George Goff Hatfield Sr. (abt. 1720 - aft. 1795)

Born about 1720 in Virginia

Ancestors

Descendants

Died after 1795 after about age 75 in Lee County, Virginia, USA

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Michael Hatfield [send private message], Native Americans Project WikiTree [send private message], and Preston Hatfield [send private message]

Biography

George Hatfield Sr. was a Virginia colonist.

George Hatfield Sr. lived in Appalachia, in Kentucky.

George Hatfield Sr. is currently protected by the Native Americans Project for reasons described below. Join: Native Americans Project Discuss: native_americans

Due to claims that he was married to a Native American, this profile is being co-managed and tracked by the Native Americans project.

He was born about 1720 in Virginia and was possibly the son of Richard Hatfield, Sr. This is questionable since Richard Sr. was in his 60s when George was born, so another generation should probably exist between Richard Sr. and George. Due to George being the earliest provable person of the "Southwest Virginia" line this line is often referred to as the “George Goff Hatfield” line or “George Hatfield” line.

In 1771 he resided in Botetourt County, Virginia. ^[1]

The muster list of Robert Doach for those in the Clinch River area included George Hatfield and his sons, Jeremiah Hatfield and George Hatfield (Jr.). These 2 sons lived on the north fork of the Holston River. ^[2]

Records for Washington and Russell County, Virginia include a petition dated 09 Dec 1785 to the Virginia House of Delegates by sundry inhabitants of Clinch River, Moccasin Creek, Powell's Valley and others requesting that militia districts be redrawn such that these citizens will more easily perform militia duties without long travel away from their defenseless families. Among those signing are two George Hatfields (George, Sr., and his son, George, Jr.), his sons John and Ephraim, plus Eurious Smith, Ericus Smith and Eli Smith (all in-laws of Ephraim). ^{[3] [citation needed]}

In 1786 a George Hatfield received a land grant on Lewis Creek in the area of Clinch River, Washington County, Virginia ... but it is uncertain whether this was Sr. or Jr.

He appeared on the 1795 tax list for Lee County, Virginia.

He died after 1795 in Lee County, Virginia, USA.

On 28 Nov 1809, his son, George Hatfield, Jr. and wife Sarah, deeded land on Lick Branch in Lee County, Virginia, USA to their son, Abner Hatfield. ^[4]

Abner Hatfield sold this land in 1818.

Not Named “George Goff Hatfield

George Hatfield Sr. and his son George Hatfield Jr. are mistakenly referred to as “George Goff Hatfield Sr. and George Goff Hatfield Jr. This is because on the 1809 deed transferring property between George Jr and son Abner Hatfield, the deed was given to the courthouse clerk to copy. When the clerk was writing George Jr’s and Abner’s names in the grantor and grantee places in the deed book the clerk either 1) mistakenly wrote “George Gof” or 2) used a page that had already been started for a George Goff but not completed (there was a Goff family in the area). Either way it was not feasible to attempt to correct mistakes by removing the page from the book. The clerk simply crossed out (interlined) the “Gof” and wrote “Hatfield beside it.

At the bottom of the page, where George Jr. was to sign it, the clerk wrote George’s name and George Jr. put his “X”.

Where George put his “X” the name was “George Hatfield” NOT “George Goff Hatfield”. In fact you will not find one single document where George Sr. or George Jr. placed their “X” by “George Goff Hatfield”. Outside of this clerical error that the clerk corrected by interlining the “Goff” you will also not find one single contemporary document or any other piece of paper where someone else refers to either of them as “George Goff Hatfield”. George Sr and George Jr only referred to themselves as “George Sr” or “George Jr”.

Identity of Wife

As to the identity of George’s wife, for decades it was Margaret Winas. Then it was Margaret Logan, daughter of Chief John Logan of the Mingo tribe. Problem is that the Chief never had a daughter that lived into adulthood & got married, so she’s out. Now it’s Marthy Thoms=Toms.

Marthy Thoms comes from the oral history of the descendants of a man named George Hatfield who lived in Persequinans County in Northeast North Carolina, hundreds of miles from Southwest Virginia. Unfortunately an examination of the entire story shows that it does not conform to Virginia history as written in documents and the history books. This places the marriage between George and Marthy in doubt.

Children

1. Joseph Hatfield, b: 1739-1751; d: 1832; m: 1779 Rachel Smith
2. Jeremiah Hatfield, b: c1750; d: c1832 NC; m: Fanny=Fannie Holland
3. George Hatfield, Jr., b: c1752 VA; d: c1810 Lee Co, VA; m: Sarah Ann Lynch
4. John Hatfield, b: 1755 VA; d: c1850 Marion Co, TN; m: Rebecca Bottom
5. William Hatfield, b: 1740; m: 1760 Nancy ???
6. Andrew Hatfield, b: 1745.

Research Notes

It was once believed that this George "Goff" Hatfield was the son of Abraham George Hatfield, Sr. and Margaret Winas of the "Matthias Hatfield of New Jersey" line, however DNA has since proved that the 2 lines are separate and distinct.

There have been multiple suggestions as to his wife, but the following 3 have been disproven ...

- Margaret Winans

- Margaret Logan, daughter of John Logan, a Mingo Indian Chief

- Martha "Marthy" Thoms=Toms, daughter of Foster Toms, a known Quaker.

In other documents, his wife was identified as Margaret (unknown, b: c1720 Russell Co, VA). ^[5]

Disambiguation

George "Goff" Hatfield should not be confused with Abraham George Hatfield of the New Jersey Hatfields and a descendant of Matthias Hatfield and husband of Margaret Winas or Winan.

For an excellent review of this issue see "Disproof-Connection to Abraham Hatfield" posted 31 Mar 2006 by Don Pendell on ancestry.com

Sources

1. ↑ 1771 Botetourt County, Virginia Tax Record included tithables, "George Hatfield and sons George and Jeremiah" who are therefore born before 1750.
2. ↑ Hatfield Family mentions that an early land survey made on 06 Dec 1774 in Fincastle County, Virginia, place the brothers, Jeremiah and George Hatfield, Jr. on the north fork of the Holston River.
3. ↑ Comment from Linda at Millinnium3
4. ↑ Russell County, Virginia Deed citing FHL#32427; copied into Lee County, Virginia Deed Book#2; p255; with image of Gof crossed out; from George Hatfield to Abner Hatfield, 28 Nov 1809
5. ↑ http://ancestry.com/tree/73918621/person/32288083433/

• Tax Lists for Lee County, Virginia posted on Ancestry.com message board on 25 Aug 2011 by rdeirth

• http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/russell/court/1785pet.txt.

• Hatfield Family History" by Harry Leon Sellards (DeLand, F: H. L. Sellards 1995) p1

• "History of Perquimans County, North Carolina" by Watson Winslow

• http://www.livelyroots.com/hatfield/d1.htm

• http://www.ghat.com/supg-h01.htm.

• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ etall/HATFIELD/HATFIELD%20HTML/hcirclenotes.html.

• http://www.genealogy.com/users/ /c/c/Dan-and-marti-Mccorkendale/FILE/0007text,txt.

• Hatfield and Jones Family Story by descendant, Judy Brewster; with lineage ...

.1 George "Goff" Hatfield, b: 1715

..2 Joseph Hatfield

...3 Jeremiah Hatfield, Sr.

....4 William Carroll Hatfield

.....5 Arrena Hatfield m: John Jones (with DNA testing);

also see good review