his son Benjamin "land I now live on in Bedford County" (at that time that part was probably Franklin County).
Generation No. 2
2. Thomas Booth, born Abt. 1705 in Prince George Co., VA?; died Abt. 1766 in Amelia Co., VA. He married 3. Dorcas ?.
3. Dorcas ?
Notes for Thomas Booth:
The following is quoted from "Booth(e) Family History: One Lineage from Thomas, Sr. (1705-1767) of Amelia County, Virginia to Present" by Timothy Douglas Booth (1948-2002) of Centreville, VA, with the kind permission of his widow:
Thomas Senior is our first known ancestor, since we are not sure who his father was. (See Chapter 2., "Who Was the Father of Thomas, Sr.?")
Thomas was born probably in the Tidewater or Southside areas of Virginia sometime before 1705. The birth date is based on projecting backwards from known dates and events. We know he died in 1766 when his will was probated, or "read." His age at death would be in early 60's. He lived in colonial times and died before the American Revolution. He was a "planter" who owned at one time 2000 acres with a plantation (large farm) having crops and livestock. Only one planter in ten had an estate of more than a thousand acres. His plantation was located in Southside Virginia in present-day Amelia County about 23 miles west-northwest of Petersburg and 27 miles southwest of Richmond. He lived most of his adult life in this area.
(Note: Amelia County was formed in 1734/5 from Prince George County which was formed in 1703 from Charles City County).
Thomas had a wife and seven children; five were sons and two were daughters. Many good bloodied Americans living today are their descendants.
We are fairly certain his wife's name was Dorcas. A deed record in 1724 says, "...Dorcas, wife of said Booth,, relinquishes her dower." (A dower, or dowry, is the money, goods or estate a woman brings to her husband at marriage.) Also, there are parish records of Thomas and Dorcas Booth, and a child. Some researchers think that Thomas, Sr.'s wife is Elizabeth Cobbs, but I am fairly certain that she was the wife of his son, Thomas, Junior. With both men named Thomas, the confusion after all these years is understandable.
Nothing is known about Dorcas, such as what her maiden name was, or where she was from. She did raise seven children, which is a remarkable accomplishment for a lifetime. In Thomas Senior's will he made in 1758, there is no mention of a wife, so she was probably deceased at the time the will was made.
Their children's names were Thomas (Jr.), Nathaniel, William, George, John (our ancestor), Joyce and Ann. They were all mentioned in their father's will.
Most of what we know about Thomas comes from court records such as deed books, and his will. No family records exist.
The location of Thomas' land was on both sides of Sweathouse Creek which runs into Deep Creek. Deep Creek flows a few miles north into the Appomattox River which flows eastward into the James River at Hopewell. Waterways were important to farmers because it gave them a way to transport crops and people to markets.
First-cousin [of the author] Carlson Fitzhugh Booth, 8th generation, has visited Thomas' land in Amelia County. On his last visit in April 1993, he was accompanied by two other Booth's also descended from Thomas, but from a different son. They video-taped their visit and the author has a copy of the tape. According to Carlson, Thomas obtained first part of his land in 1724. He built a brick house in 1725 using bricks which came over from England as ballast in the boats. Also, the house was constructed from locally made bricks from reddish clay. Both kinds of brick are found on the property and are shown in the videotape. On the original site, there now stands a wooden house constructed about 1840. Mr. and Mrs. Ben Haigwood (Hogwood?), who live there, hosted Carlson and his two Booth cousins.
According to deed records, Thomas was granted 1554 acres (2.4 square miles) on 29 September 1735. Another record says he patented additional land, totaling 2000 acres (3.1 square miles). (Note: 640 acres = 1 square mile). This is a lot of land! Thomas later divided his land among his five sons. His four older sons received their shares in 1749, totaling 1210 acres of the 1554 acres. His youngest son, John, our descendant [correction--ancestor], was willed his share of 338 acres when Thomas died. Probably John was living at home with his father and working his future share.
