Four Generations in Virginia

One of the things that always fascinated me about our family is how it migrated, along with the rest of the country, from the Atlantic colonies to the western states. With the passage of time, the individual why and how stories have been lost, but the historical record allows us to trace where and when the Gilliams moved. Where they settled gives us some clues on how they made a living. In some cases, our ancestors owned enough real and personal property to make a will and probate an estate, providing us the best proof of how they lived.

This blog entry discusses the first four generations of Gilliams (in our direct line) in North America. The historical record shows that for approximately 150 years, the first Gilliams in America stayed in a relatively small area in colonial Virginia, in and around the James River Basin, just off the Chesapeake Bay.

The maps shown at the head of the post will assist in tracing these early steps. The first shows the colonial county lines just after the first Gilliams arrived to Virginia. The second shows how the early counties were subdivided as the colony grew.

NOTE: In an earlier post, I omitted Hinchea Gilliam (1663-1734) from the direct line of Gilliam ancestors in North America. I have corrected that error below.

John Gilliam (1613-1673)

According to John Bennett Boddie in Historical Southern Families, Volume I, 21-year-old John Gilliam came to the Virginia Colony in 1635 aboard the ship “George” with his 18-year-old brother, Thomas. According to Original Lists of Immigrants to America by Hotten, they left Gravesend, England for Virginia on August 21, 1635. In the years 1642 through his death in 1673, the Gilliams of Virginia and Beyond Family Tree (a public family tree posted on ancestry.com), lists several patents and land deeds documenting transactions involving John in Charles City County, Virginia (upstream on the James River from Williamsburg). Other public documents indicate he may have lived in Henrico County, adjacent to Charles City County. There is no known record that a will was probated. After his death, his widow, Margery, married Henry Briggs of Surry County, Virginia. Surry County is located across the James River from Williamsburg. Her will was probated in Surry County after her death in 1688. John and Margery’s son Hinchea also settled in Surry County, sometime around 1683. Sons John and Charles settle in Prince George County, Virginia, upstream on the James River from, and on the same bank, as Surry County.

Based on his land ownership (and that of the following three generations), it is safe to conclude that John and his descendants were farmers/plantation owners and that the cash crop of choice was tobacco. According to the National Park Service, “Once tobacco became popular and profitable, everyone wanted to plant it. Colonial authorities had to require farmers to grow food crops, particularly corn. Farmers also grew peas, barley, turnips, cabbage, pumpkins, carrots and herbs."

Hinchea Gilliam (1663-1734)

In the years 1683 through his death, the Gilliams of Virginia and Beyond Family Tree lists several public documents and land deeds documenting transactions in Surry County. His will is probated in Surry County in 1734. Based on this documentation, it is safe to conclude that Hinchea never moved from Surry County after he started living there. Hinchea’s sons Charles, John, Hinchea, and William, along with daughters Mary, Lydia and Priscilla never left Surry County. Son Walter moved to Southhampton County, Virginia, (due south from Surry County adjacent to the North Carolina border) sometime before his death in 1758. Son Thomas owned property in both Brunswick County (also on the North Carolina border) and Southampton County during his life, dying in Southampton County in 1793.

John Gilliam (1696-1738)

From the time John achieved majority, until his death, he appears in several land transactions in Surry County and Isle of Wight County (downstream and on the same bank of the James River from Surry County). His will went to probate in Surry County upon his death in 1738. It appears he never left the immediate area. Sons Hinchea, Levi, Anselm and Isham, along with daughters Amy, Mary and Milly stayed in Surry/Sussex County as adults. After they achieved majority, son Burwell and daughter Tabitha (with her husband) moved to Southampton County. Daughter Lydia moved with her husband to Montgomery County, North Carolina.

Hinchea Gilliam (1718-1794)

At the time of Hinchea's birth in 1718, the Gilliams lived in a portion of Surry County known as Albemarle Parish. In 1754, Albemarle Parish became part of the newly created Sussex County. Public tax and land deed records indicate he never left Surry/Sussex County and his will was probated there in 1794 after his death. All his children were born in Surry/Sussex County. As an adult, his son John moved to Tennessee. Daughters Edna and Mary (with her husband) moved to Southampton County. Daughter Sarah and her husband moved to Montgomery County, Kentucky. Daughters Lucy, Elizabeth and Margaret and her husband stayed in Sussex County.

In the next post, we will pick up with John’s move to Tennessee, as the Gilliams start the migration west and south.