William Gilliam (Guilliam, Gilham, Gillum, etc.) is listed as a landowner in Charles City County in 1660. It is unclear how long he had been in Virginia before that.
Perhaps he was identical to the William Gilliam who had sailed to Virginia on the Constance at age 27 in 1635 from London. If so, he would have been born about 1608. That would make him over 50 years old by the time he appeared in the surviving records of the colony. But since so many of the records of Virginia's colonial past have been destroyed, one cannot draw any firm conclusions from that fact.
The only match on familysearch.org or freereg.org.uk for a William Gilliam (Gilham etc.) born in 1607 or 1608 is William Gillam, son of Joseph Gillam, chr. 2 Dec 1607 at Chiddingford, Surry. Joseph had married Joan Capelin there 19 Sept 1597.
The father Joseph Gillam was buried there 16 April 1622. That would have made William an orphan at age 15. There is no marriage record on freereg for William in Surry.
The closest marriage record that might relate is the marriage of William Gillum Senior," fisherman of Brithelmston, to the widow Dionisia Pierse 13 Nov 1630 at Lewes, Sussex. That sounds like a second marriage for both parties. If so, the groom was probably much older than the William Gillam who had been born in 1607 at Chiddingford.
Thus far this fits the profile of an emigrant to Virginia.
The children attributed to him in America seem to have been born in or about the 1660s, judging by when they start appearing in the records.
Land records in Charles City County demonstrate that William Gilliam had two sons, Jeffrey and Richard Gilliam. Other children have been attributed to him, but with less evidence or none at all.
Land Records
An abstract of the subject land record is as follows:
"Jeffery GILLAM of Charles City County, for 200 lbs. tobacco, conveys to John Hunt of the same place, 50 acres in Weyanoke Parish on the North side, formerly bought of Mr. Daniel Clark of this Co. by my father Wm. GILLAM and Jefry Munford jointly; and by sd. Munford (the survivor) made over to me as one of the heirs of my father on 5 April 1669. The land is between Seller Run and Oldmans Creek, being undivided from a parcel purchased by sd. Hunt from my brother Richard GILLAM and given to sd. Richard by sd. Munford. Dated 18 Jan 1692; recorded 3 Aug 1693. [1]
Even though death dates as late as 1712 have been asserted for William Gilliam (the constable), any such pretensions are rebutted by the above deed, which demonstrates that William Gilliam had died no later than 5 April 1669.
Family:
Immigration
Oct 1635 • Bound for Virginia
Wm Gillam, age 27, October, 1635, on the Constance, bound for Virginia
Levy
10 Oct 1660 • Charles City County, VA
It is ordered that 31 lb tobbo per poll be forthwith levied by the sherr upon ev'y tytheable person in this Com. and pd as foll: Ho[well]: Pryse for 1 by assignment of Wm Gilham 100 lb tobo. [2]
Jury: Cause of Death of John Prise
9 Jan 1662 • Charles City County, VA
Wee whose names are hereunto subscribed being upon the Jury concerning the death of John Prise doe finde to the best of o'r knowledge that the s'd John Prise did come to his untimely end by the reason of his running away from his M'r Rice Hoe and soe was starved for want of victualls w'ch runningaway we doe apprehend was by the meanes of the sad stripes what appeared upon his body give him by his Mrs. Susanna Hoe upon the 2'd of January but wee doe not finde any mortall wound upon him.
Jury: Daniell Clarke, Neal Sincler, Xfer: Aston, Wm. GILLUM, Rich. Bradford, John Hottly, Thos. Calloway, Thos. Turner, Phillip Owen, Thos. Richard, Jeoffrey Momford, Jno. Parish, [3]
Court Order
19 Jun 1664 • Charles City County, VA
Goodman Mumford and William GILLUM these are to certefie you both that you may freely goe upon your land w'ch I and Willm Hitchman sold you, without any doubt about your occatons. I had beene with you before now to give you assurance of your land but my occ'acons prevented me but God wiling I will be with you the next Court gett your bill of Sale ready nt else but that I am
Your friend,
Thos Spencer
June the 19th 1664
Whereas Tho. Spencer sold certeine land to Jefferey Momford and Willm GILLAM and promised by his lre produced in Court to appear here in August Court last to give them assurance thereof. The Court on request of the sd Momford and GILLUM doth hereby certefie whom it may concerne that the sd Spencer hath made no such appearance nor assurance at all neither in August Court aforesd nor any tyme since in this Com.
