John Spurlock Sr. (abt. 1734 - bef. 1793)

Born about 1734 in Goochland County, Colony of Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Harbour) Spurlock — married 1749 in Bedford County, Virginia

Descendants

Died before Apr 1793 before about age 59 in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States

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Biography

John was born about 1734 in Goochland or Montgomery Co, VA.

No one knows for sure who the father of John is.
It seems certain that John was at least the grandson of William Spurlock and Anne Toney. William's 1750 will^[1] names 3 sons: William, Charles, and Drury Owen. In 1740 William gave land to his son Henry and daughter Mary Yarborough/Yarber (perhaps that is why Henry was not in the will)

Possibilities for the father of John Spurlock, Sr:
1. William Spurlock Sr & Anne Toney -- This doesn't seem likely because William (b 1687) is pretty old to be the father of John Sr (b1734).
2. William Spurlock Jr -- This makes sense because John Sr named his first son, William. But we really know nothing about William Jr. There was a will in 1759 in Albemarle Co, VA that might be his.
3. Drury Owen Spurlock -- This is possible because John Sr named a son David (perhaps David Drury) and John Jr named a son David Drury. Drury did have a son named John (nothing is known about him). But Drury moved to S.C. aft 1766. John Sr. was already married by then and stayed in VA.
4. Charles Spurlock or Henry Spurlock -- doesn't seem likely because neither of these names were given to anyone in John Sr's family.
William and Drury are common names in John Sr's descendants, used several generations, so it seems more likely his father might be one of these 2.

John married Mary ?^[2], probably about 1752 in Virginia. There hasn't been any hard proof that it was Mary Sarah Harbour though it’s possible. This has been assumed and passed around. John did have a Harbour son-in-law and daughter-in-law (children of Elijah Harbour) so there were close connections to this family. Perhaps he married a sister of Elijah Harbour, but if so, his children were marrying their first cousins (not impossible, but not as common).

He was listed in Tithables lists of Lunenburg Co, Va. in 1749, 1750 & 1752.

John fought in the Revolutionary War.

In 1779 William, Jesse, John Sr, and John Jr. of Montgomery County took the Oath of Allegiance to the United States, renouncing allegiance to Great Britain and swearing allegiance to the Commonwealth of Virginia in Henry County.

1790 Virginia Census:
Jeremiah Spurlock, 86 Fairfax Co
Agnes Spurlock, 34 Mecklenburg Co
Zachariah Spurlock, 34 Mecklenburg Co
[not sure where John Sr. was]

Spurlock marriages in Montgomery Co, Virginia:
Mary Spurlock [daug of John Sr] & David Harbour, Aug 21, 1787, Montgomery Co.
George Spurlock [son of John Sr] & Elizabeth Clore, June 7, 1791, Montgomery Co.

He died in 1792/1797 in Montgomery Co., Virginia. Maybe May 2, 1792.

Children

John and Mary had the following children:

1. William Spurlock, b 1753, Bedford Co, VA; m Elizabeth Smith; may have moved to KY^[3]
   
2. John Spurlock Jr., b 1760 Montgomery Co, VA; m Frances Turman abt 1780; d 1816, Prestonburg, Floyd Co, KY
   
3. Jesse Spurlock, b 1762 Powells Valley, Montgomery Co, Ky; m Mary Harbour 1782 Montgomery Co, VA; d 1819 Cabell Co, (W)Va)
   
4. Mary Spurlock, b 1764 Montgomery Co, Va; m Rev. David Harbour, 1787, Montgomery Co, Va; d bef 1803 perhaps Cabell Co, (W)Va
   
5. George B. Spurlock, b 1765 Montgomery Co, Va; m Elizabeth Clair in 1791 & Zilpha Garrett in 1799, Cabell co, (W)Va; liv VA, KY, OH, IN, IL, IA; d 1846 Wapello Co, Iowa^[4]
   
6. David Spurlock (possibly David Drury), b 1767; m Hannah Flower 1786, Botetourt Co, VA^[5]
   
7. Rosanna, m Daniel Harman Jr; liv in Floyd Co, Ky
8. (possibly) Nancy, m Anthony Pate

John Spurlock was born on 12 Feb 1734 in Montgomery County, Colony of Virginia, British America. ^[6]He served in the military Militia in 1758 in Bedford, Bedford (city), Virginia, United States.^[7] He lived at Little River in Montgomery, Virginia, United States in 1780–1795. John died in 1793 at the age of 59 in Little River, Montgomery, Virginia, United States.^[8]

His father is unproven though it might be Charles ^[9]

He married Mary (maybe Mary Sarah Harbour)^[10]

The following information concerning the family of John Spurlock, Sr., was provided by Carl Spurlock and Levi Spurlock, and published in the Spurlock Family Quarterly Volume 1, Number, 3, 1988, pp. 51-58 and referenced on the Family Search Page for John Spurlock by Elizabeth Anna Spurlock Smithson^[11]

