FAMILY HISTORY
EARLY MOREFIELD GENEALOGY
FROM JOHN NO. 1 (DIED 1688) OF NEW KENT COUNTY
TO
JOHN NO. 3 (DIED 1812) OF HALIFAX COUNTY
BY
WILLIAM FRANK MOOREFIELD, III
1424 SPRUCE ST.
MARTINSVILLE, VA. 24112
276 340-6014
[email protected]
LAST UPDATED
MARCH 23, 2007
PROLOGUE
Since early 2001, I have spent numerous hours in courthouses in the state of Virginia from Virginia Beach to Richmond to Bristol and all counties in between; from Orange County in North Carolina out to Tennessee; and Johnson and Carter counties in Tennessee.I do feel that I have been to more counties and cities in the states of Virginia and North Carolina than anyone else has. My primary purpose has been to find source document records of events pertaining to the members of the Morefield family, with all spellings included. I have transcribed records of births, marriages, deaths, wills, deeds, and court proceedings as time has allowed during my visits. More of my time has been spent in the courthouse in Halifax County, Va., than any other single courthouse for a number of reasons. First, but not foremost, is that this is where I was born and where my roots lie. My original purpose in beginning my research was to determine my Moorefield ancestry as far back as I could, and to learn as much as I could about these ancestors. Second, my research has shown that there have been more of our family members that have lived in Halifax County than any other area, with Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and perhaps Johnson County, Tennessee being the next most populous areas. Third, although our Morefield ancestors lived in the eastern counties of Virginia before succeeding generations migrated to Halifax, our family has lived there continuously since the 1750’s and there are numerous records detailing life events. Earlier records in the more eastern counties are scant and in a few cases have been destroyed in courthouse fires and/or in the Civil War.Although the first generations of Morefields lived in New Kent, Hanover, and Lunenburg counties of Virginia, these early ancestors of ours were few in number, and their names are found in only a few records. If one were to take a map showing the southern half of Virginia and the northern half of North Carolina, the greatest concentration of Morefields in the United States would lie along the border from Halifax and Pittsylvania counties of Virginia, and Caswell, Rockingham, Guilford, Forsyth, Stokes and Surry counties of North Carolina, and out to and into Kentucky and Tennessee. Of course, migrations over the generations have resulted in members of our family living in every state.
Over the course of my travels and research, I, along with other researchers, have compiled listings of the various Moorefield family groups, and have been able to determine which particular family most individuals in our expanded family belong to.We have compared this activity to solving a huge jigsaw puzzle. Each time we go to a new courthouse, we seem to find Morefields that already “fit” somewhere in the puzzle, but we also find new “pieces” that we cannot place with the existing information we have.
Pat Moorefield Seaver of Loudon, Tennessee has devoted untold hours to the study of census records of our family line through the decades of records available, and in all geographic areas of the United States. From this research, she has compiled census records of most of our family members, and from these and other records, has been able to trace the migrations of individuals and families from location to location.
Much of the information that follows is derived from my research of court records in Virginia and North Carolina, and Pat’s census and personal property tax records in various counties. Thanks to Pat for her devotion to this task and for unselfishly sharing her research.
I would add that this is a somewhat fluid and expanding document. I wrote the first draft of this several years ago, and it contained about two pages. We folks who research our family seem to come across new documents from time to time which expand our collection of data, and sometimes someone discovers something which alters our opinions as to family connections. For instance, early researchers felt that William Morefield, Sr. of Halifax County, Va. was a son of Wright. Pat Seaver’s study of Halifax County personal property tax lists indicates that William would probably have been too old to have been a son of Wright. There are several conclusions I make in the following that I state are my opinions based on information I have, much from source documents, and some from secondary sources. I have tried to be careful in stating that these are my opinions. Other researchers with the same source data as I have drawn different conclusions. That points to one of the benefits of open dialogue and sharing of research and opinions.Sometimes we convince each other to alter our thinking and arrive at a consensus of opinion as to our interpretation of the facts we have. So, do not read what follows as if it were a precise historical document, rather, read it as a summary of what I believe is a rough outline of our family beginnings, subject to change or expansion as new data comes forth. Also, this is part one of a two-part summary. From time to time, I also enjoy writing a continuation of the lineage down to living members of our family. I limit this to the states of Virginia and North Carolina, as this is where most of my research has been.
