Person:Mary Unknown (5029)

The MONTAGUE Fallacy

For many years, people claiming to be descendants of President George Washington (who had no children) have claimed that his mother, second wife of Capt. Augustine Washington was a MONTAGUE, but this this is not the case as anyone who has undertaken the Montague genealogy can attest. A complete analysis of the records and documentation can be found at "The House of Montague", which pretty well disproves any notion that Mrs. Mary (----) Johnson Ball Hewes was a MONTAGUE. No serious Ball researchers accept the Montague theory. It has been discarded long ago.

It is believed that this myth stems from a signet ring seal used by George Washington that included the snippet of a wing of what some may call a heraldic Griffin. Some of the Montagues have morphed this into an entire coat of arms, which of course were not granted to a collateral family - or any family, for that matter. This myth is not new and was debunked in the 1800s. But like all myths, it refuses to die. (See: History and Genealogy of Peter Montague by George William Montague, 1884.)

The BENNETT Theory (this section needs work)

Others have attempted to explain her identity from this record: marriage record of a William Johnson "of Norwich, England" and a Mary Bennett "of West Chester, England", as follows::10 Feb 1688/9: Christ Church Parish Register of Middlesex Co., 1615-1812. This marriage did occur, but it does not make Mary Bennett Johnson the future wife of Joseph Ball of Lancaster County or the mother of Mary Ball.

The other theory is that Mary Johnson, by virtue of her name, must ipso facto be the Mary Bennet who married William Johnson in Middlesex County in 1688/89 - and poof! that makes her the 2nd wife of Joseph Ball in Lancaster County and therefore the mother of Mary Ball. That's a nice theory, but it does not explain the fact that as late as 1714, her two Johnson children were still under the age of 18. Nor does this explain the story of William Johnson and his wife who are very much alive long after the supposed marriage of Joseph Ball to the widow Johnson of Lancaster County.

Working Timeline for Thrice Married Mary

First Marriage

• abt 1690 - Mary marries Unknown Johnson
• 1691-1694 - son John Johnson is born [est based on age <21 in Richard Hewes will]
• 1694 - dau Elizabeth "Betty" Johnson is born [est based on age < 18 in Richard Hewes will]
• 1697 - Northumberland - Richard Hewes vs. Raleigh Travers
• 1703 Feb 12 - Lancaster - "Mary Johnson" is witness to a gift deed from Col. Joseph Ball to his son-in-law Rawleigh Chinn. Researchers assume this is Mary.
• 1703 Sep 16 - Northumberland - Richard Hewes judgement vs. William Jones ⁴

Second Marriage

• After 6 Feb 1707, Middlesex - Mrs. Mary Johnson marries Col. Joseph Ball in Christ Church
• 1708 - Lancaster - dau Mary Ball is born [est based on age = 13 in 1721]
• 1711 Jun 25 - Lancaster - husband Joseph Ball writes his will. It leaves to his beloved step daughter Elizabeth Johnson, 100 acres of land for her life.
• 1711 Jul 11 - Lancaster - husband Joseph Ball's will is probated.

Third Marriage

•  ??? - Northumberland - Mrs. Mary Ball marries Richard Hues (Hewes, Hughes)
• 1712 Aug 12 - Northumberland - husband Richard Hewes writes his will. It mentions wife Mary & her children Elizabeth Johnson & John Johnson.
•  ??? - Northumberland - husband Richard Hewes dies.
• 1713 Mar 17 - Northumberland - Mary files the Inventory of the Estate of Richard Hewes
• 1718 Aug 22 - Northumberland - Mrs. Mary Hewes, widow of Capt. Richard vs. Richard Jones ⁴
• 1719 Jun 17 - Northumberland - Mrs. Mary Hewes vs. Richard Jones ⁴
• 1720 Dec 17 - Northumberland - Mary writes her will. It mentions son John Johnson, dau Elizabeth Bonum, and dau Mary Ball.
• 29 Jul 1721 - Northumberland - Mary's will is probated.

