WILLIAM H. HARRISON
THE STORY AS I KNOW IT
William H. Harrison was born about 1680 in Stafford
County, Virginia. Many online place his birth
in 1686. That may be right, but he wed in 1702 and
he would have been only 16 at the time. Not
impossible but unusual. No where is there
documentation to support their claims, so I will make my
own. I cannot confirm his parents at this time.
I
William H. Harrison, I don't know
what the H stands for married
Sarah Hawley about 1702.
1. William H. (who also became
"Captain") born 1703 married Isabella
Triplett.
2. Sybil born 1705 married Col.
Hugh West
3. George born 1707 married Martha
Price
4. Sarah born 1708/9 married 1st Thomas
Triplett, 2nd John Manley.
5. Mary born after 1714 married 1st John
Brown, 2nd John Peake
On Dec. 4, 1706 William H. Harrison
bought 266 acres in Stafford County on Dogue Run.
Deeds NN 3:146 Dogue Run, now in Fairfax
County flows into the Potomac. just
south of Mount Vernon Stafford
County covered all of northern Virginia until 1730 when Prince
William was carved out. Fairfax County was carved from the
northern part of PW in
1742. This William
Harrison also owned land that eventually was in Loudoun
County. We know because of a wonderful colonial Loudoun
County Deed C:255
William
H Harrison died in Stafford County in 1724. Ms. Mack notes
that the will was recorded in Stafford County Will book K,
page 99 which is now lost. Ann H. Mack wrote
an article for The Virginia Genealogist, Volume
28, 1984 entitled Hawley/Halley In Seventeenth Century
Virginia. Her eldest son, William H. most likely took
over as head of
the
house. He didn't marry until he was 31. The youngest child,
Mary was 10.
In 1740, after Mary Harrison wed John Brown, Sarah Hawley Harrion married a second time. She was 54 years old and her new husband, Thomas Lewis was 10 years younger. He died in 1749. His will can be found in Fairfax Co, VA Will Book A-1 pp. 291-3. Sarah was to have the use of the estate, Difficult Run, during her natural life. Difficult Run was in the north of Fairfax County All lands and estates were bequeathed to the children of his brother, Stephen Lewis. Sarah sued that her late husband and his brother had conspired to defraud her and she was granted a judgement of 6868 pounds of tobacco. However, she was ordered to pay 15 pounds, 2 shillings and 5 pence to the estate of Stephen Lewis.
Mary Harrison Brown had gone to Difficult Run to live with her mother after her husband John Brown died. There she met and married the overseer of Difficult Run, John Peake. By 1772 the Peake family had moved to Fauquier County, Virginia. Sarah moved there to be with her daughter and died there in 1778 at the age of 92.
Some of those wonderful colonial deeds spelled out the family connections. William H. Harrison inherited a track of land in Loudoun County, VA from his father William Harrison. On September 3/4, 1760 Margaret (nee Harrison) and her husband Edward Blackburn sold their portion of the track. The deed found in Loudoun Deeds C:255 connects the family. It says..
"track taken up by William Harrison and devised to William H. Harrison his son.....The Northern Neck Grant was to Sarah Lewis, then Sarah Harrison, widow and relict of William Harrison the elder and mother of William the son. The track was devised to his (William - the son) four daughters, Margaret who married Edward Blackburn, Sarah who married John Monroe, Susanna who married Robert Slaughter and Mary who married John Waler."
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
If you know the answer please CONTACT US
1. Who were William Harrison's parents?
2. Was his middle initial H, or was it a misread of
William III Harrison?
3. When was he born?
4. Find all the property owned by this William
Harrison.
5. Is there any secondary source for his lost will?
Maier_Associates: © Copyright 2016
Doc; gbhar020.html
Date created 1/5/2016