Also, I will add that I roughly divide our family into two large groups; those I call the Halifax County, Virginia. Morefields, and the Johnson County, Tennessee Morefields.Most of the Morefields who live today in eastern Tenn., Kentucky, and West Virginia can be traced back to Johnson County. Generally, they spell their name with one “o”, but sometimes as Mofield, or Moefield, as well. I do believe that the JCT group has roots in Halifax County, but most likely through a James Morefield who seems to have migrated from there to what was then Rowan County, but now is Davidson County, North Carolina, in the 1760’s. The consensus of opinion among researchers is that the Morefields who began appearing in Carter and then Johnson County, Tenn. in the early 1800’s were most likely descendants of James.
SPELLING OF OUR FAMILY NAME
Many of our family members today incorrectly feel that the Mofields, Morefields and Moorefields are different families. In the early days of this country, there were few people who were literate, and when people got married, bought property, or for other reasons had their name written in a court record, it was written by the court official the way it sounded to him.In many of the early records, we find our name spelled a number of ways, such as Marfield, Merefield. Mirfield, Murfield, Morefield, Moorfield, Mofield, Moefield, Morefeal, and others.By the later 1700's, the common spelling in Halifax County, Virginia, (as well as Rowan County, N.C.) court records was Morefield.Halifax County began maintaining a personal property tax listin1782, and our family name was spelled Morefield in most records through 1817; but in 1818 and thereafter, Moorefield became more common.Many of our Kentucky, Tennessee and Illinois Mofield and Morefield cousins, whose families can often be traced back to Halifax County, simply had their name spelled that way by public officials due to the fact that they spelled the name as it sounded to them. (Many of the older folks in the Scottsburg area of Halifax County still pronounce our name as “Mofield”, although it is spelled Moorefield). I have observed that many of the Mofields, Moefields, and Morefields in this country descend from ancestors who migrated away from Halifax County by the early 1800's, say by 1820, and many of the Moorefields descend from those who migrated afterwards. In some areas today, such as Guilford, Forsyth, Stokes and Surry counties in North Carolina, most of the Moorefields who live there had grandparents and great grandparents who were Morefields.
While it would be very difficult to determine the exact number of people with the Moorefield surname (of all spellings) by birth who live in this country today, I estimate this number to easily be about one thousand. From research by myself, and others such as Pat Seaver, named above, Robert Morefield of Illinois, and Phyllis Morefield of the Edinburg, Va., I estimate that upwards of ninety percent of these folks descend from the early Morefields of Halifax County, Va. (Pat is a descendant of William and Rebecca Morefield of Halifax County; Robert is a great great grandson of Robert S. Morefield of Halifax County; Phyllis’ husband Jim is a descendant of the Johnson County Morefields). There have been a few colonial era Morefield records found in other locations, but most of these seem to have disappeared leaving few or no descendants.Also, there have been a couple of Moorefield families who migrated into this country in the later 1800’s who do have traceable descendants, and who do appear to be from different origins.
Research has shown that during the 1760 to 1790 era, the only Morefield families found in this country lived in Halifax County, Va., and Rowan County, N.C., and that these family groups were undoubtedly closely related to each other.
There are various opinions as to the origins of our name.Early world history shows that the country we know as England was first inhabited by the Celts, or at least they were the earliest identifiable group. Later invasions by the Angles from Germany and then centuries later by the Saxons and Jutes, also from Germany, resulted in there being a strong Germanic influence along the southern part of England. Simultaneous and later invasions by the Vikings merged with these groups to drive the Celts mostly to Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. (Not to get into world history, but the most stable period in early British history was during the Roman occupation; they created order among the Britons, and kept the invaders out). I think that our Morefield name comes from England, but I also think that it very likely has its roots in early centuries Germany where Murfeldt is a surname today.