Research Notes

• Persisto Note: All that anyone ever wrote about her comes from a daughter of Esther Ball Chinn, and that was that she was "an English Woman." All further speculations are spurious and cannot be proved by any record. (See: Joseph Ball Letter Book)

1. ↑ Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009)
   1.
2.   Will Abstract of Joseph Ball, in Lee, Ida J. Abstracts Lancaster County, Virginia, Wills, 1653-1800. (Richmond: Dietz Press, 1959).

   p 6 -
   BALL, Joseph,. Psh. St. Mary's White Chapel. Will. 25 June 1711. Rec. 11 July 1711. Wife Mary; son Joseph; daus. Hannah Travers; Anne Conway; Esther Chinn; Elizabeth Cornegie; Mary Ball; Eliza Johnson (dau. of his wife), dau. Mary, 400 acres of land in Richmond county; grandson James Cornegie (not 21) acknowledges gift to son Joseph Ball, and daus. Hannah Travers, Anne Conway and Esther Chinn made 11 Feb. 1707; Overseer John Hagan; negroes formerly belonging to Jon. Carnegie, decd. Extr. Joseph Ball. Wits. Geo. Finch, Elizabeth Finch, Margaret Miller, Joseph Taylor.
   W.B. 10, p. 88.

3. ↑ Will of Mary Hewes, in McGroarty, J.S. (editor). The West coast : an illustrated monthly, a magazine of today and tomorrow. (Los Angeles, California: Grafton Publishing Corp., 1906-1914)
   14:5, No 6, Jan 1914.

   [Supposedly found by researcher Dr. G.W. Beale in the archives of Northumberland County, Virginia]
   In the name of God Amen, the Seventeenth day of December, in the year of our Lord God, one thousand, seven hundred and twenty, I, Mary Hewes, of St. Stephen's parish, Northumberland county, widdow, being sick and weak in body, but of sound and perfect memory, thanks be to Almighty God for the same, and calling to mind the uncertain state of this transitory life and that the flesh must yield unto Death, when it shall please God to call, Do make and ordain this my last will and testament. First, I give and bequeath my soul (to God) that gave it me, and my body to the earth to be buried in Decent Christian burial at the discretion of my executors in these presents nominated, and as touching such Worldly estate, which it hath pleased God to bestow upon me, 1 give, devise and dispose of in the following manner and forme:
   
   Imprimis, I give and devise unto my Daughter Mary Ball, one young likely negro woman to be purchased for her out of my Estate by my Executors and to be delivered unto her the said Mary Ball, at the age of Eighteen years, but my will is that if the said Mary Ball should dye without issue lawfully begotten of her body that the said negro woman with her increase shall return to my loving son, John Johnson, to him, his heirs and assigns forever.
   
   Item. I give and bequeath unto my said Daughter, Mary Ball, two gold rings and one being a large hoop and the other a stoned ring.
   
   Item. I give unto my said Daughter, Mary Ball, one young mare and her increase, which said mare I formerly gave her by word of mouth.
   
   Item. I give and bequeath unto my said Daughter, Mary Ball, sufficient furniture for the bed her father, Joseph Ball, left her, vizt: One suit of good curtains and fallens, one Rugg, one Quilt, one pair Blankets.
   
   Item. I give and bequeath unto my said Daughter, Mary Ball, two Diaper Table cloths, marked M. B. with inck, and one dozen of Diaper napkins, two towels, six plates, two pewter dishes, two basins, one large Iron pott, one Frying pann, one old trunk.
   
   Item. I give and bequeath unto my Said Daughter, Mary Ball, one good young Paceing horse, together with a good silk plush side saddle to be purchased by my Executors out of my Estate.
   
   Item. I give and bequeath unto my Daughter, Elizabeth Bonum, one suit of white and black callico, being part of my own wearing apparel.
   
   Item. All the rest of my wearing apparel I give and bequeath unto my said Daughter, Mary Ball, and I do hereby appoint her (to) be under Tuttiledge and government of Capt. George Eskridge during her minority.
   
