William (James William) Crosthwait

M, #2500, d. between 23 April 1781 and 11 January 1787
Father*William Crosthwait b. c 1723, d. bt 10 Jul 1771 - 15 Apr 1772
Mother*Milley Judson
Reference452.22
Note* William (James William) Crosthwait Per info from Jo Thiesson's web site at http://members.aol.com/kygenweb/crostfm.htm
The William Crosthwaite who appears on the 1782 Tax List of Albemarle County, Virginia ... is the progenitor of the Harrison County, Kentucky line. For his land he paid two pounds four shillings. 
Note He Though I have this William as son of William and Milley, it is wrong per the following email, so corrections need to be made.

To: CROSTHWAITE-L@rootsweb.com
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 21:47:08 -0700
Subject: William Crosthwait and Ann Shelton
From: xthwait@juno.com (Carol D. Crosswhite)

RE: WILLIAM CROSTHWAIT WHO MARRIED ANN SHELTON
There has recently been some interchange of questions and answers on William and Ann on this list. It was asked whether this William could have been son of Isaac Crosthwait who married Elizabeth Rippetoe. Georgia Crosthwait, to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude for early Crosthwaite/Crosswhite genealogy, was concerned that there was no documentation as to where this William fit into Crosthwaite genealogy. Nevertheless, she gave us her best guess that the William who married Ann (and whose will is preserved in Albemarle County, Virginia), with the information she had then, must have been the son of the William Crosthwait who married Milley and lived in Culpepper County, Virginia. It is clear from court records that this Culpepper County William was son of the William Crosthwait who came down to Spotsylvania County, Virginia from Pennsylvania. This Pennsylvania William was father of Timothy, William, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Elizabeth, and Sarah, a family very well documented in Orange County, Virginia.

The William of Culpepper County, Virginia was indeed the son of the Pennsylvania William and is proven by court documents to be brother of Timothy, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Elizabeth and Sarah.

However, the sons of this William of Culpepper County and his wife Milley have now been traced beyond any doubt using court and census records. William, the son of William and Milley proves to be the William who sold the land inherited from his father in Culpepper County and settled in Stokes County, North Carolina. His brother Jacob with his widowed mother Milley settled in Newberry District, North Carolina. The Milley Crosthwait who was member of the "traveling church" of the Billy Bush colony proves not to have been this Milley, but rather the Milley who was daughter of Abraham Crosthwait.

This all means that it is impossible for the William Crosthwait of Albemarle County, Virginia (who married Ann) to have been son of William and Milley. However, in the 1740's there was a separate Crosthwait family in ALBEMARLE PARISH of Sussex and Surrey Counties. The origin of this family at this time is totally unknown. We have no evidence that this family was closely related to the Orange County Crosthwaits. For an Orange County Crosthwait to settle in Sussex or Surrey Counties would be contrary to the normal pattern of settlement in Virginia. Albemarle PARISH is in the eastern coastal plain of Virginia nearer to Williamsburg. Settlement of Albemarle COUNTY which is in the Piedmont came from two sources: 1) people moving west from the coastal plain which included Albemarle PARISH, and 2) people moving south from Orange County. The Sheltons moved west into Albemarle County from the coastal plain. If William married Ann before they came to Albemarle County, then he was probably one of the Crosthwaits of Sussex and Surrey Counties.

We can prove that the William who married Ann can not be son of three of the five brothers of Orange County. 1) Timothy of Orange died childless; 2) William of Orange (who settled in Culpepper County and married Milley) had a son William who settled in Stokes County, North Carolina; 3) Isaac of Orange (who settled in Albemarle County and married Elizabeth) had a son William who settled in Kentucky and had 14 children. This line has been extremely well researched by Vida Vance whose 227 page manuscript is in the Mormon genealogical library in Salt Lake City.