GENERATION NO. 1JOHN MOREFIELD(Probably born in England, unknown birth date, and likely the same John Morefield who died in New Kent County, Va. on 2-18-1688).
This section is based on scant data, and is mostly an educated guess on my part.The first Morefield in this country that I believe we descend from was John Morefield who came to Virginia from England under England's Headright program. His name is mentioned several times in a book entitled CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS , which can be found in most Virginia libraries.Under the Headright program the King of England, through the Virginia Company, granted fifty acres of land in Virginia to anyone who would come to this country, and a sponsor could be arranged for anyone who did not have funds to pay his own way. The person wanting to come to Virginia would agree to give the sponsor his fifty acres and also agree to work as an indentured servant for a period of time in exchange for his passage. Thomas Riding is named as having paid the passage for John Morefield and nineteen others, who arrived on Virginia's Eastern Shore in April, 1666.He was the only Morefield in his group and there were no brothers or other family members with him. Some descendants feel there were two or more brothers who came to this country together but I have found no document to support this theory.
In New Kent County, Virginia, and located near the town of Talleysville, there is a church known as St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. The central building of this church was erected from 1701 to 1703, but the church dates back 1679. At that time, and up until the Revolutionary War, this church was part of the Church of England, the only officially recognized church in the colony of Virginia.In those days, the rector of the parish, or the minister, was responsible for civil matters in his parish, such as building of roads and bridges, surveying properties, and collecting taxes to support such matters. He also maintained a registry in which he recorded births, deaths, and marriages of his parishioners.The registry of this era for this church survives today and is maintained in the archives of the Library of Virginia, in Richmond. In it is recorded the death of Jno. Morefield on February 18, 1688. ( A history of this church can be found on its website; type St. Peter’s church in your web browser search area). It is pure speculation on my part to believe that this John was the same one named above, but I think it is very probable.
GENERATION NO. 2.JOHN MOREFIELD NO. 2(unknown birth date, probably before 1688 in New Kent Co, Va., died in 1751 in Lunenburg Co., Va.)
The next written reference to aMorefield is the inclusion ofJohn Merefield on the Rent Rollin New Kent County, Virginia in 1704. The Rent Roll was a list of those who paid an annual property tax to the King of England, and the 1704 list is the only one surviving from this era.As there is no record of any other Morefield families being in this country at that time, I feel it likely that this John was a son of the John Morefield who died in the same area in 1688. My belief, while unproven, is that the first John came to this country as a young man, probably in his teens or early twenties, served as an indentured servant on the Eastern Shore for a few years, and later migrated to New Kent County.I feel he must have died in his middle ages and that the John named in 1704 was a son of his who had reached adulthood and become a landowner. Also recorded in the registry of St. Peter’s Parish, is the 1708 marriage of Daniel Murfield to Rachel Coker in New Kent County, and I believe John and Daniel were likely brothers.
From a comparison of names found in New Kent - Hanover County records, and Lunenburg County, Va. records, it is apparent that John Morefield and a friend named Jonathan Ashworth migrated from eastern Virginia to Lunenburg County in the 1740's.In addition, Pat Moorefield Seaver has found records of a John Hilton living in New Kent County in the 1720’s, and a Thomas Hilton buying 270 acres of land in Lunenburg County in 1748.
In Hanover County, which is adjacent to New Kent County, there was a general store operated by Thomas Partridge in the early 1700's in which there are entries for Jonathan Ashworth and Edward "Murfil"; one such instance in which Jonathan Ashworth bought Edward Murfil a hymnal.Also, in a registry book for St. Peter's parish, John Morefield, and Johnathan Ashworth are both named as property owners. John Morefield is named as having his property surveyed every few years from the early 1700’s to the mid 1740’s, a few years before he appears in Lunenburg County court records.
