Francis Awbrey (aft. 1676 - bef. 1742)

Born after 1676 in Westmoreland County, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Frances (Tanner) Awbrey — married about 1710 in Virginia

Descendants

Died before 22 Feb 1742 before age 66 in Prince William County, Virginia

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Liz Shifflett [send private message] and Cole Aubrey [send private message]

Biography

Frank Awbrey has Welsh ancestors.

Native Virginian

This profile is part of the Awbrey Name Study.

Francis Awbrey (also Aubrey^[1]) was born after 1676,^[2] probably by 1690.^[1][3] He married Frances Tanner in 1710^[3] (definitely before 1711/2^[4]).

Frances Tanner, the second daughter of Thomas and Mary (Atwell) Tanner, married Francis Awbrey, brother of John Awbrey,^[5] and moved to Prince William County, Virginia. The records show that they had at least two sons, John Awbrey and Francis Awbrey, Jr^[6] (his 1741 will included seven sons and two daughters, listed below).

When the county of Prince William was set off from Stafford in 1731, he became a member of its first Court and, in 1732, "the inspector of the Pohick warehouse and a member of the Truro Vestry." Two years before his death he became the Sheriff of Prince William County and, at about the same time, established the ferry at the Point of Rocks.^[7]

In Virginia's colonial period, the shoreline of the Potomac (at modern-day Rosslyn, Virginia) contained a landing for Awbrey's ferry, which transported travelers to and from Maryland (today's Georgetown).^[8] Francis's son-in-law, Philip Noland, also operated a ferry across the Potomac between Virginia and Maryland,^[9] crossing the river at "Point of Rocks"^[10] (today's present-day U.S. Route 15).^[11]

"Another early ferry near Mason's Island had been chartered in 1738 to one Francis Awbrey, who was also connected with ferries far upriver (see mile 44.6, Noland's Ferry). Awbrey's ferry is believed to have crossed the Potomac below Mason's Island, but was short-lived."^[12]

1739-1740, Francis Awbrey was a Prince William County sheriff (although this could possibly have been his son).^[13]

Francis Awbrey passed away in 1741.

Marriage

Francis Awbrey and Frances Tanner

1710, Prince William County, Virginia^[14]

• Child: Sarah Awbrey
• Child: Elizabeth Awbrey
• Child: George Awbrey
• Child: Samuel Awbrey
• Child: John Awbrey
• Child: Richard Awbrey
• Child: Francis Awbrey
• Child: Thomas Awbrey
• Child: Henry Awbrey

Will

Will of Francis Awbrey, of Truro parish, Prince William County, dated 14 December 1741.^[15]

Will Abstract^[16]

Francis Awbrey of the Parish of Truro of the County of Prince Williams [sic] of the Colony of Virginia

loving wife (not named)

three children under age and arrangements if his wife should die or remarry:

• daughter Sarah be under the care of my daughter Elizabeth Nowland
• son George to care of my son Richard Awbrey
• son Samuel to care of his godfather Capt. Benjamin Greyson^[17]

all children (including above):

• daughter Sarah
• son George
• son Samuel
• daughter Elizabeth Nowland (formerly married to John Neal: "Philp Nowlan pays the money to Thomas Awbrey which I have paid to clear the estate of John Neal deceased")
• son Richard
• son John
• son Francis
• son Thomas
• son Hennery (later Henry)

Maryland land (if obtained) to go to five sons: Thomas, Richard, Henry, George and Samuel

Executors: John Awbrey, Thomas Awbrey and Richard Awbrey ... "John Awbrey and Thomas Awbrey shall ever six months declare upon oath in court of the increase and decrease of the estate for the satisfaction of Richard Awbrey until he shall be of age"

/s/ Fras. Awbrey

Wit: William Henry Terrett

24 March 1741. Ack and adm. To record

The transcript does not include the date the will was written, but does name several slaves and indentured servants. Also cited by Janet Ariciu is an abstract of "Aubrey, Francis; Prince William County, Virginia will filed Feb 22 1741" from Virginia wills before 1799 : a complete abstract register of all names mentioned in over six hundred recorded wills ... copied from the court house records of Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, Loudoun, Prince William, and Rockbridge Counties Pompton Lakes, N.J.: Biblio Co., 1924, by William Mongomery Clemens, which leaves out son Francis.