Thomas probably grew tobacco which was the cash crop of those times and vital to the economy. He may have grown staples such as wheat and corn also.
Prince George County wills and deeds records from 1713-1728 list Thomas Booth several times as an appraiser of deceased men's estate inventories. This would indicate that his judgment was respected enough to be called upon to give an honest estimate. The earliest record is 1718. In 1723 and 1724, Thomas had his land surveyed by Robert Bolling, a surveyor of Prince George County during this period. One of Bolling's records said that Thomas was of Martins Brandon Parish (of the Episcopal Church).
Surveyor Bolling also listed the performance of individual surveys in another part of Prince George County for George Booth of Surry County. These were done in 1719, 1721, and 1724 on both sides of Turkey Egg Creek, at least 12 miles from Thomas's land. (Turkey Egg Creek is shown on today's maps in present Dinwiddie County which was formed in 1752 from Prince George County).
It is thought that Thomas and George are related, since they both had their lands within the same county surveyed about the same time by the same surveyor. In the book "Carlby," which documents the history of a manor home in Southside area, shows this relationship that George of Turkey Egg Creek was a nephew to Thomas Sr. George's (George II) father was named George, who we will call George I, who lived at Stony Creek and Sappony Creek. George III of this line actually built Carlby with his grandfather's money.
"Carlby" shows a Booth family genealogy chart showing our Thomas, Sr. to have two brothers, George I and Robert. Their father is shown as another Thomas, but this line is labeled conjectural and not documented. This chart shows Thomas with no birth date, a death date of 1766 (correct), and married to "Doecorrs (Dorcas)." Of his seven children, only his son John is shown, with four more successive generations. The chart mostly shows the descendants of George I, brother of Thomas, Sr.
Interestingly, then, a Thomas is mentioned several times in Amelia County's Court Order Book 1, 1735-1746 as either a witness, plaintiff, or juror in several cases. In one of these cases a Thomas Booth, Sr. was a witness, and a Thomas Booth, Jr. was the plaintiff. This could be father-son. Or, in those days if two unrelated people with the same name lived in the same area, people used "senior" and "junior" to designate who was oldest. Further study is needed to unravel the relationships.
Chapter 2
Who Was the Father of Thomas, Sr.?
Many Booth researchers ask, "Who was the father of Thomas, Sr.?"
Unfortunately, no sufficient old records still exist to definitely answer this question. There is no known Will which can make the lineage. Booth names are found in county records of late 1600's and early 1700's.
To research county records, one must be aware of when counties existed. Here is a list of counties around the James River area, giving the year they were formed, and from what parent county:
Amelia County was formed in 1734 from Prince George County.
Prince George County was formed in 1703 from Charles City County.
Charles City County is an original county formed in 1634.
Sussex County was formed in 1754 from Surry County.
Surry County was formed in 1652 from James City County.
James City County is an original county formed in 1634.
We know that Thomas patented land in Amelia County in 1720's and -30's, he gave shares of his land to his four oldest sons in 1749, and that he died in Amelia County in 1766. So, Thomas's father may be found in records of:
Charles City County in late 1600's to 1703.
Prince George County starting 1703 to 1734.
Amelia County starting 1734.
Surry County in late 1600's.
Unfortunately, Prince George County is a "burned" county, meaning many old records were destroyed in fires.
There are different theories, some of which are listed below.
Theory 1--Another Thomas.
A source for this theory is the following book:
Spann, Barbara T., "Carlby," Fairfax County Office of Comprehensive Planning, August, 1976.
This book is about a manor home constructed by a George Booth III in about 1768 on land he inherited from his grandfather George I near the confluence of Sappony and Stony Creeks in Sussex County (near Dinwiddie County line and Interstate 95) and was moved in the 20th century to Fairfax County near Mt. Vernon. Appendix C, "Booth Family Genealogy," gives the following lineage: [a chart showing a Thomas Booth with sons Robert, George I (born 1679), and Thomas (died 1766)].
The chart shows a "conjectural relationship" rather than a "documented relationship." "Sources for this genealogy are described in the Preliminary Draft of the Sussex County Chapters."
