William Womack has been purported to be an ancestor by "paper descent" of multiple Womacks in America of European ancestry. There are only a few known records of William's existence and life in Henrico County, Virginia. There is no documentation for his birth date, location or parents. The father associated with William here William Charles Augustus Womack, was most likely a fictional person created in 1889 by John Warburton Womack in order for John to claim descent from two bishops of the Church of England. This biography was debunked in the early 1900s but is still being used today. For more information see John Warburton Womack Ancestry - Fraud. Because of this apparently fictional nature, William was removed as son of William Womack and Abriel Gower. Shirley Dalton (UTC)
William is believed to have been born about 1620, perhaps in England. No documentation for his birth has been located. The name of his wife is unknown. No record of a marriage has been found. The exact death date is unknown and William left no known will. The earliest death date possible is the conception of son Thomas who was born about 1663/64. William is known to be deceased before 1 October 1677 when his children are referenced in Orphans Court.
There are only four known records which give any information about William, his widow and his son William, Jr. These include two Orphans Court entries in 1677 and 1678 (see Marriage & Children below) which refer to the fact that William is deceased by October 1677 and give the names of three of his children. The entries also present the probability that William's widow married Timothy Allen.
The other two entries refer to William's sons Abraham and William, Jr. and the coming of age of son Thomas.
The difference between Abe: Womack and Wm: Clarke about the estate of Wm. Womack decd. It is ordered that the said Abra Womack brother to the sd. William Womack have two thirds of his estate both real and personal and that the widow have the other part. April 8, 1674. p. 177[1]
This ruling refers to the death of William's son, William Womack, Jr., whose widow Jane has married William Clarke. William Clarke went to court to establish that his now wife Jane should receive 100% of the late William Womack's estate. William and Jane had no children. The Court ruled as above that the widow should receive only one third and William's oldest brother Abraham the other two thirds.
The fourth entry which refers to the family of this William Womack deals with the coming of age of Thomas Womack who has been under the Guardianship of Timothy Allen.
Thomas Womeck lately an orphan under Guardianship of Timothy Allen; upon petition it is ordered that sd. Allen do on July 1, next in presence of Mr. Richard Cocke deliver to sd. Womeck remainder of gift bestowed on him by his deceased mother, with costs ats Exec. he having yet received no part thereof (but ye gun & suit of cloathes without flying coat) as by sd Allen's confession appears, & Mr. Cocke is hereby requested & appointed to see sd. delivery. June 1, 1685. Min. Bk. Feb. 1681-Apr. 1701, p. 186[2]
We have now more evidence that the widow of William Womack, Sr., married second Timothy Allen. Upon the death of his mother, Thomas was left a "gift" of which he has only received part. He has successfully sued her husband, Timothy Allen, for the remainder. His mother, widow of William Womack, Sr., can thus be shown to have died prior to 1 June 1685.
Marriage & Children
William is said to have married Mary Jane Allen about 1643 in Henrico County, Virginia. This is unproven and is largely based on an appearance of Mary Womack and Thomas Womack in Henrico County Orphans Court on 1 October 1677 and again on 20 August 1678 regarding the status of livestock left them by their father.
"Acct of cattle belonging to the orphs. of William Womeck prsent. by Timothy ...; Mary Womeck, 4 cows & 1 heifer, Mary Womeck & Thomas Womeck hath between them 4 cows & 3 calves. The said Mary's proper stock is 5 head of cattle - which is in all 12 head. It is consented by the court that one of Mary Womack's cows which is changed for a 3 yeare old heifer of Abraham Womack shall soe stand confirmed. Oct 1, 1677." [3]
Acct. of cattle belonging to Mary & Thomas Womeck, psented by Timothy Allen, vizt. Mary Womeck hath to her self 2 cows, 2 heifers one of them two in the Swamp, in all 4: Mary & Thomas Womeck, hath between them 2 cows & 1 calf at home; 3 heifers in ye Swamp, Augt. 20, 1678. [3]
The first entry with two mentions of "Mary Womeck" has been interpreted to refer to William's widow Mary (Allen) Womack and daughter Mary Womeck. Timothy Allen in both entries has been considered either brother or father of widow Mary (Allen) Womack. What is more likely is that both refer to William's daughter Mary. Timothy Allen is apparently the Guardian for Mary and Thomas Womeck and is presenting a report of their assets to the Court. It may be that he was appointed by the Court but more probably he is their step-father, married to William's widow whose name is still unknown.
