Martha (Bryant) Burton (1655 - aft. 1691)

Born 1655 in Westmoreland, Stafford, Virginia

Wife of Thomas Foley — married 1671 in Stafford, Virginia

Wife of William Burton — married 11 Mar 1689 in Stafford, Virginia

Descendants

Died after 1691 after age 36 in Stafford County, Virginia [uncertain]

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Biography

Almost nothing is known of Martha Bryant Foley (Folio) Burton, a woman who lived in Stafford County, Virginia, in the late 1600's.

See Research Notes below for Disputed Origins

Based on the death date of her first husband and the fact that they had four children before 1690 she was probably born about 1660-1665. Her parents, maiden name, birthdate and birthplace are unknown. She married first a man named Thomas Foley (Folio).^[1] They were the parents of five children,

1. Bryant Foley, born ca 1673 in Stafford Co., VA, and married to Mary Jones, ca 1707 in Stafford Co.,
2. Thomas Foley, born ca 1677,
3. Anne Foley, born ca 1677, and married to Benjamin Grigsby on September 5, 1726 at St. Pauls, Overwharton Parish, Stafford Co., VA,
4. John Foley, Sr., born ca 1678 in Stafford Co and died in 1762 in Stafford Co. He married Margaret Mann ca 1708 and Sarah White ca 1744,
5. Richard Foley, born ca 1685 in Stafford Co and died ca 1726 in Stafford Co.^[2]

Thomas died by 1690 ^[3] and left his property to his children. Before she remarried Martha made sure that the Foley children would receive their inheritance with this pre-nuptial agreement:

This Condicon made ye Second yeare of their Majties Reinge Kinge William & Queen Mary between Martha Folio Widow and Administratrix of her Husband Thomas Folio of ye one party and William Burton of ye other party both of Stafford County Wittnesseth that the said William Burton doth grant & promise with ye said Martha before Matrimony to pay to her Children as they come of age as follweth. To my Sonne Brian Folio one gun sent to his Father out of Englande, one younge Mare, one Cow & Calfe or with Calfe betweene three yeares old & Six, and to be delivered him at Sixteene yeare of age that is to say that if hee lives with us till he is one & twenty to Run on from Sixteen to one & twenty,to my Sonne John one gunne one Mare one Cow & Calfe in ye like manner as his Brother Brian too my Sonne Thomas one Mare, one Cow and Calfe to my sonne Richard one Mare one Cow & Calfe and these my Sonnes to have thier porcons like in my Sonne Brian att Sixteen if they live with us if not till the yeare one & twenty to my Daughter Anne one Mare one Cow & Calfe to be delivered all ye years of Sixteen or married and I ye said William Burton doe binde my self my heirs to ye pformance off all ye premises aboved said as Wittness or handes and Seales ye Fifth day of November 1690.

In presence of us

Richard Brian William Burton

Anne Brian Martha Folio

Recorded in ye County Court of Stafford November 8th 1690^[4]

Martha, the "widow and relict of Thomas Foley" married William Burton on 11 Mar 1690 in Stafford Co., VA ^[5]

Martha appears in no other records found to date. Her death date is unknown.

Research Notes

Marriage: Shaunessy???

Disputed Origins

There is no evidence that her father was the likely non-existent Richard Bryant, nor her mother the equally likely non-existent Keziah Arroyah. This claim was published in 2013 as oral tradition introduced by William "Bill" Deyo, historian of the Patawomeck tribe ^[6]

"The Bryan(t) family of Stafford County in the mid 1600s and beyond connects to the royal blood of the Patawomeck Indian Tribe through their last chief, Wahanganoche (alias Whipsewasson), nephew of the great chief, Powhatan, father of Pocahontas. The Bryant's and their descendants have multiple lines of descent from Wahanganoche and other members of the Patawomeck Tribe. The first generation of Indian blood included Dr. Richard Bryant, Martha Bryant (wife of Thomas Foley), Thomas Bryant, Silent Bryant, and others. Dr. Richard Bryant's son, also a Dr. Richard Bryant (d. 1749), married Seth Anderson, also of Indian blood of the royal line of the Pamunkey Tribe, who was also his cousin through the Patawomeck's. Since Dr. Richard Bryant Sr.'s wife, Anne (Meese) Redman, was the daughter of Henry Meese [but see note below], whose first wife is also believed to have been a daughter of Chief Wahanganoche, it is no wonder why the Bryant descendants form the greatest number of the current Patawomeck Tribe, officially recognized by the Stafford County Government., married Thomas Foley and left a number of children by him. Some of the Foley descendants intermarried with the Grigsby family, who were likely their cousins of the blood of Wahanganoche. Some branches of the Foley family still carry the tradition of their descent from Pocahontas."

NOTE: Henry Meese arrived in America about 1655, living in Maryland for several years and then crossing over to Virginia about 1660. He had a wife and children but they were all in England. His daughter Anne never came to America. There's a convoluted claim that John Ashton's wife Grace was actually Henry Meese's Indian daughter by Keziah Arroyo because Henry gave their child a gift! Henry kept his property in America, but he returned to England and lived out his life there. ^[7]

Others have claimed that she was the daughter of Richard Bryant, the man who witnessed her pre-nup, but this is chronologically impossible since they were contemporaries.

Sources

1. ↑ William Burton . . . having Intermarried Martha Folio the widow and relict of Thomas Folio late of this County deceased ", 11th March 160/1, Order Book Abstracts of Stafford County Virginia, 1691-1692, page 4, Pub. By Ruth and Sam Sparacio, McLean, Va., 1987; from the Allen Co., Library, Ft. Wayne, IN
2. ↑ [http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=unicmyth&id=I286 RootsWeb
3. ↑ Marth Folio (Stafford Co. Wills, Administrations, inventories Etc. 1664-1760); Virginia Will Records, indexed by Judith McGhan, Genealogical Pub. Co., Inc., 199
4. ↑ Ruth and Sam Sparacio (compilers), Order Book Abstracts of Stafford County, Virginia, 1664-1668, 1689-1690, McLean, Va., 1987: "Martha Folio the widow and relict of Thomas Folio late of this County deced" dated 9 Sep. 1690. in Stafford County, Virginia Record Book, page 169
5. ↑ Order Book Abstracts of Stafford County Virginia, 1691-1692, page 4, Pub. By Ruth and Sam Sparacio, McLean, Va., 1987; from the Allen Co., Library, Ft. Wayne, IN
6. ↑ William Deyo, formerly at http://www.patawomeckindians.org/patawomecktides2013.pdf (but link no longer works); we cannot find the original that included this quote, but there are several "articles" on the Patawomeck web site by Deyo here.
7. ↑ Jeanne Roberts, Colonel Henry Meease and His Wife blog

See also:

• Geni.com
• Colonial Settlers
• Find A Grave: Memorial #186275814