Hi, Janet.  You asked about Claiborne descendants.  Maybe we can scare up
some information from others.  I'm sending this to the list because there seems
to be some support for "declaring" William Claiborne the most outstanding 17th
century Virginian. If Claiborne ends up being the evident "Greatest 17th
Century Virginian," the non public elements of his life are important. Others may
be able to add to or correct this brief summary.

John Frederick Dorman wrote the definitive book on Claiborne's Virginia
family and descendants.  It's over 500 pages long. Being authored by Dorman, it is
obviously well researched and reported.  I think the title is simply "William
Claiborne" with a subtitle.

As well as I can with brevity . . . .

Claiborne was married in England to Elizabeth Boteler (Butler), daughter of
John Butler and Jane Elliott of Co Essex, England. Her brothers, John and
Thomas, also immigrated to Virginia.  Thomas was hung in St. Marys City (MD) when
captured in one of the conflicts over ownership of Kent Island.  I believe John
Butler lived in Northumberland County VA.  It may be his Prince William
County descendants who were involved many years later in South Carolina's Cloud
Creek Massacre.

William Claiborne and his wife Elizabeth Butler had four sons: William,
Thomas, John and Leonard; and several daughters:  Elizabeth, Jane and Mary.  Some
people report a fourth daughter named Sarah.  Son Leonard may have lived in the
Caribbean Islands.

Daughter Mary Claiborne, who married Robert Harris, of "The Forks" in New
Kent/Hanover County, is not fully documented for no county court house records
survive that relate to her directly to her father.  Records in other counties
identify daughters Elizabeth Freeman (Elizabeth City County) and Jane Brereton
(Old Rappahannock/Essex County).

Mary Claiborne's grandson, Thomas Harris of Cubb Creek, Hanover County,
reportedly left a journal in which he recorded that his grandparents were Robert
Harris and Mary Claiborne, "the youngest daughter of William Claiborne."  He
further recorded that his father was Thomas, and his uncles and aunts were
William, Mary, Judith, John and Robert. I have not seen this journal and don't know
if it still exists.  Dr. Malcolm Harris wrote in "Old New Kent" that the
journal was in the hands of later family and quoted by them.

Joyce Browning
Fairfax County, Virginia

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