Will Dates

In 1741, the new year began March 25.^[18] So the will could very well have been dated December 14, 1741 and filed February 22, 1741. Modern genealogists would have added "/2" to the February date - February 1741/2 - which doesn't import in a gedcom (often resulting with the "/2" being dropped).

The 1741/2 type of dating system combines "old style" (year ending March 24) and "new style" (new year begins January 1). For consistency across WikiTree, new style is recommended. Therefore, the date for the will being filed, if the assumption that it followed the will being written in Decemeber 1741, should be 1742.^[19]

However, more research is needed, since at least one researcher (Janet Ariciu) has 22 February 1740/41.^[20]

Francis Awbrey and Leesburg

Note: The following outline^[21] highlights important events in the establishment and development of Leesburg. The site of 18th century Leesburg, located within the boundaries of the Old and Historic District, was part of a much larger tract of land that Thomas the Sixth Lord Fairfax sold to Francis Awbrey in 1730. Upon Awbrey's death around 1741, a portion of his land passed to one of his sons, John Awbrey. Following John Awbrey's death, his widow conveyed the land that included the "Leesburg" site to John Carlyle of Alexandria, VA who subsequently transferred the land to Nicholas Minor in 1757.^[22]

1731

7 Apr 1731 Exec. Jour.

QUANTICO & HUNTING CREEK

Tobacco inspectors: FRANCIS AWBREY, Benjamin Strother (also Falmouth & Fredericksburg)

The Governour with the advice of the Council was pleas'd to nominate Justices of the Peace for the newly erected Co. of Prince William viz Thomas Harrison, Dennis McCarty, William Linton, FRANCIS AWBREY, Robert Jones, Burr Harrison & Moses Quarles of the Quorum & Leonard Barker, William Harrison, Valentine Barker, John Wright, John Allen, William Hackney & Joseph Hudnall.

1732

22 Oct 1732 - Exec Journals.

Tobacco Inspector at:

·QUANTICO = John Turley & Thomas Osbourne

·Hunting Creek = JOHN AWBREY & Lewis Elzey,

·Falmouth = Anthony Strother & Francis Thornton,

·Pohich = Edward Berry, FRANCIS AWBREY.

The Inspectors of the several warehouses make application ....for payment of the watchmen appointed at the several houses. It is the opinion of this board & accordingly Ordered that where the said watchmen have diligently perform'd their duty they be paid for the same after the rate of 20s per month for the time of their attendance in that service out of his Majesties Revenue of 2s per hhd.

The Following outline highlights important events in the establishment and development of Leesburg. The site of 18th century Leesburg, located within the boundaries of the Old and Historic District, was part of a much larger tract of land that Thomas the Sixth Lord Fairfax sold to Francis Awbrey in 1730. Upon Awbrey's death around 1741, a portion of his land passed to one of his sons, John Awbrey. Following John Awbrey's death, his widow conveyed the land that included the "Leesburg"" site to John Carlyle of Alexandria, VA who subsequently transferred the land to Nicholas Minor in 1757.

1731

7 Apr 1731 Exec. Jour.

QUANTICO & HUNTING CREEK

Tobacco inspectors: FRANCIS AWBREY, Benjamin Strother (also Falmouth & Fredericksburg)

The Governour with the advice of the Council was pleas'd to nominate Justices of the Peace for the newly erected Co. of Prince William viz Thomas Harrison, Dennis McCarty, William Linton, FRANCIS AWBREY, Robert Jones, Burr Harrison & Moses Quarles of the Quorum & Leonard Barker, William Harrison, Valentine Barker, John Wright, John Allen, William Hackney & Joseph Hudnall.

1732

22 Oct 1732 - Exec Journals.

Tobacco Inspector at:

·QUANTICO = John Turley & Thomas Osbourne

·Hunting Creek = JOHN AWBREY & Lewis Elzey,

·Falmouth = Anthony Strother & Francis Thornton,

·Pohich = Edward Berry, FRANCIS AWBREY.

