Barry,
I apologize for taking so long to get back to you. The holidays have been
hectic and I needed quite a bit of time to try to put info found in the
Carruthers and Witherington archives together with my research. I have attempted
to put some of this material in chronological order below. My first question is
when was the 675 acres at Hoopers Clifts in the possesion of Nathaniel Dare
with 325 acres in the possession of Elizabeth Rice? I saw info stating
Nathaniel died 1699. I am just wondering if this was after 1677 when an Evan Rice
was transported to MD? If so, this could be the same Evan Rice who was involved
in a libel suit with Nathanial Dare 1694-96. The June 22, 1996 letter from
Timothy Kearney states there was a 1702 citation showing Robert Widdrington was
the administrator of Evan Price's(Rice) estate. Jane Burgess, CGRS, article
published in the Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin, Vol. 43, #4, Fall,
2002 shows Robert Widdrington's wife Elizabeth was a Cleverly b. 1660-1678 who
m. first Evan Rice (they were the parents of Benjamin Rice) and then Robert
Witherington. This would explain why Robert Witherington left his cedar casks to
Benjamin Rice in his 1722 will. Benjamin Rice sold the Hoopers Cliffs land
in 1729 and then shows up in the land records of Craven, NC. In 1741 Benjamin
Rice sells land in Craven with Zebulon Rice as a witness. Benjamin's 1746
will proved in Beaufort County, NC names sons Zebulon, Benjamin, James, Even,
Claverly, Ephrim, Hezekiah, Gideon. Wife and Executrix: Mary. It is clear this
MD Rice family is the same one found in Craven. The 1801 disposition of the
land owned by Hezekiah Rice of Caswell County, NC names his sons Jepthah,
Hezekiah, Ibzan, Authniel and Edmund Rice as heirs of Hezekiah Rice. We have had
one descendant of Hezekiah of Caswell who has matched the DNA of the group
containing Henry the Gristmiller. THE $64,000 QUESTION IS: IS HEZEKIAH, SON OF
BENJAMIN, THE SAME HEZEKIAH FOUND IN CASWELL? IF SO, THIS COULD MEAN HENRY'S
FAMILY ORIGINATED IN MARYLAND AS SOME HAVE SPECULATED??? The DNA of the
descendants of James Rice of Loudoun County does not match this group, so it may be
a coincidence the Carruthers were involved in a land transaction in Loudoun
County, Virginia involving James.
Martha
Barry Wetherington's message of 3/21/01 to Witherington-L:
"SOURCE: Calvert Count),, 11M7~-land Rent Rolls 1651-1776, by T.L.C.
Genealogy,
page 13:
HOOPERS CLIFTS": 1000. 1..0.0. Surveyed 26 May 1652 for Henry Hooper on the
west side of Chesapeake Bay adjoining to the land called Hodgkins Clifts.
Possessors: 675 acres Nathaniel Dare, 325 acres - Elizabeth lice.*
-- Nathaniel Dare from Robert Witherington & Wife, 9 Sept. 1720. -- Gideon
Dare
from Benjamin Mice* 29 June 1729. -- Nathaniel Dare from l-;ideon 1
r<rre
;'0
April 1736."
*I believe these entries should show Elizabeth Rice and Benjamin Rice
_____________________________________________________________________
Barry's message to Witherington-L 26 Jul 2000
"Witherington MD Hall of Records Annapolis Info Table:"
"Lib 15c 1694 p163 4 Dec 1694 Came Nath Dare by Robt Carucille his buroerat
...
answr - granted
p164 Dec 6 1694 Inv exh ...
5 Feb 1694 N Dare by Robt Carville /Carvile ? .. Answer .. To the Libel suit
agst him by Evan...? & his wife Eliz ... also exh of Thms Binkes late of Calv
Co
p181 26 Mar 1695 Elrisco v Na Dare/// This case being ... answer ... parties
appeared & Evan Brice? W/... objections ... agst Nathaniel Dare ... Terms of
Agreement ... promise to ... refrain ... having failed ... promise ... case
to be ctd.
16 May 1696 Jury Verdict agst Nathaniel Dare favor of Evan Rico?/Rice?
(Many numbers) 5998# (lbs?) Tobacco (1/2 page discussion)"
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Barry Wetherington's message of 3/21/01 to Witherington-L:
DOCUMENT: WILL of ROBERT WIDDRINGTON of Christ's Church Parish, planter,
Calvert
County, Maryland. Written 20 August 1722, probated 10 November 1722:
SONS: Solomon and John at age of 19 (when reaching adulthood)
DAUGHTER: Dorcas "in care of Mr. Walter Smith of St. Leonards"
DAUGHTER: Mary "in care of her Aunt Mrs. Mary Dare".
DAUGHTER: Elizabeth, wife of Henry Easterling
Also mentions Benjamin Rice. Appointed Henry Easterling as guardian of sons
Solomon and John. Witnessed by John Dickinson. William Rutledge and Henry
Constable.
