Dorothy (UNKNOWN) Roy

Born [date unknown] in Virginia

Wife of Charles Smith — married about 1700 in Virginia

Wife of John Roy — married about 1711 in Virginia

Descendants

Died 17 Feb 1745 in Port Royal, Caroline County, Virginia

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Biography

She was born in Virginia to unproven parents.

Dorothy first married about 1700 in Virginia to Charles SMITH. ^[1]

Dorothy married secondly about 1711 in Virginia to John ROY. ^[2]

She was a prominent early businesswoman in Caroline County, Virginia. From her second husband, she inherited the Port Royal tobacco warehouse and the Roy ferry operation.

The Roy tobacco warehouse was chartered by John Buckner, Sr. in 1673. and bought by John Roy in 1716. ^[3] It is not entirely clear who John Roy bought it from, since John Buckner, Sr. had been dead for over 20 years in 1716, though it may have still been held by his estate at the time. There may be some connection with the death of his son William Buckner in the same year. (If, as many sources claim, the warehouse was deeded to Roy by John Buckner, it was certainly John Buckner, Jr.).

She is said to be the first woman in Virginia to be granted a tavern license which she operated in Port Royal from 1735 until her death. ^[4]

She died on 17 Feb 1745 in Port Royal, Caroline County, Virginia.

Her estate was administrated by her son Richard Roy in 1746. ^[4]

LNAB Controversy

Her LAST NAME AT BIRTH is unproven.

Charles Smith is known to have married a Dorothy. After his death, this Dorothy next married John Roy, and after his death, she became the owner of a tobacco warehouse franchise. There are 2 main theories for her maiden surname.

Theory#1 Dorothy Buckner ...

• This claim appears to be based on the fact that Dorothy ended up with a tobacco franchise that started with Buckner. Ralph Emmett Fall argued that Dorothy was a daughter of Richard Buckner, ^[5] based mainly on the Port Royal tobacco warehouse being transferred from the Buckners to John Roy (around the time they married, notably) and thence to Dorothy.

• Online family tree stating that Dorothy Buckner is daughter of Anthony Buckner and Sarah Ellis. (Impossible that Anthony B. and Ellis could be her parents. His father Anthony B. Buckner, Sr. is possible though, and the name Peyton Buckner does occur in the generation of Anthony Sr.'s grandsons. Dorothy's mother could be a Peyton, which would explain why circumstantial evidence suggests both Buckner and Peyton connections. -BB)

Theory#2 Dorothy Peyton ...

• Witnesses to the June 16, 1700, land gift from Charles to their son include Thomas Peyton and Colonel Peter Beverly. Colonel Beverly is related to Thomas Peyton by marriage to Thomas' sister, Elizabeth Peyton, who are both children of Robert Peyton. If Dorothy were another child of Robert Peyton, then the rationale for the choice of witnesses is plain. ^[6]

• The name Peyton appears frequently in their descendants. In eldest son Robert's lineage, often as Robert Peyton. The name Dorothy Peyton is common for girls first and middle name combination and Peyton Smith is common for boys. ^[6]

• The youngest daughter of Robert Smith (son of Dorothy Unknown) is listed in Tyler's Quarterly as married to Joseph Wyatt. ^[7] The wife of Joseph Wyatt is given as "Dorothy Peyton" by Hardy. ^[8] Boddie goes on to claim that Sallie Peyton is given as Joseph Wyatt's grandmother by Hardy, and that Elizabeth Dandridge was his mother, but I do not find either fact there. Boddie concludes, Dorothy Peyton Smith was the full name of the wife of Joseph Wyatt, named after her grandmother Dorothy Peyton. ^[6]

