Uriah Humphries was born in Northumberland County,Virginia about 1740 to Joseph Humphries and Elizabeth Tignor. The birth date is extrapolated from earlier birth dates of Joseph's children found in Beverly Fleets records. He participated in Captain Posey's Company of Regulars in the French and Indian Wars for which he received bounty land. He continued in the militia in Captain John Pryor's Company and was promoted from Ensign to Second Lieutenant and to Lieutenant prior to being dischared in 1780. He is listed in West Virginia Patriots and inscribed in the DAR list of patriots. He married Sarah Reynolds in Botetourt County about 1769 and seven children were born to this marriage. He provided horses for Colonel William Christian's Cherokee Indian Expedition in 1776 and 1783. At that time, he is listed as having 17 horses, 28 cattle and 10 slaves. In 1785, he is listed on the tax list for Botetourt County,Virginia as living in Pryor District (name is listed as Humphros). While living in Botetourt County, he was a leading citizen and is listed as constable, keeper of an ordinary, a merchant and a soldier. He appears on many pages of Botetourt County Order Book and held a variety of county positions (Surveyor, Overseer of the Road and Deputy Sheriff). In March 1782, Uriah was to show cause why he should not appear as a witness in the trial of his brother Spencer who was accused of Counterfeiting. He resigned as Deputy Sheriff soon after this. On May 8,1787 Uriah was cited by the County Court for retailing liquors contrary to law and for not keeping the bridge in repair. He owned large tracts of land and was involved in several suits. Uriah moved to Clarke County, Georgia prior to 1798. In 1798 his wife Sarah filed for divorce from Uriah. He subsequently is cited in Superior Court with living in adultery with Nancy Burks. Three children were apparently born to this union prior to marriage and it is not clear that they were ever legally married. Nine children were born of this union. Uriah accumulated large tracts of land and possessed about 4000 acres on his death, 2000 in Virginia and 2000 in Georgia. He gifted much of this land to his children prior to his death. In the 1817 tax list for Clark County, Uriah is shown as paying taxes for 2000 acres for the Few Survey, 800 adjoining acres in Jackson County, 360 acres from the Lane Survey, 372 acres from the Pope & Tidwell Survey and 950 acres from the Gorhum Survey in Jackson County - a total of 4, 482 acres in Georgia. He died in February,1817 and his will (listed July 26,1816) was probated. The will stated that the land and slaves were to be left to the wife and children of the second marriage, with the children of the first marriage receiving one shilling each. This will was contested by the first family, as Uriah had predicted in the will and a special jury was impanelled to try the issue. The jury found that the Testator was of sound mind at the time of making the will; therefore the will was valid. However, the will was not executed according to the statue of frauds and perjury. Consequently, the personal property was distributed in accordance with the will and the real estate divided in accordance with the law of intestacy - each child receiving equal shares. This case was apparently appealed to the State Supreme Court, further records have not been found. One of the executors of the will was Thomas Mitchell, great-grandfather of Margaret Mitchell - the author of Gone with the Wind. His site of burial is not known.
References:
1.Roger S. Powell,Burke's Peerage-Humphries descendents.
2.Gone to Georgia by Wm C. Stewart pub. National Genealogical Society,Washington D.C.1979.
3.Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776(GPS,1965) pg. 56.
4.Compilation of West Virginia Patriots, Anne Waller Reddy.
5.Botetourt Tax List 1785.
6.Botetourt County Order Book.
7.Augusta County,Ga Judgement, OS 2 NS1, OS 171 NS60.
8.Superior Court Minutes of Clarke Co. Ga 1801-1808 pg 19 and 4