John Spurlock, Sr., was born ca. 1730-1734. The first written record for him was in 1758 when he was paid five shillings for his service as a private in the Bedford County (VA) Militia. Since his name does not appear on a Bedford County, TN, tax list, it is assumed that he was not a landowner there, and that he worked for someone else. He is listed on the 1770 Tax List of Botetourt County, VA, as the owner of 121 acres. It appears that the land of John Sr. was located in the part of Botetourt County that was taken in 1776 to form Montgomery County, VA. After 1776, John Spurlock, Sr. was taxed in Montgomery County, VA (this land is currently located in Floyd County, VA). The land holdings of this very industrious extended family grew from the 121 acres first owned by John Spurlock, Sr., so that by the 1790's the combined holdings John Spurlock, Sr., and his sons exceeded several thousand acres. On April 19, 1778, John Spurlock, Sr., and his sons, William, John Jr., and Jesse signed the Oath of Allegiance at Ft. Patrick Henry, VA.

A Caution from Neil Rutman dated 4 Apr 2013^[12]

In 2013 several descendants of Jesse and his father John Spurlock, in company with technicians from Family Search undertook a time consuming project to clean up the records of these two Spurlock generations by removing false spouses and children and many carelessly combined records. The main problem was in marrying the same woman to both Jesse and father John, one being a wife the other being a mother, and the similarity of the name of Jesse's wife (Mary Harbour) and John's wife (Mary- or often Mary Sarah Harbour) It was a MESS!!!! Things are good now with almost all ordinances straightened and the family relations non incestuous and decent. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT ANY MERGING OR ADDTIONS BE DONE WITH THE GREATEST OF CARE. IF THERE IS NO PRIMARY DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE IT IS SAFER TO LEAVE THINGS AS THEY ARE.

Sources

1. ↑ Will of William Spurlock 1687-1751):
   "November the 29th day, 1750
   In the name of God amen. I William Spurlock being sick and low in strength but in perfect sence (sic) & memory I intend as followeth my last will and testament.
   Item: I leave to my beloved Wife Ann Spurlock all my moveable Estate during her natural life.
   Item: And after her death I give and bequeath to my son Drury Spurlock one shilling sterling
   Item: I give and bequeath to my Son Charles Spurlock one shilling sterling
   Item: I give and bequeath to my Daughter Ann Frankling one shilling sterling
   Item: I give and bequeath to my Daugher Sarah Ward one shilling sterling
   Item: I give and bequeath to my Daughter Mary Yarber one shilling sterling
   Item: I give and bequeath to my Daughter Judith Spencer one shilling sterling
   Item: I give and bequeath all the rest of my Estate land and moveables whatever to my Son William Spurlock
   Item: I leave my beloved Wife Ann Spurlock my whole and able Executrix of this my last will and testament
   William (X) Spurlock [his mark]
   Sign'd Seal'd in presence of us
   Mary Corn (her mark), Frances Crawley (her mark), Matthew Tucker
2. ↑ http://cochranfamily.net/spurlock/pafg01.htm#67
3. ↑ Old Kentucky land grants - 1822 - Wm Spurlock, 100 acres, Harlan Co.
4. ↑ Obituaries in "The Western Christian Advocates 1834-1850:
   "Spurlock, George born Montgomery Co., VA, died 22 August 1846, in his 83rd year, Wapello Co., IA. Married Garrett, Zilpha; born probably in Cabell Co., VA (now WVA) died 6th of January 1846 in her 63rd year, Wapello Co., IA; moved to Cabell Co., VA for 25 years, then to OH, IN, IL and then to IA in 1842.
5. ↑ from”Early Marriages, Wills & Some Rev. War Records, Botetourt Co, Va” (by Worrell) Spurlock, David and Hannah Flower. Consent by Thomas and Prudence Flower, “as he is a good young man” - Jan 17, 1786.
6. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZ68-LNG
7. ↑ Ken Haas, "John & Jessee Spurlock and Oath of Allegiance," Message Boards, discussion list, 14 April 2009 (http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.spurlock : Accessed 21 December 2016), John drew militia pay in 1758 Bedford. As of 10 Jan 2018,this site is no longeravailable.
8. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZ68-LNG
9. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZ68-LNG
10. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZ68-LNG
11. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZ68-LNG
12. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZ68-LNG

• Ancestry.com
• Biography of John Spurlock (with Research Notes)

Acknowledgements

• This person was created on 06 August 2010 through the import of Lynch-Tree.ged.
• Contributors: Mary Jo Freeman
• WikiTree profile Spurlock-318 created through the import of John Nicholas family GED1v GED.GED on Feb 13, 2012 by Robert Nicholas. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Robert and others.