   Item. My will is, and I do hereby oblige my Executors to pay to the proprietor or his agent for the securing of my said Daughter, Mary Ball, her land Twelve pounds if so much (be) due.
   
   Item. All the rest of my estate, real and personal, whatsoever and wheresoever, I give and devise unto my son, John Johnson, and to his heirs lawfully to be begotten of his body, and for default of such Issue I devise the same unto Mary Ball and her heirs, lawfully to be begotten of her body, and for de/ault of such issue I give and Devise the said Estate unto my daughter, Elizabeth Bonum, her heirs and assigns forever.
   
   Item. I do hereby appoint my said son, John Johnson, and my trusty and well beloved friend Geor. Eskridge, Executors of my last will and Testament and also revoke and Disannul all other former wills or Testaments by me heretofore made or caused to be made either by word or writing, ratifying and confirming this to be my last will and Testament and no other. In witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seal the Day and Date at first above written.
   
   The mark and seal of Mary ||| Hewes.
   Sig. (Seal)
   
   Signed, sealed and Published and Declared by Mary Hewes to be her last Will and Testament in presence of us.
   The mark of Robert X Bradley.
   The mark of Ralph X Smithurst.
   David Straughan.

4.   Mr. Robert Jones, of Fleet's Bay, Northumberland County, and Some of His Descendants, in William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine. (Omohundro Institute)
   23:191-202, No 3 (Jan 1915).
5.   Family Recorded, in Putnam, Eben. Lieutenant Joshua Hewes, a New England pioneer, and some of his descendants,: with materials for a genealogical history of other families of the name, and a sketch of Joseph Hewes the signer. (New York, New York: J. F. Tapley Co.], 1913)
   1:468.
6.   Family Recorded, in Hayden, Horace Edwin. Virginia genealogies : a genealogy of the Glassell family of Scotland and Virginia: also of the families of Ball, Brown, Bryan, Conway, Daniel, Ewell, Holladay, Lewis, Littlepage, Moncure, Peyton, Robinson, Scott, Taylor, Wallace, and others, of Virginia and Maryland. (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.: E.B. Yordy, printer, 1891)
   56.

   "Mary Johnson, widow, of Lancaster Co., Va., born in England, died in Lancaster Co., Va., 17--."

7.   Family Recorded, in Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
   36:218.

   "Because 'Mary Johnson' was a witness to the 1703 deed of Col. Ball, her future husband, Mr. Moncure D Conway presumed ("Washingotn and Mount Vernon," pp. xlv and xxv) that she was his housekeeper at that time, and a "plebeian," and that when Col. Ball married her, he conciliated his children by his first wife with gifts of land before the marriage took place. (See Mag. of Am. His., Vol. xvii, p. 197, note, and Hayden, p. 57.) Mr. Conway and Mr. Hayden agreed that "history is silent" as to the Widow Johnson."

8.   Family Recorded, in Headley, Robert K. Married Well and Often: Marriages of the Northern Neck of Virginia 1649-1800 : marriages and marriage references for the counties of Lancaster, Northumberland, Old Rappahannock, Richmond, and Westmoreland. (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2003)
   190.

   HUGHES, Richard (HUES, HEWES) & BALL, Mary (wid.); bef. 12 Aug 1712 ; Rich. HUES ment. his wife Mary & her chil. Eliz. and John JOHNSON in his will (NC 12 Aug 1712 - 17 Feb 1713/14); bride was prob. Mary BENNETT of West Chester, Eng. who had mar. Wm. JOHNSON in MidC on 10 Feb 1688/9 ; she mar. (2) Col. Jos. BALL ; Mary HEWES in her will (NC 17 Dec 1720 - ?) ment. her dau. Mary BALL (a minor), her dau. Eliz. BONAM & her son John JOHNSON ; (NC OB 1713-19:17; RB 1718-26:176; Johnson:176)