Based on these two entries we can confirm the names of three of William's children, Mary, Thomas and Abraham Womack. Both Mary and Thomas are minors, born after 1657. Abraham is apparently of age, so born before 1656.
Probable Children
Children of WILLIAM WOMACK and MARY ALLEN are:
WILLIAM WOMACK[4], b. 1643, Bristol Parish, Henrico Co. VA; d. Bef. 1674; m. JANE.
ABRAHAM WOMACK[5], b. 1645, Henrico Co. VA; d. 1735, Bristol Parish, Henrico Co. VA.
JANE WOMACK[7], b. 1648, VA; m. (1) HENRY PEW, JR.; m. (2) JOHN ATKINS. No documentation found showing that William Womack had a daughter named Jane. The Jane Womack who married Henry Pew is not daughter of William Womack. She may be the daughter of Abraham Womack and Sarah Worsham. Shirley Dalton 18:09, 24 November 2019 (UTC)
JOHN WOMACK[8], b. 1653, VA; d. February 1724/25, Martin Brandon Parish, Prince George Co. VA; m. MARY.
RICHARD WOMACK[9] I, b. 1655, Bristol Parish, Henrico Co. VA; d. 22 March 1683/84, Henrico Co. VA.
ANNE WOMACK[10], b. 1657, Of Henrico Co. VA; d. 1694, Henrico Co. VA.
MARY WOMACK[11], b. 1657, VA; m. THOMAS PUCKETT; b. 1658, Henrico Co. VA.
Research Notes
William Womack and Mary Allen
Theory #1:
There is really no documentary evidence for William Womack. He does not appear directly in any records that have been found in Virginia, but is referenced indirectly in the records of some of his children. Nevertheless, William is regarded as the patriarch of the Womack family in America. He was probably born between 1610 and 1620 in England, some say in Wragby, Lincolnshire, England. Some say he was one of the "Norfolk" Womacks. He died before October 1677 in Henrico County, Virginia Colony.
William is believed to have come to Bristol Parish, Henrico County, Virginia between 1630 and 1640. No record has been found for him on any known passenger list of the time. It is possible he came as an indentured servant.
He reportedly married Mary Allen about 1643 in Henrico County, purported daughter of Timothy Allen. She was born about 1625 in Kent, England, and died after October 1677 in Henrico County, Virginia Colony.
William is said to have patented land in the Bermuda Hundred Section of Henrico County, Virginia in 1665; based on an application for membership in the Colonial Dames in the 17th Century. If anyone has access to this document, please let us know.[12]
According to tradition, the family became members of the first Quaker Colony which, according to church records, originated in 1656. These members were for a large part of English extraction from the Tide Water section of Virginia, i.e., Cedar Creek and Henrico County.
"Several branches of the Womack family were later to become Quakers, but it's very unlikely that the very earliest Womacks were Friends. It is true that the Friends first arrived in Virginia about the time and place the Womacks did, but records of the earliest meetings do not exist, and they really didn't start getting established until after the 1660s or so. However, based on their behavior, or more specifically, John's and Abraham's behavior, they would have been expelled from any meeting they tried to join. It is true that "failing to fill their pew," which these guys were variously brought up on charges for, could mean that they were members of a minority religion. But in their case, what with drinking, gambling, horse racing, hog stealing, suing people, etc., it's more likely they simply weren't showing up for services. They simply weren't acting like Friends, basically."[13]
Theory #2:
See "A Theory About Early VA Womacks"[14] This link is dead. The site has apparently been removed.
Our Womack's English Genealogy
The 5th Generation of the Womack ancestors in England was Bishop Lawrence Womack, born in 1550 in Kent, where he lived to be 92. He was a Rector in the Church of England and also the Bishop of St. David's.
6th Generation of the Womack ancestors in England was William Charles Augustus Womack. William Charles Augustus Womack, born in 1575 in England, presumably in Kent, like his father. He also was a Rector in the Church of England and a half-brother of the Duke of Albermarle. Presumably he had the same mother as George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1608–1670), who was rewarded with his peerages for his intriguing part in the Restoration. This hypothesis requires further evidence, but merits consideration
The 7th Generation of our English Womack ancestors includes the two sons of Bishop William Charles Augustus Womack, (1) Lawrence Womack, who followed his grandfather’s footsteps as the Bishop of St. David’s on the one hand, and (2) William the Emigrant, our presumed American ancestor, who rebelled, converted to the Quaker persuasion, and left for America – never to return.
