| Notes |
- He arrived in Virginia with his older brother John Withers in the summer of 1655.
He resided on the north side of Potomac Creek in Stafford County, on land later occupied by his sons and by the descendants of his second son James Withers.
From "The Withers Family of Stafford, Fauquier, &c." The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Volume 6, Number 3, Jan 1899, p. 309:
[This presents the core evidence that this Withers family of Virginia was descended from the Withers of Lancashire. --PNH]
An act passed by the General Assembly of Virginia in May, 1758 gives a clew to the English home of the family. It recites that John Withers [William's brother], deceased, formerly of the county of Stafford, Virginia, was in his lifetime seised in fee, amongst other lands, a tract in the parish of St. Paul in that county, containing about 533 acres, and called Chotank; and by his will dated 29 Aug 1698, devised the same to his daughter Sarah Withers, for her life, and after her decease, to his cousin William Withers, and his heirs male, and for default of such issue, to Mr. Thomas Withers, of Lancaster, in Great Britain, and his heirs male, and for default of such issue, to any one proving themselves to be of the name Withers. And the said Wm. Withers, named, died in the Colony soon after the said testator, never having been married, and the said Thos. Withers died in England, leaving his brother William Withers, his heir; and the said William Withers also died in England, leaving issue: Thomas Withers, his eldest son and heir, who died in England, leaving issue: William Withers, his eldest son and heir. And the said Sarah Withers, daughter of the testor, John Withers, married Christopher Conway, and by deeds dated 12 and 13 Jun 1727, conveyed said land to Augustine Washington [father of George Washington], who bequeathed it to his son Samuel Washington. [Will of Augustine Washington, 11 Apr 1743.] Disputes having arisen between William Withers and Samuel Washington, this act was passed vesting the land in Samuel Washington, on condition that he paid to William Withers six hundred pounds current money of Virginia. There is recorded in Stafford a deed dated 30 Aug 1756 from William Withers, of Williamsburg, gent., to Samuel Washington, relinquishing his claim to the land, as heir male of Captain John Withers.
It would seem from the act that this branch of the family and probably all of the name in Stafford, were from Lancaster, England. William Withers, the last named in the act, was ancestor of the family of Withers resident near Petersburg, Virginia.
From Withers Family of the County Lancaster, England (citation details below):
The English pedigree as recited in the lawsuit brought by William Withers in 1752 against Sarah Conway, his cousin, has been thoroughly proven to be exactly as he gave it. [...]
The main value of this controversy over the Chotank land lies in the definite lead that it gives for the place in England where the Withers family had their home; that William Withers left sons, that William Withers, Jr. left no surviving son in 1717; that Capt. John Withers left no son. The keen disappointment Capt. John Withers felt that he had no son to hold his land and perpetuate his name in this place to which he was so devoted through his services to its growth, is shown by the last clause to the conditions of entail on the Chotank land... "to anyone who can prove themselves by name of WITHER."
|
Nielsen Hayden genealogy
Abt 1636 - 1698 (~ 62 years)
[1]