If the William of Albemarle who married Ann was descended from any of the Orange County brothers, rather than coming west from Albemarle PARISH into Albemarle COUNTY, then he would have to have been son of either Abraham or Jacob. We have presented evidence in Crosthwaite Chronicle No. 6 that JOHN William Crosthwait of Wilkes County, North Carolina was likely the son of Abraham. The William of Albemarle who married Ann is proven by court documents to have been JAMES William Crosthwait. Administration papers of the estates of James William and John William prove that they were different people. This would leave only Jacob as a possible father if William of Albemarle come south from the Orange County Crosthwaits. If this William of Albemarle was son of Jacob, then the possibility exists that he not only married a Shelton but also had a Shelton for his mother, grandmother, or great-grandmother, etc. He is known to have had a brother named Shelton Crosthwait, incorrectly interpreted by some to have been his son. This might have required Jacob to have had a first wife with surname Shelton and to have left his children of the first family with Shelton grandparents. The one fact that would support such a theory is that Jacob's son Aaron seems not to have been a son of Jacob's wife Mary Brockman. This Aaron had a grandson named Shelton Crosthwait, suggesting that Jacob might have been married to a Shelton before marrying Mary Brockman. It is also possible, however that Jacob's grandmother or great-grandmother was a Shelton, which could account for his descendant having been named Shelton Crosthwait. There have been at least seven different Shelton Crosthwaits, some with no obvious relationship to the others. The Crosthwaits in the Albemarle PARISH records are women who happened to be godparents for children born in this parish, suggesting that they were already of age in the 1740's and therefore could not possibly be children of Jacob. One of these women could, however be mother of the William Crosthwait who married Ann Shelton.

There is some evidence that the Crosthwait-Shelton connection goes back to England, in which case both the Orange County Crosthwaits and Albemarle PARISH Crosthwaits might trace back to a common Shelton ancestry in England. We have records of a marriage in England of a "Wilyam Crosthwait" to a Skelton wife. Georgia thought that Scelton and Shelton were the same name. We are currently researching this.

     Frank S. Crosswhite
     and Carol D. Crosswhite
     Publishers of Crosthwaite Chronicle.
 
Marriage* He married Ann Shelton, daughter of Henry Shelton. 
Note21 April 1779 William (James William) Crosthwait He was in Albemarle County at least by April 21, 1779 when he, along with his father-in-law Henry Shelton, signed "A Declaration of Independence" in that county. This signing contained his full name, James William Crossthwait. (source = http://members.aol.com/kygenweb/crostfm.htm) on 21 April 1779 at Albermarle Co., Virginia. 
Will*23 April 1781 He left a will on 23 April 1781 at Albermarle Co., Virginia; Will Book 3, 1785-1798, Reel 34, pp. 19-20
In The name of god amen I William Crosthwaite of Albemarle County being in perfect health praised be to god, do make this my last will and Testament as followeth, I give to my wife for her life time all and every thing i have and after her Death to be equally Divided between my three Children, and if my wife should marry again my Estate to be divided into four equal parts and to be equally divided between my wife and aforesaid three Children Viz~ my to keep it all till the Children come of age and as fast as they come of age they shall impartially draw there lot or part of the Estate and after her death her part or lot shall be equally divided between the a foresaid Children I leave my kind friends Henry Shelton, William Shelton his son Executors of this my last will and Testament and Trustees for my wife and Children. In witness wherof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal this Twenty third day of April in the year of our Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty one
William Crosthwate(SEAL)
Sealed published and declared by the above named William Crosthwait for and as his last will and Testament in the presence of us signed
Brightberry Brown
Judith Epperson
At a Court held for Albemarle County the 11th of January 1787 ~
This will was proved by the Oaths of Brightberry Brown & Peter Massie two of the witnesses thereto and ordered to be Recorded. At the same time Henry Shelton & Willm. Shelton, Exec. named herein came into Court and renounced there right of Executorship & Anne Crostwaite widow of the said William deceas. relinquished her right of Administering in favour of George Divers the Principal Creditor of the Said decsd. who was admited to the administration of the same with the will annexd. and bond & security Accordingly taken of 5,000 pounds.



 
Tax List*1782  In 1782 at Albermarle Co., Virginia, 1 white male above 21, 3 slaves, 8 cattle, and one horse. 
Death*between 23 April 1781 and 11 January 1787 He died between 23 April 1781 and 11 January 1787. 
Probate*March 1798 His estate was probated in March 1798 at Albermarle Co., Virginia; The settlement of Wm. Crosthwaite's estate did not go smoothly as a suit against George Divers, adminstrator attests. The suit recorded in Albemarle Co., VA Order Book for March 1798 reads:
Jacob Powers and Ann his wife relict of William Crosthwait deceased Shelton Crosthwait heir at law of the said William deceased Thomas Crosthwait William Crosthwait Perry Crosthwait and Ann Bourn Crosthwait children of the said William Crosthwait deceased by Shelton Crosthwait their Guardian - Plaintiffs against George Divers administrator of William Crosthwait , dec'd. - Defendant.
(per http://members.aol.com/kygenweb/crostfm.htm.) 

Family

Ann Shelton
Marriage* He married Ann Shelton, daughter of Henry Shelton. 
Children
Last Edited4 Apr 1999