William Horton Gent. (abt. 1628 - aft. 1699)

Husband of Margaret (Bridges) Horton — married 1652 (to about 1661) in Westmoreland, Virginia

Descendants

Died after 31 Oct 1699 after about age 71 in Washington Parish, Westmoreland, Virginia

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Biography

William Horton Gent. was a Virginia colonist.

Born: William Horton's birth date is unknown, but in a deposition given in the Stafford County Court dated March 10, 1686/7, he identified himself as being age 61 or thereabouts.^[1] Therefore, William would have been born around 1628 or so. Some have stated that his middle name was Kimble, but this does not appear in deeds and other recorded writings. There was another important Gent. in Virginia at this time whose name was [[Kimball-1397|William Kimball].

Married: It is believed that William Horton was married to Margaret Bridges. If so, she may have been the sister or daughter of Anthony Bridges, another prominent Westmoreland, Virginia lawyer.

Member of the Westmoreland Bar: Although he often referred to himself as a "surveyor", William Horton was one the first men called to the Bar of the Court of Westmoreland County, Virginia.^[2] There are a number of Wills in Westmoreland County that refer to a William Horton: (1) Fieger, William, Order of 21, Nov. 1677, authorizing the payment to William Horton of a fee of 400 lbs. of tobacco from the Estate of Mr. Feiger for drafting Mr. his Will,^[2] (2) Jones, Thomas, 9 May, 1698, legatee;^[3][4] (3) Newell, John, 26 April 1698. legatee identified as "friend William Horton, gent." and named as Executor as well as Guardian of William Newell, a minor;^[3][4] and (4) Hines, Zachariah, being bound for England, 13 March 1697, William Horton to be Executor.^[3][4]

Public Offices:

Justice of Westmoreland County Court: In 1677, William Horton began serving as one of the Justices of the Westmoreland County Court.^[5] He served periodically thereafter with his last mention on October 31, 1699/1700.^[6]

Member, Commission of the Peace, Westmoreland County: On Augut 15, 1677, William Horton was appointed to the Commission of the Peace.^[7]

Sheriff of Westmoreland County: In May of 1682, William Horton was appointed Sheriff of Westmoreland County.^[8] He was reappointed in November 30, 1687 ^[9] and May 30, 1688.^[10]

Surveyor of Westmorland County: In 1661, William Horton was appointed Surveyor of Westmoreland County.^[11]

Court Appointed Surveyor: The Westmoreland Court appointed William as an independent survey in at least two quiet title/trespass cases:(1) Thomas Voule v. Francis Wright, Gentlemen, Order Book (1675-1688), p. 258 (June 26, 1682) and (2) In Re: Probate of William Rush I, Order Book (27 Jan 1691/92), p. 46.

Surveyor of Stafford County: An appointment by Thomas Lord Culpepper on October 6, 1679 confirms that William Horton was then the present surveyor of Stafford County.^[12]

Landowner: Between 1661 and 1670, William Horton received a number of very large land grants, some alone, and several more as a tenant in common with others. Many of these are abstracted at Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia's Northern Neck Counties.^{[13] [14]}

Land Grants Identified In Crozier and at the Library of Virginia:

Crozier, W.A., Virginia County Record Publications, Vol. I, Westmoreland County^[3] lists the following land grants to William Horton: (1) Book 5-215, February 9, 1663, to William Horton and William Heabard, 1,600a^[15], (2) Book 5-227, February 9, 1663, to William Horton and John Lord, 2,500a (where present Montrose, Henrico, Virginia is located)^[16], (3) Book 6-76, April 17, 1667, to William Horton and John Lord 1,544a^[17], (4) Book 6-179, yr. August 6, 1668, to William Horton and others, 2,000a,^[18] and (5) Book 6-325, October 14, 1670, to William Horton and others, 1,227a.^[19]

Additional Land Grants Identified in Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants:

Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, Volume 1, 1694-1742 (Complied by Gertrude Gray, Clearfield Publishing, Baltimore, MD 2008), contains the following references to William Horton: (1) Book 2-2 (p. 1) Warrant for 1,100 acres to William Horton on Dodson's Creek October 1, 1694, (2) Book 2-10 (p. 3) survey of William Horton. (3) Book 2-29 (page 3), survey by William Horton of October 9, 1694, (4) Book 3-118 (p. 33) survey by William Horton of September 5, 1683, (5) Book 5-157 (p.65) conveyance by William Horton to Benjamin Berryman of January 23, 1693, (6) Book 5-172 (p.66) conveyances of March 26, 1718 involving the heirs of Lord John Miles and William Horton, and (7) 5-204 (p. 68) conveyance from William Wheeler to William Horton and others of 100 acres). See also, Virginia Colonial Abstracts.^[20]

Additional Land Grants at the Library of Virginia and in County Records:

Additional Land Grants at the Library of Virginia include: (1) a Land Grant of February 9, 1663, to William Horton, 600a^[21] and (2) a Land Grant of April 17, 1657 to William Horton and John Lord, 1544a.^[22]

Additional Land Grants in Westmoreland County Records include: (1) Land Grant of September 4, 1661.^[23] (2) Land Grant of October 23, 1665 for the transportation of two persons to the Colony of Virginia,^[24]

Stafford County Partition Cases: On August 29, 1666, the Stafford County Court granted the partition request of Col. Peter Ashton against Col. Gerrad Fowke, William Horton, Thomas Grigg and Richard Granger to sever title to 2,000 acres. owned by the parties.^[25] On December 11, 1667, the Stafford County Court granted the partition requests of Col. Peter Ashton, Capt. John Alexander, William Horton and Stelle to sever title to lands in the same county.^[26]

Last Will and Testament Establishing the Round Hill Parish School: In his Will written in 1700, William Horton endowed the Round Hill Parish in Washington, Westmoreland County, Virginia by giving it 440 acres for the maintenance of minister and establishment of a Parish School for the teaching of reading, writing and arithmetic, without charge, to children in the Parish. The school was likely opened after William Horton's death.^[27] The Will is lost, as all wills of Westmoreland are lost from August 30, 1699 to September 24, 1701. (Court Order Book 1688-1705, fol. 104.) Orders related to the Will show that it was proven on February 29, 1700 on the oaths of George Thorne, Daniel Mills and Richard Cockein and that Capt. Charles Ashton and George Eskridge were appointed as Executors to take the Inventory and complete the Probate of "William Horton, Gent."^[28][14][29] It was ordered that George Thorne, Daniel Mills and Richard Cockhein each be paid 40 lbs. of tobacco for attendance of one day at court for proof of the Will.

Act of Virginia House of Burgesses Arising Out Of William Horton, Gent.'s Will: Years after William's Probate was closed, the Parish wished to sell some of the lands and use the proceeds to build a rectory for the Parish minister. This use required the passage of an Act by the Virginia House of Burgesses. The Enrolled Act, passed in 1752, refers to the gift by William Horton of the lands in his Last Will and Testament dated January 10, 1700.^[30]

Research Notes

The first mention of William Horton in the Stafford County Court Order book is in October of 1665 (only one year after Stafford County's creation) when he was non-suited in three cases and ordered to pay costs.^[31]

By instrument dated September 21, 1696, William Horton, Gent., of Westmoreland County, Virginia, for love and affection, granted 100 acres to George Shears, orphan son of Alexander Shears. Virginia, Westmoreland, Court Order and Deed Book, 1696 Available here

By instrument dated April 26, 1698, William Horton, Gent., of Westmoreland County, Virginia, quit claimed all of his interest in 100 acres to John Frankling, orphan son of John Frankling. Virginia, Westmoreland, Court Order and Deed Book, 1698 Available here

Thomas Horton and Elizabeth Horton have been detached as parents. There is no source connecting them. Moreover, Thomas Horton was transported to Virginia is 1655 which was the same year that William Horton was first mentioned as qualifying for the Bar in Stafford County. If Thomas had been transported with his son, then William (as an adult) would also have been recorded in the ship's registry and a later application for patent based upon transport would have issued in his name.

