Campbells of Amherst County Virginia

Profile managers: Brandon Campbell [send private message], Kevin Guy Campbell [send private message], Adam Campbell [send private message], and Rosemary Bell [send private message]

Purpose

The purpose of the Campbells of Amherst County Virginia is to identify the various Campbell families that settled in or passed through Amherst County, Virginia. The long-term goal of this project is to collect male Y-DNA from Campbell male descendants of these Campbell male settlers to help resolve the Campbell colonial lines and their migration to other states, as well as attempt to determine the ancestry of those male settlers.

In an effort to untangle the genealogies of the Campbells of Amherst County, we are collecting marriage, land, probate, and tax records of the Campbells of Amherst County. Here are some of the tasks that need to be done. We'll be working on them and could use your help.

• Amherst County Land Records-Campbell
• Amherst County Probate-Campbell
• Amherst County Marriage Records-Campbell (Under Construction)

Also, be sure to visit Campbells in the neighboring counties:

• Campbells of Albemarle County Virginia
• Campbells of Nelson County Virginia
• Campbells of Bedford County Virginia
• Campbells of Rockbridge County Virginia

Will you join me? Please post a comment here on this page, in G2G using the project tag, or send me a private message. Thanks!

County Info

Amherst County formed from Albemarle in 1761

Campbell Families by Haplogroup

Note: The following Amherst County Campbell lines have Big Y-700 tests that have assigned them a haplogroup. The "kit" followed by a number is the Family Tree DNA test number. To review the raw DNA data by kit number visit FTDNA

Haplogroups R-FT102020 > R-FT101768 > R-FTF66526

Haplogroup R-FT102020 and descending branches

George Campbell (1720 to 1791) of and Amherst Co., VA married Caty:
Caroline Co, VA > Amherst Co, VA

After researching for several decades, the origin of George and Caty Campbell, pioneers of early Amherst County, Virginia, the author discovered they had come from Caroline County, Virginia. In the mid-1700s, George and Caty Campbell, along with other well-known families from Caroline (Taliaferro, Stevens, Loving, et al) invested their lives in the newly formed county near the Blue Ridge. In February 1769, George Campbell purchased his first known 162 acres on Piney River in western Amherst County from Daniel McBaine/McBane, a Scot who married Winifred Vawter about 1741 in Essex County (Amherst DB “B”/399). It is uncertain as to George’s service in the Revolutionary War. He would have been 61 years old by the Surrender at Yorktown in 1781.

George (born ca 1720 probably Essex, now Caroline County, died 1791 in Amherst County) fathered a family of 13 children with his wife Caty (her last name unknown). Based upon the George’s will (Amherst Co. WB3, p. 169 and his son John’s purchases of his siblings’ shares of land (Nelson Co. DB 3,4,and 6), the following children are known:

1. George Campbell (ca. 1743-1799); m: Elizabeth DeMasters
Caroline Co, VA > Amherst Co, VA

2. James Campbell (ca. 1745 - 1830); m: Mary Smith
Amherst Co, VA > Madison Co, AL

3. Samuel Campbell (ca. 1746); m: Christian Patterson
Note: Review and update profile as birth date is 1746.

4. John Campbell (1750 - 1838); m: Frances DeMasters - kit: 147386 (R-FT101768)
Amherst Co, VA

5. Edward Campbell (ca. 1752 - 1843); m: Frances Cameron
Albemarle Co, VA > Rockbridge Co, VA

6. William Campbell (ca. 1754 - 1836); m: Sara "Sally" Goode
Albemarle Co, VA > Amherst Co, VA > Nelson Co, VA

7. Lucy Campbell (1760-ca. 1830); m: Woodson P Clarke
Albemarle Co, VA > Amherst Co, VA > Rockbridge Co, VA

8. Sarah Campbell (1760-aft 1850); m: Cash
Amherst Co, VA > DeKalb Co, GA

9. Henry Campbell (1764 - 1835); m: Sarah Wright
Amherst Co, VA > Nelson Co, VA

10. Ambrose Campbell (1777 - 1828); m: Nancy Gillespie - kit: 22678 (R-FT101768)
Amherst Co, VA > Franklin Co, OH
Note: Fix issues with Ambrose's profile

11. Joel Campbell (1776 - 1851); m: Margaret Patterson
Amherst Co, VA > Rockbridge Co, VA
Note: Review issue with death date 9 Apr. 1832

