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William Shelton (abt. 1706 - bef. 1789)

William Shelton aka Chelton
Born about in Colony of Virginiamap [uncertain]
Ancestors ancestors
Son of [uncertain] and [uncertain]
Brother of
[spouse(s) unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died before before about age 83 in Albemarle, Virginia, United Statesmap
Profile last modified | Created 21 May 2011
This page has been accessed 2,345 times.
Multiple people may be conflated in this profile, i.e. information about different people may be combined and confused.
The Birth Date is a rough estimate. See the text for details.
US Southern Colonies.
William Shelton resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776.
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This is the profile of William Shelton of Albemarle Co VA who left a Will in 1787.

Contents

Biography

U.S. Southern Colonies Project logo
William Shelton was a Virginia colonist.

William, sometimes known as "the elder", was likely the son of William Shelton and Margaret Weatherstone from Middlesex, Virginia.[1]

The first record of him in Albemarle Co. is a land indenture dated 21 May 1749 between "William Shelton of Saint David Parish in the County of King William" and Frances and Mary Baker for 366 acres.[2] In 1758, "William Shelton of Albemarle County, Planter" gifted 400 acres to "Augustine Shepherd and Sarah Shepherd wife to the said Augustine Shepherd of Hanover County"; "William Shelton out of the paternal affection which I have and to bare to my said sone in law Augstine Shepherd and my Daughter Sarah Shepherd..."[3]

The name of his wife was first recorded in a 9 Jun 1759 land indenture "between William Shelton of the county of Albemarle, Planter and Patience his wife" where 349 acres was sold to Phillip King. "Patience was privately examined as the law directs."[4] She may have been Patience Thomas.[1][5]

He was later married to Elizabeth as noted in his will (NOT Elizabeth Rogers; see Research Notes).[6] According to one researcher, her name may have been Parks.[5]

Children & Family

William and Patience had children:

  1. Sarah, m. Augustine Shepherd

William and which wife is uncertain:

  1. John[6]
  2. Gedeon[6]
  3. Thomas[6]

An Albemarle reference notes "It is thought he was also the father of Henry and William."[7] If that were true, they would have predeceased him. Henry was actually the son of brother Thomas Shelton and died in 1799. It also describes his life: "A William Shelton, who died in 1789, lived on Mechum's River, not far from the present Depot. His wife's name was Elizabeth, and his children were John, Gideon and Thomas. In 1794 Thomas, his wife Mary, and his mother Elizabeth, conveyed what seemed to be Thomas's portion of the estate to Tarleton Woodson, and likely removed from the county. The relation of this family with others of the name cannot be ascertained."[7]

Will & Death

Last Will and Testament of William Shelton[6]
Albemarle County, Virginia.
23 July 1787.
June Court 1789 (proven).

His Will mentions:

  • my son John, indebted to me £11.10.11
  • my son Gedeon, indebted to me £13.10.0
  • George Thomas, indebted to me £12.14
  • this above money to my son Thomas
  • my wife Elizabeth, the plantation whereon I now live during her widowhood or life after marriage or decease, then to my son Thomas
  • my wife Elizabeth, all my moveable estate, except one horse bridle and saddle and the first colt that the mare raises, one feather bed, and furniture to my son Thomas
  • if my wife sees cause to leave the plantation, then all to fall to my son Thomas
  • my son John and all my first wife's children, each £0.5.0 sterling

Executors: my beloved wife Elizabeth Shelton, my son Thomas Shelton.
Ack: William Shelton.
Wit: Mouning Roberts, Joseph Roberts, Elizabeth Roberts.

Research Notes

Place Creation

  • Henrico County, Virginia, was created in 1634 as one of the eight original shires.
  • New Kent County, Virginia, was created in 1654 from York County.
  • Hanover County, Virginia, was created in 20 Nov 1720 from New Kent County.
  • Goochland County, Virginia, was created in 6 Mar 1727 from Henrico County.
  • Louisa County, Virginia, was created in 2 Jun 1742 from Hanover County.
  • Albemarle County, Virginia, was created in 16 Oct 1744, and was formed from Goochland County. Parts of Louisa County were added in 1761 and 1838.
  • Amherst County, Virginia, was created in 7 Apr 1761, and was formed from Albemarle County.
  • Nelson County, Virginia, was created in 23 Dec 1807 from Amherst County.

