Samuel Weaver (abt. 1690 - abt. 1769)

Born about 14 Dec 1690 in King William Parish, New Kent County, Colony of Virginia [uncertain]

Husband of Françoise (L'Orange) Weaver — married about 1737 in Colony of Virginia [uncertain]

Descendants

Died about Jul 1769 at about age 78 in Cumberland County, Colony of Virginia

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Samuel Weaver resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776. Join: US Southern Colonies Project Discuss: southern_colonies

Biography

Samuel Weaver was probably born about 1690-1700 based on the ages of his known children. His origins and the identity of his parents are unknown. See the Research Notes section for more details and theories.

Since there are very few records available for the time and place where this Samuel Weaver lived, we don’t have many facts about him and his life.

The major facts that we know are:

• He died in Cumberland County, VA in 1769
• He had at least 10 children (as ten were named in his will), but only one documented birth (The Douglas Register). See details in the Research Notes section
• He had children from at least two relationships, with a known living spouse (Françoise L’Orange) at the time of his death
• He lived on a farm his wife, Françoise L’Orange, inherited in the French/Huguenot Colony at Manakin Town, VA. Most of the remaining facts are aspects related to this last point.

Review this Appendix or Addendum for additional information on Samuel, a transaction timeline, unanswered questions, etc.

Samuel's Will

Samuel's will was written 16 Dec 1763 and probated on 18 Aug 1769, so it is estimated that he died around July 1769. ^[1] His handwritten will can be found here. Also, for easy access, his will is attached to this profile in the Images section. There were ten children mentioned in Samuel’s will in the following order:

1. Daniel: He was the executor. Since he was listed first in the will, he may have been the oldest living son (born 1739). He has been confused with several other Daniel Weavers in the vicinity; no proof as to which Daniel he is.
2. Samuel: confused with other Samuels; researchers believe he is the same Samuel Weaver married Elizabeth Williams in 1755
3. John: has been confused with several other John Weavers
4. Jesse: no further information is known
5. Joseph: no further information is known
6. David: He was born about 1745, fought in the Revolution and went to Oglethorpe County, Georgia and died there 1813
7. Benjamin: He went to Fluvanna County, Virginia and died there 1805
8. Elizabeth Rainaux: nothing else is known about her or the name of her husband
9. Mary Drouin: nothing else is known about her; husband’s name was James Drouin; she may have also married a man named Benjamin O’Dell, but there is no proof.
10. Sarah Chaudoin: her husband’s name was Francis/François Chaudoin. Three of their children are in The Douglas Register. Children went to Green County, Kentucky, Illinois, and Tennessee.

There were several enslaved persons listed in his will. Their names along with hyperlinks to their WikiTree profiles are:

1. Amey Weaver
2. Patt Weaver
3. Dilcey Weaver
4. Hannah Weaver
5. Fanny Weaver

Research Notes

To keep this length of this profile manageable, additional research information covering the following can be found in this Appendix or Addendum

• Timeline and Transactions
• Conflation Issues
• Key Unanswered Questions about Samuel
• Naming Conventions

Profile Overview

This profile of Samuel Weaver of Manikintown, Virginia has been updated with the goal of presenting factual information resulting from “righteous” genealogy practices. We want this profile to become “the” source of truth about Samuel. This approach may seem a bit radical, but it has become necessary in order to reduce inaccuracies and to account for new information from Y-DNA and genetic genealogy. Readers of this profile will see a very different story than what they have typically seen on the internet in online family trees, Findagrave, and publications. Our goal is to show the facts and documented theories and hypotheses, rather than to reproduce and perpetuate unsourced information about Samuel and this early colonial family.

Several guiding principles we used when revising this profile are:

• We will only attach WikiTree profiles when there is documented proof or a documented theory to prove the relationship existed. The proof and/or theories must be included in the profile in the Sources section or in another section like “Research Notes” or “Theories”, etc. Since hyperlinks can be broken or die or require paid memberships, it is preferable that images of the records or PDFs be uploaded to the profile, so the information is easily and predictably available to current and future researchers.
  • Documented proof means there is a bible, will, deed, probate, or other official record that supports the relationship.
  • Documented theory means someone has taken the time to create a cohesive, easy to understand, detailed explanation showing the logic and/or circumstantial evidence which supports the belief that the relationship existed. Any source documents used should be identified in the theory and uploaded to the profile.

