| William Scott Sr. resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776. Join: US Southern Colonies Project Discuss: southern_colonies |
Contents |
This biography will be updated here as our research project progresses. There really are no easy, short answers regarding William Scott, Sr., certainly for his vital statistics and also for his relationships. We have presented the range of possibilities and then shown our reasoning for the most likely estimates, suggestions or conclusions.
There is no primary source to support William's birth date or place, as well as no source proving who his parents were. His 1793 Will does provide many clues as to his identity and relationships for spouse and children. The Will names his wife Lucy, as well as the names of his twelve children living in that year. It also gives his residence in the last year of his life as Bedford County, Virginia.[1][2] There are many suggested versions of his origins on many on-line trees, of which a sampling are summarized in the research sections of Space:Supplemental William Scott 1720-1794 of Bedford, Virginia. Some say that William was born in Scotland and immigrated into eastern Maryland.[3] Some say that his father was born in Scotland,[4] but none of this is proven. See the origins section below for more discussion
William's widow's (second wife) maiden name remains unproven, but many trees name her Lucretia James of James City county, Virginia.[5]We have no source that proves William and Lucy's marriage date and place, if it was about 1752 in Maryland. There is a birth record for a William Scott 1751, with parents William Scott and Lucresy, but in St. Lukes Parish, Queen Anns county, MD. Since the record is not in Charles or Prince Georges counties, its relevance is questionable.
The western part of Lunenberg county was subdivided to form Bedford County in 1754, so events before that date would be referenced in the older county. Some other boundary changes of Bedford county occurred, and these need to be reviewed and summarized here in order to qualify place names within various given date ranges. We do not know the birth dates and places of William and Lucy's children, except for two. Their ninth child, Joseph, who was born in 1757, and their tenth child, Obediah, who was born in 1764, both in Bedford county, Virginia, according to each of their military service pension records. These confirmed dates have shifted the commonly accepted birth estimates of the rest of the children. Another reason for adjusting birth year estimates is to align their birth order to coincide with the order of their listing in the 1793/1794 Will. Study of the 1793 Will, the residences of the children, naming patterns of the grandchildren, and some other conclusions reasoned from general information gives us clues that William probably had an earlier marriage before Lucy. See the theory on two marriages and the list of indicators.
Several possible land records for our William, dated 1753 through 1769, have been found. One example is "William Scott, 400 acres Bedford Co. July 14, 1769. (38, p.821)."[6] We are continuing to analyze these sources and search for additional relevant records. A number of records in the Valentine Papers which are recorded in Bedford county also reference Chesterfield county and these records probably all apply to a William Scott who came to Bedford from Chesterfield county and was not our William.
However, much of William's identity and relationships remains uncertain, but we do know that his Will was written on 7th December 1793, and processed in probate court on 24th November 1794 in Bedford county, Virginia. This record proves that his death occurred in that county and between those dates.[7][8]
As this ongoing research project uncovers more sources, this biography and the specific life event sub-sections below will be updated. (Note by Steve Lake on 18Aug2018.)
Several secondary sources have been found which describe possible origins of William Scott and his ancestors. These are considered poor quality sources because they consist of unsupported information and also disagree with one another, but these are being aggregated here under one heading to show the similarities from diverse places and dates, which may lend the information a higher level of credibility, or at least acceptance.
"We have no certain evidence where our Scott family originated, perhaps in the highlands or the lowlands of Scotland or perhaps they were Scots-Irish. The progenitors of the Scott family in the Tug River Valley were William and Lucretia James Scott of Bedford County, Virginia. The Scott Family Sketch (1851) states that William Scott’s father emigrated from the Highlands of Scotland to either Charles or Prince Georges County, Maryland, early in the 18th century. William emigrated early in his life from Maryland to Bedford County, Virginia, shortly after his marriage to a Miss Lucretia (Lucy) James.4
4 William Poston Scott (author 1851) and Mrs. C. L. Arnold (compiler 1958), The Scott Family Sketch. This document is widely cited, but I could not find the source in library catalogs or online references. This reference was by Col. Fred W. Scott in The Scott Genealogical Quarterly, 43, found on Google Books.
