George Washington

According to the MyHeritage book report related to our family tree, one of the persons whom we are indirectly related to via Augustine Washington Jr is George Washington. Augustine was George's half-brother and Ann Lee (Aylett)'s brother-in-law.

Ann Lee nee Aylett (b. about 1738 in Stratford, Westmoreland, Virginia/d. 12 Dec. 1768 in Westmoreland co., VA) was the wife of Richard Henry Lee. Richard Henry was a nephew of  William Fitzhugh II's wife. William was our 1st cousin seven times removed.

Very indirect and distant relation indeed. But still a relation.

George Washington Birthplace National Monument area, Potomac River, Virginia

There is another family branch which links us to Mr. George Washington via Washington and Lee families:

George Washington

⇒ his brother John Augustine Washington (b. 13 Jan. 1736, Wakefield Plantation, Popes Creek, Washington Parish, Westmoreland, Colony of Virginia/ d. 17 Feb. 1787, Bushfield, Westmoreland, Virginia)

⇒ his son Corbin Washington (b. about 1765, Bushfield, Westmoreland, Virginia/d. 10 Dec. 1799, Bushfield, Westmoreland, Virginia)

⇒ his wife Hannah Washington nee Lee (b. about 1765, Chantilly, Westmoreland County, Virginia/d. 23 Nov. 1802, Alexandria, Fairfax, Virginia)

Ben Brenman Park, Alexandria, Virginia

⇒ her father Richard Henry Lee (b. 20 Jan. 1732, Stratford, Westmoreland County, Virginia/d. 19 June 1794, Chantilly Hill, Westmoreland County, Virginia)

⇒ his father Col. Thomas Lee (b. about 1690, Coles Point, Westmoreland County, Virginia/d. 14 Nov. 1750, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County, Virginia)

Stratford Hall

⇒ his sister Ann Mary Fitzhugh nee Lee (b. about 1683, Machodoc, Westmoreland County, Virginia/d. 12 Jan. 1732, Eagles Nest, King George, Virginia)

⇒ her husband William Fitzhugh II (b. about 1679, Eagles Nest, Stafford, Virginia/d. about 1713, Ravensworth, Fairfax Co., VA) - our 1st cousin 7 times removed

⇒ his mother Sarah Fitzhugh nee Tucker (b. 2 August 1663, Stafford, Westmoreland, VA/d. about 1715, Eagles Nest, Stafford, Virginia)

⇒ her brother Robert Tucker (b. about 1652, Charles City County, VA/d. about 1704, Charles City County, VA) - our direct ancestor - 8 generations back

⇒ his son Robert Tucker Jr. (b. 10 May 1676, Charles City County, VA/d. 26 Sept. 1744, Amelia County, VA)

⇒ his son William Tucker Sr. (b. about 1718, Prince George, VA/d. 19 March 1791, Powhatan, VA)

⇒ his son David Tucker (b. about 1762, Amelia County, VA/d. ?)

⇒ his daughter Rachel Obelier Stimson nee Tucker - our  great-great-grandmother

based on my MyHeritage research

Photos:

• Alexandria, VA: By Taylordw - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63207052
• Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
• Chantilly: By EikwaR - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27237840
• Stratford Hall: Internet Archive Book Images [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons

William F Fitzhugh

Many posts ago, I wondered who in the ancestry was a reason the surname Fitzhugh appeared as a middle name in our close family. Then, I discovered William H Fitzhugh (our six-times-great-great-uncle by marriage) who came to Virginia from England. William's wife was Sarah Tucker (a daughter of our direct ancestor). It all seemed fine, however, since our immediate progenitors lived in Texas, there must have been some closer, possibly Texas connection between the Fitzhugh family of Virginia and their more recent descendant. That Fitzhugh man apparently impressed our grandparents with his actions/life strongly enough that they named one of their kids with the surname. Therefore, I kept searching. While studying the history of Collin County, I learned a Fitzhugh family branch lived there as well. Furthermore, one of them was Colonel William F Fitzhugh, the son of John Thomas Fitzhugh and Sarah Shelton. He was born on 8 May 1818 in Hamilton, Boone County, Kentucky.

William, our sixth cousin twice removed*, volunteered and took part in the Seminole War in Florida. He was only seventeen then and that was how his military career/service started. Ten years later, in 1845, William and his parents came to Texas.

On 24 September 1847, he married Miss Mary Jane Rattan, the daughter of Mr. Thomas Rattan and Ms Gillian Hill. The ceremony took place in Collin County, Texas.