There are several court records in Lunenburg County, Va. naming John and Edward Morefield, (named a constable in 1749), and Jonathan Ashworth.John Morefield's will was recorded there in 1751, and Jonathan Ashworth's in 1759.After the 1751 death of John Morefield in Lunenburg County, a Jean Morefield married John Ashworth, son of Jonathan, and they moved into what is now Pittsylvania County.From these and other records, it is apparent that the Morefield, Ashworth, and Hilton families migrated from the Hanover – New Kent area of Virginia to Lunenburg County in the 1740’s.
GENERATION NO. 3EDWARD MOREFIELD (probably born in the early 1700’s in New Kent or Hanover Co., Va, died in Nov., 1785 in Halifax Co., Va.)
GENERATION NO. 4JOHN MOREFIELD, SR.(probably born by 1730 in New Kent or Hanover Co., died about October, 1812 in Halifax Co., Va.)
There are no extant documents which state the relationship between John no. 2 and Edward and there are varying opinions among Morefield researchers as to their kinship.I believe Edward to have been a son(but not necessarily the only one) of John no. 2.John's 1751 will names daughters Jane, Elizabeth, and "grandson" John, but not Edward, causing some researchers to believe Edward was not a son of John. I subscribe to the theory that John followed the custom of transferring property to some heirs prior to his death and naming others in his will (Jean Morefield who married John Ashworth may have been this same Jane, or perhaps a daughter of Edward). Edward and a third John, who I feel was the "grandson John", moved into Halifax County between 1753 and 1755, (John Morefield was appointed a constable in Lunenburg County in 1753, so he was still living there then). To repeat, I believe that the "grandson John", was a son of Edward, and that Edward was a son of John who died in 1751.Edward and John Morefield, (the third John Morefield), are mentioned in Halifax County court records numerous times beginning in 1755 through 1785, and in 1756, Edward Morefield "of Halifaxx (sp) County" sold property he owned in Lunenburg county.This fact negates the theory by some that Edward and John actually lived in the part of Lunenburg County that became Halifax County in 1751; and indicates that they physically moved from Lunenburg into Halifax.
After the end of the Revolutionary War in 1781, the former thirteen colonies became the United States of America, and the first population count of the United States was taken in 1782. This was not actually named a census, but a Head of Household count in preparation for the first U.S. census planned for 1790.In 1782, records can be found for only two Morefield households in Virginia, and both were in Halifax County.These were the households of Edward Morefield and John Morefield.Edward's household had three members, and John's had ten.At that time, the only names taken were the head of household;other members were not named, and no ages were given. For this reason, it is not possible to name the members of each household with absolute certainty.We know that Edward had a wife, as the Halifax County record of his estate sale in November of 1785 mentions "the widow Morefield" as well as John Morefield, who also was named administrator of Edward's estate in a separate document. There was an earlier deed that named Edward and Alse Morefield, so it is presumed that Alse was his wife.John's wife was named Martha and Patsy in different documents. In other records and for other families, it is seen that Patsy was a common nickname for Martha in those days, just as Jack is a nickname for John today.The name of the third member in Edward's household is not known, nor has it been determined if this was a child, other family member, or someone outside the family. The household count was done again in early 1785, before Edward’s death in October or November. At this time Edward's household still had three members, but John's had only nine.John's daughter Elizabeth married Howard Cain that year, which probably explains the decrease from ten members to nine.I assume John to have been her father as he signed her marriage bond.
In the 1787 count, the only Morefield households in Virginia were the homes of John Morefield and Wright Morefield; (Edward had died in 1785).Since Wright was listed as living in John's household in the 1784 Personal Property Tax List for Halifax County, (prior to Edward’s death in 1785), it is assumed that John was the father of Wright, and that Wright was probably John’s oldest son.The PPTL was a record of all landowners and those over the age of twenty-one. In summary, I feel Edward was a son of John no. 2 who died in 1751, and "grandson John", John no. 3, was Edward's son. Another possibility is that Edward and John no. 2 were either brothers or uncle/nephew.The 1790, 1800, and 1810 census records were destroyed in the War of 1812 when the British burned Washington and unfortunately, much valuable genealogical information was lost with these records.