Goodwin, Rebecca Hoskins. "Who Are Her People?: The Life and Family of Louise Maynard Hoskins" 2018. (Kindle Locations 2970-2973). iUniverse. Copied from Kindle Edition. Also available for viewing at (https://books.google.com/books?id=gThmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT121&lpg=PT121&dq=%22Axton+Scott%22+%22Dorcas+Wright%22+Virginia+1748&source=bl&ots=TPx615yk08&sig=R0BmYaGBvgQhasOGODEkZTz8CiA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjAyKyWyKTeAhWDqIMKHbk1DdQQ6AEwB3oECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false : accessed on 26Oct2018).
77-88. William SCOTT d. Bedford Co., VA; will probated there, 1794. SCOTT FAMILY SKETCH (1851) states William SCOTT'S father emigrated from the "Highlands" of Scotland to either Charles or Prince Georges Co., MD early 18th Century. William emigrated early in life from MD to Bedford Co., VA shortly after marriage to Lucretia (Lucy) JAMES. Seeking info of William and Lucretia--birth place, parents, MD residence, marriage.
Col. Fred w. SCOTT, 146 Feeser Rd . . Littlestown, PA 17340 . Page 43.
78-88. James SCOTT came to KY as early as 1805 from Bedford Co., VA and settled in Scott Co., where he d., 1810. James, his brothers George and Obediah, are listed in Campbell Co.
Census of 1810. Nicholas and Henry, sons of James, were in Breckenridge Co. in 1810. Seeking info of James to include last residence, place of death and burial.
Col, Fred w. SCOTT, address above.
Published quarterly by Clan Scott, USA and the Scott one-Name Study. Volume 1, April 1987, Number 1.
Page 42
Aceto Bookmen, 5721 Antietam Drive, Sarasota, FL 33581, 1985 (Study Ref :PS0
1.00 1.0 12) Hannah Scott m. Christopher Webb Jonathan Scott m. Abigail
Safford JAMES William Scott died in Bedford County, Virginia and his 42.
SCOTT - Seek information on William Scott, b. in Scotland, but where is an unknown factor, but came to Charles or Prince [Georges] County, MD then to Bedford County, VA with will dated 07Dec1793 probated 24Sep1794 and settled 26Sep1825.
LTC William L. Scott (AUS RET), box 1, Traveler’s Rest, Rt. 2, 1200 Johnston Road, Dade City, FL 33525. Page 44.
(https://books.google.com/books?id=ixc5lN9fVN0C&pg=PA43&lpg=PA43&dq=The+Scott+Family+Sketch&source=bl&ots=mpG_tSMZQe&sig=pDtrOWegfciBnBDmOECE5bRb1JM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwim0NaG7qTeAhUJ9IMKHbq4BsgQ6AEwHHoECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=Bedford&f=false : accessed 26Oct2018)
Similar information can also be found on D.A.R., RootsWeb.com, Ancestry, and other sites which have been collected and recorded both here, on a supplementary research page, and individual descendant researchers; "Known Ancestry of Julia Ann NEELY," Rebecca Hoskins Goodwin, Susan Scott Brouillard, Patricia Gammons, Donald Eugene Scott, and others. This research project does not assert that the information on William Scott's origins is proven, but only that it is widely accepted from earlier secondary sources.
A reasonable birth year estimate for William is about 1720, place still unproven. The year 1720 has been calculated from various other facts, some directly and some indirectly using reasoning and statistical norms. Two commonly found suggestions have been retained below for comparison.
William was born in 1732. William Scott passed away in 1794. [9] (This late date is not supported by any source, and furthermore it conflicts with the calculated range of birth years for William and Lucy's twelve children. (Comment by Steve Lake 01Jan2019) The 1732 date cannot be possible if the marriage date of 1740 is accepted. Work is still being done on the children to establish better birth date estimates, the 1740 marriage estimate still seems to be a reasonable estimate and when lined up with a reasonable average age of 20 at time of marriage. (Note by Steve Lake on 12Jun2018.)
