Paul and Everyone,

I want to make a caveat regarding interpretation of evidence of participation
in a particular county's militia as necessarily meaning residence in the
county.  For example, the 1758 Bedford Co. militia list includes a number of
individuals who actually lived in what is now Franklin Co. to the south (then
Halifax, and not the part of Franklin that was taken from Bedford).   These folks
appeared in the Halifax parent Lunenberg tithe lists, later Pittsylvania
oath/tax lists, do not appear in land records for Bedford Co. but in the records of
the sequence of counties -- Halifax, parent of Pittsylvania, parent of Henry,
parent of Franklin.  They can be easily traced over the years.

However, their physical location far from the Halifax County seat, which they
of course wanted to defend, was closer to Bedford County's seat, thus their
participation in the militia  there.

I just thought I'd mention this as a research hint if you think you find your
folks on a militia list, but no other records in the county. Look at the maps
and the county formation policies.   This was especially true if we are
talking about "frontiers", which that part of Lunenburg/Halifax clear was in the
1750s, where the Indians were a constant threat.   FYI, I have no idea if they
got some special dispensation from Halifax Co., to participate in Bedford's
militia, but these were true pioneers from a combination of old-line Virginia
families, and down the wagon-road from PA/MD/DE.  They lived just south of what
is now the town of Rocky Mount, VA in Franklin Co.  Rocky Mount was directly on
the Great Wagon Road route to NC, having cut across the Blue Ridge Mtns from
the Shenandoah Valley.

Best Regards, Janet (Baugh) Hunter





To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html