Early members of my family spent approximately 50 years in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and its predecessor counties, Halifax and Lunenburg, during the mid-to-late 1700s. Although their origin is currently unknown, there is ample evidence of their presence in this area prior to their westward migration in the early 1800s. By examining the available records of their time in Halifax and Pittsylvania County, we can gain a deeper understanding of their lives.
While there were certainly generations preceding my first known ancestor, this material starts with him.
A point worth noting is the issue of name spellings. Many people in this era were illiterate, and the spelling of names was often dependent on the person who recorded the information. In the records for the people listed here, we find all three spelling variations.
This period marked the beginning of westward migration from coastal areas into the country's interior.
The process of owning land during this period consisted of four parts: entry, warrant, survey, and patent. In the first step, one desiring to own a piece of land first needed to have it entered into the county’s Record Entry Book. In the Pittsylvania County Entry Record Book, 1737-1770 (which includes entries for those areas that were then in Halifax County that became Pittsylvania County), there are eight Polly/Polley entries of 400 acres each; four for Edward, three for Joseph, and one for Edward Jr. Then a warrant was issued to a surveyor, and the property was surveyed. Finally, a grant (patent) was issued, with records maintained by the Secretary of State and recorded by the Library of Virginia. The Library of Virginia has a detailed description of the land acquisition processes used in early Virginia at https://lva-virginia.libguides.com/land-grants. Land transactions after the original patent was issued were recorded in county deed books.
Generation 1My first known ancestor, Edward Polly (my 7th great-grandfather), is believed to have been born about 1700, possibly in Surry County, Virginia. His ancestors are unknown, and we don’t know his wife’s name or many details about his life. The first currently known reference to Edward is in Halifax County, followed by Pittsylvania County. In 1753, Edward Polly's boundary line is mentioned on the Banister River. [1] The Banister River runs west from the Roanoke River through the width of present-day Halifax and Pittsylvania Counties.
Edward is not found by any surname spelling variation on the 1748 through 1752 tithable lists for Lunenburg County. [2, 3] Thomas Duda’s transcription of the Lunenburg County tithable lists in Sunlight on the Southside for 1748 to 1769 does not include anyone by any spelling variation of our last name. This likely means that Edward did not come to this area before Halifax County was formed in May 1752, and that he was apparently not a young man at the time.
At a court held for Halifax County, 19 September 1754, Edward Polly was exempted from paying public and county levies on the motion of his son, David Polly. [4] Several Halifax deeds name Edward Polley, Sr. and Jr.
A 1755 list of Halifax County land tax persons (one of several likely lists) for 1755 by Robert King does not include anyone by this or a similar name. [5]
On 20 November 1757, a deed from John Watson of Halifax County to Thomas Watson was witnessed and proved by Edward Polley, Sr., and Joseph Polley [6] (believed to be Edward’s son, but could be a younger brother).
From the Antrim Parish Vestry Book [7] (Halifax County), “Ordered that Edward Polly Senr. be set Levy free for the future, 21st day of Dec. 1759. According to the index, this is the only listing in the book for anyone with any variation of our surname. The fact that it says "senior" implies there is a son by the same name. Similarly, the Halifax County Plea Book 1, 1752-1755 [8] says the same thing on page 450. “Edward Pauley exempted from paying public and county levies on motion of his son, David Pauley.” Note the spelling of the last name; other contemporary records do not use this spelling.
On 30 August 1770, Edward Polley Senr received a judgment in the Pittsylvania Court against John Cook for two pounds five shillings plus costs. [9] The reason is not stated.
Edward Sr. died before 28 March 1771 in Pittsylvania County, when his son Edward was granted Letters of Administration on the estate of Edward Polley decd. [10] The next entry states that John Watson and Allen Adams appeared in court and deposed on oath that they “heard Edward Polley decd in his lifetime give a feather bed to his daughter Margaret,” and that the entry is ordered to be certified. [11] Edward Sr. is not listed on the first list of tithes for the new Pittsylvania County in 1767; he was probably too old to be listed. Note the spelling of the last name; other contemporary records do not use this spelling.
On 30 August 1770, Edward Polley Senr. received a judgment in the Pittsylvania Court against John Cook for two pounds five shillings plus costs. The reason is not stated.