It is very likely that John no. 2 who died in Lunenburg County in 1751 had other children.In 1754 and 1755 there was a James Morefield in Granville County, N.C., (mentioned along with a John Blackman in a militia roster). Granville County is due south of Lunenburg County, and its northwest corner borders the southeast corner of Halifax County. There is a 1765 Halifax County deed book record of a James Moorefield living on land being sold to Thomas Hilton, (remember that name?), and in 1766 there is a Halifax court case naming James Morefield and Elizabeth Morefield as defendants. (Curiously, the record does not state James and Elizabeth Morefield, but is worded as above). In 1760, Thomas Hilton and Beacham Hilton are shown in Halifax records.Neither James nor Elizabeth is mentioned again in Granville or Halifax counties, but a James Morefield appears in tax records in Rowan County, N.C. in 1768. This is the Salisbury area today, but in the 1760's, Rowan County also encompassed present Davidson County, and Pat Seaver’s research shows that James lived in the part of Rowan that became Davidson County. Davidson County lies south of Guilford County; Greensboro and High Point, N.C.On October 16, 1789 in Rowan County, N.C., a Mary Morefield married Mark Sluider, and the bondsman was "Peachum Helton", likely the same Beacham Hilton of Halifax County. Also, on November 5, 1792, Milly Morefield married Lifas Helton in Rowan County.I, and other researchers believe it to be very probable that James moved from Granville County, N.C. to Halifax County, Va., then a few counties southwest to Rowan County, N.C., and it is also very likely that Mary and Milly were his daughters. It is also probable that John Blackman Morefield, named in other records, was his son, and perhaps named after his friend John Blackman of the Granville County militia roster.Clearly, there was some sort of connection among the Morefield, Ashworth, and Hilton families of New Kent, and other counties of Virginia and North Carolina.
Also, available data, while scarce and inconclusive, indicates the first Morefields in eastern Tennessee, migrated there from the western counties of North Carolina in the early 1800’s (between 1806 and 1819), and most probably were descendants of James of Rowan County. Existing records show scattered Morefields living in Rowan, Stokes, and Ashe counties of North Carolina through the late 1700’s, after which the Morefield name disappears for about twenty years in North Carolina and surfaces in Carter and Johnson counties in Tennessee.While there is no document to prove these were the same folks, the migratory pattern westward seems to indicate family ties.
A John Morefield married Elizabeth Hines in Davidson County, N.C. in 1828, and it appears that by 1850 his widow was living a little further west in Surry County with their two sons, John and Frederick. However, there is no document that hints at his origins, and it is unknown whether he was a Rowan County or a Halifax County Morefield. Except for the likelihood that this John was a native Rowan County Morefield, after the migration into Tennessee, North Carolina had no other Morefields until Halifax County Morefields began migrating there again in the 1820’s.Today, there are more members of our family living in North Carolina than in Virginia.
On 2-9-1765, Edward bought a 220-acre farm in Halifax County from James Thomas Barding. This property lies on both the north and south sides of the Dificult Creek along the current Allen’s Mill Rd., about four miles northeast of the town of Scottsburg. He sold 50 acres of this property in August, 1777 and the remainder in the following October.
On 11-22-1777, John Morefield bought 140 acres on what is now Long Branch Rd, about two miles north of Scottsburg on the north side of present day route 360. He later increased his holdings to 225 acres. This farm was sold in parcels, the last in September of 1806, and the following month, he bought a 100-acre farm about two miles northeast of Scottsburg along the eastern side of the Hazlenut Branch. This farm was later bought by Thomas C. Wilmouth, my third great grandfather in 1832, and lies just on the north side of present day Lee-Syd-Moore Rd. (The Hazelnut Branch runs across Lee-Syd-Moore Rd. into the farm once owned by my grandparents, William Frank and Stella Wilmouth Moorefield, Sr.).
