Joshua Butler Sr. (abt. 1661 - 1725)

Born about 1661 in Westmoreland County, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Grace (Page) Ripley — married 1694 in Stafford, Virginia

Descendants

Died 1725 at about age 64 in King George County, Colony of Virginia

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Biography

NOTE: Reference numbers at the end of each sentence match up with numbered references under Sources.

Joshua Butler, the son of Thomas Butler and Anne (Baldridge) Baynham, is believed to have been born in about 1665/1666 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. 1,2 He appears to have been married in Virginia in about 1703/1704 to a woman named Grace Page, the daughter of William Page (also written Paige). 3,4 Even though the actual date and place of Joshua and Grace’s marriage are not known, the above time period seems fairly reasonable to me considering the fact that Joshua’s will indicates they had two children prior to 1708/1709. 4 Either a little after, or a little before their marriage, Joshua is known to have been residing in Stafford County, Virginia, as the Stafford County Court records indicate that Joshua Butler was purchasing various items from the estate of Mr. David Jenkins for 1,355 pounds of tobacco on 9 August 1704. 5 Joshua was later found on 4 October 1706 purchasing a parcel of land from a Mr. William Chaplin of Overwharton Parish in Stafford County, Virginia for 2,500 pounds of tobacco. 6 This land was located on the south side of Aquia Creek between the Potomac River and the main road. 6

Although Joshua and Grace appear to have resided in Stafford County, Virginia for about eleven years after their marriage, they were later found residing in Richmond County, Virginia, where they purchased 283 acres of land on 29 July 1715. 7 This property was situated on a branch of Marsh Run, also commonly called the Horsepen Branch, in that portion of Richmond County, Virginia that was later formed into King George County, Virginia in 1720. 7,8

Joshua Butler died in 1725 in King George County, Virginia. 4 Although the actual date upon which Joshua wrote his will is not known, it was subsequently submitted for probate on 3 September 1725 in King George County, Virginia by his widow and Executrix, Grace Butler. 4

After Joshua passed away, Grace is found purchasing an additional 259 acres of land in King George County, Virginia on 14 July 1727. 9 This property was situated in the same area as the property purchased in 1715, and adjoined lands held by her son, Joshua Butler, Jr. 9 Sometime after Grace purchased the above property in 1727, she was apparently married in King George County, Virginia for a second time to a man named Thomas Ripley (also written Riphley). 10

Thomas Ripley and his wife, “Grace Ripley, alias Butler now wife of the said Thomas Riphley” later sold the above mentioned 259 acres of land to a man named William McBee on 28 April 1730 for two thousand pounds of "Good and merchantable tobacco in cask at the rolling house within this county ..." 10 Five years later, on 28 July 1735, Grace (Page) Butler Ripley and her son, Joshua Butler, Jr., of Hamilton Parish in Prince William County, Virginia sold the 283 acre parcel of land that had been purchased in Richmond County, Virginia in 1715 to a Mr. Thomas Turner of Hannover Parish in King George County. 11 Although it is believed that Grace probably died in Prince William County, Virginia, the actual date of her death is not known.

Although the below named children are listed in the same order as they were named in Joshua Butler’s will, their actual order of birth is not known. 4 In trying to determine what county Joshua and Grace’s children were born in, however, we know that when Joshua wrote his will, the last five children named were under sixteen years of age, and would therefore have been born after 1708/1709. 4 As such, the first two children named, Dackis and Joshua, were apparently born in Stafford County, Virginia.

With respect to their last five children, it appears that Joshua and Grace were residing in Stafford County, Virginia until about 1715 when they purchased 283 acres of land in Richmond County, Virginia. With a gap of six or seven years between 1708/1709 and 1715, this could easily account for the birth of two, and possible three other children having been born in Stafford County, Virginia. With a gap now of five years between 1715 and 1720 when a portion of Richmond County was formed into King George County, Virginia, this could easily account for the birth of the last two children having been born in Richmond County, Virginia. There is also a possibility that their last child, William, could have been born in King George County, Virginia after it was formed in 1720, but it simply is not known.

Issue: (Surname Butler)

1. Dackis (Dorcas) - b. in Stafford Co., VA. 4,5,7; m. Thomas Welch in King George Co., VA. 12; d. in Prince William Co., VA. 13,14

2. Joshua, Jr. - b. in Stafford Co., VA. 4,5,7; m. (unknown) in VA. 3; d. possibly in Fauquier Co., VA. 3

3. Christopher - b. in Stafford Co., VA. 4,5,7; m. Mary Catherine Martin in VA. 3

4. John - b. in Stafford Co., VA. 4,5,7; m. Elizabeth Beech in Prince William Co., VA. 3; d. in Culpeper Co., VA. 3

5. Elizabeth - b. in Stafford Co., VA. 4,5,7

6. Mary - b. in Richmond Co., VA. 4,7; m. 7 April 1741 to Thomas Stone in Prince William Co., VA. 15,16; d. in Fauquier Co., VA. 16