William Scott. Born about 1720 in Bedford Co. Virginia.[10] The 1720 date fits his marriage date of 1740. Other birth year estimates have been suggested, such as 1716 and 1719, which would also work out if we could just find a source. (Note by Steve Lake on 12Jun2018.)
No primary source has been found which proves who William's parents were. However, three secondary sources suggest either that his father was the immigrant from Scotland or Ireland, that William came from unknown locality to Maryland, or that his origins are varied without substantiation.
"We have no certain evidence where our Scott family originated, perhaps in the highlands or the lowlands of Scotland, or perhaps they were Scots-Irish. The progenitors of the Scott family in the Tug River Valley were William and Lucretia James Scott of Bedford County, Virginia."
"The Scott Family Sketch (1851) states that William Scott's father emigrated from the Highlands of Scotland to either Charles or Prince Georges County, Maryland, early in the 18th century.4
"Another researcher also cites "The Scott Family Sketch" but asserts that it was William himself who came to Charles County, Maryland, and that he sold property there in 1747, 1748 and 1766 and moved to Bedford County, Virginia, where in a deed registered in 1763, he purchased property near the foot of the Blue Ridge on Goose Creek.5
"As a third Scott researcher says, "The origins of William Scott are varied and without substantiation." These vary from the following suggested parents;
"Even though we have been unable to establish William's parentage and place of birth or where he and Lucretia were married, we know that William and Lucretia were the parents of twelve children. This is corroborated by William's Will, which is dated 7 December 1793, and probated 24 November 1794 in Bedford County, Virginia.7[11]
The suggested parents listed above have absolutely no proof and are only listed here as a starting point for further investigation. Obvious points are noted which indicate further research is less than promising for some, and very doubtful for others.
"About 1740 when William was 20, he married Lucretia "Lucy" James, in Halifax County, Virginia. [She was] Born about 1722 in Bedford County, VA."[12] It appears that the 1740 date is based on the birth year estimates of William and Lucy's children. Keep in mind that Halifax county was formed in 1752 from Lunenberg county. After work is completed on all the children, we may have a slightly different picture, although that is unlikely because twelve children usually more than fills an average woman's child-bearing years. Lucy's estimated birth is probably also based on her children's birth estimates. Genealogy work needs to be done on Lucy, too. (Note by Steve Lake on 12Jun2018.)
"The Scott Family Sketch (1851) states that William emigrated early in his life from Maryland to Bedford County, Virginia, shortly after his marriage to a Miss Lucretia (Lucy) James.4[13]
It is assumed and/or accepted by many that Lucy, William's widow, was the mother of all of his twelve children. A careful study of the sources that we have collected so far reveals several points that we have used to reason several interesting conclusions in our Theory of William Scott's Two Marriages.
Our research group has discussed this "William Scott's Two Marriages Theory" and the indicators used in the reasoning that supports the theory. At first it seemed like a rather radical concept, but the more we exchanged ideas, the more obvious it became that the traditionally accepted view of Lucy being the only wife of William and the only mother of his twelve children, was only based on assumptions. We could easily move the accepted birth year estimate of William back, not knowing anything about his origins, but we could not do this knowing what we know about Lucy's origins, besides the accepted 20-year rule for child-bearing. Applying the standard rule of thumb for the average length of female fertility is based on statistical averages and is not an assumption. We admit that we probably have not thought of all the factors that relate to this idea and we hope that our presentation of a theory here will not be detrimental to our intent to move from confusingly random chaos toward systematically organized order. Surely a continued conversation from as many different quarters as possible will move our reasonable theory from an interesting possibility to the best likelihood, if not closer to most probable. Please comment here, in public comments. or by private message to me, Steve Lake.