GENERATION NO. 5JOHN AND MARTHAMOREFIELD'S CHILDREN.
John Morefield’s (No. 3) will was recorded in Halifax in May, 1812, and probated the following November, naming both his wife Patsy and his "beloved son John".It is not known for sure why he named no other children and singled out John, except laws and customs were different then. In several court records in Halifax County, the senior John is listed as John, Sr., and the "beloved son John" as John, Jr.Now remember that John, Sr. is not the same John who first came to this country, but I believe him to be the grandson John named in the Lunenburg will of 1751.Following, in order of marriage are those who I feel were children of John and Martha.
1.Elizabeth Morefield married Howard Cain on 4-4-1782. The only clue to Elizabeth’s age is that John gave his consent to the marriage by signature. Statute required consent of a parent or legal guardian if under age 21, so it is believed that Elizabeth was born later than 1861. No further research has been done for Elizabeth.
2.Wright Morefield married Nancy Stevens on 12-22-1785.Wright’s name first appeared on the Halifax County personal property tax (PPTL) list in 1784, listing him in the household of John Morefield. Given this, he would have been born by 1763.He is not listed in deed records as having owned any real estate, and last appeared on the PPTL in 1821. He is not named in any records after that year. From study of various records, several other researchers and I feel that Wright and Nancy were parents of the following children.
a. John W., born about 1790, married Sally Powell, daughter of Joshua and Frances Powell, on 12-12-1810. Numerous descendants of their son, William T. live in Halifax, Pittsylvania, Charlotte, and Amhurst counties. Raliegh Carrington Moorefield, former Halifax County school board member, is a descendant. John W., his wife, and their younger children moved to Henry County, Tenn. about 1847. He was last named in the 1850 census.
b. Henry, born about 1791, married Nancy Powell, Sally’s sister, on 5-10-1814. Henry last appeared on the Halifax County PPTL in 1822, and was on the 1830 and 1840 census records for Stokes County, NC.He was listed as a pensioner for the War of 1812. It is possible that Henry and his family moved to Stokes County about the same time that his uncle William Moorefield, Sr., listed below, moved to Patrick County, Va.These two counties have a common border, and William lived in the Mayo Creek area of Patrick County, just north of the Snow Creek area of Stokes County, and it is possible the two families moved together. In 1839, Henry, and his son – in – law, William C. George, bought land in Patrick County, so it is evident they were not far from the border. In the 1850 census, the family is shown in Pulaski County, Kentucky. They have no descendants in Stokes County. Henry was last listed on the 1860 census.
c. James Harding, born about 1794, married Polly Powell, sister of Sally and Nancy, on 9-13-1816 in Caswell County, NC.James last appeared on the Halifax PPTL in 1822, and he was living in Rowan County, NC in the 1830 census. From there, they migrated to Clark County, Illinois by 1840, and to St. Claire, Il. By 1850. He was last named in the 1850 census.
d. Armistead, born about 1798, married Anna Thomas on 2-14-1822, the last year he is found on the PPTL.Armistead is not found in the 1830 census, but appears on the Iredell County, NC census in 1840. I feel he was probably living with his wife’s parents most of the intervening years. He has numerous descendants in surrounding counties.
e. Robert S. Morefield was born on 5-25-1803, according to his great great grandson, Bob Morefield of Murphysboro, Illinois. His parents are not named in any document we have found, but we include him as a child of Wright for two reasons. First, in the 1820 census, there is a male of his age group in the household of Wright, and second, his close proximity to Henry Morefield in Stokes and Patrick counties. Robert is included on the Patrick County tax lists for the years 1832, 1833, and 1834. He returned to Halifax County, where he married Prudence Irby Sneed, a widow, on April 15, 1834, his bondsman being one Elijah Webb. The following October 23, Robert witnessed a deed of trust note from Henry Morefield to F. Webb in Stokes County, and on April 21, 1835, Henry and Elizabeth Morefield witnessed the will of Elijah Webb in Stokes County. Also, there is ample evidence in Halifax County that Robert was the father of Andelusia Morefield of Stokes County. Robert and Prudence migrated to Kentucky to land she inherited from her grandfather, and later moved into Illinois. Robert died there on March 1, 1866 and Prudence on September 4, 1876.