Primary data such as birth, death, and other details were collected by Varnell-40 05:05, 12 January 2016 (EST) from the well-documented work of Roger Gail Womack, “My Womack Ancestors"[15]. It may not be 100% accurate, but it is as close to accurate as we can attain given the information and sources available to us.
This particular profile is an on-going project to document the genealogy of one Womack line. If you have a problem with a particular entry, please contact the submitter of said entry. This profile is a collaborative work-in-progress, always in need of direct and primary sources. Please contribute valid sources with your information.
↑ CDXVII Century Applic. on William Womack b 1620 Eng/Va. in 1657 as cited on William Womack. CDXVII is the abbreviation for The Colonial Dames in the 17th Century.
↑ Valentine, Edward Pleasants; The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers, Vol. 3. Published by the Valentine Museum, Richmond, Virginia. Reprint Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979 pp, 1771-1773 pp 1771-1773
The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers, Vol. 3. Published by the Valentine Museum, Richmond, Virginia. Reprint Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979
William Charles Womack, Sr. Gender: Male Birth: Aug 1 1620 - Norfolk , England Marriage: Spouse: Mary Jane Womack (born Allen) - Circa 1643 - Henrico Co, VA Death: Aug 1 1697 - Bristol Parish, Henrico, Virginia, United States Burial: 1697 - Virginia, USA Father: William Charles Augustus Womack Mother: Mary Womack (born Judd) Wife: Mary Jane Womack (born Allen) Children: Jane Pugh (born Womack), Abraham W Womack, Sr., Mary Puckett (born Womack), Ann or Anne Puckett (born Womack), Martha Womack, William Womack, John Womack, Richard Womack, Thomas Womack Siblings: Martha Unknown, Lawrence Womack, Bishop, Jane Womack, Abraham Womack, Mary Unknown, John Womack, Benjamin Womack
Quality or Certainty of Data: 4
Source: S88 Record ID Number: MH:S500088 User ID: 55A7F649CB4997F6B6C626D3A0C11138 Author: Dawn Trout Title: Trout Web Site Text: MyHeritage.com family tree CONT Family site: Trout Web Site CONT Family tree: 16388092-12 Media: 16388092-12 Type: Discovery Record ID Number: MH:SC501832 Data: Date: 13 AUG 2015 Text: Added via an Instant Discovery™ Quality or Certainty of Data: 3
See also:
Our primary source for profile material is the copyrighted and superbly documented website of Roger Womack
Our supplemental source for profile data is the extremely credible website of Dottie Wommack. It is obvious that she has put a lot of time and effort into her work but neglected to identify sources. It may not be 100% accurate, but it is as close to accurate as we can attain given the information and sources available to us.
William Charles Womack, Sr. Gender: Male Birth: Aug 1 1620 - Norfolk , England Marriage: Spouse: Mary Jane Womack (born Allen) - Circa 1643 - Henrico Co, VA Death: Aug 1 1697 - Bristol Parish, Henrico, Virginia, United States Burial: 1697 - Virginia, USA Father: William Charles Augustus Womack Mother: Mary Womack (born Judd) Wife: Mary Jane Womack (born Allen) Children: Jane Pugh (born Womack), Abraham W Womack, Sr., Mary Puckett (born Womack), Ann or Anne Puckett (born Womack), Martha Womack, William Womack, John Womack, Richard Womack, Thomas Womack Siblings: Martha Unknown, Lawrence Womack, Bishop, Jane Womack, Abraham Womack, Mary Unknown, John Womack, Benjamin Womack
Quality or Certainty of Data: 4
Source: S88 Record ID Number: MH:S500088 User ID: 55A7F649CB4997F6B6C626D3A0C11138 Author: Dawn Trout Title: Trout Web Site Text: MyHeritage.com family tree CONT Family site: Trout Web Site CONT Family tree: 16388092-12 Media: 16388092-12 Type: Discovery Record ID Number: MH:SC501832 Data: Date: 13 AUG 2015 Text: Added via an Instant Discovery™ Quality or Certainty of Data: 3
Source: S-904248743 Repository: #R-1274706077 U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc
Repository: R-1274706077 Ancestry.com
Source: S-904264377 Repository: #R-1274706077 Family Data Collection - Marriages Edmund West, comp. Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc
Source: S-904264394 Repository: #R-1274706077 Family Data Collection - Deaths Edmund West, comp. Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc
Source: S-904391116 Repository: #R-1274706077 U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Yates Publishing Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc
WikiTree profile Womack-214 created through the import of HUNTER FAMILY TREE (3).ged on Aug 27, 2011 by Restricted Hunter.