William was not only a farmer but a Texas Ranger as well. In 1847, together with other Rangers, he built a wooden palisade not far from the nowadays Gainsville. The stockade was created to protect the local settlers from the Indian raids. The place was called Fort Fitzhugh to honor Col. William F Fitzhugh, the Rangers leader. In 1850, the Fort became the Cooke County seat. Later, its name was changed to Liberty. Yet, since there had already been another Liberty place in Texas, William suggested another name for the new town: Gainsville - for General Edmund Pendleton Gaine (born in 1777 in Virginia).

Texas Ranger Monument

An interesting fact is that Mary E Clark who donated the 40-acre tract on which the town was built was probably (?) Mary Elizabeth Clark nee Gant, our third cousin four times removed. I think I will write a special post dedicated to her and her immediate family.

In 1860, William and family lived at Precinct 1 in Collin County, Texas.

Wm Fitzhugh
United States Census, 1860

Name: Wm Fitzhugh
Event: Type Census
Event: Date 1860
Event Place: Precinct 1, Collin, Texas, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 42
Race: White
Race: (Original) [Blank]
Birth Year: (Estimated) 1818
Birthplace: Kentucky
Page: 87

Household

Wm Fitzhugh, Male, age 42, born Kentucky
Mary J Fitzhugh, F, 31, born Illinois
Sarah E Fitzhugh, F, 7, Texas
John F Fitzhugh, M, 5, Texas
Louesa C Fitzhugh, F, 3, Texas
George D Fitzhugh, M, 0, Texas
Juhugh Stroad, M, 40, Pennsylvania
Gillia Ratton, F, 68, Georgia
Martin Barnett, M, 55, Kentucky

Record source:
"United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXFX-3G9 : 12 December 2017), Wm Fitzhugh, 1860.

Gillia Ratton mentioned in the Census was William's wife's mother. Mary Jane's father died in 1854.

William served with the First Regiment, Texas Mounted Volunteers in Mexican War under the command of Col. Jack Coffee Hays. He also participated in five of the Civil War battles together with his Sixteenth Texas Cavalry. He was wounded on 7 July 1762 during battle of Cotton Plant. 

Later, he came back home to Mellisa, Texas.

1870 Census recorded William, Mary and their seven children. They lived together with Mary's older brother Hampton and William's parents.

William Fitzhugh
United States Census, 1870

Name: William Fitzhugh
Event: Type Census
Event Year: 1870
Event Place: Texas, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 52
Race: White
Race (Original): W
Birth Year: (Estimated) 1817-1818
Birthplace: Kentucky
Page Number: 14
 
Household

William Fitzhugh, Male, age 52, born Kentucky
Mary Fitzhugh, F, 42, born Illinois
Sarah Fitzhugh, F, 17, Texas
John Fitzhugh, M, 15, Texas
Louisa Fitzhugh, F, 13, Texas
George Fitzhugh M, 11, Texas
Robert Fitzhugh, M, 9, Texas
Tabitha Fitzhugh, F, 5, Texas
Henrietta Fitzhugh, F, 3, Texas
Hampton Ratten, M, 29, Texas
John Fitzhugh, M, 78, Virginia
Sarah Fitzhugh, F, 73, Tennessee

Record Source:
"United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXGG-WP8 : 12 April 2016), William Fitzhugh, Texas, United States; citing p. 14, family 102, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 553,078.

William Fitzhugh died on 23 October 1883 in a result of a wagon accident.

Clipping Source: DeMorse, Charles. The Standard (Clarksville, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, November 2, 1883, newspaper, November 2, 1883; Clarksville, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth234836/: accessed August 9, 2018), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

Our relative whose middle name was Fitzhugh was born seven years later. Now I can see why and for whom he was named.

What is the connection between William F Fitzhugh and William H Fitzhufh "The Immigrant"?

He is his direct descendant - to be more precise - William H and Sarah Tucker's son's John Marmion's great-great-great-grandson.

The one who also links us with William F is, besides Rose Tucker (his five-times great-grandmother/ our seven-times-great-grandmother), is George W Fitzhugh, William's father's brother* (born in 1790, King George, Georgia/d. 17 March 1863, Collin County, Texas). George W was buried in the Fitzhugh cemetery in Lucas, Texas.