3. JohnMorefield, Jr. first appeared on the PPTL in 1788, and was probably born about 1766. He and Winifred Bruce, daughter of John Bruce, were married on 5-17-1787. He last appeared on the PPTL in 1815, and Winifred is listed in 1817, so it appears he died sometime in between. Winifred died in 1849, and her grandson Isaac was named administrator of her estate. John and Winifred’s daughter in law, Sally Monday, had a sister, Tabitha, who was married in their home. However, the minister failed to return the bond to the courthouse, so the marriage was not recorded. In 1844, Winifred signed an affidavit attesting to the marriage to support Tabitha’s claim for a widow’s pension. As part of this affidavit, Winifred provided a family register naming her children. Those named were:
a. William. Jr., perhaps named after his uncle, William, Sr., was born on 3-27-1888, and married Nancy Canada on 9-25-1809. They lived in Halifax and Pittsylvania counties until the 1840’s, during which time, William migrated to Troup County, Ga, apparently without Nancy, but with their son Willis. In the 1860 and 1870 census, he is shown living in Alabama.
b. Polly, born on 4-6-1789, married Nevin McKinney on 9-15-1817.
c. John Royal, born on 5-16-1791 married Sally Monday on 6-13-1813. They lived in Halifax County until 1850 and then moved to the city of Danville, where John Royal died of typhoid in 1856. Sally later moved to Prince Edward County with their daughter Sara Catherine Sest,where she died in the 1880s. They have numerous descendants in Halifax, Pittsylvania, Prince Edward, Cumberland, and Henrico counties of Virginia, and Rockingham, Caswell, and Guilford counties of North Carolina.
d. Edmund, born 4-19-1793, married Rachel Crews on 9-24-1816. They had one daughter, Elizabeth Ann, and Edmund died in 1822, cause unknown.
e. Coleman, born 8-31-1795.
f. Dickerson, born on 4-7-1798.A Richard Moorefield married Nancy McKenney on 11-12-1819. Richard lived next to Winifred in the 1830 census, and his three children were named in the settlement of her estate. I believe that he was either Coleman or Dickerson, but there is no document to state which, or what became of the other. He died in 1843, and has descendants in the Richmond, Va. area.
g. NOT LISTED:Sarah, born about 1796, was not named in Winifred’s family registry, but indications are that she was her daughter.Sarah married William Coates in 12-11-1818, with William Morefield signing a statement that she was over the age of twenty-one.This was more likely Sarah’s older brother, William Morefield, Jr., but could have been her uncle, William Sr., named below.In Halifax Court, February, 1822, William Coates was ordered to appraise the property of Edmund Morefield, deceased. Assuming Sarah to have been Winifred’s daughter, then Edmund was brother in law to William Coates.Evidently Sarah died without children. In 1824, William Coates remarried, and there was no mention of any children in the division of Winifred’s estate in 1854.
4.MooreMorefield married Virginia Reitey (Henrietta?) Strange on 6-7-1798. In most years, up to 1832, he is found living in the southern district of Halifax County, which I believe is all the area west of the Banister River, but for one year, 1819, he is listed in Pittsylvania County, Va., just west of Halifax County. Following are the names of his and Reitey’s children:
a. Joseph R. was born about 1799, and is named in Pittsylvania County records, including his marriage to Sarah Wade in 1818. Later records show him living in South Carolina and then Georgia.
b. Lucy was born about 1800, and married Daniel Talley in Pittsylvania County in 1818, Moore signing as her father.
