William Speight (1715 - 1774)

Born 1715 in Isle of Wight, Colony of Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Abigail (Abigail) Speight — married 1736 in Johnston, North Carolina

Descendants

Died May 1774 at about age 59 in Wake, Colony of North Carolina

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Biography

William was the son of John Speight and wife Elizabeth. The proof of this can be found in the will of William Powell of Isle of Wight Co, VA, Bk 4, p. 85. John Speight and brother William Speight were the executors of William Powell's will dated 13 Sep 1747, pr 12 Nov 1747. William Speight of Edgecombe Co, NC sold 75 acres in Isle of Wight Co, VA given to William Speight by the last will & testament of William Powell, dec'd. William Powell gave a deed of gift to his dau-in-lw Elizabeth Speight now the wife of John Speight 70 acres in Lower Parish of Isle of Wight during her natural life land on the western branch in Isle of Wight. Bk 4, p. 200 deeds, 1732. Deed BK 4, p. 230 to my loving kinsman John Speight and his wife Elizabeth 50 acres adj. Richard Hutchins & Jacob Powell (1733). William Speight & Abigail sold land in Edgecombe (Halifax deed Bk 8, p. 431 stating he was of Johnston Co, NC. Wake formed in 1771 from Johnston Co, NC.

On 18 November 1760, William Speight requested his brother John's patent of 300 acres be transferred to him since John had recently been killed (Colonial Records of North Carolina, Vol. 6, p. 341.

NOTES BY DORIS SCOTT

William Speight was probably born in Virginia as the Speights were in Nansemond County, Virginia, in the late 1600's and early 1700's before migrating to North Carolina through Perquimans and Chowan Counties and settling in Craven County in the section that became Johnston County in 1746 and then part of Wake County in 1770. Several land grants are recorded for William Speight in Craven County from 1751 to 1765. William Speight served as a captain in the Johnston County Militia in the French and Indian Wars in 1754.

Children
William was married to Abigail -----, and they had eight children, one son and seven daughters:

1. Lydia, b. 1743; m. James Lane
2. William,
3. Sarah m. Reuben Hunter,
4. Charity m. Silius (Silas?) Green,
5. Elizabeth (Betty) m. James Turner, 2 December 1771,
6. Mary m. Mark Myatt 1 January 1772,
7. Winifred m. Jesse Jones 1 May 1775,
8. Patience m. [William] Green.

William Speight died in Wake County between July 1771, and 2 June 1774, when his will was proved in Wake County Court. Abigail, his wife, died in 1781 in Wake County, and her will was proved in the September Term, 1781.^[1]

Will

SPEIGHT, William will R. 22 June 1774 p40 In the Name of GOD Amen this Second day of July in the Year of Man's Redemption One thousand Seven hundred Seventy and three I William Speight of Wake County in the Province of North Carolina planter, being Sick, and weak, in Body but of perfect mind and Memory do make and Ordain this my last Will and Testament in the following manner and form Imprimis, I lend unto Abigail my Well beloved Wife the use and profit of the Plantation whereon I live with the Land in that Tract thereunto Adjoining being by Estemation two hundred and forty Acres and two Negroe Men both Named Dick and One Negroe Woman Named Sarah, and two feather Beds and furnitures thereto belonging and Six Cows and their Calves two Steers and three Yearlings and three Mares One Rhoan One Bay & One Black in Coular and One black Horse or Gelding and all my Hogs raised at the said Plantation One Iron pot and One third part of my Pewter and One side Saddle, and my Plantation Tools, & Casks and Six Chairs and One Disk and One Small walnut Table and One pine Do and One linin Wheel and One Woollen Do and One washing Tubb and One water pail and One piggin, which use or lent of the above said things to my abovesaid Wife I desire may be and remain for and during her Widowhood or Natural Life and no longer.