Sources

1. ↑ Deposition of William Horton, March 10, 1686/7, Virginia, Stafford County, Record book, 1686-1694
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Bruce, P.A. Institutional history of Virginia in the seventeenth century; an inquiry into the religious, moral, educational, legal, military, and political condition of the people based on original and contemporaneous records, pp. 566 & 583 Available here
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Crozier, W.A., Virginia County Record Publications, Vol. I, Westmoreland County, p. 63 (Genealogical Publishing, Baltimore, MD 1962) Available here
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Westmoreland County Will Abstracts Available here
5. ↑ Virginia, Westmoreland County Court, Order Book 1, p. 93 Available here
6. ↑ Virginia, Westmoreland County Court, Order Book 1698-1705, p. 98Available here
7. ↑ Virginia, Westmoreland County Court, Order Book 1, p. 330 Available here
8. ↑ Virginia, Westmoreland County Court Order Book 1, p. 579 Available here
9. ↑ Virginia, Westmoreland County Court Order Book 1, p. 614 Available here
10. ↑ Virginia, Westmoreland County Court Order Book 1, p. 642 Available here
11. ↑ William Horton, surveyor in Westmoreland County in 1661
12. ↑ Court Record of Stafford County, Virginia, 1679 Available here
13. ↑ February 3, 1661 assignment of Land Grant of September 4, 1661, Westmoreland Deed Book, 1662, p. 185 Available here
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Stafford County, Virginia Deed and Will Book, 1686 - 1689, p. 38 (The Antient Press), cited in Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia's Northern Neck Counties
15. ↑ 1,600 ac. Land Grant of February 9, 1663 Available from the Library of Virginia here
16. ↑ 2,500 ac. Land Grant of February 9, 1663 Available from the Library of Virginia here
17. ↑ Land Grant of April 17, 1667 Available from the Library of Virginia here
18. ↑ Land Grant of August 6, 1668 Available at the Library of Virginia here
19. ↑ Land Grant of October 14, 1670 Available from the Library of Virginia here
20. ↑ Fleet, B, Virginia Colonial Abstracts, pp. 689-690 (Clearfield Pub., Baltimore, MD 1988) Available here
21. ↑ Land Grant of February 9, 1663, 600 ac. Available at the Library of Virginia here
22. ↑ Land Grant of April 17, 1657 to William Horton and John Lord, 1544a. Available at the Library of Virginia here
23. ↑ February 3, 1661 assignment of Land Grant of September 4, 1661, Westmoreland, Virginia Deed Book, 1662, p. 185 Available here
24. ↑ Patent of October 23, 1664, Westmoreland, Virginia Deed Book, 1665, p. 322 Available here
25. ↑ Ashton v. Fooke, Stafford County, Virginia, Court Order Book, August 1666 Term Available here
26. ↑ Ashton v. Alexander, Stafford County, Virginia, Court Order Book, December 1667 Term Available here
27. ↑ Wells, G.F., Parish Education in Colonial Virginia, p. 42 (Teachers College, Columbia University, New York 1923) reprinted at Available here
28. ↑ Virginia, Westmoreland, Court Order Book, 1700 Available here
29. ↑ Eaton, D.W., Historical Atlas of Westmoreland County, Virginia, p. 20 (University of Virginia 1942).
30. ↑ The Acts of Assembly Now in Force in the Colony of Virginia, with the Titles of Such as are Expired, Etc., Vol. 2, Act XXXIV, p. 35 (1752) Available here
31. ↑ Stafford, Virginia, Order book 1665 Available here