Edward Sr. died before 28 March 1771 in Pittsylvania County, when Edward Polley (Jr.) was granted Letters of Administration on the estate of Edward Polley decd. The next entry states that John Watson and Allen Adams appeared in court and deposed on oath that they “heard Edward Polley decd in his lifetime give a feather bed to his daughter Margaret,” and that the entry is ordered to be certified. Edward Sr. is not listed on the first list of tithes [12] for the new Pittsylvania County in 1767; he was probably too old to be listed.
From this probate information and the court records, we can confirm the existence of two sons (David and Edward) and one daughter (Margaret). There are several other Polly/Polley names found in the early Pittsylvania County records, and they may also be Edward’s children. By this time, several thousand people were living in the county, yet there are only a few of these Polly/Polley names, and when we look at their known dates of marriage, land transactions, etc., it is most likely that they are his sons, but we do not currently know this conclusively. In addition to the known children above, it is believed that the following are also Edward’s children: Joseph, James, Peter, and Jesse.
There is a Drury Polley who was killed in the Battle of Blue Licks (in what is now Kentucky) in 1782, the last major battle of the Revolution. This may also be Edward’s son. The information below assumes that Edward’s children are his seven presumed children (excluding Drury). Of those, records exist for five.
Generation 2With Edward’s eldest son, David Polley (my 6th-great-grandfather), who was believed to have been born around 1735 in what was then Brunswick County, we begin to learn more about the family. David is known to have been living in the new Pittsylvania County in 1767 when he appears on the list of Land and Tithes taken by Hugh Innes [13] for Pittsylvania County. These lists were compiled soon after the county was formed, so there was a record of who lived in the county – only males were listed, though.
David married Agnes Adkins in approximately 1757 in Halifax County, and they had 10 children, all believed to have been born in Halifax or Pittsylvania counties. Agnes is identified in her father’s 1784 will as Agnes Polley. Five of his children (Joseph, Edward, David Jr., Lorany, and Lydia) were married in Pittsylvania County.
David and his brother Edward are listed in the 1764 Halifax County voting records under the last name Polley. [14] The election for Burgess was held on November 28. They both voted for Edward Booker. Voters needed to be white male landowners, 21 years old or older, and were required by law to vote if they qualified. Neither appears on the 1765 list. There was no list for 1766.
David Polly is found on the “List of Land and Tithes Taken by Hugh Innes for Pittsylvania County Anno. Dom. 1767,” with one tithe and 150 acres of land. [15]
On June 26, 1767, [16] David paid 10 pounds for 150 acres in Pittsylvania County, purchased from Francis Bucknall, on both sides of Reedies Creek. This deed uses the term "planter" for both persons. Among 18th-century Virginians, the term referred to a person who lived by growing crops but was not entitled to the dignity of a gentleman. According to Isaac, "Planters were thus men who bent their backs and hardened their hands in the fields." [17] In the Chesapeake societies of Virginia and Maryland, and particularly in the regions east of the Blue Ridge mountains, a planter class came to dominate nearly every aspect of those colonies’ economic life. These same planters, joined by a few prominent merchants and lawyers, dominated the two most important agencies of local government—the county courts and the provincial assemblies. [18]
On December 7, 1774, David Polly received a land grant for 384 acres on both sides of Rudice Creek, and adjoining his own land, in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. [19]
At the April 1776 Court held on 25 April at the courthouse, “David Polley is appointed Constable who came into Court and took the Oath of Office.” [20]
The 1777 Oaths of Allegiance list for Pittsylvania County shows David Polley, enumerated by William Witcher, and he continues to appear on the list until 1781. [21]
David Polley had 440 acres beside Widemouth Creek [22] (Pittsylvania Co.) surveyed on October 23, 1777 . A land grant was issued on February 1, 1781, for this same property. [23]
Although I have not located Widemouth Creek, Dodson’s map places it in the same area as Reddies or Reedies Creek, which is also referenced in other family deeds. Reddies Creek runs off the Pigg River in the Sandy Level area of the northwest corner of present-day Pittsylvania County, just south of Smith Mountain. Reddies Creek runs roughly parallel to Virginia State Route 40. In comparing Dalton’s (see reference below) proximity drawings with his current maps, it would appear that David’s property was between present-day VA-751 and VA-990. This land is largely undisturbed today.