12. Mary Campbell (ca. 1780-bef. 1820); m: Alexander Patterson
Amherst Co, VA

13. Catherine Campbell (ca. 1784- bef 1827); m: James Ramsey
Amherst Co, VA

Five of George’s sons served during the Revolutionary War. George, Jr. served in the 6th Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army, assigned to Col. Daniel Morgan’s Riflemen, Company G. James is believed to have served with the Amherst County Militia during the Siege of 1781 at Yorktown. According to his pension application, John Campbell (the author’s direct line) served with the Amherst County Militia marching under Capt. James Dillard on the Guilford Expedition and under Capt. John Loving at the Siege of York (approved DAR Ancestor #AO18659). William (Application #W3770) and his brother Henry also served under Capt. John Loving and at the Siege of Yorktown.

William Campbell (abt.1721-abt.1785); m: Elizabeth LNU
Essex Co, VA > Amherst Co, VA

John Wagoneer Campbell (abt.1743-1801) kit: 73872 (R-FT102020)
Amherst Co, VA

Unconnected Campbells under R-FT102020

See research notes below:

John Whitehead Campbell (1790-1849); m: Belinda Cash - kit: 322701 (R-FTF66526)
Amherst Co, VA > DeKalb Co, GA
Note: Ancestor of Johnny Cash through their daughter Lucy Nancy (Campbell) Cash

Henry Campbell (c1706-1772); m: Charity Catlett - kit: 863976 (R-FT102020)
Scotland > Amherst Co, VA

Francis Campbell (1740 - 1823) m: Isobel Catlett(?) - kit: 64941 (R-FT102020)
Amherst Co, VA > Nelson Co, VA

Moses Campbell (ca 1740-1792); m: Jene - kit: 366915 (R-FT102020)
Amherst Co, VA > Bedford Co, VA

Thomas S. Campbell (1818); m: Mary J Smith - kit: 323553 (R-FT102020)
South Carolina > Limestone Co, AL
Note: BigY DNA testing shows that Thomas is connected with the Amherst Campbells but we have not yet made the connection.

Richard Cox Campbell (1805-1882); m: Nancy Ann Berry - kit: 1000703 (R-FT102020)
Boone County, AR
Note: BigY DNA testing shows that Richard is connected with the Amherst Campbells but we have not yet made the connection.

Campbell Lines Needing Further Review and/or Testing

George Campbell (ca. 1726-1777); m: Margaret LNU
Note: Based on the BigY testing results, George is not related to the George and Caty Campbell family. After George's death Margaret married John Henderson

Andrew David Campbell (1798-1884); m: 1) Mary McMonigle, 2) Mary Park, 3) Elizabeth Scrivener

Silas Scrivner Campbell (1839-1888); m: Martha J Elliott - kit: 981984 (R-FTB56851)

Lawrence Campbell (1735-1814); m: Henrietta Catlett

Neil Campbell (1744-1777)
Daughter of Neil:

Elizabeth (1770-1826); m: 1) Thomas Barrett, 2) Hugh Campbell(1750-1826)

Research Notes

Five additional Campbell families moved into Amherst during the 1760s: George (born ___; died 1777 Amherst); William (born ca 1722 Essex; died ca 1785 Amherst) and Elizabeth; Lawrence (born ca 1735 probably Scotland; died ca 1814 Amherst) and Henrietta; Henry (born 1706 Scotland; died ca 1772 Amherst) and Charity; Francis (b. ca 1745 unknown; died 1823 Nelson (formed from Amherst) and Isabel; and Moses (b. ca 1740 probably Caroline; died 1792 Bedford and Jene/Jane. By family tradition, the wives of Lawrence, Henry, and Francis were all Catletts; however, there is no documentation to prove it. Yet, there were numerous Catlett families in the Essex/Caroline County area to make these marriages probable and logical.

