Life History

Notes

• Family Data Collection - Births
  Richard Gregory
  Father Richard Gregory
  Mother Catherine
  Birth 1695 Caroline County, Virginaia, USA
  
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  "Richard Gregory moved from Essex County to his plantation in King and Queen County, returning to Essex again, where he died in 1701.
  
  "Richard Gregory married Katherine (whose surname is unknown), widow of Thomas Bourne.  Mrs. Katherine Bourne-Gregory married, third, Thomas Snead.  Mrs Katherine Bourne-Gregory-Snead died prior to March, 1710-11."
  
  --  "Gregory Family of Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia," in Winston of Virginia and Allied Families, by Clayton Torrence (Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1927),  p 242
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  After Richard Gregory died in 1701, his wife Katherine married Thomas Snead the next year.  When Katherine died, all her inheritance and those of her children with Thomas Bourne and Richard Gregory fell to her husband Thomas Snead.  They were minors at time of writing his wil in 1700 and his death in 1701.  They later had to sue Thomas Snead to spur him to make distribution of their inheritance.  The ultimate fate of the three youngest, Elizabeth, John and Sarah is unknown.
  
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  RICHARD  2 GREGORY (circa 1650-1701) and KATHERINE, his wife, had issue:
  
  1. RICHARD 3 GREGORY of Essex County; of whom hereafter.
  2. Elizabeth 3 Gregory.
  3. John 3 Gregory.
  4. Sarah 3 Gregory
  ...
  [footnotes]
  ... of the sd. deed. their ful proportion of the sd. decd [es]tate.  [Rich]ard & Katherine by virtue of the sd admraton, possessed themselves • • • aforesd the sd Richard Dyed making his wife the sd Katherine his • • • [the sd Kath]erine since intermarried with the sd Thomas, the deft & dyed, by virtue of • • • the sd Thomas Snead became possest of all & singular the goods & chattels of the [said Thomas Bo]urne decd. & of the sd Richard Gregory & Katherine, his wife & therefore ought to have paid to the orphans of the sd. decd. Thomas Bourne all their parts or portions of the sd. decd's estate, but so it is that upon denial of Thomas Snead to pay to the orphans of the sd Thomas Bourne decd their parts or shares of the sd decds estate they recovered agt. the pltf as exr of the sd James Taylor decd [certain items of personalty, cattle, tobacco &c], Thomas Snead ap­pears and confesses same.  Ordered that the deft pay to pltf the like prop­erty out of the estate of sd. Richard Gregory; also costs. (Essex Records, Order Book, 1708-14. page 311.)
  
  1 Richard Gregory by his will, dated February 17, 1700, bequeathed to his sons Richard and John and to his daughter Elizabeth certain lands which by their descriptions in the said will were certainly in Essex County; to his daughters Sarah and to his sons in law [step-sons]: Thomas and William Bourne he bequeathed lands which by their descriptions were at that date in King and Queen County. later King William. (See will of Richard Gregory, above).
  It is not positively known what eventually became of Elizabeth, John and Sarah Gregory.  All four of Richard Gregory's children were under age when their father made his will in February, 1700.  At Essex Court, December, 1712, John Gregory and Sarah Gregory were given liberty to choose their guardians and they thereupon made choice of William Bourne, who gave bond for his guardianship in the sum of £100 sterling (Essex County Records).  For suggestions as to what may have eventually become of John, Elizabeth and Sarah Gregory, see post page 247, the discussion in the notes to the will of their brother, Richard Gregory, who died in 1725.
  
  --  Gregory Family of Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia," in Winston of Virginia and Allied Families, by Clayton Torrence (Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1927), p 243
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  Now as to the Moors.  Richard Gregory devises to Betty Moor, a negro man named Sam; to Thomas, Richard, Mary and Sarah [Moor, children of Thomas Moor], 340 acres of 1 nd to be equally divided between them;2 and to Thomas Moor, sundry articles of per­sonalty.  In Richard Gregory's will (see ante page 246) there occurs this peculiarly worded clause:
  
  "To Thos. Bene, 2 dishes, 3 plates, a couch, one pott the biggest.  To Thos Moor, a chest.  To Will Bone a case of drawers.  The fodder to be divided amongst 3 Broth. [brothers]."
  