On page 29, the book has a section, "Booth Family Origins," and describes George Booth I. "While it is possible that he may have come from an affluent and aristocratic Booth line in York County, the circumstantial evidence points to a much more humble background."
"Likely, his father was a skilled workman, indentured in a sequence to several landowners of Surry County, in each case for a term of only a few years. Two Booth men, Thomas and John, fit this description during the years 1668-1686. This pattern of indenture suggests the skill of Booth's father may have been that of "joiner," the master carpenter...served as supervisor of its (house) entire construction."
This theory seems plausible, and the book's Preliminary draft is on file at the Fairfax County Virginia Room. Worth looking into.
Basically the same family tree as in Ms. Spann's "Carlby" was drawn by Lee Sutton Booth, Jr. of Lynchburg, VA based on research by his father, L.S., Sr. (Did they collaborate? Ms. Spann says "no.") Booth writes:
"A Thomas Booth, along with John and Joseph, was transported from England in 1673 and landed in Maryland. They were next heard from in Surry County. Joseph bought 987 acres in Nansemond County in 1704. George I, son of Thomas, settled in Sussex County in 1715."
NOTES: 1. Nansemond County was formed in 1642; it was formerly Upper Norfolk. Nansemond's county seat is Suffolk. 2. Sussex was formed in 1754 from Surry. 3. "Carlby" also says that George I settled in what became Sussex County.
Theory 2--George Booth of Surry.
This would be the George I referred to in Theory I. He is the oldest of the George's found in the Prince George County records who had land at the Sappony and Stony Creeks. Rather than brothers, could George I be Thomas, Sr.'s father? Yet, his genealogy in "Carlby" shows he had a son named Thomas who married an Ann and died in 1751.
Could it be George II who acquired land on Turkey Egg Creek? According to "Carlby," he had a son named Thomas who married a Martha.
Theory 3. George Booth of Gloucester.
This theory is found in William and Mary Quarterly, Volume 6, Series 2, page 259, and was written in 1926(?) by Mrs. Wirt Johnson Carrington.
She says "From family tradition we have it that George Booth of Gloucester was the father of Thomas of Prince George County, and following this Thomas Booth up we find that he was the Thomas Booth of Amelia County who received the patent of 1554 acres on Sweathouse Creek, Prince George County (Amelia was formed from Prince George in 1734)."
She then lists land patent records of Prince George County for George and Thomas Booth. In this paragraph she lists George Booth of Surry buying land on Turkey Egg Creek. It is presumed that she thinks he is the same as George Booth of Gloucester.
Later, she states that "Thomas..married Elizabeth___. Will dated September 15, 1758. John Booth (son of Thomas, son of George) 'leaves to his wife, Elizabeth (Cobb) Booth, for life.'" This conflicts with information we have because Thomas married Dorcas, not Elizabeth, and his son John married Mary Smith, not Elizabeth Cobb. I think Mrs. Carrington has mistaken Thomas, Sr.'s son Thomas, Jr. for him. Thomas Jr.'s wife was named Elizabeth.
Also, Mrs. Carrington' theory is disputed by Booth researcher Mary Edna Booth Mitchell of Waco, Texas, in her "Lineage of George Edward Booth" written in 1965. Mrs. Mitchell offered several possibilities, but nothing conclusive.
Theory 4. Richard from North Carolina.
In Mrs. Mitchell's write-up mentioned above, she paraphrases from a book written by Mrs. Lillie Boothe Nesbitt of Chapel Hill, N.C. Her line originates from a Richard Booth who came over in 1631 and was one of the founders of Strafford, Conn. Somehow, this same line and perhaps same person came to Edenton, N.C. There were natural ties between Southside Virginia and East North Carolina, with roads and commerce in between. It is possible that Thomas, Sr. could be from North Carolina.
Theory 5. From New Castle, Delaware Booth's.
