Walter Owen (abt. 1707 - 1765)

Born about Aug 1707 in Henrico, Virginia [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 11 Jul 1765 at about age 57 in Dry Creek, Lunenburg, Virginia [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Sarah Sharpless [send private message], Leila Tweed [send private message], Dona Donaldson [send private message], and Vincent Hubbs [send private message]

Biography

Name: Walter Owen ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}
Note: Some family trees show a middle initial and/or Owens spelling of last name but there is no credible evidence. Men born in early 1700's Virginia did not have middle names or initials.^[6][7]

Parents: John (or Evan) and Elizabeth Owen (unproven) ^{[citation needed]}
The only source for his parents appears to be family trees and family group sheets, none of which offer any corroborating evidence. Henrico County court records can be found for Evan & Marjory Owen who both died in 1691, leaving unnamed orphan children. They, obviously, could not have been Walter’s parents if Walter really was born 1707 or later. Records can be found for several men named John Owen but none of them demonstrate any link to Walter. No other original 17th or 18th- century sources can be found to prove a possible link to Walter’s parents.

Birth: in Aug 1707 or in 1711 in Henrico County, Virginia (unproven) ^[5]
Again, the only source appears to be family trees, none of which offer credible supporting evidence. No original 17th or 18th- century sources can be found.

Marriage: to Joyce Barnett 1723 in Lunenburg County, Virginia, (unproven, please see Research Notes), ^[4][5] An original source (other than a family tree) is needed for marriage details and wife's maiden surname. Lunenburg County did not exist in 1723. It was formed in 1746
Children:
William Owen^[4]
David Owen^[4]
Joseph Owen^[4]
Barnett Owen or Barnett Owen^[4]

Residence:
1727 near Charles City County - A Walter Owen inventoried property.^{[citation needed]} The Walter Owen of this profile would not yet have turned 21 so it's questionable whether this is the right man.

10 Jun 1748 - between Hounds Creek and Meherrein [River, Lunenburg County, Virginia ^[3] page 61; Walter Owen (1 tithe) appeared on a list of titheables taken by Lyddal Bacon.

18 Jun 1748 - Between Hounds Creek and Meherrein River, Lunenburg, Virginia - Walter Owen (1 tithe) appeared on Lyddal Bacon’s tithe list. ^[8]

1 Jun 1750 – Lunenburg County, Virginia^[1] Walter Owen granted patent to 390 acres on Lower Branches of dry Cr. adj. Crew, Roe and the Road; 40 shill. ^[9]

3 July 1750 in Lunenburg County, Virginia - William Caldwell sold 400 acres to Walter Owen^{[citation needed]}

12 Jul 1750 - Lunenburg County, Virginia - Neighbor to Edward Booker, Francis Amos, and Young Stokes on North branches of F'ing Creek^[10]

1752 – Lunenburg County, Virginia^[3] - Page 181; Walter Owen (2 tithes) and William Owen appeared on Lyddall Bacon’s tithe list.

1762 in Amelia County, Virginia - Walter Owen, age 54, testified (in court?).^{[citation needed]}

10 Jun 1764 – Cumberland Parish, Lunenburg, Virginia^[3] – page 238; Walter Owen (3 tithes, 395 acres) and sons Barnet and William Owen appeared on Henry Blagrave’s list of tithes. David Owen, (1 tithe, 100 acres) was a neighbor. ^[11]

Text of Will:
(In this transcription, I have tried to keep the same spelling, line spacing, etc. as in the court copy)
In the Name of God Amen I Walter Owen of Lunenburg
County being Sick and Weak in Body but in Perfect Sens & Memory
do make and Ordain this my Last Will and Testament and desire it
may be Recorded as such In manner & form following Viz
Item my Will & desire is that my loving Wife Joyce Owen shall
have the use & Occupation of my whole Estate both Real & Personal
during her natural life or widowhood and at her Death or Marriage
it is my Will and desire that my Son Barnet Owen shall have all
my Estate before Lent to my Loving Wife to him and his Heirs for
ever and if my Son Barnet Owen should die without Lawfull
Issue my Desire is that my Estate shall be equally Divided
betwean between my three Sons William Owen David Owen &
Joseph Owen Item I do Nominate Ordain and appoint my Son
Barnett Owen whole and Sole Executor of this my Last Will & Testament
In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seale this twenty
Seventh day of January Anno Dom.one thousand seven hundred and
Sixty five ^[4] The will was signed with his mark (a circle or letter O) and witnessed by Lyddal Bacon and Young Stokes. It was proved in court on 11 Jul 1765