1. In 1760, George Campbell, the first to move into Amherst County, married Margaret and purchased 300 acres from Colonel Charles Chriswell on the Rockfish River. George died in 1777 and his will was probated in Amherst County. They had 8 or 9 children. Y-DNA testing of a direct descendant proves there is no relationship to the George that married Caty family.
2. In 1765, Lawrence Campbell that married Henrietta purchased 500 acres in Amherst County while living in Spotsylvania County and moved into Amherst County. Lawrence died in 1814 leaving 8 or 9 children in Amherst County. Lawrence's family appears to be several cuts higher up the social ladder than other Campbell families of Amherst County.
3. In 1767, Henry Campbell that married Charity moved into Amherst County and purchased 300 acres from Lawrence Campbell. He died in 1772 and his will is probated in Amherst County that year. He and Charity had 7 or 8 children.
4. In 1769, Moses Campbell and his wife Jene moved into Amherst County and purchased 199 acres of land on the Tye River in Amherst County. He relocated in about 1785 to Bedford County and died there in 1792. His will is probated in Bedford County in that year.
5. In 1767, Francis Campbell signed a deed in Albemarle County but it was not until 1792 that we can document Francis in Amherst County. In that year, Francis received a patent grant of 292 acres of land on top of the Blue Mountains in Amherst County in an area known today as Campbell’s Mountain.

How do these Campbells of Amherst link to the Cammels/Campbells known to have lived in Caroline County (and the parent counties of Old Rappahannock, Essex, King & Queen, and King William) prior to the mid-1700s?

Since the colonial will and deed books for Caroline were destroyed during the Civil War, researchers must rely on the old Order Boks which have been abstracted and compiled for the period 1732 to 1770. With Virginia Lee Hutcheson Davis’ book -- Tidewater Virginia Families -- as a guide along with research to verify and to compile additional data, it is believed George Campbell (born ca 1720) was the son of George Campbell Sr., who died in 1749, and wife Elizabeth. George Jr.’s will was probated on 10 November 1749.

During this same period the business affairs of William Campbell are linked to George Campbell in a number of court orders. But, after 1767 he, too, disappeared from county records. He is believed to be the William Campbell with wife Elizabeth who also settled in Amherst County. Was he George’s brother or uncle?

In addition, the Morris Campbell named as a witness to George’s (d. 1749) will is linked to William and George in numerous Caroline court orders: 14 June 1753 “Morris Campbell and William Campbell; 9 August 1753 George Campble (sp) and Moses Campbel. The author believes “Morris” to actually be “Moses” Campbell with the difference in the name due to deciphering the colonial handwritten records. Moses Campbell also migrated to Amherst County. How did he relate to George?`

Mrs. Davis proposed George Sr. (d. 1749) was the son of John and Sarah Kilman Cammill/Campbell of Essex County. John was the second husband of Sarah and records indicate her first husband to be Patrick Cambell. There are records identifying these two men in Old Rappahannock and Essex counties during the late 1600s. Mrs. Davis wrote “Patrick Cambell probably came to Essex County after 1679.” He probably was the same Patrick who married Sarah Kilman on 4 March, 1690. Sarah was the daughter of John Kilman and his wife Margery of Old Rappahannock. She was probably his second or third wife whereas records indicate Patrick had children by a previous marriage. After his death in October 1691, a court order was filed 3 Feb 1692 in Old Rappahannock to Mary Cammil Roberts “do take under her care & tuition the Orphans of Patrick Cammell late deced….” Later in Nov 1694, Essex County records indicate “Mary Cammil, daughter of Patrick, order to appear at next court and give account.” Sarah Kilman is named Patrick’s widow in court order dated 7 October 1691, p. 229. No record has been found of a child of Patrick and Sarah, only of her stepchildren.

During the same time period, John Cambell was married to Mary, Sarah Kilman’s sister. Essex County deed dated 15 Nov. 1750 “between John Campbell and Mary his Wife of the Parish of Southfarnham in the County of Essex……” verifies the marriage. Mary died prior to court proceedings in Essex County dated 11 October 1692 when John Cammill sued for cattle and tobacco due him as marrying Sarah younger sister to ye said Mary…..” So, one year after the death of Patrick Camble, Sarah was married to John Cammill. By 10 Feb., 1707, John Cammill was deceased documented when Sarah of the Parish of South Farnham in the County of Essex, widow, sold 57 acres of land, which had belonged to her father, John Kilman. Sarah died in 1751. William Campbell petitioned the court of Caroline to allow him the administration of the estate on 8 August 1751. Research continues to determine the kinship of Patrick and John and all the names of the Campbell offspring from these two families.

We are hoping the exposure of the presented history will bring forth new information from readers to help document the links between the Campbell families of Caroline County and Amherst County, Virginia.

