I have no evidence that James was married previously. The family of
Margaret/Margery Denny, his wife/widow, did not appear in Frederick County
records before March 1764. So you might use that as the earliest date they
could have been married. James and Margery were certainly married by 6 Dec
1769 when both their names appear on a deed of sale. James made her
executrix of his will. The entire estate was left to her so long as she
remained a widow. If she remarried, she was to have 200 pounds in full
satisfaction of all her claims. After her decease or remarriage, the land
was to go to his son Robert; all his slaves and personal estate were to go
to his daughters. By June 1778 Margery had indeed remarried. Alexander
White, a first cousin of James, had been appointed guardian for the three
surviving children, the son Robert and two daughters Margaret and Sarah. A
fourth child, a young daughter, had died during the summer of 1777. White
rented out the 513 acre farm for 130 pounds per year. He also hired out
until 1 Jan 1789 the three slaves which James had bequeathed to his
daughters.
A book on the genealogy of this branch of the DENNY family footnoted the
"Virginia Archives Legislative Petitions" in which, apparently, it is
indicated that Robert was born in 1772. (No details of any petitions were
given, however.)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Drake"
Subject: Re: James Wilson's death and the boarding of his children


Good possibility, Mickey

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Mickey Fournier
   Subject: Re: James Wilson's death and the boarding of his children

  I would have a suspicion that the children may not have belong to the
  widowed wife.  I have a couple of cases where the children of a first
  marriage were raised by relatives after the father remarried.  And the
  person who actually had the children would be entitled to be paid from the
  estate.

  Mildred "Mickey" Fournier
  1730 SE CR 252
  Lake City, FL 32025
  [log in to unmask]

  > -----Original Message-----
  > From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and
  > family history. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
  > Of Paul Drake
  > Sent: Monday, July 11, 2005 12:52 PM
  > To: [log in to unmask]
  > Subject: Re: James Wilson's death and the boarding of his children
  >
  > James Wilson of Frederick County, VA died between 5 Jan 1777
  > and 1 April 1777. Based on his will and subsequent estate
  > papers the following timeline can be constructed:
  >
  > 5 January 1777 -- James Wilson's will written at which time
  > he was "in perfect health"
  > **** That "boiler-plate" was usual, indicating that he died
  > suddenly or was killed.
  >
  > 9 February 1777 to 6 July 1777 -- boarding of his three
  > children. (The boarding continued from July 1777 to October 1778.)
  > **** This being a month after the will, and assuming he died
  > suddenly, one might infer that your man was of sufficient
  > affluence for the widow to bear the expense of such a
  > boarding out. Notice that you did not say they were
  > "apprenticed", revealing that someone had the means to pay
  > someone else to care for them. You might also GUESS that his
  > widow had some reason other than money for turning the kids
  > to another person.
  >
  > 27 March 1777 -- sale of several of his farm animals
  > ****This immediate sale suggests that there were no sons or
  > other men in the family who were able or inclined to operate
  > the farr OR it reveals that the money was needed for the care
  > of the widow and to pay the new custodians of the kids.  I
  > would search thoroughly in the courts orders or minutes for
  > any refernces to this family, since the court had to approve
  > such a sale.
  > 1 April 1777 -- James Wilson's will proved in court
  >
  > A tradition says James was on his way to join the Continental
  > Army when he died.
  > **** May very well be, and that would suggest that the family
  > had to break up the home for whatever reasons.
  >
  >  That would explain why he wrote his will when he did.
  > ***  Yep.
  >
  >  So assuming this tradition to be true, he prbably
  > rendezvoused at Winchester, VA shortly after he wrote his
  > will and marched or rode off toward New Jersey where
  > Washington's army was in winter quarters.
  >
  > QUESTIONS:
  > 1. Does the boarding of his children indicate that news of
  > his death had reached his home by 9 February and that
  > boarding children was standard practice when a father was deceased?
  > *** Nope, not standard practice atall; in fact, the boarding
  > out and sale of the livestock seems to have been very hurriedly.
  >
  > Their mother was still living. So was James' father.
  > ****  For whatever reason she did not want to keep the farm;
  > probably because she had no grown boys at home.
  >
  > 2. Could James Wilson still have been alive on 9 February?
  > That is, could the boarding of his children on 9 February
  > have been part of a plan by James to reduce the burden on his
  > wife while he was absent?
  > ****Sure, well could have been, but the sale of the livestock
  > so quickly tells me that the widow needed money.
  >
  >  Then when his death became known, the boarding simply continued.
  > ***  Yep, but there were orders of the court somewhere in
  > this scenario.
  > --

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