Death between 27 Jan 1765 (signed his will) and 11 Jul 1765 (will proved in court) in Lunenburg County, Virginia^{[4] [5]}

Research Notes

Some online family trees erroneously show Walter had a middle initial of “O”. They seem to have gotten the idea from the signature mark (a circle) on his will. As was standard practice at the time, Walter signed his will with his mark. Most people at the time simply placed an X between their first and last name as their mark but Walter put a circle between his first and last name and it is clearly labeled as “his mark”. Middle names and initials were all but unheard of for men born in Virginia in the 17th and early 18th-century^[6][7][12]

We know from his will that Walter’s wife was named Joyce.^[4] Some unsourced family trees show his wife as Joyce Barnett but no original source record or document can be found to confirm her maiden surname. In those times, first and second-born children were often named for their maternal or paternal grandparent. ^[12] Walter and his son Barnett possibly followed the English/Irish/Scotch/Welsh naming pattern. Walter named one of his sons Barnett (for the boy’s maternal grandfather ____ Barnett?). And Barnett named his 1st daughter Mary (her maternal grandmother is unknown), his 2nd daughter Joyce (apparently for her paternal grandmother, Joyce Barnett?). Walter's son, William, also had a son named Barnett and a daughter named Joyce. While this is far from proof, it does lend a bit of credulity to the theory that Walter’s wife may have been Joyce Barnett.

Research Dispute

There are 2 different Davids, and 2 different Barnetts with different wives attached as sons of this couple

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly; Volume 31, Number 1, page 68 https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6131/VGS_1993_01_01_0069/520651845
2. ↑ Virginia, Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1983; Mixed Probate Records and Index, 1746-1949; Author: Lunenburg County Court, Lunenburg, Virginia; https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/6852539/person/192157455389/media/51e1a25b-49d5-486e-8c32-8f92a5beb2bc?_phsrc=Jsv3&usePUBJs=true
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Bell, Landon C.,SUNLIGHT on the SOUTHSIDE LISTS OF TITHES Lunenburg County, Virginia 1748-1783; Published by: Chesterfield, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvnia, 1931; Reprinted: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1991, 1998
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8} Virginia, Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1983 for Walter Owen; Lunenburg Mixed Records, Vol 1-3, 1746-1791; https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/9085/007645430_00343?pid=945662
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} Ancestry.com Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members Caution: Ancestry.com family trees are notoriously unreliable
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} A Guide to Seventeenth-Century Virginia Court Handwriting by Kent P. Bailey and Ransome B. True; published by the Virginia Genealogical Society, 2001, page 29.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} http://www.genfiles.com/articles/middle-names/
8. ↑ Virginia US Gen Web Archives; http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/lunenburg/census/sun002.txt
9. ↑ Virginia Genealogical Quarterly; Volume 31, Number 1. page 68; https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/6852539/person/192157455389/media/69d44278-0de3-4d21-9c3b-097bf2c3c33f?_phsrc=ycn8&usePUBJs=true
10. ↑ Virginia Genealogical Quarterly; Volume 31, Number 1. page 72 https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/6852539/person/192157455389/media/67ec23b5-ee0e-418e-bbad-f9939fd6681f
11. ↑ Bell, Landon C.,SUNLIGHT n the SOUTHSIDE LISTS OF TITHES Lunenburg County, Virginia 1748-1783; Published: Clearfield, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvnia, 1931; Reprinted: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1991, 1998
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} https://theowensodyssey.com/NamingPatterns.php

• Milbourn Family History, 2004, Researched and Compiled by Doris Nelson Sloan, Page 65 & 79 of 102; Ask Leila I Niemeth for a copy of Page 65 & 79.
• Willbook 2, Pages: 260–61; Lunenburg County, Virginia, USA.

Acknowledgements

Owens-4148 was created by Jim Crouch through the import of Crouch_2015_2015-08-29.ged on Aug 29, 2015.