____________________________________________________________________
Barry Wetherington's message of 3/21/01 to Witherington-L:
TIMOTHY KEARNEY Genealogical Research 411 Gardner St. Raleigh, NC
27607
4 June 1996
Robert H. Witherington 837 Chester Road Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Dear Bob:
Sincere thanks for sending me a copy of the Will of Robert Widdrington of
Calvert. I did not notice any specific clue, but it certainly is nice to
have
access to all the details. I only wish Calvert was not such a
devastated
county.
I did some additional checking (out of curiosity) mainly involving
associative
names revealed in Robert's Will. I located family records
pertaining to
Solomon's sister Elizabeth who married Henry Easterling. As you know, a
William
Easterling appeared in NC with the Witheringtons.
Henry's father Henry wrote his Will in Calvert 27 Feb 1702, yet it was not
probated until 1708. He named son Henry and daughter Martha as well as wife
Elizabeth. I also located a family record from Christ's Church which
included
two additional daughter Elizabeth and Mary born between the date the
Will
was
written and the time of his death. Henry Jr. was the wife of
Elizabeth
Witherington.
I also tracked down Mrs. Mary Dare (Aunt of Robert's children) who wrote
her
Will in Calvert 7 June 1748. She named children Gideon Dare (who was
associated
with Witherington land called "Hooper's Clift"), son
Cleverly Dare, Althea
Smith, Kezia Brome, and Dinah Clagett. I was hoping to perhaps learn the
identity of Robert's wife. Nathaniel Dare may have been Mary's husband, who
was
often mentioned in Calvert records.
Again, thank you for keeping me posted, and I will keep an eye out for any
additional information, and certainly let you know of any new details.
Sincerely,
l
Timothy Kearney
G - 10
TIMOTHY KEARNEY Genealogical Research 411 Gardner St. Raleigh, NC 27607
22 June 1996
Mr. Robert H. Witherington 837 Chester Road Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Dear Bob:
Sincere thanks for your last letter and for your generous compensation. I
studied the Barnes Report carefully and found the additional details to be
interesting but not conclusive. The best evidence is the 1702 citation
where
Robert Widdrington was administrator of Evan Price (Rice), which is
the
earliest
> recorded mention of him. He died 20 years later, and this date of
1702 is
significant in regard to the ages of his children, who no doubt were born
after
1702 since they were all underage in 1722 except perhaps Elizabeth
Easterling,
who, of course, could have been a married teen-ager.
You will note that a Benjamin Rice was associated with "Hooper's Cliffs"
after
Robert died, which is of collateral interest. Robert gave Benjamin
Rice his
"cyder casks" in his Will. With Robert being admr. for Evan Rice in his
first
recorded appearance, and Ben Rice receiving personalty in his final
record
(Will), it is obvious there was a close association with the Rice family,
and
perhaps Robert's wife was a Rice. (Entire letter not copied)
___________________________________________________________________
Barry Wetherington's message of 3/7/03 to Carruthers-L:
Query - Was Elizabeth, the wife of Robert WIDDRINGTON d1722, a DARE or a
CLEVERLY?
- 'CLEVERLY' decides a Genealogist!
Hello Mike, Jean, Ann, Bill, Allen, Martha, Wayne, and all researchers AWA
those
researching the MD lines of Cleverly, Dare, Easterling, Bincks, Wattmore,
Rice,
Hooper, Parker, Battson, Carruthers, Smith, Somervell, Bangs, & Lewis, AWA
other
interested persons, including Jane F Burgess, CGRS, author of the article:
'Elizabeth Cleverly (d. by Aug 1722 Calvert Co, MD) Wife of Evan Rice and
Robert
Widdrington (Witherington)', by JaneF Burgess, CGRS* © 2002,
as published in the Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin, Vol 43, #4, Fall
2002, (no copyright observed for the Volume), pp 442-452, 452-468 footnotes
(166
FN's).
I was alerted by Robert Witherington of Winston Salem NC to the article,
which
is by the Genealogist Bob retained to conduct the research for his benefit,
Jane
F Burgess, CGRS. He also sent me a copy, which I immediately read through
once,
at a hurried pace, and intend to re-read ASAP. Meantime, I wanted to get this
right off to alert our interested genealogists.
In essence, the Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin article concludes that
Rbt Widd/'ton's wife Elizabeth was a Cleverly b 1660-1678 (Recall, Mike
first, &
supported by the rest of us, had concluded that Robt Widd md Eliz Dare, not a
Cleverly). Eliz was a sister of Mrs Mary Dare & Mrs Amy Battson, having first
md
Evan Rice ~ 1694 (d bef Feb 1702), by whom she had a son Benjamin Rice (we
recall Benjamin Rice from the Robt Widd will and a Sarah Rice as John
Carruthers
dau from his will of 1751 - interestingly, the Benjamin Rice will identified
by
Ms Burgess also identifies a Sarah Rice as a dau of Benjamin) - [Ms Burgess'
fn
113 refs to the Carruthers' will of 1751, pasted below, in which appear a
couple
persons discussed in the article]. After son Benjamin, she md Robt
Widdrington
(yrs1702-1706, b by 1681, w/whom she had 5 children.