DNA Results

Thanks to the strong support of the Campbell Kids Facebook Group, extensive DNA testing has been done on the descendants of the Amherst County Campbells. DNA tests have been taken by descendants of four, and possibly five, of the six families. These tests show a strong relationship. Descendants of Henry/Charity and Francis/Isabel matched at the 67 markers (indicating a very close kinship) with descendants of George/Caty.

In 2016, Mike Landwehr, with the help of the Campbell DNA Project, published a DNA analysis of the Amherst DNA samples. Mr. Landwehr discovered a Y-DNA STR signature that was unique to the Amherst lines. Specifically, he identified four STR markers for which the Amherst DNA modals varied from the main Campbell modals. These markers and their values are: DYS449=31, YCAII=19/23, DYS436=14 and DYS534=14. Later, marker DYS532=11 was added, and DYS504 is being explored as an allele that splits the aforementioned Campbell lines.

Later, as FTDNA Big Y tests were conducted, the Amherst Campbells were identified as part of haplogroup FT102020 or in some cases FT102020 > FT101768. These SNPs being shorthand for the fuller mutation path of R-L21 > S552 > DF13 > Z39589 > L1335 > L1065 > FTC495 > FGC10125 > FGC10113 > FGC10116 > FGC10124 > BY120755 > FT102020

Further Speculation and Areas of Future Research

The book, First Settlement of the Island of Barbados lists of the names of 758 settler’s resident in Barbados between 1638 and 1885. Shown in this book is Patric Campel, Arrival Year: 1679, Wife Ann. It is speculated that this Ann is Ann [McCoy] Campbell, buried Aug 4, 1679, St. Michaels Parish, Barbados. This family is also referenced in Scotland Links 1627-1877 by David Dobson.

Shirley Craft initially speculated that the aforementioned Campbells may be linked to John Campbell & brother Patrick Campbell coming from Barbados to Essex County, Virginia Around 1687. Both married the Killman sisters -- Mary and Sarah -- and in the case of John, had second marriage with the other. See discussion above. It is now generally accepted that George (c1720 – 1791) is the son of John Campbell. It would be interested to DNA test some Barbados Campbells to analyze the possibility of this relationship.

Can we go further back than Patrick and John in Barbados? Not really. Many records attribute Patrick’s ancestry to Patrick Campbell (1592-1678), styled 1st of Barcaldine as discussed in the previous section. He was the ‘natural son’ [illegitimate] of Sir Duncan Campbell, 1st Baronet of Glenorchy, and there is great temptation to latch onto this ancestry. But there is every reason to find this implausible including DNA testing which definitely rules out any relationship to the Glenorchy line.

Acknowlegements

Submitted by: Shirley Thompson Craft, Lynden Harris, and Rosemary Campbell Bell

Written by: Shirley Thompson Craft with DNA additions by Kevin Campbell, Administrator of Campbell DNA Project on Family Tree DNA.

Sources

• Colonial Caroline: A History of Caroline County, Virginia by T. E. Campbell
• The Deeds of Amherst County, Virginia, 1761-1807 and Albemarle County, Virginia, 1748-1763 by The Rev. Bailey Fulton Davis
• Tidewater Virginia Families by Virginia Lee Hutcheson Davis
• Four Families of Amherst and Nelson Counties, Virginia: Bolling/Bowling, Campbell, Massie & Maddox by Shirley Thompson Craft
• The Campbell Kids Research Project, 2010
• Caroline County, Virginia Order Books, Vol. 1740-1770, Abstracted and Compiled by John Frederick Dorman
• Caroline County, Virginia Court Records 1742-1833 and Marriages 1787-1810 by William Lindsay Hopkins
• Caroline County Virginia: History, Facts and More by Bernard Collins
• Deed Abstracts of Old Rappahannock Co. Virginia (1656-1692) by Ruth Trickey Sparacio and Sam Sparacio
• Will Abstracts of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia (1665-1682) by Sparacios
• Index to Marriages of Old Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia 1665-1900 by Eva Eubank Wilkerson
• 1695-1699 Essex County Virginia Deed Books by Antient Press
• 1689-1692 Old Rappahannock County Virginia Orders by Antient Press
• The DeShazo Family of Virginia by Aubrey S Jennings and Nancy DeShazo Jennings
• Vawter Family Genealogy (www.vawterfamily.org)