[Blank month and day], 1777, [24] from David Polly of Pittsylvania County to Ephriam Witcher of same for 15 pounds, one certain tract of land in P, about 302 acres bounded by Ready Creek. Witnesses are Patrick Morrison, William Maples, and William Smith. Directly under this indenture (deed) and recorded 27 November 1777, Agnes, the wife of David Polley, relinquished her right of dower to the lands conveyed." [25, 26]
There is a property of David Polley with a deed date of October 23, 1777, for 440 acres beside Widemouth Creek (which is near Reddies Creek). [27]
The 1782 Census of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, lists David Polley as a head of household with nine white persons. The only other Polly listed (of any spelling) is a John Polley by himself. David had a son named John, who would have been about 22 years old at the time of this census.
The first Pittsylvania County list of properties, “Tracts & Quantities of Land in Pittsylvania County with Owners and Valuation 1782,” lists David Polley with 673 acres. In the 1783 property changes, he is listed as having sold 497½ acres to Jeremiah Ward.
David died before 18 July 1785, when his wife was issued letters of administration for his estate by the court. [28]
Selected transcripts as found in The Virginia Genealogist list British Mercantile Claims 1775 - 1803 and under the reports of John Dabney, "David Polly. £7.6.31/2. He died many years since in Pittsylvania. His estate was then sufficient. It has since been distributed among his representatives." [29]
In 1787, Agnes Polley bought 100 acres on Corn Branch [30] from Daniel and Susannah Witcher, and then in 1790, Agnes Polly sold the same 100 acres to David Polly (Jr.). David and Elizabeth Polley (David's son and daughter-in-law) then sold the land to James Parker in 1804.
David’s wife, Agnes (Adkins), is believed to have died in Pittsylvania County after 1798.
*****
Edward’s second-oldest son (presumably), Joseph I. Polley, was living in Pittsylvania County on March 31, 1769, when he and his brother, Peter Polley, witnessed a land transaction between David Terrell and Dutton Lane. He was about 32 years old at the time. By 1784, Joseph was living in Montgomery County, Virginia.
Joseph Polley was listed as a witness for a land transfer in Halifax County on 20 November 1757. The record was proved by Joseph and Edward Polley, Sr., among others. [31]
Joseph Polley was granted 400 acres on the Banister River on 15 Oct 1764 [32]. At the time, this area was in Halifax County.
A deed recorded in Pittsylvania County in 1769 lists Joseph and Peter Polly as witnesses. [33]
* * * * *
Edward’s third child, Edward Polley (Jr.), was born about 1738, probably in Brunswick County.
A deed of 16 August 1759 names Edward Polley, Jr., as grantee for 125 acres on Mill Creek. [34, 35] Mill Creek is in present-day Pittsylvania County, between the town of Chatham (the present-day county seat) and the community of Sheva, about four miles to the northeast.
In 1763, Edward Polley, Jr., was granted 400 acres on a branch of Cherry Stone Creek, adjacent to Edward Polley's upper line and Mill Creek. Cherrystone Creek is a branch of the Banister River in present-day central Pittsylvania County.
Edward Polley is found on a 1764 Halifax County Poll list. [36]
Edward Polley, Jr. is found on “A List of Tithables by John Wimbish, Gentleman, for the year 1767”.
Peter Polly is on a tithable list with Edward Polly in 1770. [37] Since their father died in early to mid-1770, it is safe to presume that this listing for Edward is for the son.
Edward Polley Junr is listed in court records as a defendant on the petition of James Blakeney at the July Court 1770. The court dismissed the petition. [38]
William Prosize of Pittsylvania County sold to Edward Polley of said county one black horse with a star on its forehead and one white gray mare; the bill of sale was recorded April 20, 1771. [39]
In the court for September 1771 (on 27 September), a judgment was entered against Edward Polley for one pound, seven shillings, and three pence plus costs by James Smith and Company. [40]
On November 29, 1771, Edward Polley [41] of Cambden (sic) Parish in County of Pittsylvania sold to James Cox of same for £60, 125 acres lying on the sides of Mill Creek. This land was conveyed to Edward on December 10, 1767, from Anthony Street and William Hawkins. [42] Street and Hawkins held the original patent for this land.
On May 28, 1772, Edward Polley [43] of the Parrish (sic) of Camden and County of Pittsylvania purchased 100 acres on branches of Mill Creek from Christopher Gorman for £15. On October 22, 1773, Edward Polley [44] of the Parish of Cambden (sic) and County of Pitsylvania (sic) sold the same 100 acres on “Branches of Mill Creek” for £25 to John Henry of the same parish and county. Although he did make a profit, this must not have been very good land if he got £60 for 125 acres two years previously.