7. William - b. in Richmond Co., VA. 4,7; m. Mary (MNU) in Prince William Co., VA. 3; d. in Culpeper Co., VA. 3

Sources

1. Genealogical information regarding “William A. Hagey - Berryman Archive, Richmond Virginia. Information posted on 6 July 1999 by William Deyo. (genealogy.com) https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/berryman/239/

2. Fothergill, Augusta Bridgland. Wills of Westmoreland County, Virginia, 1654-1800. “Will of Dorothy Baldrige.” Page 6. Richmond, VA: Appeals Press, 1925. (familysearch.org)

3. Katherine’s Genealogy Page. Compiled by Katherine (Bridgman) McClure of Plumerville, Arkansas. Last updated on 17 January 1915. Includes “Descendants of Joshua Butler and Grace Page.” (freeservers.com) http://mcclure.freeservers.com/joshbutl.htm

4. Will Books, 1721-1901; General Index to Wills, 1752-1948. Virginia, County Court (King George County, Virginia). George Harrison Sanford King [added Author]. Will Book A-1,1721-1751. Pages 31-32. “Will of Joshua Butler - undated, and probate.” King George County, Virginia, County Court. (familysearch.org)

5. Deed and Will Abstracts of Stafford County, Virginia, 1699-1709. Pages 85-88. Compiled and published by Ruth Trickey Sparacio and Sam Sparacio. “Mentions Joshua Butler purchasing items from David Jenkins estate.” McLean, VA: Antient Press, 1987-1992. (familysearch.org)

6. Deed and Will Abstracts of Stafford County, Virginia, 1699-1709. Page 305. Compiled and published by Ruth Trickey Sparacio and Sam Sparacio. “Mentions Joshua Butler purchasing land from William Chaplin.” McLean, VA: Antient Press, 1987-1992. (familysearch.org)

7. Virginia County Records. Edited by William Armstrong Crozier. Volume X, Part I, 1912. (Index to Land Grants, Richmond County gives the source of this document as Book No. 5, Page 84). “Mentions Joshua Butler acquiring 283 acres of land in Richmond County, Virginia.”

8. The Handy Book for Genealogists, United States of America. 8th Edition. Logan, Utah: The Everton Publishers, Inc., 1995

9. Deed Abstracts of King George County, Virginia, 1721-1735. Compiled and published by Ruth Trickey Sparacio and Sam Sparacio. “Mentions Grace Butler purchasing 259 aces of land.” McLean, VA: Published by Authors, 1986. (familysearch.org)

10. Deed Abstracts of King George County, Virginia, 1721-1735. Compiled and published by Ruth Trickey Sparacio and Sam Sparacio. “Mentions Thomas Ripley and Grace selling 259 acres of land to William McBee.” McLean, VA: Published by Authors, 1986. (familysearch.org)

11. Deed Abstracts of King George County, Virginia, 1721-1735. Compiled and published by Ruth Trickey Sparacio and Sam Sparacio. “Mentions Grace Ripley and Joshua Butler, Jr. selling 283 acres of land to Thomas Turner.” McLean, VA: Published by Authors, 1986. (familysearch.org)

12. Deed Abstracts of King George County, Virginia, 1721-1735. Compiled and published by Ruth Trickey Sparacio and Sam Sparacio. “Mentions Relinguishment of dower by Dackis Welch, wife of Thomas Welch.” McLean, VA: Published by Authors, 1986. (familysearch.org)

13. General index to deeds, 1732-1887; deeds, 1731-1869; election poll, 1840. Volume B, 1732-1735. Page 173. “Mentions Thomas Welch witnessing deed in Prince William Co., VA.” Prince William County (Virginia). County Clerk. (familysearch.org)

14. County Court Minute and Order Books, 1752-1869. Minute Book, 1752-1753, Page 71. “Thomas Welch probate.” Virginia. County Court (Prince William County). (familysearch.org)

15. Stone, Charles H. The Stones of Surry. Revised Edition. Charlotte, North Carolina: The Observer Printing House, 1955. “Excerpt from the account book of Captain John Crump, Sheriff for Hamilton Parish, Prince William County, Virginia, for the period 1751-1755.” (hathitrust.org) and (archive.org)

16. Stone, William M. The Chronicle of Thomas Stone of Hamilton Parish in Colonial Virginia. Lenox, Massachusetts: Published Privately by Author, April 2009. [also] Includes National Archives and Records Administration Records (NARA), as well as correspondence and additional Stone family information provided the Author by Mr. William M. Stone of Lenox, Massachusetts.

Acknowledgements

Updated biography, refences and some editing entered by Jack E. MacDonald-10654.

• WikiTree profile Butler-2534 created through the import of grover.ged on Jan 27, 2012 by Rhonda Shuck.

• Thank you to Timothy Wells for creating WikiTree profile Butler-3797 through the import of My-Family-6-Feb-2013.ged on Feb 6, 2013.