The following information is a continuation of the research into my ancestral lines in Colonial Virginia. It was sent to me recently and there is a lot of information pertinent to my research. One of my distant ancestors, Lydia Hilliard, a white woman, was a servant of St. John Shropshire. She was accused of having a child with a negro man and received punishment for her indiscretion.
My first book, Notes and Documents of Free Persons of Color, was recently revised and included Lydia Hilliard. She was actually the Grandmother of my ancestor, Mary Bowden, through Lydia, "Mulatto" Child Mary Monroe. After leaving the household of Shropshire, Lydia moved into the household of William Monroe Senior (Grandfather of President James Monroe); in a cruel twist of fate, Lydia's daughter Mary and William Monroe Seniors son, William Junior, entered into a marriage. They were the parents of my ancestor, Mary Bowden. Like her mother, Mary was taken to court and accused of bastardy, but the charges were dropped. The Courts decided that Mary was basically in a catch-22 situation. The judge found that Mary had not known the law and believed she was in a legal marriage. The courts made no mention of William Monroe Senior, but the child, Mary Bowden was sent to live with the Chiltons (who were relatives of the Monroes). When Mary Bowden was 7 her
indenture was assigned to Augustine Washington Senior, and she went to live at George Washington Birthplace. So there is more to this story then the following, but I thought this would be something the list could discuss.
Anita Wills
St. John Shropshire, born May 13, 1663 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, Eng;
died November 16, 1718 in Westmoreland Co., VA. He was the son of 352.
Oliver Shropshire and 353. Elizabeth Ring. He married 177. Elizabeth
Winkfield. St. John Shropshire graduated from Oxford University. St.
John was ordained at the Anglican Church at Winchester Cathedral in
1692. A few years after his graduation he was sent to Virginia by the
Church of England, and is the only clergyman by that name who is
mentioned in Goodwin's "Colonial Church in America." He, his wife, and
their two sons immigrated during or before 1694 to Gloucester Co, VA and
later moved to Westmoreland Co VA. Notes: Elizabeth Winkfield:
Elizabeth wrote a will dated 14 Apr 1738 and proved 1 Dec 1742:
"...sound of mind but very weak of body ... whole estate to be divided
equally between my two sons St. John Shropshire and Winkfield
Shropshire." Wits: Roderick McCullock, Robert Sanford (Westmoreland Co
VA). At the time of her death her name was Elizabeth Stonehouse.
Daniel Field asked to pay out of William Bennett's estate 30 September
1703, Westmoreland County, Virginia. "Judgment is granted Lydia Hilliard
against Danll. Field as trustee to the estate of Wm. Bennett for 480
pounds of tobacco, balance of an account."
28 March 1705
It is ordered that the Sheriff doe summon St. John Shripshire, Clerk,
that he appear at the next court to answer the complaint of Lydia
Hilliard his servant relating to her bad usage.
On April 25, 1705 Lydia Hilliard, a white woman servant to the Rev. St.
John Shropshire, Clerk, Minister of Washington Parish, "being convicted
of fornication with a Negro man, ordered she receive corporal
punishment according to law for her offense unless her master or some
other person on her behalf doe pay the fine of five hundred pounds of
tobacco, in compensation whereof it is ordered that she serve her master
or other person paying her fine half a year of her tyme by indenture or
custom expired. And for that a bastard child happened to be begot in the
fornication, tis also ordered Lydia Hilliard doe serve her master one
year after her indenture, custom or otherwise expired, in regard of the
loss and trouble sustained by her having such bastard child.
And it is further ordered, in regard to Lydia’s being a servant and the
bastard child happening to be a mulatto begot of her body in the
fornication being a Negro man, that after her tyme expires which she
ought to serve her master by law, that the churchwardens of the parish
of Washington doe take Lydia into their possession and sell her for five
years and that the money for which she shall be sold bee by them
disposed to the uses by law appointed." [3] "Lydia Hilliard, a single
woman servant to St. John Shropshire, Clerk, Minister if Washington
Parish, being with child, upon her corporal oath did swear one Albin, an
Englishman, to be the father of the child, which said child at the time
of her delivery appeared to be a mulatto, as upon complaint was fully
shown to this court, wherefore it is ordered that Lydia doe for rashly
foreswearing herself receive on her bare back ten lashes well layd on
and the sheriff if his deputy perform the execution of this order."
"If you believe people have no history worth mentioning, it's easy to believe they have no humanity worth defending."
— William Loren Katz
June 18, 2009
On Thursday, April 18, 2013 5:38 AM, Margie Barton <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Henrico County Minute Book September Court 1740; Need help with trying to read wording on page 124 or 24 first three lines on page Deed to William Pride. Microfilm was so light and not familiar with hand writing, I could figure out the words.
>
>Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
>Thank you.
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