William F Fitzhugh
⇒ his father John Thomas Fitzhugh (b. 1792, Virginia/d. 27 July 1878, Collin, TX)
⇒ his brother George W Fitzhugh
⇒ his daughter Sarah Jane (nee Fitzhugh) Snider (b. 5 Dec. 1829 in Kentucky/d. 15 Jan. 1914, McKinney, Collin, TX)
⇒ her daughter Mary Ann (nee Snider) Coffey (b. 1855, Collin, TX/d.1898, Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas)
⇒ her husband Zachariah Taylor Coffey (b. 1848 Kentucky/d.1922, Collin, Texas)
⇒ his sister Nancy Jane (nee Coffey) Liggett (b. 22 June 1851, Russell, Kentucky/d. 16 March 1946, Vashti, Clay, TX)
⇒ her daughter Theodocia Ellen "Dorcie" (nee Liggett) Richards (b. 21 Nov. 1780, Allen, Collin, TX/d. 13 Dec. 1954, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas)
⇒ her son Lenzie Cecil Richards (b. 21 March 1890, Allen, Collin, TX/d. McKinney, Collin, TX)
⇒ his wife Ethel (nee Howard) Richards - our first cousin once removed
⇒ her father Robert Lee Howard
⇒ his sister Rachel Clementine (nee Howard) Gant

* based on my MyHeritage research

Information source
Texas State Historical Association Handbook
Picture by Clairissa Simmons [CC BY 4.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Lee Family

Sarah Elizabeth Allerton (b. ≈1671, Westmoreland, Westmoreland County, Virginia), our 1st cousin 8 times removed*, connects us to the Lee family.

Around 1700 in Dividing Creek, VA, Sarah married Captain Hancock Lee (b. 1653 in Dividing Creek, Northern Neck, Virginia) who was about 20 years older than her. Hancock Lee died a few years after their marriage, on 25 May 1709 in Ditchley, Northumberland, County, Virginia, American Colony.

Sarah's father-in-law, Col. Richard Henry Lee (b. 22 March 1617 in Cotton Hall, Nordley Regis, Shropshire, England/d. 1 March 1664, Cobb Hall, Dividing Creek, Northumberland, Virginia) was the Family Immigrant who (in 1639) brought the Lee family line to America.

There are many well-known names/persons among the descendants of Col. Richard Lee including his great-grandsons, signers of the American Declaration of Independence:

Francis Lightfoot Lee (b. 14 Oct. 1734, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland, Virginia/d. 11 Jan. 1797, Menokin, Richmond, Virginia)

and Richard Henry Lee (b. 20 Jan. 1732, Stratford, Westmoreland County, Virginia/d. 19 Jun. 1794, Chantilly Hill, Westmoreland County, Virginia).

Lee "The Immigrant" was also great-great-grandfather of

General Henry Lee III - the 9th Governor of Virginia (b. 29 Jan. 1756, Dumfries, Prince William County, Province of Virginia/d. 25 March 1818, Cumberland Island, Saint Mary's, Camden County, Georgia)

and Zachary Scott Taylor.

Besides, one of his descendants is a great-great-great-son Robert Edward Lee (b. 19 Jan. 1807, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland, Virginia/d. 12 Oct. 1807, Lexington, Rockbridge, Virginia).

Our cousin Sarah Elizabeth Allerton Lee died on 17 May 1731 in Ditchley, Northumberland County, Virginia.

Other connections to the Lee family are:

1.  Mr. William Fitzhugh II (b. 1679, Eagles Nest, Stafford, Virginia/d. 1713, Ravensworth, Fairfax Co., VA) - our cousin, seven times removed*. About 1705 he married Miss Ann Mary Lee (b. ≈ 1683, Machodoc, Westmoreland County, Virginia/d. 12 Jan. 1732 in Eagles Nest, Virginia). Mary Ann was a granddaughter of Col. Richard Henry Lee I, daughter of Col. Richard Henry Lee II.

2. Another cousin of ours* - William Fitzhugh III (b. 6 Jan. 1721, Stafford, VA/d. 11 Feb. 1798, Hagerstown, Washington, Maryland) who - on 28 March 1744 - married Miss Martha Lee  (b. ≈1716 in England/d. 12 Nov. 1751, Hague, Westmoreland, Virginia). Marta was Col. Richard Henry Lee's great-granddaughter.

*based on my MyHeritage reasearch

Credits:

• Coat of Arms: By Raster uploaded by Doalfe at en.wikipedia; Vectorized by ZooFari (Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Portraits:

• Col. Richard Henry Lee I:
  
  Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57093800;
• Francis Lightfoot Lee:
  
  Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=962355;
• Richard Henry Lee:  [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons;
• Gen. Henry Lee III: By William Edward West (1788-1857)[1] - Transferred from de.wikipedia to Commons.,
  
  Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1654124;
• Richard E. Lee: by Julian Vannerson
  
  [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Gordon, Knox & Fitzhugh Families

Mr. Samuel Gordon was born in 1722 in Ayrshire/Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. On 1 June 1748, he married Miss Nicholas (such a name appears in records, but I guess the lady's name was Nichola) Brown who was born about 1725 in Cragencallie, Scotland.