c. Wiley was born about 1801. There is no document naming his parents, however, there is a male of his age grouping in the 1820 census listing of Moore’s household. Also, Wiley and his wife Cary Vaughn lived on a farm she inherited from her maternal grandfather. This farm is just inside Pittsylvania County on the road to the community of Kentuck from South Boston, in the Birch Creek area. It just seems more probable that Wiley would have lived somewhere in this vicinity for he and Cary to gotten to know each other, than if he were raised in the eastern part of Halifax County. Wiley and Cary’s oldest son, James R. owned a farm about two miles due north of theirs, and I think Wiley and Cary are buried there with James and his wife in the Moorefield – Hodnett family cemetery.
d.Susannah, born about 1803, married Richard Perkins in Halifax County in 1820.
e. Willie was born about 1805 and married Lewis Spencer in Halifax county in 1824.
f. Julius, born about 1810, is added to Moore and Reitey’s family for two reasons. First, Reitey was a daughter of Julius Strange, perhaps his namesake, and second, there is a male of his age grouping living with Moore and Reitey in the 1820 census. However, there is no document stating him to have been a son of theirs. Julius moved to Smith County, Tenn, then to Illinois, and finally further west to Wright County, Mo. by 1870.
5.William Morefield, Sr. was born about 1777 and married Nancy Stevens on 6-24-1801. They had at least six children in Halifax County, and moved west to the Mayo River district of Patrick County about 1823, (see Henry above), where William died about 1828. The children that we can name for certain were:
a. Nancy, born about 1802, married Joseph Harris in Patrick County on 12-9-1824, later moved to Tennessee.
b. Allen, born about 1802, married Martha Harris on 3-2-1825. They moved just south to the Snow Creek district of Stokes County, NC in the mid 1840’s, later to Scott County, Va., then to Hawkins County, Tenn.Pat Moorefield Seaver, named previously, is a descendant.
c. Josiah, born about 1805, married Ruth Keaton on 3-8-1830. They moved to Illinois by 1840. Their son Josiah James fought for the Union Army.
d. Wright, born on 10-20-1812, married Jane Martin on 12-25-1831. He died on 4-6-1882 and is buried in Stokes Co., NC in the Moorefield – Gibson family cemetery. This cemetery is beautifully maintained today by a descendant Timmy Gibson.
e. Mary, born about 1817, married Sampson Keaton on 6-3-1841, later moved to Tennessee.
f. William, Jr., born in 1822, married Mary Ann Kasey on 3-25-1848. He died in 1899 and is buried about twenty feet from his older brother Wright.
g. Martha J., born about 1826, married Lewis Martin on 5-11-1848.
h. Rebecca, born in 1827, married Alexander Bryant on 8-8-1848.
i. There was a James Morefield mentioned in records in Patrick County who also was likely a son of theirs.
Many of William and Rebecca’s descendants who carry the Moorefield name still live in Patrick and Pulaski counties of Virginia, and Surry, Stokes, Forsyth, Guilford, and Davidson counties of North Carolina, and in various parts of Tennessee. Very few of these folks even know of the others.
6.Mastin Morefield married Wilmouth Stokes on 5-21-1804.Although not clearly documented, evidence leads me to believe that my third great grandfather, Stephen Moorefield was a son of theirs. They have descendants in Halifax County, Va., and Guilford and Caswell counties in North Carolina.
7. Edward Morefield. This second Edward Morefield, for whom no marriage record has been found, began having children with his wife about 1798. I believe him to have been a child of John and Martha, also.His and his wife’s children migrated into areas of Kentucky and Illinois.
CONCLUSION OF PART ONE
More Replies:
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Re: FAMILY HISTORY
Roger Hastings 7/15/07
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Re: FAMILY HISTORY
BILL MOOREFIELD 7/22/07
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Re: FAMILY HISTORY
Roger Hastings 9/12/07
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Re: FAMILY HISTORY
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Re: FAMILY HISTORY
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John Morefield d. 1751 & Edward d. 1785
Patricia Seaver 4/06/07