Twelve children are listed in the Will of William Scott 7 Dec 1793 in Bedford county, Virginia, in this listed order, which is assumed to be their birth order.
Birth year estimates have been adjusted to conform to the listed order in the 1793/4 Will, which is reasonably assumed to be actual birth order. Our 2018 research project has only found proving sources for the birth dates and places of Joseph (1757) and Obediah (1764). Work needs to be done on the rest of these children to try to establish more reasonable and firm birth year estimates and birth places. This work necessarily needs to include the full range of vitals, relationships and sources. Collaborators are needed for this phase, currently underway. These dates, places and relationships have been copied to profiles on FamilySearch.org along with pertinent sources and reasoned conclusions. (Note by Steve Lake on 12Jun2018. Status of profiles on Ancestry.com is unknown, but probably differs in both data and source support.)
Evidence and reasoning included in the "Theory of Two Marriages for William Scott" also applies to the children. Our research team believes William's six oldest children were born in Charles or Prince Georges counties, Maryland, and their mother's name is unknown. That implies that Lucy only had the youngest six children born in Bedford county, Virginia, but was a step-mother to, and raised, the older six, who were probably under age 10 or 12 at the time.
Starting with the proven location of Bedford county, Virginia in 1793, where his will was written and probated, and was also his probable place of death, we can work backwards. It is not known when he moved his family to Bedford county, nor where he may have come from. Halifax county, Maryland, where he may have married, is a possibility.[17] Our analysis of multiple primary and secondary sources, plus a sampling of family history and tree information, leads us to a conclusion that William lived in Bedford county, Virginia from about 1751 until his death, and resided in Maryland previous to about 1751, in Charles or Prince Georges counties. Work on his wife, Lucy, and her family may turn up some clues supporting a marriage place. At this point, William's birth place is wide open, including Scotland, but Stirlingshire probably belongs to a different William Scott.(Note by Steve Lake on 12Jun2018.) This is a preliminary conclusion. Evidence to support various residence places is presented below.
"The Scott Family Sketch" asserts that It was William himself who came to Charles County, Maryland, and that he sold property there in 1747, 1748 and 1766 and moved to Bedford County, Virginia, where in a deed registered in 1763, he purchased property near the foot of the Blue Ridge on Goose Creek.5[18]
"21 March 1753, William Scott, 100 acres on Middle Lick Run of Catawba."[19]
"John Phillip Weaver, Deed from John P. Weaver to William Scott (Buckingham) 150 acres on Stanton River. Witnesses; Mary Bumpass, Charles C. Simmons. Recorded 22 March 1763. Teste Ben Howard CBC."[20]
"Scott, William, Deed from William Scott to Josiah Bradshaw of Cumberland County. 150 acres lying on the North side of Stanton River. Recorded 28 April 1767. Teste Ben Howard CBC."[21]
"William Scott, 400 acres Bedford Co. July 14, 1769. (38, p.821)."[22][23]
William Scott, Sr. and William Scott, Jr. are listed in the 1787 Virginia Census, Bedford County Personal Property Tax List "B"[24][25] Besides William's son, William, Jr., other sons are listed; Axton, George, James and John.
I do know that our William's early property was on the headwaters of Goose creek where it flowed out of the Blue Ridge. (NW corner of Bedford county) I believe that he may have run a country store and perhaps a mill for grinding grain.(Note by Donald Scott on 06Aug2018.)
"William and brother, James, migrated to Virginia and is the beginning of our Scots of America."[26]
Service in militia during French-Indian Wars is probable. Active military service during the American War for Independence is doubtful. William would have been in his 50's or 60's during the War for Independence, so any patriotic service may have been providing goods. He may have served in the Virginia militia during the earlier Indian wars when he was younger. One search of Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR.org found no match to birth year/Scotland. Another search found this Scott, William (no RANK), '" Service: VIRGINIA Rank(s): PATRIOTIC SERVICE, Birth: CIRCA 1716 VIRGINIA, Death: ANTE 5-13-1805 NELSON CO KENTUCKY, Service Description: PAID FOR SUPPLIES.