New Castle, Delaware was an important seaport in the early days for people moving from the North to the South (VA, MD, NC). A Booth family was very prominent there, serving as judge, merchants, etc. There is an old graveyard in the center of town in the village green. One old Booth tombstone there has a royal crown imbedded in the headstone above the inscriptions, also made of marble.
First-cousin Carlson Booth has visited New Castle, seen the tombstones, and did some research there. He was unable to find anything conclusive, however.
Theory 6. From Northern Colonies Booth's.
Family folklore refers a couple of times to "relatives from the North." Such relatives supposedly taught the early Franklin County Booth's how to manufacture felt hats.
Another reference to northern relatives is when the daughter of John DeWitt Booth took her new husband to New York to meet the relatives.
These two references to northern relatives suggest some link. Whether it ties with Thomas, Sr. is yet to be determined.
Summary
These are just some of the theories as to who the father of Thomas, Sr. is. Another possibility is Maryland's Eastern Shore. As you can see, this is a subject which seems somewhat elusive. Praise be to the Booth scholar who figures it out!
Family Legend on Booth Origins in America or: "Three Brothers Flee England"
The following two pages in this chapter were originally written by Miss Lucy Pemberton Booth (6th generation), daughter of Confederate officer DeWitt Clinton Booth, on September 24, 1920, when she was age 52, in a handwritten letter to her young niece, Mary White Booth (later Staney).
In a letter to her brother, Mary's father, Lucy writes:
"I have written Mary White what I could remember hearing of the Booth family, and I hope it will interest her."
Most of what Lucy wrote to her young niece is a story of three young brothers who fled England during the turbulent times in England after the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658. The English Booths were Royalists, and were escaping persecution from the Roundheads who were in power at the time.
Note in the third paragraph (middle of first page) that "...George (Booth) seemed to have been the father of Thomas Booth..." This supports Theory 2 or 3 outlined in Chapter 2.
According to the legend, George's father or grandfather appears to be Richard, one of the three original American Booth brothers.
Apparently this story was handed down through the generations. Verification of this legend needs to be attempted. It is entirely plausible, and for lack of any other story, we should accept the legend as the most likely story on the Booth origins in America.
I, Carlson Fitzhugh Booth, (son of Henry Clinton--son of Mac Henry--son of DeWitt Clinton--son of John D.) acquired the following information concerning the Booth family from Mrs. Mary Stamey (1522 Roanoke Ave., S.W. Roanoke, Va.) on Feb. 20, 1957. Mrs. Mary Stamey is the daughter of Walter Booth, son of DeWitt Clinton, son of John D.
This information was gathered by Lucy Pemberton Booth, daughter of DeWitt Clinton. The authenticity of the following information to my knowledge has not been verified. It has been passed down to me. C.F.B.
***About the time of Oliver Cromwell's death (1658), English history records an unfortunate insurrection to restore the Royal Family to Power. The leaders of this attempt which failed dismally were named Booth and Middleton. The former known in family annals as the old General, was according to our family traditions, Uncle to Richard Booth, our first American ancestor.
On the eve of his execution, the general sent a trusty servant with a bag of gold to Richard, then a lad of twenty (20) urging him to take his two young brothers and flee from the country to escape death. The vessel that brought the boys to America also carried other refugees and their families.
During the voyage, Richard fell in love with pretty Mary Clifton or Clifden and they were married upon reaching New York. They remained in N.Y. for a time but finally settled in Virginia. He is believed to be Richard Booth who took up large grants of land from the land office in 1680 in the Isle of Wight County and who appears to be the father or grandfather of George Booth, who likewise received extensive grants of land later. George seemed to have been the father of Thomas Booth who had the honor of being great grandfather to our grandfather John D. Booth.
Thomas fluorished in Amelia County and left a large family. A few years after he died in 1766, his youngest son, John, sold all his land in Amelia and moved to Bedford County. John's oldest son, Thomas, went in the Revolutionary War (at age 18) with a company of men from Bedford County. He lived to be a very old man and received a pension for his services in the Revolution.