We welcome everyone to share factual information and/or documented theories to contribute to this body of knowledge: our new Source of Truth about Samuel of Manikintown. For more information on WikiTree standards for reliable sources for projects managed by the US Southern Colonies Project, please see

• Reliable Source Standards
• Identifying Unreliable Sources

Review this Appendix or Addendum for additional information on Samuel, a transaction timeline, unanswered questions, etc.

Parentage

Competing Theories of Samuel’s Origins

• Theory A: This Samuel Weaver was the Samuel Weaver of St. Peter’s Parish in New Kent County (or perhaps the son of), who at some point became a widower, and then he moved to the King William Parish at Manakin Town. This theory is mostly supported by the proximity and relative age of Samuel of New Kent.
• Theory B: This Samuel Weaver was a protestant French Huguenot immigrant of unknown parentage. This theory is supported by his presence living amongst the Huguenots at Manakin Town and his marriage to Francoise L’Orange, herself born to original settlers of the Huguenot colony.
• Theory C: The default theory, if neither of the above are true, is that Samuel is probably a typical Anglican colonial Virginian of unknown parentage, but likely an English immigrant or descended from English immigrants.

The identities of Samuel Weaver’s parents are unknown. Many publications and online family trees and websites tout Samuel Weaver of New Kent VA as his father, but the reality is that there is no documented proof. We are learning from genetic genealogy that all men named Samuel Weaver are not necessarily related. Somewhere someone must have a theory about the identities of his parents, but they are unknown and undocumented at present. We welcome any proof or theories.

Review this Appendix or Addendum for additional information on Samuel, a transaction timeline, unanswered questions, etc.

Birth

One of the most debated topics is the date of Samuel’s birth. The fact is that Samuel’s birth date remains elusive. The closest we can say, considering all the supporting facts, is that Samuel was probably born somewhere between 1690 and 1710. We welcome any proof or theories.

The listed birth date of 14 Dec 1690 is interestingly the same date as that of the baptism of attached "sister" Elizabeth Weaver (bef.1690-). Her baptism and that of her siblings Martha Weaver (bef.1687-) and John Weaver (bef.1699-) are listed in the St. Peter's Parish Register. The baptism of Samuel on 14 Dec 1690 is not listed there next to Elizabeth, see The Vestry Book and Register of St. Peter's Parish, New Kent and James City Counties, Virginia

The reason for changing the status of the parents of Samuel Weaver to unknown is as follows

• There is no known birth record of this Samuel Weaver.
• Several online trees and publications mention Samuel Weaver of New Kent County as his father and Elizabeth Williams of New Kent County as his mother. After many years of research, the assertion that these are the parents of this particular Samuel Weaver cannot be confirmed. There is no known record of that couple having a child named Samuel.
• All known records place this Samuel (the subject of this WikiTree profile) in King William Parish, which served the French Huguenot colony in Henrico County and subsequently the newly created counties of Goochland and Cumberland, which is downriver from New Kent.

Review this Appendix or Addendum for additional information on Samuel, a transaction timeline, unanswered questions, etc.

Marriage

We do know that Samuel Weaver married Françoise L’Orange in 1738. She was a French Huguenot and was previously married to Daniel Guerrant II and Nicholas Soullie.

• Note: the English equivalent for the French name of Françoise is “Frances”. She was recorded as “Frances” in Samuel’s will.

It is likely that he was married at least once before he married Françoise, but the identity of that wife is unknown. Many researchers believe he was married to Mary Robinson, but further research indicates, as noted in the profile of Mary Robinson, that while it is possible her name may have been Mary, attributing the name Mary Robinson to Samuel Weaver’s unknown spouse is a mistake.

The reason for combining the two spouse(s) listed prior to Françoise L’Orange into one unknown spouse is as follows.

• Several online trees and publications refer to Mary Robinson, daughter of Anthony Robinson and Mary Starkey of York County as his wife. After many years of research, it has become clear, as stated in her WikiTree profile, that this Mary Robinson is not the daughter of Anthony Robinson and Mary Starkey of York County.
• The last name of Robinson in that profile is unsourced and cannot be confirmed, and it may be that the Mary Robinson above is the only source of the last name.
• The source of the first name of Mary comes from the St Peter’s Parish registry entry “Mrs. Mary Weaver Dyed octo ye 27th, 1727.” This is the date of death used for Mary Robinson in many online trees. However, there is no indication of a maiden name nor is the identity of the husband for this Mrs. Mary Weaver indicated.
• Research shows there were other Weavers who could have been married to this Mary.
• Also, this entry in the registry would seem to indicate that Mary was a widow when she died. Had she been married, the entry in the registry would likely have read “Mary, wife of __________, died . . .”