The Inspectors of the several warehouses make application ....for payment of the watchmen appointed at the several houses. It is the opinion of this board & accordingly Ordered that where the said watchmen have diligently perform'd their duty they be paid for the same after the rate of 20s per month for the time of their attendance in that service out of his Majesties Revenue of 2s per hhd.

Neighbors

In looking for evidence to show that Francis's father John Awbrey is the John Awbrey mentioned in the will of Sir William Awbrey,^[23] the search turned to identifying ties between families, from Wales to America. A summary of evidence is given by Jon Awbrey (GenForum post, August 26, 2003), with the following as #15:

The final and most important piece of evidence. In 1728, Captain Francis Awbrey was a resident of Stafford County, Virginia. His immediate neighbors were William Berkeley and George Turberville, both of whom were cousins of Sir William Awbrey. Also, in 1740, John Awbrey, a son of Francis, was retained by a Thomas Johns of Pennsylvania to survey a tract of land that he had purchased. In 1740, Pennsylvania was a heavily Welsh colony. Furthermore, Sir William Awbrey's wife was Elizabeth Johnes, sometimes, Jones, sometimes Johns. "Thomas" was also the most popular given name in that family. It is very likely that Thomas Johns was a kinsman of Francis Awbrey's.

The "cousin connection" between the Awbreys, Berkeleys, and Turbervilles is through Sir William's wife, Elizabeth (Jones) Awbrey. Her gr-grandmother was Mary (Berkeley) Jones. And George Turberville is related to John Awbrey through Sir William's wife also (by way of Hugh FitzHugh, they are 8th cousins, 3x removed).

William Berkeley owned land adjacent to land of Francis Awbrey:^[24]

• "154. William Berkeley, 936 acres, March 28, 1727, NN B:57, Horsepen Run corner Francis Awbrey."

That the names Awbrey and Turberville are linked in Virginia is beyond question:

• John's son John, who married Hannah Tanner, sister to Francis's wife Frances Tanner, named George Turberville executor of his will dated December 12, 1726 (see transcript)^[25]
• George Turberville and Francis Awbrey had several original land grants in what is now Loudoun county, Virginia^[22]
  • "Capt. Willoughby Newton of Westmoreland Co. 3600 A. in Fairfax Co. 800 A. given him by father-in-law, Col George Eskridge dec’d, 1719 A. granted by Fairfax & 700 A. granted 27 Jan. 1725 to Capt Francis Awbrey who sold to Hon. Col. Tayloe who sold to Willoughby Newton. On great Rocky Cedar Run and little Rocky Run, on Occoquan. adj. Richard Brett, William Linton, James Thomas, Henry Neatherton, Maj. Turberville, Francis Awbrey’s 25 Jan. 1727 deed. 20 July 1743"^[26]
• The Library of Virginia's Carter Collection, "Transcribed, Edited, and Annotated by Edmund Berkeley, Jr." has Turberville/Awbrey connected in a letter about a land grant request:^[27]
  • "Letter from Robert Carter to Captain George Turberville, September 6, 1727" (summary): "Robert Carter writes to Captain George Turberville of Westmoreland County, September 6, 1727, that he cannot send the land warrant that Turberville and Frank Awbrey[1] want because the description of the land is too vague. Also, he expects to be paid the necessary fees because he has about 100 warrants in the office for which he has never been paid."
    • [1] Francis (Frank) Awbrey (1690?-1741) was an active land speculator in the area that became Loudoun County, and was one of the first justices when Prince William County was organized in 1731. He was sheriff of that county in 1739. (McIlwaine. Executive Journals of the Council. . . . , 4[1721-1739]:239, 439; and Harrison. Landmarks. . . . pp. 148, 150, 153-54 ff.)
    • TURBERVILLE, GEORGE, (d. 1742), of "Hickory Hill" in Cople Parish, Westmoreland County, a justice and burgess. He married Lettice Fitzhugh. ("The Fitzhugh Family," [Virginia Magazine of History and Biography] , 7(1899-1900): 196-199, 317-319, and 425-427 ; and Norris. [Westmoreland County Virginia.])

