John Stith (abt. 1710 - 1762)

Born about 1710 in Charles City Co., Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Anderson) Stith — married about 1715 in Northampton, Virginia

Descendants

Died 1762 at about age 52 in Westover Parish, Charles City County, Colony of Virginia

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Biography

John Stith was the son of John Stith and Mary Randolph. He is estimated to have been born about 1710 in Charles City County, Virginia.^[1]

John Stith, son of John Stith and Mary Randolph, had large tracts of land in Charles City Virginia and Prince George Counties. He was burgess for Charles City Co. Va in 1718, 1723, 1726 and [he clearly was not of age] in May 1737 he took the oath as lieutenant-colonel of the militia. He married Elizabeth Anderson, a daughter of Rev. Charles Anderson of Westover. John died about 1758^[2] [in 1762] in Charles City county, Virginia.^[3]

Indenture made the 24th day of June, 1756, between John STITH of Charles City County and William STITH of Charles City County, for the natural love and affection, conveying 1,078 acres on North side of Shining Creek, being same land granted by Patent bearing date of June 16, 1756. Witnesses were Peter EPPES, John HUDSON, Hezekiah DAVIS, Tho. STITH, Drury STITH and William STROUD. Presented in Court on September 28, 1756. Deed Book 6, page 83.^[4]

Will of John Stith

Charles City Court Record, 1762-1764 -- Wills, Deed, and Bond. p. 313 & 314.^[5]
I John Stith of Charles City county & parish of Westover being in perfect health and sen [torn] do make this my last will& Testament this 30th day of January, 1762, after my body [torn] Decently buried without any unnecessary Expense and my just Debts paid if any. Imprimis. I give the plantation whereon I now live to my son Anderson Stith & his heirs forever and thereby confirm an absolute title to the molatto boy Dick to my son William Stith and his heirs forever. Item. My will & desire is that all the rest of my Estate of what kind soever be equally divided according to its value by the sale of it by agreement between themselves or indifferent honest Gentlemen to be by them chosen, between my four Daughters Frances, Jane, Anne, & Charlot & their heirs forever.
And lastly I appoint my two sons Anderson & William Stith, Mr Booth Armistead & Mr William Westwood jun Ex'ors of this my last will & Testament without Bond & security & in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal the day & year above.
John Stith

Signed sealed & delivered
as his last will & testament
before us
Susanna Hardyman
Judith Stith

May 24th 1762 It is my will & desire that my mollato slave Joe be excepted out of the devise above of (all the rest of my estate &c) & I do hereby give & bequeath the said slave Joe to my son Anderson Stith to him and his heirs forever. Witness my hand. John Stith
Signed & acknowledged before
James Hardyman
John Hardyman
Litt Cocke

At a Court held for Charles City County Wednesday the 7th day of July 1762 the last will & Testament of John Stitt, Gen. dec'd was presented in court by Anderson Stith and Booth Armistead two of the Ex'ors therein named who made oath thereto the same being proved the same being proved by the oath of Susanna Hardyman one of the witnesses thereto & is continued for further proof. A codicil to the said will was proved by the oaths of John Hardyman & Littleberry Cocke two of the witnesses thereto is ordered to be recorded and on the motion of the said Anderson Stith and Booth Armistead certificate is granted to obtain a probat of the said will & codicil...

In 1767 John's administrators, Anderson Stith and Booth Armistead, were sued in Elizabeth City County Chancery Court by John Pleasants. It appears John Stith had died owing a good bit of debt.^[6] The date of this chancery suit was erroneously stated by Dr. Christopher Johnson in his published work "The Stith Family" to have been filed by James Pleasants in 1759.

Notes

John Stith was the third of the name in Virginia. His father, John Stith, son of Major John Stith (q.v.), had in 1692 a patent for land on the south side of Chickahominy river, in James City Co. Virginia. John's father was captain of the militia in 1692, sheriff in 1691, and burgess for Charles City Co., Virginia in 1692-93. He married Mary Randolph, daughter of William Randolph of Turkey Island and his wife Mary Isham. John Stith died before 1724, leaving issue:^[7]

1. Rev William Stith, president of William and Mary(q.v.)
2. John Stith
3. Mary Stith, married William Dawson, president of William & Mary College.

The following is sourced from The Stith Family by Armistead C. Gordon and was published in W & M Quarterly. It does not accurately reflect the children named in John Stith's will of 1762...

John and Elizabeth (Anderson) Stith married about 1715 in Northampton, Virginia and had the following children:^[8])

1. Elizabeth Stith,
2. Unknown Stith,
3. Mary (Stith) Thompson,
4. John Stith,
5. Anderson Stith,
6. Judith Stith,
7. William Stith,
8. Richard Stith and
9. Ann Stith

Sources

1. ↑ The Stith Family by Armistead C. Gordon. "William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine," V. 22, No. 1 (July 1913), pp. 44-51; pp 44-45 Rev. William Stith/Judith Randolph, Lieut. Col. John Stith/Elizabeth Anderson.) Google Book. Note: Sources indicate he was the second son, and we know that Rev. William was born in 1707.
2. ↑ Source: CD # 550 Virginia Genealogies & Biographies 1500's-1990's; CD # 550 Virginia Genealogies & Biographies Stith, pg 331
3. ↑ from Stith-214
4. ↑ http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/brunswick/deeds/brunbk6.txt
5. ↑ "Charles City County, Virginia, United States Records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89PH-TS9K : May 24, 2022), image 20 of 283; Virginia. County Court (Charles City County).
6. ↑ Library of Virginia. Virginia Memory Collection. Chancery Index #1767-008. John Pleasants vs. Exr of John Stith. https://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=900-1767-008#img
7. ↑ Source: CD # 550 Virginia Genealogies & Biographies Stith, pg 331
8. ↑ from Stith-7

• https://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=geer%5Ffamily%5Ftree&id=I073330
• pp 187-188, "The Stith Family," by Christopher Johnston, The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jan., 1913), pp. 181-193 (Published by: Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture; Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1914697 accessed April 22, 2015) - this article shows father of John who married Elizabeth as Drury, son of John and Mary Randolph. (see next)
• "Some Notes on Dr. Johnston's Stith Family," by Lyon G. Tyler, The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Oct., 1913), pp. 131-133 (Published by: Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture; Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1914978 accessed April 22, 2015) - which discusses the previous article and whether John m Elizabeth Anderson is the son of Drury or John m Mary Randolph (and much more).
• p 127, William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Volume 4 (Google e-Book accessed June 26, 2015)
• Ancestry.com. Virginia Will Records [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2008. Original data: Judith McGhan. Virginia Will Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1993.
• https://www.ourfamtree.org/browse.php?pid=158575
• https://genealogyresources.org/Index-Bpvr.pdf

Acknowledgments

• This person was created through the import of Pioneer Stock.GED on 31 October 2010.
• Julie Partridge created the WikiTree profile Stith-214 through the import of PARTRIDGE-663-0c2069.ged on Feb 1, 2013. (No sources given.)