Review this Appendix or Addendum for additional information on Samuel, a transaction timeline, unanswered questions, etc.

Burial

His burial location is unknown. Researchers have hunted for the grave of Samuel Weaver with no success. Presumably his grave included no permanent marker. Researchers should note that the Manakin Cemetery in Powhatan, Virginia did not exist in Samuel’s time. The earliest internment in the Manakin Cemetery was Thomas E. Depp who died 22 Mar 1872, more than 100 years after the death of Samuel.

Review this Appendix or Addendum for additional information on Samuel, a transaction timeline, unanswered questions, etc.

DNA

2022 Y-DNA testing of a descendant of two descendants of Samuel Weaver revealed Haplogroup R-M269 Lineage 4 with Big Y STR R-BY184961. To see full Y-DNA results on FTDNA, click here and look at R-M269 Lineage 4 located about ¼ down the page. There are three other Y-DNA testers with the same Big Y result; it’s unclear on two of them as to how they may descend from Samuel of Manikintown or perhaps from his brother(s) or uncle(s). We are searching for additional male Weaver descendants to take the test so we can learn more. As we have new information, this page will be updated.

Sources

1. ↑ County Court, Cumberland County, Virginia, Will books, with inventories and accounts, 1749-1887; general indexes to wills, 1749-1975, Will book, Vol. 1-2 1749-1792; database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9TH-G3N9-P), images 250-251.

See also:

• Review this Appendix or Addendum for additional information on Samuel, a transaction timeline, unanswered questions, etc.
• The 1769 Will of Samuel Weaver, County Court, Cumberland County, Virginia, Will books, with inventories and accounts, 1749-1887; general indexes to wills, 1749-1975, Will book, Vol. 1-2 1749-1792
• The Douglas Register
• The Vestry Book and Register of King William Parish covering New Kent and James Counties, Virginia, by C. G. Chamberlayne
• Huguenot Emigration to Virginia, a PDF of a book published by the Virginia Historical Society
• New River Notes about the Manikintown settlement
• Turff & Twigg Volume one: The French Lands A Study of Ten Thousand Acres Donated by King William III to the French Refugees who Settled at Manakintowne on the Southern Bank of James River in the Colony of Virginia in 1700, by Priscilla Harris Cabel. 'This material is protected under copyright and not generally available online. It is available for purchase by clicking here.
• The Huguenot, Publication 24 and 26. This material is protected under copyright and not generally available online. You can find a full index for The Huguenot by clicking here
• "The English Weavers of Virginia" by Weaver and Crockerham. NOTE: this source was an extensive compilations of family trees attempting to trace all the descendants of Samuel Weaver of Martin's Hundred (Jamestown). While it is generally a good historical reference but has some genealogical errors and conflation regarding this Samuel Weaver's parentages and names of children. This material is no longer available online and there is no published source of new copies.
• "Francis (Francois) Chaudoin of Manakin Town and Buckingham County, Virginia" by Allen Cameron & published in "Virginia Genealogist" in 1996 v40 #2&3. This material is protected under copyright and not generally available online. This issue is available for purchase here
• Virginia, Wills and Probate Records 1652-1983 on ancestry.com citing Will Book#1 p461 on 2 pages for Will of Samuel Weaver, dated: 16 Dec 1763; recorded: 28 Aug 1769 Goochland/Cumberland County, Virginia
• Cumberland County, Virginia Will Book#1 p16 Receipt recorded in September 1750 by Clerk of the Circuit Court
• County Court, Cumberland County, Virginia, Deed books, 1749-1903 ; general indexes to deeds, 1749-1975, Deed books, no. 3-4, 1760-1771.; database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4H-CQ6T-K), images 288-289. 16 December 1763 Indenture between Samuel Weaver and his son Daniel Weaver of Cumberland County, of the one part, and John Pleasants Sr. of Henrico County, and his son John Pleasants Jr., of Cumberland County, of the other part, for the sale of a plantation tract of 200 acres and five enslaved persons.