  This clause would seem to signify that Thos. Bone, Thos. Moor and Wm. Bone were the "3 Broth." amongst whom the fodder was to be divided. There seems here a suggestion that Thomas Moor may have married a sister of Richard Gregory's and thus a half-sister to Thomas and William Bourne and in that way have been "brother" to all three of these men.
  
  By his will Richard Gregory makes a bequest: "to my sister."  The clause is most curiously worded (see ante page 246) and we will not atempt to unravel it; but though the name of "my sister" is not given, that lady was probably the wife of Thomas Moor.
  
  --  "Gregory Family of Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia," in Winston of Virginia and Allied Families, by Clayton Torrence (Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1927), p 249
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  All these facts and references, especially with the name of Betty Moore, would indicate that Richard's sister Elizabeth (Betty) married Thomas Moor,  As the above researcher notes, the given names of the Moor children supports this relationship to names repeated in the Gregory generations.
  
  A will is found in Essex County, Virginia, records, from 1725, for what appears to be Richard Gregory, son of Richard and Katherine Gregory.  Names known from other land and probate records related to this family are mentioned in Richard Jr's will.  The 1927 source Winston of Virginia and Allied Families has a separate entry for Richard Gregory who matches Richard T Gregory, with his wife and family and records in King William County, Virginia, which, like Essex County County, had once been part of the old Rappahannock County.
  
  Other factors seems to indicate this is the same famliy, yet this will and related probate records involving names in Richard and Katherine's family and neighbors seems to indicate there were two sepaate Richard Gregorys born about the same time.  This son of Richard and Kathernine died with no spouse and the probate court referred to his niece, whose guardian was Richard's half-brother, as Richard's heir at law at his death in August 1725.
  
  "I, Richard Grigory in Essex County South Farnham Parish, be­ing very sick and weak in body but of perfect mind and memory ... [notes from probate for Richard Gregory:]  that no admr be granted till ye heir at law be summoned.  It is therefore ordered that Wm Bourn, guardn of Susannah Meadows be summoned to appear at ye next court to declare whether he will admr, on ye esta. of ye sd Richd Gregory, decd. ... How was Susannah Meadows 'heir at law' to Richard Gregory? ... William Bourn and Richard Gregory were half-brothers"
  --  "Gregory Family of Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia," in Winston of Virginia and Allied Families, by Clayton Torrence (Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1927), pp 246-248
  
  "In May, 1720, RICHARD GREGORY was a witness to the noncupa­tive will of John Meador, Junior, of Essex County. ... FN4 Essex County Records.  Memorand. of the verbal will of John Meador Junr. who deceased May 14th 1720  at his own dwelling house in this county of Essex in his last sickness called the deponents to be evidences to this his last will Wch. is as followeth:  Item. I give unto my daughter Susannah Meador all my whole estate ..."
  --  "Gregory Family of Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia," in Winston of Virginia and Allied Families, by Clayton Torrence (Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1927), pp 245-246
  
  "THE WILL OF RICHARD GREGORY Jan. 29, 1725. ... I, Richard Grigory in Essex County South Farnham Parish, ...The above last will of Richard Grigory decced. was proved by Thomas Emerson ... At a Court continued and held for Essex County on Thursday the 19th. day of August 1725."
  --  "Gregory Family of Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia," in Winston of Virginia and Allied Families, by Clayton Torrence (Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1927), p 247
  
  "John Meadows, Junior, probably mar­ried one of the daughters of Richard and Katherine Gregory, and thus a sister of Richard Gregory (died 1725), and that she became the mother of Susannah Meadows, who would thus have been a niece of Richard Gregory's.  It is impossible to see how otherwise Susannah Meadows could have been "heir at law" to the said Richard Gregory."
  --  "Gregory Family of Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia," in Winston of Virginia and Allied Families, by Clayton Torrence (Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1927), p 248
  

Sources

• 1. Family Data Collection - Births
• 2. Virginia Will Records
• 3. Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850