1711/1712 Deed

From Gouldman-1:

Francis Gouldman, of St. Ann's Parish, Essex County, Virginia^[28] . . . based on the reference to him in the deed to property in South Farnham Parish:

Francis Gouldman bought, on 13 March 1711/2, from Francis Awbrey, of Copel Parish, Essex County, 200 acres in South Farnham Parish, Essex County

sd land was purchased by Mr. Henry Awbrey of Edward Hill, Esq., by Deed dated 29 April 1692 (it being 400 acres) and by the said Henry Awbrey in his will given to the said Francis Awbrey. The sd land lying at the lower end of a Patent of 1700 acres formerly granted to Mr. Thomas Gouldman and next adjoining to the land of Patrick Camell. Signed Francis Awbrey Wit: John X Doughty Francis X Cofflin Edward Waller^[29][30]

From Janet Ariciu's tree:^[4]

Pg 30 power of atty. ffrances awbrey wife of ffrancis awbrey to "my good friend James allderson" to ack. right of dower in foregoing. dated 11 mar 1711/2

signed her mark

ffrancis awbrey

wit

jno awbrey

Rec 13 March 1711/12

Objects

• Ancestry link (jpg): Aubrey Settlement
• Ancestry link (htm): Slave Owner and friend of Jefferson, Washington
• Ancestry link (jpg): ferry drawing
• Ancestry link (jpg): LB-Grants
• Ancestry link (jpg): Leesburg

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} from Aubrey-133
2. ↑ father John Awbrey b 1623 m Jane Johnstone b about 1659 sometime after her mother died in 1676/7; Francis was born after that
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} from Awbrey-88
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "before 1712" is based on the following information from Janet Ariciu's tree (specifically, from this page for Francis): Pg 30 power of atty. ffrances awbrey wife of ffrancis awbrey to "my good friend James allderson" to ack. right of dower in foregoing. dated 11 mar 1711/2
   

   signed her mark
   

   ffrancis awbrey

   wit

   jno awbrey
   

   Rec 13 March 1711/12

5. ↑ D. & W. No. 8, 1723-38, p. 179
6. ↑ Note from gedcom upload for Frances (Tanner) Awbrey that was included in his brother John's profile
7. ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/38130/pg38130-images.html#Page_38
8. ↑ Wikipedia article on Rosslyn
9. ↑ see iTouch map for Noland's Ferry (entry says "Nolands Ferry (historical) - County: Loudoun - Area: Poolesville", accessed 2 June 2023).
10. ↑ Wikipedia, Great Wagon Road
11. ↑ Wikipedia article, referencing the Carolina Road. See also Carolina Road. Sharon Noland's photo gallery has a picture of the Noland Ferry House.
12. ↑ C&O Canal; see also page 464, Maryland and Virginia Colonials: Genealogies of Some Colonial Families ... by Sharon J. Doliante (available online, Google books)
13. ↑ Source shows he was nominated as Justice of the Peace in 1731 (page 2 of 24) and Sheriff, 1739-40 (page 6 of 24). Prince William Reliquiry, April 2005 (pdf), Prince William County RELIC:
    

    "The officials of the newly-formed county of Prince William were put forward by then Governor Gooch as follows:
    

    "1731, April 27. The Governor, with the advice of the Council, is pleas’d to nominate Justices of the peace for the new erected County of Prince William, viz: Thomas Harrison, Dennis McCarty, Willm Linton, Francis Awbry, Robert Jones, Burr Harrison & Moses Quarles of the Quorum; and Leonard Barker, Wm. Harrison, Valentine Barker, John Wright, John Allen, Willm Hackney and Joseph Hudnal, Gent.; and also to appoint Robt. Jones, Gent. Sheriff of the said County of Prince William for the ensuing year.