The couple lived in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, they had ten children: Gizel, unnamed child (probably stillborn), Elizabeth, John, Penelope, Nicholas, Samuel, Alexander, Alexander, and Basil.
Nichola died on 18 November 1785, her husband Samuel Sr. passed on 22 1799.

Two of their sons Samuel and Basil emigrated to America. Samuel Jr. was born in Scotland on 15 October 1759. Basil was probably born about or before 1766, he was christened on 12 May 1766.

From Scotland Birth and Baptism Records:
Name: Samuel Gordon
Gender: Male
Wife: Nicholas Brown
Son: Basil Gordon
Christening Date: 12 May 1766
Christening Place: KIRKCUDBRIGHT, KIRKCUDBRIGHT, SCOTLAND
Father's Name: Samuel Gordon
Mother's Name: Nicholas Brown

Record Source:
"Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYM2-1HQ : 10 February 2018), Samuel Gordon in entry for Basil Gordon, ; citing Kirkcudbright, Kirkcudbright, Scotland, reference 2:165FKD5, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1,068,032.

The two brothers are not our main interest right now. It is their older brother John Gordon, born circa 1752 in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland.

John did not travel to America. He lived, got married (around 1782) and died in Scotland. John's spouse was Miss Marion Brown (b. 12 March 1757). They had two daughters and seven sons.

John left this world on 22 Feb. 1822 in Lochdougan, Kirkcudbrightshire, Marion lived longer - she died on 5 June 1837 in Gatehouse, Kirkcudbright, Scotland.

John and Marion's son who leads us to our main family line was Samuel Gordon, born circa 1785, Lochdougan, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. He married Miss Agnes Knox (b. circa 1787) - our fourth cousin four times removed.

Agnes' ancestors were:

Parents

Mother: Susannah Stuart Fitzhugh (b. 1751, Overwharton Parish, Stafford, Virginia - d. 1823, Belmont, Charlottesville, Virginia)
Father: William Knox (b. 7 March 1735, Port Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Scotland - d. 1805, Stafford, Virginia).

Grandparents

Paternal side:
John Knox and Janet Sommervell

Maternal side:
Thomas Fitzhugh (b. 16 July 1725, Boscobell Plantation, Virginia - d. 1 Dec. 1768, VA)
Sarah Stuart (b. about 1731, King George, Virginia - d. ∾1783 VA)

And here we are: Thomas Fitzhugh was a great-grandson of Rose Tucker nee Allerton - our direct ancestor. But that is not all. Agnes' sister Susannah Fitzhugh Knox (b. ∾ 1775, Culpeper County, Virginia - d. 10 July 1869, Fredericksburg, Virginia) married Samuel Gordon Jr. mentioned at the top of this post.

Credits:

• Flag of Scotland: By none known (http://kbolino.freeshell.org/svg/scotland.svg)
  
  [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
• Information based on my MyHeritage research

William Fitzhugh

When I saw the name Fitzhugh in our family tree for the first time, I thought 'What a weird way to name a child'. I had never heard of such a given name before. Later, when I found out that it originally could have been a surname of an ancestor, I wondered: 'Why was it so significant that some parents decided to choose the surname to name their child?' That person from the past who bore the family name Fitzhugh must have been of certain importance to our relatives. Why? Who was it?

I started looking for any information on a Fitzhugh person/persons in our family tree. To my surprise, I found the answers to my questions quite easily.

William Fitzhugh was born on January 9, 1651, in Bedford, England. His parents were Henry Fitzhugh and Mary King. Henry was a woolen draper and the mayor of Bedford in 1649.

❀

William came to Virginia where he owned 54,000 acres of land. He was a politician, lawyer, and tobacco planter. William married Sarah Tucker (daughter of John Tucker and Rose Tucker nee Allerton) on May 01, 1674 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. In this way, William became our six times-great-great-uncle by marriage. Rose was born in circa 1633, in Carleton, North Yorkshire, England; she died on December 1, 1792, in Westmoreland, Virginia.William and Sarah started their own family line - they had seven children.

William Fitzhugh was a prominent, leading person in the Virginia society, patron of the arts who led the way in fashion and lifestyle. He was also Colonial War veteran - Lt. Colonel of Virginia Militia (formed in 1682). He was not the only Revolutionary War veteran in the family - William's brother Henry was Colonel of Virginia Rangers, William's son William Jr served as Major of Stafford militia.

William died on October 21, 1701, at his home in Bedford. He was buried at Eagle's Nest Cemetery in Virginia.

❀

You can read more about the Fitzhugh family here: Virginia Historical Society