Item, I give unto my Daughter Winifred Speight and to her heirs and assigns forever One fether bed and furniture and One Chest that was my Mothers and five Chairs and four Cows and their Calves, and two Steers and One Rhoan Coulared Horse or Gelding and One side Sadle and One third part of my Pewter, and as soon as the above lent of the Negroe Man Dick which was my Mothers is Expired to my said Wife either by the Marriage or Death of my said Wife for him to revert to my said Daughter Winifred as & in manner of the other things above given.

Item I give to my Daughter Patience Speight and to her Heirs and Assigns forever the Revertion of the other Negro Man Dick above lent to my said Wife after the Expiration of the said lent and One feather bed and furniture One Ovill Table and five Chairs and One black Walnut Chest and One third part of Pewter and four Cows and their Calves, and four two Year old Cattle-

Item I give unto my Son William Speight and to his Heirs and Assigns forever my Cooper Alembick or Still One Whip Saw and One Crosscutt Saw, and the Reversion of the Land and Plantation above lent to my said Wife after the Expiration of the said lent.

Item it is my further desire in Case any of my said Children theretofore or hereafter Named should depart this life without issue for the Reversion of their Estate to be Distributed in equal Degree among my Surviving Children or their Representatives Except in Case of the Death of Either of my Maiden Daughters above said Winifred or Patience should as afore said die without issue. that before such distribution the Survivor of the two may Inheritt the Negroe Man above given if left alive at the time of the Death of the other Sister and that the same two Maiden Daughters may Inherett an Equal Moiety of the Money That the Negro Woman Sarah above lent to my said Wife shall sell for at fair Sale after the lent to my Wife is Expired,

Item I give to Reuben Hunter Junr my Grandson and to his Heirs and Assigns forever the Survey of Land whereon William _______ Now lives and ten pounds proclamation Money to pay for the taking out or the Issuing a Deed for the Same at the Opening of the Propriators Land Office, and my Negroe Boy Named Pompey and four heifers three Years old each,and One Grey Horse and One New Small Gun, and in case He should depart this life without issue and under the Age of

SUMMARY: Wife Abigail: plantation wheron I now live; two negro men, both named Dick; one negro women named Sarah; household goods; livestock; plantation tools. Daughter Winifred SPEIGHT: furniture; livestock; negro Dick to come to her at remarriage or death of wife. Daughter Patience SPEIGHT: other negroDick at decease of wife; furniture; livestock. Son William SPEIGHT: home plantation after death of wife. Grandson Reuben HUNTER, Jr: land whereon William SIMMONS now lives; negro Pompey; livestock. If grandson should die without issue or before 21, revert to his brother Dempsey HUNTER. Daughter Mary MIATE: negro Sam. Son-in-law Silius GREEN to get right to land surveyed for William BROWN, Jr., and sold to Abner LEEGATT and by him sold to me. Rest equally divided among my 8 children: son William SPEIGHT, daughters Sarah HUNTER, Lydia LANE, Charity GREEN, Betty TURNER, Mary MIATE, Winifred SPEIGHT, Patience SPEIGHT. 2 July 1773. Executors: Wife Abigail and son William. Witnesses: William UTLEY, Isham (x) UTLEY, Jesse LANE.

Sources

1. ↑ [1] Marriages of Wake Co., NC, 1770-1868, comp. By Brent H. Holcom b, 1983.
   Province of North Carolina, 1663-1729, Abstracts of Land Patents, Margaret M. Hofmann, 1979.
   Wake: Capital County of North Carolina, Vol. I, by Elizabeth Reid Murray, 1983.
   State Records of North Carolina, Vol. XXII.
   Colony of North Carolina: Abstracts of Land Patents, Vol. I, 1735-1754, a nd Vol. II, 1765-1775, by Margaret M. Hofmann.
   Will of William Speight, Will Book A, pp. 40-43, Wake County, NC
   Will of Abigail Speight, Will Book A, p. 146, Wake County, NC