Elizabeth (Bray) Stith (abt. 1692 - bef. 1774)

Born about 1692 in Virginia Colony

Ancestors

Wife of Arthur Allen III — married 27 Nov 1711 (to 1727) in Surry County, Virginia Colony

Wife of Arthur Smith IV — married 17 Feb 1729 (to 1754) in Surry County, Virginia Colony

Descendants

Died before 22 Feb 1774 before about age 82 in Surry County, Colony of Virginia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Ron Solyntjes [send private message]

Biography

Elizabeth Bray married Arthur Allen on November 27, 1711^[1] and after his death sixteen years later she managed his Surry County plantation and large brick home that later became known as Bacon's Castle. In order to secure the property that she had inherited for herself and her children, in 1729 she entered into a marriage contract with Arthur Smith. In 1753 she established a £140 trust fund to create a free school for six poor boys and girls in Smithfield. She named the trustees and gave directions for the construction of the building. She specified that boys would study reading, writing, and arithmetic for three years and that girls would study reading and writing for two years. After their schooling the boys would be apprenticed to learn a trade and the girls would learn about household matters from local women.

After her third marriage early in the 1760s, Elizabeth Smith continued her interest in the school. When she wrote her will, she provided for the education of a goddaughter and left £120 and the remainder of her estate to the Smithfield school, which continued to operate at least until the Revolutionary War. She was a wealthy woman with personal property valued at £350, including five enslaved laborers, when she died shortly before her will was proved in the Surry County Court on February, 22, 1774.^[2]

Arthur married an extraordinary woman, Elizabeth Bray, on November 27, 1711. The daughter of a prominent James City County man, James Bray, Elizabeth was known throughout the area as an astute, intelligent and strong-willed woman. She is a key figure in the history of Bacon’s Castle not only because of her formidable reputation, but because she played such a huge role in running the estate for 63 years. ^[3]

Note

Note: Lived Through King Philip's War, 1675-1676

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=46f46af0-6884-47ee-a27d-7c4f0536b7dd&tid=7221440&pid=942032179

Note: Puritan_ Ancestor

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=cfb2f47a-48ff-4fcb-a583-679f6f903ae5&tid=7221440&pid=942032179

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/dvb/bio.asp?b=Allen_Elizabeth_Bray
2. ↑ Wikipedia Virginia Women in History. 2015 honorees.
3. ↑ http://virginiacolonialhouses.com/arthur-allen-iii.html

• https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3818&context=etd
• The William and Mary Quarterly Volume 5 No2 Will of Elizabeth Stith, proved February, 22, 1774.
• National Register of Historic Places Lower Church, Southwark Parish, Bacons Castle, Surry County, Virginia.
• Source: #S-899753593

Page: Ancestry Family Trees

Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=7221440&pid=942032179

Repository: #R-899753595

Title: Ancestry Family Trees

Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.

Note: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.

Acknowledgments

This person was created through the import of Beaman Family Tree.ged on 31 March 2011.