There is a land record for an Edward Polley dated March 16, 1774, for 400 acres beside Horseshoe [45] and Mill Creek. [46] Comparing the birth and death dates indicates that the owner is Edward. Mill Creek is rather long, but based on Dalton’s proximity drawings and his current maps, it appears that this parcel is located south of present-day VA-649 and west of present-day VA-689.
On 22 January 1778, Edward Polley was acquitted in the Court for Pittsylvania County of stealing a bell from Morris Atkinson. [47]
* * * * *
There is a James Pauley on the 1767 tithe list, along with David Polly (Hugh Innes's list) and Edward Polley, Jr. (John Wimbish's list). [48] Presumably, this is Edward’s fourth son.
* * * * *
Edward’s sixth child and fifth son, Peter Polley, was born about 1745 in Halifax County.
Peter Polley and Joseph Polley were listed as witnesses to a Pittsylvania County land deed on March 31, 1769. (reference needed)
Peter paid a tithe of five scalps [49] in 1770 in Pittsylvania County. Peter Polly is on the tithable list with Edward Polly. [50]
Peter owned land along Shocko (Shockoe) Creek [51] in June 1771, where it is referenced in an adjacent land purchase. [52]
By the time he married in 1781, Peter had left Pittsylvania County and was in Montgomery County, Virginia.
Generation 3David’s oldest son, Joseph A. Polley (my 5th great-grandfather), was born about 1760 in Halifax County. He married Levinia Midkiff on June 13, 1785, in Pittsylvania County. [53]
Peter Polley and Joseph Polley were listed as witnesses to a Pittsylvania County land deed on March 31, 1769.
On the 1787 Pittsylvania County tax list, District of Griffith Dickerson, for the Polley family, we find Joseph, Edward, David, and Henry (brothers) listed. [54] In 1807, Joseph and his wife, Levina, sold their land to Joseph Hatchitt and Obediah Taylor. [55]
March 22, 1791, from John Cox of Henry County, to Joseph Polley [56] of P, for 10£, about 50 acres in P on Big Cherrystone Cr, & bounded by Jefferson, Jefferson’s Road, Ridge path, Taylor.
April 16, 1792, from Joseph Polley [57] of P, to Thomas Hightower of P, for 20£, about 100 acres in P, and bounded by Stephen Yates, Woolf Branch. [58]
On June 14, 1793, [59] a Joseph Polley was surety [60] for the marriage of Joseph Midkiff [61] and Rebecca Turley in Pittsylvania County. Given the year, it was probably this Joseph. While there are Midkiff and Turley kin, none are direct relatives. I am not sure of any relationship Joseph Polley may have had with either of these persons.
In 1807, Joseph and his wife, Levina, sold their land to Joseph Hatchitt and Obediah Taylor. [62]
Joseph’s children, Samuel (born about 1790) (my 4th great-grandfather), Joseph, and Meredith, are all believed to have been born in Pittsylvania County.
Joseph and his wife, along with other members of their families, possibly including his brothers John and Henry, migrated from Pittsylvania County to western Virginia on the North Carolina border around 1807.
*****David’s second child, Edward, was born on December 21, 1758, in Halifax County. He married Mary Agnes Mullins on May 25, 1785, in Pittsylvania County.
At the March 1771 Court for Pittsylvania County, an Edward Polley was granted Letters of Administration on the estate of Edward Polley decd. Since this Edward’s uncle Edward was deceased by this time, this may be the correct person.
On October 22, 1773, Edward Polley of Cambden (sic) Parish and Pittsylvania County sold to John Henry of same, for 25£, 100 acres on the branches of Mill Creek. [63] Edward had purchased this same land from John Gorman for 15£ on May 28, 1772. [64]
While residing in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Edward enlisted in the fall of 1780, about six weeks after the Battle of Camden, South Carolina, and served until late February 1781.
In 1787, Edward and (Mary) Agnes sold 250 acres on both sides of Redies Creek to Daniel Witcher. (I’m not sure if this is the correct Edward for this transaction, but it makes the most sense given the date.)
In 1850, Mary Polly made an affidavit stating that she and her husband lived in Pittsylvania County for about eight years after their marriage. Then, around 1792, they relocated to Tennessee.
Edward and Mary’s children, Sarah (or Sally), Andrew, and Mary, were born in Pittsylvania County.