• In Virginia Genealogies, Hayden is describing the error in the well-received genealogical work of Colonel John Lewis Peyton and re-stating the Peyton tree in light of his discoveries. When he states that Major Robert Peyton "had -- 2. John, 3. Robert, 4. Benjamin John Edward, 5. William, 6. Ambrose, and 3 daughters", he is showing the tree as Col. Peyton had previously stated it in his books. ^[9] Boddie appears to use the erroneous tree to infer that Major Peyton had 6 sons and 3 daughters, even though the tree was stated to show an error. In the re-statement of the tree starting on page 468, Hayden only gives Major Peyton three children; Elizabeth, Thomas and Robert. Note Elizabeth and Thomas were not specifically mentioned in Col. Peyton's tree, so we only have two daughters unaccounted for. Boddie suggests Dorothy and Sallie (Peyton) Wyatt could be the remaining two Peyton daughters. ^[6]

• According to Henry Taliaferro, writing for "The Virginia Genealogist", the wife of Capt. Charles Smith, son of Col. Lawrence Smith was "more likely" Dorothy Peyton, daughter of Robert Peyton of Gloucester County.^[10] v45 p150; More likely than whom? & Is a birth date for Dorothy given in this article?

• Dorothy is not given as a daughter of Major Robert Peyton. ^{[11] [12] [13]}

Research Notes

Her birthdate is unclear, though it could not have been much later than 1685 if she was married by 1701. Her likely birthdate is much earlier than the earliest reasonable dates for any of Richard Buckner's known children, so if she was Richard's, she must have been by an earlier unknown marriage. On the other hand, it's also a fairly late date for any of John Buckner's (Richard's father) children, so she is not an easy fit into any of the known Buckner families of the period. The most popular alternate theory is that she was a Peyton, based largely on circumstantial evidence.

A source would be needed before again attaching wives ...

- Dorothy Peyton-983 OR

- Dorothy Buckner-320 to ...

- Charles Smith-12102 OR

- John Roy-1148.

Sources

1. ↑ Essex County, Virginia Deed & Will Book#12 (1704-1707); Antient Press p323; Deed of 12 June 1719
2. ↑ http://colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I024242&tree=Tree1
3. ↑ http://www.historicportroyal.net/project/the-dorothy-roy-chimneys/ (does not say that Dorothy's LNAB was Buckner)
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "Colonial Caroline" by T. E. Campbell & Dietz Press of Richmond, VA in 1954; p411, 472
5. ↑ "Hidden Village, Port Royal Virginia 1744-1981" by Ralph Emmett Fall & R. E. Fall of Port Royal, VA in 1982; p24
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} Boddie p185-186
7. ↑ Tyler's Quarterly, v18 p105, 178
8. ↑ "Colonial Families of the Southern States of America" by Stella Pickett Hardy & Tobias A. Wright, Printer and Publisher of New York in 1911
9. ↑ Hayden p461
10. ↑ "Catlett-Buchner: A Rebuttal" by Henry G. Taliaferro in "The Virginia Genealogist" by J. F. Dorman 1957-2006
11. ↑ "Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families" by Douglas Richardson; Royal Ancestry series, edition#2 in 4 volumes; edited by Kimball G. Everingham in 2011; v3 p357 PEYTON #17; Major Robert Peyton, Gent. attorney
12. ↑ "Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography" v1 by Lyon Gardiner Tyler; for Robert Peyton
13. ↑ "Virginia heraldica" by William Armstrong Crozier in 1908; being a registry of Virginia gentry entitled to coat armor, with genealogical notes of the families; Peyton p92

• Virginia Genealogies: A Genealogy of the Glassell Family of Scotland and Virginia by Horace Edwin Hayden; Peyton of Iselham, Cambrideshire, England, Gloucester and Westmoreland Counties, Virginia; Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1891; on Googlebooks

• Historical Southern Families by by John Bennett Boddie; v27 Smith of Virginia; Genealogical Publishing Company of Baltimore, MD in 1972

• "Ancestors and Descendants of Smiths" by Linda G. Clark in 1987; reportedly says that Tyler's Quarterly has asserted that Dorothy's LNAB is Buckner. Have not been able to confirm this comment from Kitty.