Which William West did Martha marry?

Question

William West, Sr., was born about 1642 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia and died 1709. He was married to Rebecca Bracewell about 1667. His will appointing his wife as sole executrix, does not name his wife. There is a phrase in one of the sources for the will: "Appraised by Wm. West, Jr. and wife Martha."

This phrase has been understood by many to mean the estate was appraised by William's son and by his second wife Martha. Many family trees, including one here on WikiTree, add Martha Unknown as second wife of William West, Sr.

Now I may be wrong, but when I see "Wm. West, Jr., and wife Martha" I take it to mean "and [his] wife Martha."

A land transaction dated 26 Feb 1722 in Isle of Wight County records the sale by "William West and wife Martha" to Daniel Herring. Since William, Sr., died in 1709, it cannot refer to him and must refer to William, Jr.

Is this enough information to move Martha Unknown from wife of William, Sr., to wife of William, Jr.?

Note: There are two profiles for William West, Sr.: West-480 and West-1810. A merge is pending.

Answer 1

Shirley, I agree with your interpretation of the evidence. Should the profile be PPP when corrected to prevent reintroduction of Martha as a second wife?

Comments

I'm glad you agree with my reading of the evidence. Probably will need PP. I'll check with US Southern Colonist Project to see if they want to manage it.

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The project is happy to co-manage it. That's what we're here for (among other things).

Thanks for your work on this.

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Thanks, Jillaine. You have been a big help in my researches on this clan. BTW, I have another probable non-marriage I'm working on. William, Sr's. daughter