Mary
Eppes
aka Epes
Born in Bermuda Hundred, Chesterfield County, Colony of Virginia
Ancestors 
Daughter of John Eppes
and [mother unknown]
[spouse(s) unknown]
[children unknown]
Died
at about age 47
in Henrico County, Colony of Virginia
Profile last modified
| Created 29 Nov 2011
This page has been accessed 3,663 times.
This profile lacks source information. Please add sources that support the facts.
Note: Unclear which Mary this is, but John Taylor, born 1663, is not known to have married anyone other than Henrietta Maria, whom he names in his 1707 will. See "Other Marys" under Research Notes, below.
Contents |
Biography
Mary was born after 1645. Mary Eppes ... She passed away after 1690.[1]
Mary was born in Virginia about 1650. She died there about 1698.[1]
Research Notes
The following unsourced information appears to have been copied from a FindAGrave memorial for Mary Worsham Royall that cited FindAGrave memorial #131150853, which is now for Mary Eppes Royall, with similar information (which is also unsourced & I have not copied it into this profile).[2]
Spouse:
- Joseph Royall (1646 - 1732)
Some Known Children:
- Henry Royall (1680 - 1747)
Siblings
Elizabeth Worsham Kennon
1651–1743
John Worsham 1653–1729
Half Siblings
Mary Epes Hardyman
1664–1726
- Burial: Saint John's Episcopal: Henrico Parish, Church - Henrico County Virginia, USA
Name
Birth
Death
Other Marys
- Based on information from Eppes-20 - Mary Eppes (abt.1664-abt.1726) who married (1) John Hardeman (1654-1711), (2) Charles Goodrich Sr (abt.1654-1726):
- Primary sources needed to clarify dates for the Epes and Worsham families. From sources currently cited, both of Mary's parents - Francis Eppes II (abt.1627-bef.1678) & Elizabeth Littleberry (1620-1678) - had another daughter named Mary:
- Mary Eppes who married Joseph Royall was the daughter of her father's first wife by him:
- Mary Worsham (1657-abt.1737) who married Richard Ligon (abt.1660-abt.1724) was her mother's daughter by her first husband:
- Find A Grave: Memorial #131150853 for Mary who married Joseph Royall says her parents were Francis and Elizabeth (Littlebury) Epes instead of the daughter of Francis by his first wife Mary, but text on the memorial says she (daughter of Francis and his second wife Elizabeth) married John Hardyman.
- Elizabeth (Worsham, née Littleberry) Eppes' profile (Littleberry-1) includes information from her will, dated 28 August 1678, which names both Mary Worsham and Mary Eppes as daughters. A second will, dated 23 September 1678 confirms that Mary Eppes is her daughter by Francis: "...to be divided equally between the children she had by said Eppes, viz: William, Littlebury & Mary, when they come of age". So her daughter Mary Eppes was born c1658 or later (which fits with WikiTree's marriage date for Francis and Elizabeth being 1660).
- In WikiTree, this Mary Eppes (Eppes-55) is attached as the daughter of John Eppes (1626-1679), but I could not find mention of her in the profile's text or sources cited (as of 22 October 2021). The wife of John Eppes is identified in Charles City County records, (court held 3 April 1689) as Mary Kent (John being dec'd - record concerns their son and heir, also named John, proving his father's will in court as executor of the will).[12]
- The Joseph Royall of the FindAGrave memorial for Mary Worsham Royall may have been intended to be the Joseph portrayed by Royall-3 - Joseph Royall (1646-1722). The maiden name of his wife Mary (the widow of George Archer) is not known. See their profiles for details. ~ Noland-165 18:24, 22 October 2021 (UTC)
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 A source for this information is needed.
- ↑ [1] Findagrave : Mary Worsham Royall [sic] - the memorial may have previously been for Mary Worsham, but as of 22 October 2021, the clickable link goes to the memorial for Mary Eppes and has different information.
- ↑ Source: #S84 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Mary Diane Royall
- ↑ Source: #S84 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Joseph Royall
- ↑ Source: #S84 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Mary Eppes
- ↑ Source: #S84 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Mary Diane Royall
- ↑ Source: #S84 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Joseph Royall
- ↑ Source: #S84 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Mary Eppes
- ↑ Source: #S84 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Mary Diane Royall
- ↑ Source: #S84 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Joseph Royall
- ↑ Source: #S84 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Mary Eppes
- ↑ Benjamin B. Weisiger III, Charles City County, Virginia Court Orders (1687-1695) (1980), pdf - page 48 (54 of 255), accessed 22 October 2021.
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Categories: Unsourced Profiles | Virginia, Unsourced Profiles
In August 1685, on the petition of ‘Jno. Hardiman who marryed Mary, one of the Orphs of Coll. Fra: Epes, dec’d,’ it was ordered Mr. Francis Epes, late guardian of Mary, deliver her estate to John Hardyman." Thus, the court grants Hardiman's petition to have Mary's guardian Francis Eppes (her brother) turn her estate over to Hardiman. Those facts also show that Mary could not have been married to Joseph Royall (or anyone else) before August 1685.
