James Gatewood (abt. 1740 - 1818)

Born about 1740 in King and Queen County, Colony of Virginia [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Frances (Scott) Gatewood — married 30 Dec 1766 in Caroline, Virginia [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 1818 at about age 78 in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States

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Biography

James Gatewood performed Patriotic Service in Virginia in the American Revolution.

James Gatewood was a plantation owner and slave holder born in King and Queen or Spotsylvania County, Virginia, the only child^[1] of Dudley and Sarah Gatewood. King and Queen County records are lost so it is not possible to determine the extent the activity of James' father, Dudley, in that county.

James was probably in Spotsylvania County by the late 1730s with his parents. He moved with his father to Amherst County, VA by 1765.

He married^[2] in 1766 in Caroline County, Virginia to Frances, daughter of Thomas and Martha Williams Scott. James sued^[3] Thomas Scott in 1773 for a breach of his marriage contract. A record of that suit appears in the legal notebook of Thomas Jefferson.

James was of Amherst County, VA when he purchased^[4] two thousand acres of land in Bedford County, VA from Thomas and Martha Jefferson in February of 1776.

James and his father, Dudley, next relocated to Bedford County where his father died^[5][6] in April of 1787. They appear together in the 1782-1788 tax lists, though the last two years refer to Dudley Gatewood's estate. Tax lists show that both men owned large numbers of slaves in that county.

James had patriotic service^[7] during the Revolutionary War, donating supplies to the militia in Bedford County.

James is named as the father of several daughters when he gave consent^[8] for their marriage in Bedford County, VA.

James was involved in numerous suits in Bedford County, both personal, and as administrator of his father's estate, until at least 1795. He also served on dozens of juries and provided bail for several men who were experiencing legal difficulties.

Court order books show that his sons Dudley and Thomas preceded him to Kentucky by 1794. The migration of his sons may have been a factor in his move to Kentucky.

James moved to Kentucky around 1797 where he appeared in censuses in Woodford and Jessamine Counties. He died^[9] in Woodford County before 6 July 1818, leaving a brief will^[10]. There was no inventory of his estate.

Research Notes

• 4 Sep 1767, from John & Keziah Sandidge of Amherst to James Gatewood of same for 120£, 400 acres on the south side of Buffaloe River and on both sides of Tribulation Creek; witnesses: Thomas Reid, William Penn, Dudley Gatewood & Thomas Lumpkin.^[11]

  Note: Tribulation Creek runs just northwest of the town of Amherst. Gatewood's land either included the territory of the present town, or was adjacent to it.

  • 20 Apr 1776, from James Gatewood of Amherst to James Watson of same for 250£, all that Tract of Land whereon I now live... 400 acres ...bounded by the lands of John Penn, Henry Gilbert, David Shepherd, the land which the said Watson Purchased of Carter Braxton Esq'r and Buffaloe River, and now in the possession of the said James Watson...; witnesses: Gab'l Penn, David Shepherd, George Penn & Dudley Gatewood.^[12]

Sources

1. ↑ The Virginia Genealogist Volume 31, 1987 [John Frederick Dorman] Page 97, BRITISH MERCANTILE CLAIMS 1775 - 1803
2. ↑ Virginia Bible Records by Jeannette Holland Austin Westminster, Md. : Willow Bend Books, 2000.
3. ↑ https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/02-01-02-0007
4. ↑ Virginia, Bedford County, Deed Book 8, page 59, Thomas and Martha Jefferson sell land to James Gatewood.
5. ↑ Virginia, Bedford County, Court Order Book 9, page 47, 23 April 1787 Dudley Gatewood estate administration
6. ↑ Virginia, Bedford County, Deed Volume 8, page 22, Christopher and Betty Johnson to Jeames Gatewood
7. ↑ Virginia, Bedford County, Court Order Book 6, page 362, James Gatewood reimbursed for supplies to militia.
8. ↑ Virginia, Bedford County, General Index to Marriage Bonds, Bonds A-Z, Wives, page 23: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9BK-RQ92-C?cc=2134304
9. ↑ Kentucky, Woodford County, Court Order Book D, page 295, will of James Gatewood presented and recorded.
10. ↑ Kentucky, Woodruff County, Will Book F page 45, will of James Gatewood.
11. ↑ Amherst, Virginia, Deed Book B, pp. 266-268.
12. ↑ Amherst, Virginia, Deed Book D, pp. 369-372.