This latter DAR registrant is probably not relevant because it lists his death after 1805 and we know our William died in 1794. As we fine tune our William Scott's identity, DAR can be re-visited.(Note by Steve Lake on 12Jun2018.)
William's death was probably during the year of 1794 in Bedford county, Virginia. Although his actual death date is not certain, his will was written on 7 Dec 1793 and it was processed in probate court on 24 Nov 1794[27][28][29], therefore his death would have been between those dates. There is a 11/12th's chance that he died in 1794, which is as close as we can get and is also universally accepted.(Note by Steve Lake on 12Jun2018.)
Will of William Scott, 1793 - Bedford Co. VA
Will Bk. 2, pg. 147
Dated: 7th December 1793, Probated: 24th November 1794
In The Name of God Amen. I William Scott of Bedford County being Infirm in body but in perfect health and memory do make & Ordain this my Last Will & Testament in form following that is to say---I give & Recommend my soul into the hands of this Almighty God that gave and my body I recommend to the earth to be decently interred at the discretion of executors and as touching such worldly estate which it has pleased Got Got to bless to me with I Will Bequeath in the following manner & form.
Item, I bequeath unto my son James Scott and George Scott all my lands and Tenements to be equally divided between them their heirs or assigns.
Item, I bequeath unto my beloved wife Lucy Scott all my moveable effects Goods & Chattles during her Life & at her decease to become my son - Peter Scott.
Item I beueath unto my Daughter Sarah Lee one Shilling Sterling.
Item I bequeath unto my son John Scott one Shilling Sterling.
Item I bequeath unto my son Thomas Scott one Shilling Sterling.
Item I bequeath unto my son William Scott one Shilling Sterling.
Item I bequeath unto my son Charles Scott one Shilling Sterling.
Item I bequeath unto my son Axton Scott one Shilling Sterling.
Item I bequeath unto my son Joseph Scott one Shilling Sterling.
Item I bequeath unto my son Obadiah Scott one Shilling Sterling.
Item I bequeath unto my son Peter Scott one Shilling Sterling and will my movable Effects Goods & Chattles after his mothers Decease----
Item I bequeath unto my son Evan Scott one Shilling Sterling.
Item I also do appoint my beloved sons James Scott & George Scott my sole Executors, and I do hereby utterly disallow revoke & disannuall all & every other former Testaments & Wills by me in any way before named. Willed & Bequeathed Rattifying this & no other to be my Last Will & Testament. In Witness where of I have herunto set my hand & seal this 7th day of December 1793
Teste
Edward Hore his
John Holladay William X Scott
William Brown mark
At a Court held for Bedford County the 24th day of November 1794.
This Last Will & Testament of William Scott Deceased was proven by the oath of Edward Hore John Holliday William Brown Witnesses whose names are thereunto subscribed and ordered to be recorded.
Teste
Ja. Steptoe, Clk.
Submitted & Transcribed by Buddy & Linda Harbin-Grubbs <lharbing[at]worldnet.att.net>
Boone County, Kentucky
There are additional court records for subsequent action regarding the 1793 Will. The Appraisement of Estate of William Scott was recorded on 23 February 1795 by: John Wright, John Dent, Joseph Brown. The Inventory of Estate of William Scott was dated 3 July 1801 by: Henry Buford, John Otey, Christopher Black and recorded 27 July 1801.[30]
Citation
(https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Edward_Pleasants_Valentine_Papers_Al.html?id=uC4lAAAAMAAJ | accessed on 07Aug2018) and (https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001263493 | accessed on 07Aug2018) May also be found on WorldCAT (library reference) and Amazon (for sale) | accessed on 07Aug2018 by Vickie and by Steve Lake.
