Known available primary documents provide:

1702 Thomas Meriwether imported Ralph Sheldon, as spelled in the following cited document { Essex County Virginia Deeds and Wills No 10 1699 - 1702 ; p133 ; Reel 3 ; Library Barcode 1146446/1146447 }

1708 Ralph Shelton received land from Thomas Meriwether via the will of Thomas Meriwether { Essex County Clerk of the Circuit Court Deed Book vol 13 1707-1713, pp 185-187 }; Ralph Shelton was NOT referred to as a family member in this will. However, in 1927 a book was published with statements, then passed along as fact which infected untold family trees and today appearing 'all over the internet' , proclaiming undocumented familial connections; one proclaimed Ralph Shelton to be the brother of the second wife of Thomas Meriwether. In reality, a review of factors related to indentured servitude, and the fact some indentured servants were given land as part of their contract, may be studied; one source is here https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/indentured-servants-in-the-us/

Ralph Shelton remained in the area of the adjoining VA counties of Essex and Middlesex for the rest of his life as evidenced by the births of his children ^see following^ , by accounts of processioning activities related to his land holdings { The Vestry Book of Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia, 1663-1767, C G Chamberlayne, Richmond VA Old Dominion Press, 1927 ; date p 210…214; date p215-216 } - { Processioning---https://genfiles.com/articles/processioning 'land owners agree on the boundaries of their land' }, by evidence this land remained with his heirs as found, when 24 April 1770 Reuben Shelton, son of Thomas Shelton - the son of Ralph Shelton d 1733, deeded land to Henry Street { Essex County Clerk of the Circuit Court Deed Book vol 30 1765-1772, p359 }, and by the registration of his death ^^see following^^.

^Children of Ralph and Mary Shelton as listed in transcription "The Parish Register of Christ Church, Middlesex County, Virginia from 1653 to 1812": Published by National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Richmond: Wm. Ellis Jones, Steam Book and Job printer. 1897 +from: Middlesex County, Virginia Episcopal Church Parish Register-Christ Church Parish Middlesex County Virginia Parish Register and Miscellaneous Material 1653-1814; VA State Library, Richmond VA+

1707 Thomas https://archive.org/stream/parishregisterof00chri#page/78/mode/2up p78

1709 Ralph https://archive.org/stream/parishregisterof00chri#page/78/mode/2up p79

1711 Elizabeth Middlesex County, Virginia Episcopal Church Parish Register .. ; VA State Library, Richmond VA p101 NOTE: this page was left out of the transcription

1713 Crisp https://archive.org/stream/parishregisterof00chri#page/86/mode/2up p 87

1715 Reuben https://archive.org/stream/parishregisterof00chri#page/90/mode/2up p 90

1716 Mary https://archive.org/stream/parishregisterof00chri#page/96/mode/2up p 96

1719 Catherine https://archive.org/stream/parishregisterof00chri#page/104/mode/2up p 104

1722 John https://archive.org/stream/parishregisterof00chri#page/110/mode/2up p 110

1724 Benjamin https://archive.org/stream/parishregisterof00chri#page/114/mode/2up p 115

1726 James https://archive.org/stream/parishregisterof00chri#page/120 p121

1729 Daniel https://archive.org/stream/parishregisterof00chri#page/126/mode/2up p 126 ^

^^Ralph Shelton signed his will 10 March 1733 in Middlesex Co VA. citation: Middlesex Will Book Vol B 1713-1734 pp 418-419

Ralph Shelton died 13 March 1733 citation: The Parish Register of Christ Church Middlesex County VA p189 https://archive.org/stream/parishregisterof00chri#page/188/mode/2up ^^

After Ralph Shelton's death, his widow, Mary, wed a man surnamed Clark; Mary Clark's will named her Shelton children {births listed in: The Parish Register of Christ Church}; Mary's death 1750-1771 {will dated 1750 / exhibited in court 1771} Citation Pittsylvania County, VA Deed & Will Book #5, pp 369-371
NOTE: Although it may be uncomfortable to accept, Mary's maiden surname has not, to date, been proven with valid, verifiable, consistent with the time period, Bible, Church, government, court, documentation. Perhaps it is more respectful to Mary, to her husband Ralph, to her descendants, to her family of origin - whoever they were - to let her be Mary, rather than dishonor her with a surname that is speculation.

NOTE: Y-DNA evidence collected { https://tinasgenealogy.com/dna.html } indicates there are a number of genetically different Shelton family lines; Ralph Shelton d 1733 is found, in this collection, in the Middlesex Co VA group, and to date there is no known record of an Ancestor, with a genetic match, predating Ralph Shelton d 1733.