John's other sons were Peter, Benjamin, Stephen, John and Richard; also, two daughters Mary and Agnes. Benjamin lived in Franklin Co. His three sons Moses, Stephen and John D., likewise, eight daughters: Nancy (Mrs. Boyd), Betsy (Mrs. Walker, Major Walker's Mother), Sallie (Cousin Card's Mother--Mrs. Ferguson), Mary died young, also Maria, Mahalia (Mrs. Webb), Kitty (Mrs. Burroughs or Burrows), and Emily (Mrs. Joplin). John D. our grandfather also lived in Franklin and married Temperance Williamson, daughter of McHenry Williamson, whose wife was Rebecca Mason (aunt of John Y. Mason of Confederate fame), this connecting us with the Mason family and indirectly with the Lees. I forgot to say that when Richard Booth came to Virginia, one brother remained in New York and all Booths of New York and Pennsylvania are said to be his descendants. The other brother settled in South Carolina. In his boyhood, John D. visited Mack Booth one of his descendants. He was very wealthy and lived in regal style, being a very large slave owner. He was an old man then and never married. That branch of the family is said to be extant.
The Booth's coat of arms is a big blue cross on a white field supported on one side by a black lion and on the other side by a black eagle. The lion had a little white black flecked here and there with gold dots hanging around his neck with a gold chain. The eagle also wore another block around its neck just like it, and there was another gold spangled block between the upper arms of the cross, for it was a form known as the St. Andrews cross rather like it and not the usual cross.
After Charles II regained the throne, Middleton and some other Booths who had fled to France or Ireland returned and enjoyed the Royal favor for having loyally, though unsuccessfully, tried to help him before.
When the Booths recovered their family estates and gained new honors and dignities they seemed for a long term of years to expect Richard or his descendants would return to England to share in the family's good fortune. As they never came back, finally one Lord Booth left a very large sum of money in the Bank of England to be held in trust for Richard Booth's descendants, but they failed to appear in England to claim it. After ninety years, this trust fund was to be divided among such descendants of the said Richard Booth as could be found. They probably didn't know about the fortune awaiting them, for they made no move to claim it 'till the ninety years were up. Then when Richard's heirs were sought for by English lawyers, all the American branches joined forces and put up a spirited legal battle to win this great trust fund. But interest had run it up very high by that time and the English lawyers were unwilling to let such a sum leave their country and go to remote heirs across the sea demanded such rigid legal proof at every step that the American Booth's had finally to abandon the cause and Lord Booth's luckless legacy reverted to the English Crown. This occurred sometime (I think) between 1835 and 1840, though possibly some years earlier. ***
More About Thomas Booth:
Probate: Jun 1766, Amelia Co., VA.
Residence: Aft. 1735, Settled on Sweathouse Creek, which flows into Deep Creek, which in turn flows into the Appomattox River, in Amelia Co., VA. The remains of his brick house were standing in 1993, but there was a newer wooden house built over it abt 1840. Owned 2000 acres.
Will: 15 Sep 1758, Will Book 2X, p. 290, Amelia Co., VA.
Notes for Dorcas ?:
Children of Thomas Booth and Dorcas ? are:
i. Thomas Booth, Jr., married Elizabeth Cobb 04 Nov 1772.
ii. George Booth, died 1767 in Amelia Co., VA; married Judith McEwen.
iii. William Booth
iv. Joyce Booth
v. Ann Booth
vi. Nathaniel Booth, born in Amelia Co., VA?; died Abt. 1785 in Lunenburg Co., VA; married Temperance Smith; died Aft. 1784.
More About Nathaniel Booth:
Probate: 08 Dec 1785, Lunenburg Co., VA
Will: 08 May 1784, Lunenburg Co., VA
1 vii. John Booth, born Abt. 1730 in Amelia Co., VA?; died 1807 in Franklin Co., VA; married Mary Smith Bef. 1757 in probably Amelia Co., VA or Lunenburg Co., VA.
Gravesite Details
It is not proven, but is most probable, that John Booth and wife Mary are buried here since their son Benjamin is and this was the location of their land
Family Members
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