Transcribed Information
Last Name - First name - Charged with Tax - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - Notes
Scott - William, Jr. - self - 0 - 4 - 6 - 5 - 9
Scott - William, Sr. - W.S. Jr. - - - - -
Scott - William, Jr. - self - 1 - 1 - 1 - 5 - 12
Scott - William, Sr. - W.S. Jr. - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 1
From published book "Laws of Virginia," date (1987?) and author (Louis H. Manarin, State Archivist) unknown. (https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/56211686 : accessed on 12 June 2018 by Steven Lake, contributed by vNatale 6 June 2018) page 254, with Table of Contents and Foreword.
"The Personal Property Tax Lists ("A" & "B") for the Year 1787 for Bedford County, Virginia" by Netti Schreiner-Yantis and Florene Love, 1987. This reference work may be found on WorldCAT.org, which provides subsequent local locations, one of which is the Denver Public Library. (accessed on 23 Dec 2018 by Steve Lake) No digitized versions currently known.
(http://mkmary.tripod.com/webpage1/id5.html : accessed 11Jun2018 by SEL) This tree has twelve generations, 45 sources and an index. William and Lucy occur in the fourth generation. Attention is needed regarding proven and unproven data.
In The Name of God Amen. I William Scott of Bedford County being Infirm in body but in perfect health and memory do make & Ordain this my Last Will & Testament in form following that is to say--- (From: http://files.usgwarchives.org/va/bedford/wills/scott1.tx and https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LY1Y-K95 | former is unknown format, latter is transcription only.)
Transcribed information from page one
1752 -Ref. “Va. Frontier” –Kegley Pgs. 171-165 Wm. Took up land that became Botet. Co.
1767 -Ref. Bed. Co. D. Bk. 3 p. 67 – Ind. Between Wm. S. of Bed. Co. & Josiah Bradshaw of Cumberland Co. Wm. S. sells him 150 A. on Staunton R. Rec. 28 Ap. 1767
1769 (Ref. “Va. Land Office” Pat. Bk. 38 p. 821—Wm. Obtained a Patent on 400 A. in Bed. Co. on 20 Ap. 1767.
1785-Ref. Bed. Co. Order Bk. 8 p. 145—“Wm. Was granted permission to keep an ORDINARY at his home on GOOSE CREEK” (My family ref. show Wm. S. lived on GOOSE CREEK, ESA)
Page One Letter by Mrs. C.L. Arnold |
Manuscript in the collection of the St. Louis Historical Society. Photocopy provided Nov2018, image of page one found at (https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Scott-210-3 : posted 11Dec2018). Mrs. C.L. Arnold also known as Ellanore Scott Arnold, granddaughter of William Poston Scott and descendant of Charles Scott. Original records of these references need to be found.
Transcribed Information
March 21, 1753, William Scott, 100 acres on Middle Lick Run of Catawba. Page 76.
"KEGLEY'S VIRGINIA FRONTIER, The Beginning of the Southwest, The Roanoke of Colonial Days 1740-1783" with maps and illustrations. Published by The Southwest Virginia Historical Society, Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.A. MCMXXXVIII. Copyright 1938, The Southwest Virginia Historical Society. This reference work may be found on WorldCAT.org, which provides subsequent local locations, one of which is the Denver Public Library (accessed on 23 Dec 2018 by Steve Lake) No digitized versions currently known.
Transcribed Information
Page 152, John Phillip Weaver, Deed from John P. Weaver to William Scott (Buckingham) 150 acres on Stanton River. wit. Mary Bumpass, Charles C. Simmons. Rec. March 22, 1763. Teste Ben Howard CBC. Book B-2.
Page 67, Scott, William, Deed from William Scott to Josiah Bradshaw of Cumberland Co. 150 acres lying on the North side of Stanton R. Rec. April 28, 1767. Teste Ben Howard CBC. Book C-3.
"BEDFORD COUNTY, VIRGINIA, DEED BOOK A-1, B-2 AND C-3" Anne Chilton, 1992. Compiled from the original Bedford County Deed Books and published for wider distribution and ease of access. This reference work may be found on WorldCAT.org, which provides subsequent local locations, one of which is the Denver Public Library (accessed on 23 Dec 2018 by Steve Lake) No digitized versions currently known.