Often Conflated

These two William Sheltons are often conflated:

Which William Shelton?

A Shelton researcher, Mrs. Mildred Mildred Campbell Whitaker, made a number of errors in her 1927 genealogy covering the Shelton family[8] which have been repeated often in the past century. Errors included confusing this William Shelton of Albemarle Co. with William Shelton of neighboring Louisa Co., including their wives. James Morris Bagby corrected these errors in a 1968 article, "Which William Shelton?"[9]

Joseph Shelton's 1770 will in Louisa Co.[10] named his "brother William Shelton" (as well as Samuel, David, and John's sons John Jr and William plus sister Mary Truehart). He conferred "my tract of Land in Louisa County upon Owens Creek." This brother William was identified by Mrs. Campbell and others as William Shelton of Albemarle. However, the 1788 will of William Shelton of Louisa clarified this as he bequeathed land to his son James "being in the county of Louisa on both sides of Owens Creek. It being the seat of land my Brother Joseph Shelton devised to me by his will."

Also, both men had a wife named Elizabeth. The 1738 will of a Robert Rogers was probated in Goochland Co. in 1740. It mentioned "William Shelton & Elizabeth his wife one of the daughters of the said Robert Rogers" (a deceased son).[11] Campbell again thought this was William of Albemarle. However, a 1745 land indenture from William Rogers again clarified: "...and William Shelton of Louisa of the other part...all my right and title to that part of land...according to my father's will..."[12] Other sources are cited in the article. Additionally, "Each transaction by the two Williams indicates that William Shelton of Albemarle County signed with his mark and William of Louisa County with his signature. Nowhere did William the husband of Elizabeth Rogers sign with his mark."

Name

An unsourced prefix of Captain was previously listed.

Vital Statistics

Birth
An alternate birth date and place of 1709 in New Kent County, Virginia, was previously listed in the profile of Shelton-7463.

William was born in 1709.[citation needed]

He passed away before June 1789.[6]

Possible Records

The FamilySearch reference below is for a profile that includes as a source the Will of William Shelton of Albemarle County, Virginia.[6]

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 Florence Sutherland Hudson, "We Cousins" (Virginia to Texas), vol. 1 (San Benito, Texas: Self-published, 1957), p. 146-7; digitized image at https://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89082430406?urlappend=%3Bseq=164%3Bownerid=13510798887673444-176
  2. Albemarle County, Virginia, Will and deed book, v. 1 1748-1752, p. 131-3; Film number: 007644233 > image 119 of 306, FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-89PH-Z96M
  3. "Deeds, 1748-1917 ; general indexes 1748-1917", Catalog: Deeds, 1748-1917 ; general indexes 1748-1917 Deed books, v. 2-4 1758-1768, Book 2, p. 66-7; Film number: 007893699 > image 42 of 747, FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CS4X-5SX6-7
  4. "Deeds, 1748-1917 ; general indexes 1748-1917", Catalog: Deeds, 1748-1917 ; general indexes 1748-1917 Deed books, v. 2-4 1758-1768, Book 2, p. 124-5; Film number: 007893699 > image 71 of 747, FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CS4X-5SXQ-2
  5. 5.0 5.1 Mrs. Ray C. Dobbins, 808 St. Louis St, Gonzalex, TX, as cited in Genevieve Logan Prather and Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry,Descendants of Henry Shelton's Daughter, Ann,(Chillicothe, Missouri: E. P. Ellsbery), p. 3; digital images, FamilySearch Book: 354949
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 County Court, Albemarle County, Virginia, Virginia, Albemarle County, Wills, 1748-1919 ; general index, 1748-1930, Will books, v. 2-3 1752-1798; database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89P7-97NZ), image 287.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Edgar Woods. Albemarle County in Virginia: Giving Some Account of what it was by Nature, of what it was Made by Man, and of Some of the Men who Made it. Michie Company, printers; 1901. p. 314; digitized image at https://www.google.com/books/edition/Albemarle_County_in_Virginia/oX3hxtr5L24C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA314.
  8. Mildred Campbell Whitaker, Genealogy of the Campbell, Noble, Gorton, Shelton, Gilmour and Byrd Families: and numerous other families of prominence in America with whom they vave intermarried (St. Louis, Mo.: self-published, 1927); digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org/library/books/idurl/1/475892).
  9. Bagby, James Morris. "Which William Shelton?" The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1968):28-32; (FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 12), (American Ancestors).
  10. Louisa County, Virginia Will books, v. 3 1783 [1784]-1796, p. 29-30; Film number: 007676167 > image 27 of 690, FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C9TC-NSTW-Q
  11. "Deed books (with wills, inventories, etc.), 1728-1901; general indexes to deeds, wills, etc., 1728-1969", Catalog: Deed books (with wills, inventories, etc.), 1728-1901; general indexes to deeds, wills, etc., 1728-1969 Deed books [with wills, inventories, etc.], v. 1-3 1728-1742, Book 3, p. 374; Film number: 007645024 > image 648 of 743, FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-99P6-9Q5R
  12. "Deed books (with wills, inventories, etc.), 1728-1901; general indexes to deeds, wills, etc., 1728-1969", Catalog: Deed books (with wills, inventories, etc.), 1728-1901; general indexes to deeds, wills, etc., 1728-1969 Deed books [with wills, inventories, etc.], v. 4-5 1741-1749, Book 5, p. 49; Film number: 007645025 > image 331 of 602, FamilySearch Image: 3QSQ-G9P6-9SV7