14. ↑ Edmund West, comp., Family Data Collection - Individual Records (Ancestry Online publication, 2000; APID 1,4725::5118116). Text: Birth 1685, Westmoreland, VA; Death 1741; Marriage 1710.
15. ↑ Simpson History listed wills to be found in The Antient Press, Edited & Published by Ruth & Sam Sparacio, Copyright 1992 (apparently a book, but The Antient Press is a publishing company). The listing for Francis Awbrey, pp 81-83, includes "dated 14 December 1741" and that is not incompatible with the subsequent February and March 1741 dates, as the new year at that time would have started in March (which is why you see often dates from Jan-March written as "1741/2")
16. ↑ Janet Ariciu's page for Francis Aubrey has a transcript of his will, which is "on file at the Virginia State Library, Richmond, Virginia."
17. ↑ possibly this Benjamin Grayson
18. ↑ see Sue Roe's The Problem of Dates
19. ↑ see also WikiTree Help, Date Fields
20. ↑ John Awbrey
21. ↑ information from Awbrey-88
22. ↑ ^{22.0 22.1} The pdf - va-loudouncounty.civicplus.com/documents/40/2787/Associated_Ownership_Records_201203140822541188.pdf - was no longer at that URL on 21 January 2018. Searching the Loudoun County site yielded the document's new location and more (but which mostly were 404 not found as of 25 July 2021):
    • list of original land grants
    • 2010 Archaeological Survey (of Leesburg): "Along with the rest of what would become the Town of Leesburg, the project area was included within a grant of 4,054 acres made by the Northern Neck Proprietary to Francis Awbrey in 1730. After Awbrey’s death in 1741, 326 acres of the property passed to his son, John Awbrey, who was then living on the land. The younger Awbrey died in 1744, and the following year his widow deeded the property to Alexandria merchant John Carlyle." Note - www.loudoun.gov/documentcenter/view/85042 (source URL) is "404 not found" ~ 25 July 2021
    • Little Gems, The Maps and Plats Issue, Vol 2, Issue 4 (October 2017) Note - www.loudoun.gov/documentcenter/view/129556 (source URL) is "404 not found" ~ 25 July 2021
    • Indentures and Bound Children Note - www.loudoun.gov/documentcenter/view/116279 (source URL) is "404 not found" ~ 25 July 2021
23. ↑ see #2, Summary of Evidence
24. ↑ Fairfax County, Virginia – Northern Neck Land Grants
25. ↑ transcribed by Ruth & Sam Sparacio from "Virginia County Court Records," Deed & Will Abstracts of Westmoreland County, Virginia, 1726-1729 (pp 72-73), posted in Rootsweb by Janet Ariciu, July 14, 2008
26. ↑ Gertrude E. Gray, Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1742-1775, Volume 2, page 6, F-114
27. ↑ Carter Collection (old link had "html/C27i06c.html" added, but nothing about that, or a Turberville/Awbrey letter was found to be captured by the WayBack Machine)
28. ↑ Fleet, Beverley, Virginia Colonial Abstracts Volume I, Baltimore : Genealogical Pub. Co., 1988, Pages 30, 220
29. ↑ Fleet, Beverley, Virginia Colonial Abstracts. Volume 2, Page 7 snippet view, Genealogical Pub. Co., 1988, accessed December 1, 2014
30. ↑ See also Janet Ariciu's website, which notes that Frances Awbrey's deed can be found in Essex County Wills and Deeds 1711-1714 pages 29-30"

• Will Book C, 1734-1744, Prince William County, Virginia (pp 341, 345): from PWC Will Index (pdf, p 19 out of 426):
  • 1741 Aubrey Francis Will (Will Book C, page 341)
  • 1741 Aubrey John+ als. Bond (Will Book C, page 345)
• Janet Ariciu's page for Francis for additional information, including her source citations.
• Liz Shifflett, family knowledge, buttressed by Internet research (THANK YOU Janet Green Ariciu - her site [had*] documentation that confirms all the bits and pieces I've collected over the years). * Casualty of Ancestry taking over Rootsweb. Link is to archive.org's Wayback Machine capture.
• Fridley, Beth Prince William County, Virginia Wills, Part 1, 1734-1951 (Ancestry Online publication, 1999). APID 1,3882::235: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=pwwills&h=235&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt
• Ancestry Family Trees (Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members): https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/35181593/family

Acknowledgements

• The WikiTree profile Awbrey-35 was created on July 29, 2012 by Liz Shifflett, his 6x-gr-granddaughter.
• The WikiTree profile Awbrey-88 was created by Cole Aubrey through the import of aubrey-2 (1).ged on Jul 3, 2014.
• The WikiTree profile Aubrey-133 was created by Cole Aubrey, Thursday, June 12, 2014.