The article discusses the topic with many references, and concludes by
identifying 6 children of Elizabeth Cleverly: Benjamin Rice, Elizabeth
Witherington, Soloman W, John W, Mary W, & Dorcas Witherington. She also
concludes: 'Studied records did not provide convincing evidence for the issue
of
John Witherington (b aft 20 Aug 1703)', altho Fn115 discusses the
possibility,
based on the Prayerbook, of sons Wm, Rbt & Cleverly.
______________________________________________________________________
Message from Deborah--Craven, NC Records:
*1730: December 13th John Martin , of Bay River, sells Benjamin Rice 235
acres on the south side of Bay River , on the west side of Trent Creek, patented
by said Martin 1st March 1722 ( John Carruthers, John witherenton and Francis
Delamare )
1732: May 23rd James Rice sells Samuel Harvey a tract of 410 acres on the
north side of Neuse River, at the Lower Broad Creek. ( Richard Harvey)
1740: March 25th Nathaniel Draper sells to Joseph Willis a tract of 100 acres
on the southside of Bay River, west side of Trent Creek. (Benjamin Rice,
James Willis and Josiah Hart , witnesses
1741: January 19th Benjamin Rice sells to Nathaniel Draper, a tract of 75
acres on the southside of Bay River, ( James Humes, John Church and Zebulon Rice
)
_____________________________________________________________________
Rice, Benjamin, Beaufort County, NC
September 12, 1745, June Court, 1746. Sons: Zebulon, Benjamin, James,
Even, Claverly, Ephrim, Hezekiah, Gideon. Wife and Executrix: Mary.
Witnesses: James Humes, Nathaniel Draper, Thomas Willia. Clerk of the Court:
John Forbes.
_____________________________________________________________________
EXCERPT OF JOHN CARRUTHERS WILL (1751), Craven Co., NC
I, John Carruthers, of the County of Craven, and Province of North Carolina,
merchant, ...
I Give and Bequeath unto my Daughter, Rocksolannah Witherinton, one lott of
Land lying in Newbern town, and joining Pollocks Street and Eding Street...
Item. I Give and Bequeath to my daughter, Frances Hodges, ... and the
Francis Hodges Cow Pen, unto her, the sd. Frances Hodges...
Item. I Give and Bequeath unto my son, John Carruthers...
Item. I Give and Bequeath unto my Son, Joseph Carruthers...
Item. I Give and Bequeath to my daughter, Sarah Rice...
Item. I Give and Bequeath unto my two Sons in law, Francis Hodges and John
Witherinton...
Item. I Give and Bequeath unto my well beloved Wife, Content Carruthers...
Item. My will and Desire is that ... the Remandar of money may be Equaly
devided between my three Sons, William Carruthers, John Carruthers, and Joseph
Carruthers, and my daughter, Sarah Rice, and if my son William Carruthers shuld
not be at the devision of the money, I desire his Part of the money may
continue in the hands of my Executors till he, the foresd. William Carruthers, cums
for it.
. . . .
John Carruthers (Seal) Sarah Betsworth (mark) Abiah Bangs Sol. Rew
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Loudoun County Deed Book G, pp. 307-310
Indenture made 4th/5th September 1770 between James Carruthers of parish
Cameron in County Loudoun of one part and Samuel Cox of same county..
Witnessth for sum One hundred and thirty pounds current money of Virginia..by
deeds of
lease and release..sold parcel of land bounded..beginning at three Sycamores
at mouth of Pine Hill branch of Goose Creek on South side of the creek..nigh
the line of Jacob Lasswell..containing 247 acres which parcel of land was
granted by Proprietor of Northern Neck of Virginia to James Rice formerly of
county
Stafford by his deed recorded in Proprietors office (1730) in Liber C page
101..and James Rice (d. 1740) sold said tract of land to James Carruthers who
made no disposition of same in his lifetime after his death said land
descended
to and became the Estate of James Carruthers party to these presents as his
Eldest Son and Heir. .
Presence G. Johnson
Robert Hamilton, John Miller
James Carruthers
At a court held 10th September 1770.. Indenture and receipt endorsed
acknowledged..ordered to be recorded.
______________________________________________________________________
Deed Book M, p. 3 of Caswell County, NC:
Jepthah, Hezekiah, Ibzan, Authniel and Edmund Rice heirs of Hezekiah Rice
decd to David Poyner 120 ac. 2 Feb 1801, 100 pounds, Waters Hogans Creek,
Dills, Walkers, Johnstons lines. Witnesses: Richard Simpson, Green Brown,
James Cobb, signed Jepthah, Ibzan, Oth'l.
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