* * * * *
David’s third child, John, was born in Halifax County in about 1760. After leaving the military in 1783, he returned to Pittsylvania County before moving to South Carolina.
John Polley was surety for the marriage of James Elliott and his daughter, Sally Polley, in Pittsylvania County on December 30, 1805. [65]
* * * * *
David’s fourth child, David Polley, Jr., is believed to have been born in Halifax County in about 1765. He married Elizabeth Justice on March 21, 1785, in Pittsylvania County. [66] By 1830, he was in Pike County, Kentucky.
In the “List of the Land Tax in the County of Pittsylvania for the Year 1802,” David Polley is listed as having 100 acres. David is listed on the 1787 Pittsylvania County tax list, in the District of Griffith Dickerson, for the Polley family. David’s seventh child, Henry, is on the 1787 Pittsylvania County tax list. Henry was living on Big Cherrystone Creek as late as 1804, when he and his wife, Atha (also known as Athalia), sold their property to John Midkiff, Jr.
* * * * *
On August 15, 1796, David’s daughter, Lydia, was married to John Swinney in Pittsylvania County by Rev. Thomas Payne, and her father, David, was the surety. [67]

There are no known Pittsylvania County burial locations for any of the people noted as having died in this county.
NOTES:[1] Halifax County Entry Record Book, p. 135[2] Tithable Lists for Lune, enumerated by William Witcher, and he continues to appear on the list until 1781nburg County, Virginia 1748-1752, as found in Sunlight On The Southside, transcribed by Thomas Walter Duda. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/pub/usgenweb/va/lunenburg/census/sun002.txt (this is a broken link)[3] The Act that established the tithable lists said they were to generally include persons sixteen years of age and older, as of June 9 of each year. http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/lunenburg/census/sun001.txt [4] Halifax Co. Pleas Book 1:450[5] Halifax County, Virginia Colonial Poll and Tithables Lists, Abstracted by Mary Bondurant Warren, 1991. Copyright Iberian Publishing[6] Halifax Co. Deeds 1:372[7] Page 47[8] As abstracted by Marian Dodson Chiarito in 1988. Copyright Iberian Publishing[9] Pittsylvania Co. Court Records 1:238; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[10] Pittsylvania Co. Court Records 1:275; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[11] Pittsylvania Co. Court Records 1:275-6; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[12] These lists included slaves (male and female over 16) and white males over 16; those able to work and not exempt by virtue of serving in the legislature or an honorary post, such as minister[13] Hugh Innes, a lawyer by profession, was the son of James Innes of Richmond County, who was a native Scotchman, and a nephew of the Rev. Robert Innes of Caroline. He settled on Pigg River in what is now southern Franklin County. Hugh Innes and John Donelson were members of the House of Burgesses during those crucial years leading up to the Revolutionary War. https://www.victorianvilla.com/sims-mitchell/local/clement/mc/ap/01.htm [14] Halifax County, Virginia Colonial Poll and Tithables Lists, Abstracted by Mary Bondurant Warren, 1991. Copyright Iberian Publishing[15] Tithables 1767-1785 Pittsylvania County, page 16; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[16] Pittsylvania County Deed Book 1:14 Polley From Bucknall; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[17] http://www.milaminvirginia.com/glossary.html Accessed June 11, 2009planter class. (2009). [18] In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved June 11, 2009, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/463444/planter-class [19] Land Office Patents No. 42, 1773-1774, p. 886 (Reel 41)[20] Pittsylvania Co. Court Records 3 1776-1791, page 9; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[21] Pittsylvania Co. Tithes, List 19, p. 39; List 23, p. 50; List 146, p. 266; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[26] Deed abstract with metes and bounds in the filehic Names Information System (GNIS) website, although there are quite a few unnamed creeks along Reddies Creek, according to the USGS GNIS websitet[23] Property Lines From the Old Survey Books, Pittsylvania County, 1746 to 1840, by Roger Dodson[24] The Deed Index in the clerk’s office gives the date of 27 Nov 1777[25] Pittsylvania Deeds vol. 4 1774 - 1778, Page 438; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[26] Deed abstract with metes and bounds in the file[27] Property Lines from the Old Survey Books, Pittsylvania County, 1746 to 1840, by Roger Dodson[28] Pittsylvania County Court Records 5:204; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[29] Dorman, John, editor and publisher. The Virginia Genealogist. July – September 1980. Washington, DC. 24:211[30] This creek is not found on the USGS Geographic Names Information System website[31] Halifax County Deed Book 1 1752 – 1759, p. 372. As transcribed by Marian Dodson Chiarito, 1985. Copyright Iberian Publishing[32] Pittsylvania Entry Record Book, p. 265; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[33] Pittsylvania Co. Deeds 1:313; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[34] Halifax Co. Deeds Vol. 2, page 57. Listed on page 5 of Marian Dodson Chiarito’s 1986 transcript, which gives the spelling of the last name as Pauley.