Abstracted and edited from the original Bedford County, Virginia Will Book 2 by Joida Whitten, date unknown. Published for wider distribution and ease of access. This reference work may be found on WorldCAT.org, which provides subsequent local locations, one of which is dated 1981 at the Denver Public Library (accessed on 23 Dec 2018 by Steve Lake) No digitized versions currently known.
Transcribed and compiled by Ann Chilton 1988. The 1988 Chilton Will Book image was copied from the book held by the Denver Public Library, (accessed on 23 Dec 2018 by Steve Lake). This reference work may be found on WorldCAT.org, which provides subsequent local locations. No digitized versions currently known.
Source: MyHeritage Family Trees MyHeritage.com [online database]. Lehi, UT, USA: MyHeritage (USA) Inc. https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-1/myheritage-family-trees
Family tree: shreve family web site, managed by WILLIAM J SHREVE JR https://www.myheritage.com/site-126332342/shreve-family
Source: #S3298722087
This person was created through the import of DownloadGedcom.aspx.ged on 03 May 2011.
Citation:
William Scott
Birth: Aug 30 1737 - Denny, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Death: Nov 24 1794 - Bedford, Bedford, Virginia, USA
Parents: Walter Scott, Janet Scott (born Inglis)
Siblings: Robert Scott, William Scott, Jennett Scott
.
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Categories: Bedford County, Virginia | Estimated Birth Date | Maryland Colonists
During our project we have found some hints that William Scott's widow, Lucy, was not the mother of all 12 children listed in the 1793 Will of William. The theory of two marriages and the six indicators appears on William's profile and consequently five of his children oldest lack a profile for a mother. This sets the oldest five children as half-siblings to each other.
There is a profile for "First Wife of Maryland" on FamilySearch.org, created on 4 Nov 2018 and found here https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GMWP-QGG
Using that profile as an example, we can discuss what works and what needs to be adjusted. Starting with the name, I have had a lot of interference regarding "First Wife of" for the first name and "Maryland" as the birth surname. In reality, both names are unknown, but "Unknown" in either field is unacceptable, both on FS & WT. I dislike using married name for birth name.
The proposed profile will have two sources, one is the 1793 Will of William Scott in Bedford county, Virginia. The second is a 2018 book, "Who Are Her People?: The Life and Family of Louise Maynard Hoskins" by Rebecca Hoskins Goodwin, with a link to Google books.
Thank you for your input as we proceed.
I've added you as a profile manager and will check the children's profiles you copied your message to
Cheers, Liz
The supplemental space page (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Supplemental_William_Scott_1720-1794_of_Bedford%2C_Virginia#Phase_Four) explains the five phases of our project. Phase one is what we know, phase two is interviews, phase three is collecting and analyzing tree information, phase four is listing what we don't know and more focused research, and phase five is profile improvements and conclusions. After about 18 months, we expanded our scope to include Maryland and associated families, and that was overwhelming, probably taking the wind out of our sails. As you can see, I have not gotten any response on my suggestion in 5 months. I am not sure whether that means no one is either in favor, or no one is against, proceeding. Knowing how dangerous it is to put forth theories, which we have already done, it may be wiser not to add to them. Please enlighten me on tracking template errors.
Anyway, I knew these errors were collected by the database scrubs but couldn't remember how to find them. Aleš kindly sent me a link, which I've modified a bit - see https://wikitree.sdms.si/default.htm?report=err6&Query=Colonist&MaxErrors=1000&ErrorID=896 - you can cange the error searched for to see other problems for profiles that include "Colonist" (which both the project templates have).
Cheers, Liz
One positive result of being inactive for a year is that this profile may be enough over the top to discourage contributions, especially the frivolous, redundant or superfluous. It can be discouraging to put in hours of research time on a profile make-over and then have to constantly undo contributions which we have already documented as irrelevant, incorrect or simply unproven. One can hope that having such a comprehensive process has possibly spilled back out onto the world wide web and influenced the content on other tree sites into a similar source-based profiles.