See also - other family trees:

  • FamilySearch Person: LTXV-ZVN for Captain William Shelton (1709–1788). [unreliable, conflates the two William Sheltons]




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with William by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with William:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments: 26

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This comment was just posted to Shelton-7463, an apparent duplicate of this profile.

These three profiles are conflated in various ways:

This profile appears to be a duplicate for William Shelton (abt.1706-bef.1789) based on listing that William's Will when this profile was created, as well as attaching two sons listed in that Williams' Will.

This items should be corrected during the merge:

  • Use birth date and place of Shelton-369. (conflated with Shelton-1715).
  • Detach "wife" Rogers-35933. (conflated with wife of Shelton-1715)
posted by Ken Spratlin
Shelton-7463 and Shelton-369 appear to represent the same person because: See Conflated? research note which was then also posted to as a comment.
posted by Ken Spratlin
These three profiles are conflated in various ways:

This profile appears to be a duplicate for William Shelton (abt.1706-bef.1789) based on listing that William's Will when this profile was created, as well as attaching two sons listed in that Williams' Will.

This items should be corrected during the merge:

  • Use birth date and place of Shelton-369. (conflated with Shelton-1715).
  • Detach "wife" Rogers-35933. (conflated with wife of Shelton-1715)
posted on Shelton-7463 (merged) by Ken Spratlin
Thank you for noting whaat needs to be corrected in the merge. I will take care of that this weekend.
posted on Shelton-7463 (merged) by Nathan Bell
Apologies for the delay. I have removed PPP to facilitate the merge & clean up.
posted on Shelton-7463 (merged) by Scott McClain
I have submitted a request to remove PPP from this profile for the merge.
posted on Shelton-7463 (merged) by Ken Spratlin
US Southern Colonies Project Managed Profiles Team adding PMP/PPP—confused/conflated with others. Please continue to manage normally.
posted on Shelton-7463 (merged) by Ken Spratlin
Thanks. I rejected a match earlier that seemed like a different person, but your comment is appreciated. This is worth examining and this ancestry link should be interpreted cautiously in the interim.
posted on Shelton-7463 (merged) by Nathan Bell
I have obtained a copy of the article "Which William Shelton?" I mentioned below. I'm willing to revise this profile if that is acceptable to the US Southern Colonies Project.
posted by Kerry Larson
Yes, please proceed. Could we please get a preview of the changes suggested by this source, and whether it provides reliable sources for these changes?
posted by Ken Spratlin
edited by Ken Spratlin
The article uses all primary sources to correct the mistakes made by Mildred Campbell Whitaker in confusing William Shelton of Albemarle and William Shelton of Louisa.
posted by Kerry Larson
I'm finished with the primary revision. I request that the project remove the current parents which are known to be incorrect (see info at William Shelton Sr. (abt.1671-1734)) and re-connect him to William Shelton (bef.1680-) and Margaret (Weatherstone) Shelton (bef.1683-).
posted by Kerry Larson
edited by Kerry Larson
Done.

