Martha (Unknown) Pittman (abt. 1614 - 1672)

Born about 1614 in Surry, Colony of Virginia [uncertain]

Wife of Thomas Atkinson Sr. — married 1632 in Virginia

Wife of Thomas Gwaltney — married before 1655 (to 1666) in Surry County, VA

Wife of Thomas Pittman I — married 4 Oct 1666 (to Oct 1672) in Surry County, VA

Descendants

Died 1672 at about age 58 in Surry County, Colony of Virginia

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Laurie Pitman [send private message] and Thom McGuire [send private message]

Biography

Copied from http://gwaltney.faithweb.com/

The first Gwaltney to America was Thomas Gwaltney (1613-1666) who immigrated in the year 1635 aboard the ship, Falcon, with the shipmaster being Tom Irish. The ship's destination was for the Barbadoes Islands (which I am sure was to obtain spices and other natural products for the British Isles). The young 22-year old Thomas Gwaltney was from Wales, as Gwaltney is a derivative of the Welsh name Gwalchmai.

The boat was to make its stop at Barbadoes and then drop off some New World settlers at Jamestown before its return to England. We will probably never know what motivated young Thomas Gwaltney to migrate to America..perhaps political uncertainty in the British Isles, perhaps just the chance for adventure... however, We do know that a good Quaker man, William Yarrett and his friend Frances Whittington provided for the transportation of Thomas Gwaltney (or Gualmay as listed on the passenger list) and the transportation of several others, including the wife of Ambrose Proctor of Isle of Wight county. Anytime a person sponsored the transportation of someone from England to the new colony, he received 50 acres per person in the form of a land patent.

This system was called the headright system. For example, Thomas Gwaltney was William Yarrett's headright. With the headright system, William Yarrett received 50 acres for his headright ,Thomas Gwaltney, once it could be proven and documented that Thomas had indeed settled in the Virginia colony, had built his homestead, and worked here for a 3 to 7 year period. Upon completion of these requirements, William Yarrett was able to turn in his "headrights" and receive his land grant. Yarrett did not actually receive his grant for providing Thomas Gwaltney's transportation until 1650. I am not sure why it took 15 years for Yarrett to receive the land grant if Thomas Gwaltney had set sail for the colony back in 1635.

Thomas Gwaltney ended up settling on the southside of the James River, and marrying a lady by the name of Martha Atkinson. Martha had previously been married to a Thomas Atkinson and had a son with him. So when Thomas married Martha, he also was bringing a step-son into his family. Around 1655, Thomas and Martha conceived a child, William, who was to carry on the Gwaltney name. Whether they had other children together is not for sure ( I have read where some thought he had a daughter named Nancy or Susannah). However, in his will, Thomas Gwaltney mentions no other children but William--perhaps because he had no other surviving children or perhaps because any daughters had been married off. By 1666, Thomas Gwaltney had died at the age of 53, and Martha Gwaltney ended up marrying a Thomas Pittman who now had the responsiblity of raising and educating young William Gwaltney.

But by July, 1666, Thomas [Gwaltney] was dead at only about 53 years of age. He left behind a wife, a young son William who was only around 11 or so years old, and the Atkinson step-son. Thomas' will was probated in September of 1666, and his widow, Martha, wasted no time--for in 1667 she found another Thomas to marry (she must have liked Thomases)--this time a Captain Thomas Pittman, who already had two sons about the age of young William Gwaltney. Of course, Martha herself died within several years, for by 1672, Thomas Pittman had remarried another widow, Lidia Judkins.

And young William Gwaltney was apparently the sole Gwaltney in the colonies with his 200 acre inheritance.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ http://gwaltney.faithweb.com/beginnings.html

See also:

• http://gwaltney.faithweb.com
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 30 December 2017, 04:28), entry for Mary Martha Gwaltney(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:L8SY-ZFJ); contributed by various users.
• Source: S-1376146783 Repository: #R-1568441387 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. 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. Ancestry Family Trees http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=35299314&pid=1642
• Repository: R-1568441387 Ancestry.com
• Related Gemi Records (not well sourced):

• https://www.geni.com/people/Mary-Martha-Pitman/6000000006100511190
• https://www.geni.com/people/Thomas-Atkinson-Sr-of-Surry/6000000002957790125?through=6000000006100511190
• https://www.geni.com/people/Thomas-Gualmay-later-Gwaltney-Jr/6000000002442438920?through=6000000006100511190
• https://www.geni.com/people/Capt-Thomas-Pitman-of-Surry-County/6000000007857276531?through=6000000006100511190

• “Descendants of Thomas Pitman (1614 – about 1686) of Surry County, Virginia” - http://sites.rootsweb.com/~vaschsm/PitmanT.rtf
• Surry County records, Surry County, Virginia, 1652-1684

• WikiTree profile Gweltna-1 created through the import of stacy murr family tree.ged on Oct 4, 2012 by Stacy Krout.