The claim that Joseph's wife Mary was Mary Eppes, daughter of Col. Francis Epes, derives from the work of John Royall Harris. It seems to me that he made a very reasonable error when analyzing the records.
Here is what John Royall Harris, President of Cumberland University, wrote in the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography in January 1925 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/4243995):
"Captain Joseph Royall 1646-1732. Married before 1681-2, Mary Eppes, daughter of Col. Francis Eppes and Elizabeth Littleberry. Elizabeth was twice married, first to William Worsham, and then to Eppes, and she leaves the unusual record of having two daughters named Mary, one by each union. Mary Eppes was born 1664 and date of death is not known. Henrico records refer to her 1681-1698, identifying her as wife of Joseph Royall, brother (sic) of William Eppes, and the Eppes wills show her parentage.
Because the children of the first George Archer refer to Joseph Royall as father, and the latter calls them in-law, there is ground for the opinion that Joseph also married Archer's widow, who was the daughter of Major General Abraham Wood, though it must have occurred between 1676, when Archer died, and 1681-2, when Joseph and Mary Eppes were married. Counting the age of the Archer children, their mother must have been near 44 years old, or about ten years the senior of her husband.
Virginia Patent Books 7, 8, 9, 10, and Henrico records show that Captain Joseph had for himself and in connection with Col. William Randolph, Col. Francis Eppes, and George Archer, 4,452 acres of land, embracing Martin's Swamp on the south side of the James, and tracks on the north side of the Appomattox River, and on Proctor's Creek. His title, service as sheriff, and as vestryman in Curl's Episcopal Church, and innumerable references to him in public documents, enable us to know much of him and his issue. Up to now no will has been found, but land conveyances and other records clearly prove what is here included."
This, from the same author, is found in the Richmond Times Dispatch, December 13, 1914:
"Mary Royall, 1681-3, appoints her brother William Eppes, her attorney to transfer her part of the swamp land. Owned jointly by her father Francis Eppes, Captain William Randolph, and Joseph Royall."
Here is the text of the source document referred to:
"Know all men by these presents that I Mary Royall do hereby authorize and appoint William Epes to be my true and lawful attorney for me and in my name and behalf to make a lawful surrender of the part of the swamp as witness my hand this 20th day of February 1681/2."
Notice that the document does not specifically say that William Epes is her brother. Immediately below that entry is another, by Ann Epes, which uses nearly identical language but says "...my Bro. William Epes..."
It would seem logical that Mary and Ann are sisters, authorizing their brother to act as their attorney (Mary's husband Joseph was alive at the time). But why would one specifically refer to "my Bro." and the other one not? Unfortunately Harris does not say how he knew or believed that Mary was the sister of William Epes. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9GY-QHW6?i=94&cat=365008
The reference is to a patent in Virginia Patent Book No. 7, page 24, patenting "580 acres, south side of James River, known as Captain Martin's Swamp, to Captain William Randolph, Francis Eppes, Joseph Royall, April 20, 1680." The land was owned in partnership with the specific provision that a one-third interest would descent to the heirs of each owner at his death. The power of attorney must have related to this transaction (of the same date). https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9GY-QHQP?i=91&cat=365008. There is a reference to Mary Royall and an Eppes in the postscript, but I can't make it out.
The settlement of the personal property estate of Francis Epes is not helpful, as it only inventories the items given to his son William and widow Elizabeth (suggesting that they were the only legatees in his will, at least of personal property. The inventory does not reference real property). https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9GY-QHSW?i=118&cat=365008
I have been unable to access anything other than the index, but in the index of the book Ancestors and Descendants of Francis Epes I of Virginia, published by the Society of the Descendants of Francis Epes I of Virginia in 1992 this appears "Mary (Epes) Royall, 181-182." Presumably those two pages of that book will have information relevant to the question. If anyone who reads this has that book, please share what it says about Mary.
More detail regarding the will of Elizabeth Littleberry Eppes and business dealings involving Joseph Royall and the Eppes family are shown in the RTD article. https://virginiachronicle.com/cgi-bin/virginia?a=d&d=RTD19141213.1.45&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN--------
Bottom line is that Harris must have made the reasonable (but evidently incorrect) assumption that Mary was the sister of William Epes, based on the Feb. 20, 1680 documents linked above. Certainly at that time Joseph Royall was married to a Mary. Why she would have given a power of attorney to William Epes at the same time his sister Ann did, and with respect to a transaction in which Joseph Royall was a party, is a mystery.
In any event, it is clear that Mary Eppes, daughter of Francis, was married to John Hardiman in 1685 and had been under the guardianship of her brother Francis prior to that time. It doesn't seem possible that she could have been married to Joseph Royall in August 1680.
edited by William Guerrant
update - detached John Taylor Jr (Taylor-9297)
edited by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
Eppes-122 and Eppes-55 appear to represent the same person because: not a lot of info for Eppes-122, but what's there is compatible with the info for Eppes-55. Please merge (or add more info for Eppes-122 if she's a different person). Thanks!
Dorman (Adventurers of Purse & Person) shows the Mary m George Archer, then Joseph Royall, as born Harris - see Mary Harris's profile.