[4]
William Gilliam Sworn in as Constable
3 Jan 1665 • Weyanoke, Charles City County, VA
William Gillam sworn constable for Weyanoke, Charles City County, VA
[5]
Deed: Daniel Clarke to Jeffrey Mumford and William Gilliam
1 Jul 1665 • Charles City County, VA
Daniell Clarke, planter, of Oldman's Creek sells, for a bill of 5000 lb tobo rec'd to Jeofferey Mumford and Willim GILLUM "a tract of land joyneing to the horse path that goes to Jamestown." Further description of land in surveyors terms. All being 200 acres.
Signed Daniel Clarke
Wit: Tho. Porter, John Smyth
Recognit in cur, Aug 3 per Danl Clarke et Francise Clarke uxor
Test Hoel Pryse, Cl
Recorded 6 Aug 1665
[6]
Death
bef 5 Apr 1669 • Charles City County, VA
Deed: from Jeffrey GILLIAM of Charles City County to John Hunt
18 Jan 1692/3 • Charles City County, VA
Deed from Jeffrey GILLIAM of Charles City County, for 2000 pounds tobacco, to John Hunt of the same county, a tract of 50 acres on north side of Wynoak Parish, being part of a parcel of land formerly bought of Mr. Daniel Clarke of this county, by my father William GILLAM and Jefry Munford, joint purchasers, and by the said Mumford, the survivor, made over at court held at Westover 5 April 1669, to me as one of the heirs of my father, dec'd. The land is between Seller Run and Oldman's Creek, being undivided from a parcel purchased by said Hunt from my brother Richard GILLIAM, given to Richard by said Mumford.
Jefry (I) GILLAM
Dated 18 Jan 1692.
Wit: John Turner, Richard (X) Homes
Rec: 3 Aug 1693
[7]
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/50409290/person/13681510248/facts
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William is 25 degrees from Zendaya Coleman, 27 degrees from Sting Sumner, 17 degrees from Josh Brolin, 23 degrees from Timothée Chalamet, 19 degrees from José Ferrer, 20 degrees from Frank Herbert, 18 degrees from Richard Jordan, 19 degrees from David Lynch, 20 degrees from Virginia Madsen, 20 degrees from Charlotte Rampling, 29 degrees from Patrick Stewart and 21 degrees from Denis Villeneuve on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
That's why thus far I have an open mind as to whether the Constable of 1665 was the same person as the immigrant of 1635. If so, he would have been about 58 years old when sworn in. If not, he could have been born as late as, say, 1639.
Also, neither the William Gilliam who died at Whitechapel nor the William Gilliam who lived in tidewater Virginia at about the same time had a middle name of Devereux. Greg Gilliam has debunked this on his website - see the page labeled "Fact vs. Fiction."
Also the statement that "William Devereux Gilliam" was born in 1630 in St. Peter's Parish, New Kent County is bunk. Neither the parish nor that county existed at that time. Further, the earliest immigration record for a William Gilliam is 1635. To my knowledge, the first Virginia record that conclusively relates to my ancestor William Gilliam (Sheriff of Weyanoke) is dated 1662:
9 Jan 1662 (Charles City County record) Wee whose names are hereunto subscribed being upon the Jury concerning the death of John Prise doe finde to the best of o'r knowledge that the s'd John Prise did come to his untimely end by the reason of his running away from his M'r Rice Hoe and soe was starved for want of victualls w'ch running away we doe apprehend was by the meanes of the said stripes what appeared upon his body give him by his Mrs. Susanna Hoe upon the 2'd of January but wee doe not finde any mortall wound upon him. page 357. Daniell Clarke Neal Sincler [Christo]ffer: Aston Wm (x) GILLUM Rich: Bradford John (x) Hottly Thos: Calloway Thos (x) Turner Phillip Owen Thos (x) Richard Jeoffrey (IM) Momford Jno. (IP) Parish
That said, this a patent from 1659 mentioning land of William Gilliam probably belongs to him:
29 Apr 1659 Georg Browne, 200 acs. New Kent County - On N Side of the head of Ware Cr., South on [land of] William GILLMAN and Mr. Overman & SE on a branch parting it from Robert Harrison...."
Also an order from the Court the following year regarding tithing payments probably relates to the same man:
Ho[well]: Pryse for 1 [poll] by assignment of Wm Gilham 100 lb tobacco. 10 Oct 1660
Subsequently, on 3 Jun 1665, "Wm Gilham was sworn constable for Weynoke..." Charles City Co. court order.
I am not finding anything about him after about 1690. I would welcome input in that regard.
edited by Barry Wood