I have joined US Southern Colonies Project and will be requesting project protection for this profile. The purpose for doing this is to protect the research accumulated on this profile and to bring together another layer of consultants who can objectively evaluate our conclusions.
edited by Steve Lake
Unless anyone objects, I will be submitting a request to US Southern Colonies for PPP, profile project protection. This will provide several benefits, such as profile locking to protect data, and will also put it under their management, which is a higher level of supervision. They will assist with compliance to WikiTree standards and reconciling errors. It will also give this Green line favorable standing as early settlers and pioneers in the colony of Virginia.
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:US_Southern_Colonies
Sub-project Virginia has resources we could review. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Sources-Virginia https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:Virginia#Virginia_Resources https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Virginia_Counties_and_Parishes#counties and https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Virginia_Sourcing_Help
A few other improvements remain, mainly noted in the source reference list. Several of these could be converted to multiple references to conserve space.
Overall, I am pleased with how comprehensively this profile addresses the challenges of the diversity of details on the many other profiles of this family throughout the internet. Repeatedly going back to source support emphasizes how extremely important sources are to the process of qualifying these diverse details. I understand why so many different versions have come up through the lines of descendants and I hope that the consistent use of sources has kept the focus on the information, not on the contributors. This process has involved numerous descendants' contributions, either actively or passively without knowledge or consent, so there is ongoing potential for conflict and disagreement. Hopefully all who take the time to review our process here will gain a greater appreciation of the diversity of contributions and a deeper understanding of how we reached our conclusions. As time consuming as it may be to review our entire process, doing so will go a long way toward avoiding conflict and reducing disagreement, as well as introducing opportunities to present further ideas. Our process would have been incomplete without finding and addressing at least most of the versions we were able to find.
The 2018 William Scott collaborative research project will continue to dig into Maryland records and also the many allied families both in Maryland and Virginia.
One source which was published this year has affirmed W.S. Sr.'s origins in Maryland. Another older source has a list of duplicate James Scott's which will help us sort out the Scott lines other than our own. One of our group's recent discussions asks the question whether Lucy was the mother of all twelve of W.S. Sr.'s known children. We have identified five (now six) indicators which support this theory and these have been presented on Lucy's profile. The next round of edits will incorporate these indicators to all of the profiles of the rest of the family.
1769 Land Purchase in Bedford County, VA found in the Valentine Papers. This record moved to "Residence" section. Source created in "Sources" section. 29Sep2018 by SEL.
About 1785 on Goose Creek in Bedford, William, Sr. granted permission to keep an ordinary (tavern). Reminder to prep this source with citation.
Next, work is needed to move relevant info and sources of Court Records.
Duplicate parents:
Walter Scott (Scott-211) b. 1682 d. 1762[uncertain]
Walter Scott (Scott-16729) b. 1700 d. 1780
and
Janet Scott (Unknown-277068) b. 1705 d. [uncertain]
Janet Inglis (Inglis-753) b. 06 Apr 1700 d. 1761
Our brilliant researcher and able helper, Vickie, has found another treasure, "The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers, Vol. I-IV" which lists many court documents for various men named William Scott. This will be useful in sorting out who they all were and ways to tell them apart. Analysis will take some time. My next thought is that we need to collect brief histories of when Virginia counties were formed and boundaries changed, so we have a better idea of the territories included in these documents.
That is interesting as the bio for Scott-16728 says "William and brother, James, migrated to Virginia and is the beginning of our Scots of America.
With a source of: Court Records: Will of William Scott written December 7, 1793. Bedford County, Virginia; will probated 24 November 1794, Bedford Co., Virginia, WB 2/p 147-8.
I believe this profile represents that same man, however it has attached as his wife Marry Prior, who according to present information would actually have been the wife of his son John Scott.
Any thoughts?