The biography says "likely the son of William Shelton and Margaret Weatherstone from Middlesex, Virginia". Can this be proven?

posted by Ken Spratlin
I'm unaware of a primary source document showing a direct link. This may be largely due to the massive loss of records in that era and region. As I understand it, there were two branches of Shelton's that migrated west out of Middlesex into Louisa/Albemarle, what are described as "Rural Plains" and "New Kent" branches. William Shelton of Louisa is from the "Rural Plains" branch and it's believed that William Shelton of Albemarle is from the "New Kent" branch. The Albemarle one is believed to be the brother of Thomas Shelton (1705-aft.1778) who is known to be a son of William and Margaret Shelton from a baptism record. "We Cousins", p. 146 is my source, but I don't know how the relationship was ascertained. It would be appropriate to mark the parents as uncertain.
posted by Kerry Larson
William Shelton, Jr., is not the son of Hannah (Armistead) Shelton (abt.1679-bef.1717). She has been incorrectly attached as wife of William Shelton Sr. (abt.1671-1734). Hannah actually married Capt. William Sheldon, not Shelton. She died prior to 1717 when her husband married his second wife, Katherine Nutting. See the profile of William Shelton, Sr., for records supporting Hannah's marriage to William Sheldon and reasons for removing William Shelton, Sr., and his children from her profile.

William Shelton, Jr., should be removed as son of Hannah Armistead.

Shelton-1715 and Shelton-7463 do not represent the same person because: I don't think these are the same person. The location of birth and death is different on the records, the list of children is completely different, and the date of death is different.
posted on Shelton-7463 (merged) by Nathan Bell
Just a note to say that according to the book cited in the image concerning his daughter Sarah's marriage to Augustine, Sarah Shelton's parents are listed as William Shelton Jr. and Patience (___)
posted by Tricia Appell
edited by Tricia Appell
In dealing with conflated profiles, I find it convenient to start splitting the biography in,two, i.e. Biography of William Shelton A and Biography of William Shelton B. Then start identifying and entering the facts and relationships belonging to each in the proper biography. Any facts that could be either go under Research Notes. I also use subheadings like Birth and Parents, Marriage, Death, and Children to under each biography to help identify which is why. Do all the work in the biography with citations for each fact, and it will become clear which is which. Then as a final step create an additional profile for one of the biographies and the two will be disentangled -- and with clarity as to which is which.
posted by Jack Day
edited by Jack Day
I think this profile has become conflated. When I edited it in 2017, I attached as his parents, William Shelton (Shelton-371) and Margaret Shelton (Weatherstone-28). Subsequently, a merge with Shelton-821 was completed and the parents were changed to the current. There is an article by James Babgy called "Which William Shelton?" that explains the differences. It was quoted at Rootsweb, but that link has died. Someone with an American Ancestors subscription might be able to pull it up (see in Sources). The "other" William Shelton is https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Shelton-1715 and is probably the Rural Plains one.
posted by Kerry Larson
It does appear that this profile may be conflated. Adding Category: US Southern Colonies, Conflated Profiles so we don't lose track of it.
posted by David Douglass
edited by David Douglass
So what do we need to do to fix the conflation problem?
posted by Jillaine Smith
Thanks, Kerry. I've added the link to the bio.
See "Which William Shelton?" links on Shelton-1715. I can't figure if this William should be Shelton-369 or Shelton-1715, or he's a third option.
posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
Shelton-821 and Shelton-369 appear to represent the same person because: these appear to be for the same person, but the parents don't match. Could you check your sources? Thanks, Liz
posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/), "Record of William Shelton", Ancestor # A102838.

William Shelton (born 1709, Henrico Co.; died 1789, Albemarle County).

DAR record is flagged:

"EL-THIS ANCESTOR DID NOT MARRY ELIZABETH ROGERS.

"FAMPCL-UNABLE TO DOCUMENT NAME OF PATRIOT'S FIRST WIFE AND MOTHER OF THESE CHILDREN AS PATIENCE THOMAS."

DAR has children as

  • [EL] Thomas, m Mary Jameson
  • [FAMPCL] William Jr., m Lucy Ann Harris
  • [FAMPCL] Henry, Mary Mildred Long
  • [FAMPCL] Sarah, Augustine Shepherd
  • [EL] John, Elizabeth Lawson

The entries that have Elizabeth Rogers are flagged EL & the ones flagged FAMPCL have Patience Thomas - the ones with just Patience are not flagged (but the main entry does not show "Patience" as the given name of William's first wife.

posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett