William James (Roulston) Roulstone (abt. 1708 - abt. 1767)

Born about 1708 in Bedford, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Eleanor (Botetort) Roulston — married 1 Nov 1761 in Augusta, Virginia

Descendants

Died about Aug 1767 at about age 59 in Botetourt, Virginia

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Biography

Birth

There are a number of uncertainties about William Rolstone/ Roulston's birth. Here are some of them:

The first child attributed to John and Dorothy Roulston is William. ^[1] Unlike the other five known children, there is no record of the birth or baptism. John and Dorothy moved back and forth within Massachusetts, but are not known to resided in Virginia.

Some sources say that William was born in 1715 in Bedford County, Virginia. [Bedford County was formed from Lunenburg County by an act passed December 13, 1753, to take effect on 10 May 1754. Lunenburg County formed 1746 from Brunswick County. Brunswick County was formed in 1720 from Prince George but, because of the sparse population, county government was not organized until 1732. As such, if the birth information is correct, William would have been born in Prince George County, Virginia formed in 1703.] The problem with that conjecture is that siblings Thomas and Mary, born either side of 1715, were both born in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. A birth of 1715 would also imply that son William married Eleanor and had their first child at the age of 17. It is a rare event to have a son marry at age 17.

Another William Rolston?

If, however, William, son of John and Dorothy was born in 1715, their William may not be the William found in Augusta County, Virginia in 1750. Of additional interest is a second reference to William as the son of John and Dorothy that gives his marriage, spouse not identified, as 1741 and his date of death as 1764. Should both of these prove correct, it would eliminate the William Rolstone of Augusta County, Virginia as the son of John Rolstone and Dorothy Nicholson.

Life in Colonial Virginia

Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia Volume I

AUGUSTA COUNTY COURT RECORDS.

ORDER BOOK No. IV

NOVEMBER 24, 1753

(76) Road ordered--Wm. Carravan, overseer--from Charles Millicons to Wm. Carravan's, with these workers: Wm. Ralston and his sons, Charles Millicon, James, Joseph and Edward McDonald, Joseph and David Robinson, James Galliad, Archd. Graham, David Miller, Hugh Mills, Richard Kerr, Wm. Miller, Wm. Graham, David and Joshua McCormick, Tobias Smith, Steven Rentfro.

Military Service

William Ralstone served as a member of the colonial militia under Colonel John Buchanan in 1758. He with his son Matthew established a large plantation in Augusta County, Virginia, adjoining historic "Greenfield," owned by the Prestons.2 William Ralston's will was recorded in Augusta County, Virginia, in 1767. He divided his estate and named as one of his heirs his son Matthew Raulston. ^[2]

Marriage

William may have been married in 1733 in Augusta, Virginia.

Death and will

William Ralston's will was recorded in Augusta County, Virginia, in 1767. Determining who his children were: He divided his estate and named as one of his heirs his son Matthew Raulston. William (Jr.), Samuel, Matthew and John are shown as sons of William Rolstone (Sr.). Those familiar with the will of William Rolstone, Sr. are aware that he only named two of his children, David and Robert, in his will. Sons William (Jr.) and Samuel are commonly shown as sons of William (Sr.) as they were testes to his will. John is shown as brother to William (Jr.) from Augusta County court records. Sons Matthew and Andrew are shown as sons in other genealogical works. Noticeably absent are any daughters from the list of descendants.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Unsourced
2. ↑ J. Leonard Raulston and James Weston Livingood, Sequatchie: A Story of the Southern Cumberlands, Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1974
3. ↑ "Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, 1745-1800. Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County" by Lyman Chalkley.

Acknowledgments

• This person was created through the import of Adams,Fowler,Roulston,Twilla_2011-03-09.ged on 10 March 2011. Nancy Brown

• This person was created through the import of 229-Davies.ged on 19 October 2010, adopted by Bairfield-1 23:18, 27 March 2014 (EDT) Carolyn Boze
• The Raulstons And The Part They Played In American History, by J. Leonard Raulston, 1970