Womack-1199 was created by Charlie Varnell through the import of Womack.GED on Feb 23, 2015.
WikiTree profile Womack-123 created through the import of My Ancerstors.ged on Jul 2, 2011 by Mike Snider.
WikiTree profile Womack-127 created through the import of YOUNG.ged on Jul 12, 2011 by Zak Young.
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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.
Y-chromosome DNA test-takers in his direct paternal line on WikiTree:
"The father associated with William here William Charles Augustus Womack, was most likely a fictional person created in 1889 by John Warburton Womack in order for John to claim descent from two bishops of the Church of England."
NB: John Warburton Womack died in 1863 and whilst he may well have had a direct hand in creating the fictitious Womack ancestors, he did it long before his now infamous 1850 letter describing his ancestry. The oral tradition which came through his brother J.L. Womack's descendants is that he hired a self-styled genealogist to research the family and was duped. But, then again, we can not know that for certain either. The only thing that is certain is that the connection to the fictitious Dukes of Albemarle and the very real Bishop of St. David's is false.
I have started a "book" at my website with a profile of this William Womack, including DNA testing of descendants. A great deal of the info in this wikitree profile is incorrect.
There was no William Womack on the 1679 Henrico tithe list, just Abraham Womack. There is a transcription here: (http://virginians.com/appendix/appendix_f.htm). The tithe list comes from Henrico Wills & Deeds 1677-1692, p.102, which i have seen on microfilm.
This entry is mostly fairy tales. Sorry to be harsh, but this is not real genealogy, just a bunch of nonsense accumulated since the 1800s, the main purpose of which was for con-men to separate wealthy people from their money. It is full of what Wikipedia refers to as "weasel words". like "it has been said", etc. There is no proof for hardly any of this.
For example, the assertion that William Womack appears in a 1679 tithe list of Henrico Co, VA is patently false, and all one has to do is consult the source record: Henrico Co, VA records 1677-1692, part 1, (Deeds, Wills, Etc), stamped page #102, image #34 on microfilm. It lists Abrah Womecke (sic, Abraham Womack), but no other Womack.
Mmmm.... the father died in 1620 and the son was born in1620... the father could die up to 9 months before the child is born. So this looks like an issue with the db error report's criteria for this flag.
Do we know if this was done on purpose, perhaps to encourage a 2nd look at these otherwise plausible comparisons?
William is still showing up on the db_error report as being born after his father's death. Can we either fix the birth date for William or the death date for his father? Getting tired of seeing this pop up on my error report whenever I do it.
There is a conflict between the death date (1610) of William Charles Augustus Womack and the birth date of his son William Womack (1620). Does anyone have any information that would give the correct death and/or birth dates for these profiles?
NB: John Warburton Womack died in 1863 and whilst he may well have had a direct hand in creating the fictitious Womack ancestors, he did it long before his now infamous 1850 letter describing his ancestry. The oral tradition which came through his brother J.L. Womack's descendants is that he hired a self-styled genealogist to research the family and was duped. But, then again, we can not know that for certain either. The only thing that is certain is that the connection to the fictitious Dukes of Albemarle and the very real Bishop of St. David's is false.
See http://womackgen.com/book/
For example, the assertion that William Womack appears in a 1679 tithe list of Henrico Co, VA is patently false, and all one has to do is consult the source record: Henrico Co, VA records 1677-1692, part 1, (Deeds, Wills, Etc), stamped page #102, image #34 on microfilm. It lists Abrah Womecke (sic, Abraham Womack), but no other Womack.
My Womack research: http://www.womackgen.com/
Do we know if this was done on purpose, perhaps to encourage a 2nd look at these otherwise plausible comparisons?