[35 old 46] Today, there are three Mill Creeks in Pittsylvania County[36 old 47] Halifax County, Virginia Colonial Poll And Tithable Lists, Abstracted by Mary Bondurant Warren, 1991, Copyright Iberian Publishing. [37] Pittsylvania Co. Tithes, List 19, p. 39; List 23, p. 50; List 146, p. 266; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[38] Pittsylvania Co. Court Records vol. 1:231; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia [39] Pittsylvania Co., VA Deed Book 2:374, Polley from Prosize; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia [40] Pittsylvania Co. Court Records, vol.1:355; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[41] Pittsylvania County Deed Book 2:338-9 Cox from Polley; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[42] Pittsylvania Co., VA Deed Book 1:109 Paulley from Street & Hawkins; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[43] Pittsylvania County Deed Book 2:489, Polley from Gorman; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[44] Pittsylvania County Deed Book 3: 378, Henry from Polley; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[45] There is no creek by this name on the USGS GNIS website[46] Property Lines from the Old Survey Books, Pittsylvania County, 1746 to 1840, by Roger Dodson[47] Pittsylvania County Court Records 4:52; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[48] Pittsylvania Co. Tithes List 9, p. 17; List 11, p. 20; List 14, p. 27; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[49] Virginia law at the time provided penalties if a certain number of pests were not killed in a number proportional to the number of tithables (persons). These could be crow heads, squirrel, or wolf scalps.[50] Pittsylvania Co. Tithes, List 19, p. 39; List 23, p. 50; List 146, p. 266; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[51] This creek is not found on the USGS Geographic Names Information System website. According to researcher Jim McGuire, Shockoe Creek is a south tributary of the Banister River, joining i near Markham, VA, in eastern Pittsylvania County.[52] Pittsylvania Co., VA Deed Book 3, page 150[53] Marriage Bonds and Minister’s Returns of Pittsylvania County, Virginia 1767-1805, Compiled and published by Catherine Lindsay Knorr, 1956, page 67.[54] 1787 Census, 1:459-460[55] Pittsylvania Co. Deeds 8:16, 19, 479; 14:65, 109, 132, 155, 418; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[56] Pittsylvania Deeds 1791-1794, page 154; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[57] Pittsylvania Deeds 1791-1794, page 168; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[58] Not found on the USGS Geographic Names Information System website[59] Marriage Bonds and Minister’s Returns of Pittsylvania County, Virginia 1767-1805, Compiled and published by Catherine Lindsay Knorr, 1956, page 56. [60] A marriage surety was a person who vouched for the legality of a marriage by co-signing a marriage bond, essentially acting as a guarantor. The person who co-signed the bond was known as the surety or bondsman. They often were a relative of the bride or groom. [61] One marriage record shows his name as John Medkiff. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3002/records/131819?tid=&pid=&queryId=d51d3102-6692-4bd2-9082-55f80bbc2296&_phsrc=VKW481&_phstart=successSource [62] Pittsylvania Co. Deeds 8:16, 19, 479; 14:65, 109, 132, 155, 418; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[63] Pittsylvania Co Deed Book 3:378; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[64] Pittsylvania Co Deed Book 2:489; Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Chatham, Virginia[65] Marriage Bonds and Minister’s Returns of Pittsylvania County, Virginia 1767-1805, Compiled and published by Catherine Lindsay Knorr, 1956, page 30.[66 old 77] Marriage Bonds and Minister’s Returns of Pittsylvania County, Virginia 1767-1805, Compiled and published by Catherine Lindsay Knorr, 1956, page 67.[67 old 78] Marriage Bonds and Minister’s Returns of Pittsylvania County, Virginia 1767-1805, Compiled and published by Catherine Lindsay Knorr, 1956, page 84.

Updated April 7, 2026