Person:Robert Edmiston (2)

Robert Edmiston, of the Borden Tract
b.Bet 1695 and 1705
  • HRobert Edmiston, of the Borden TractBet 1695 & 1705 - 1750
  • WJean ThompsonBef 1703 -
m. Est 1720
  1. Dorothy Edmiston.Abt 1721 - Abt 1763
  2. James EdmistonAbt 1724 - 1793
  3. William EdmistonEst 1727 - Bef 1789
Facts and Events
Name Robert Edmiston, of the Borden Tract
Gender Male
Birth[1] Bet 1695 and 1705
Marriage Est 1720 to Jean Thompson
Death[2] 1750 Augusta, Virginia, United StatesWill proven 22 May 1750

Robert Edmiston was one of the Early Settlers of Augusta County, Virginia

Contents

Edmondson Tapestry
Register
Data
Notebooks
Analysis
Bibliography
Graphics
YDNA
Index

……………………..The Tapestry
Families Old Chester OldAugusta Germanna
New River SWVP Cumberland Carolina Cradle
The Smokies Old Kentucky

__________________________

Overview

According to Allison, 1960 three brothers, Robert, John, and William Edmiston, came to what is now Rockbridge County VA, from Cecil County, MD, about 1740. They took up lands on Borden's grant where they farmed and raised their families for the next 25 years or so. After the end of the French and Indian War they, or their children, relocated southward, first to Grayson County circa 1765, and then to Washington County, by circa 1770. [3]

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Robert Edmiston's land (Borden Tract NE, 244 acres, 1747) as shown on the map meticulously drawn by J.R. Hildebrand, cartographer. This map is copyrighted©, used by permission of John Hildebrand, son of J.R. Hildebrand, April, 2009. Note that land of Matthew Edmiston is nearby to the Southeast.
Enlarge
Robert Edmiston's land (Borden Tract NE, 244 acres, 1747) as shown on the map meticulously drawn by J.R. Hildebrand, cartographer. This map is copyrighted©, used by permission of John Hildebrand, son of J.R. Hildebrand, April, 2009. Note that land of Matthew Edmiston is nearby to the Southeast.

Robert, one of these brothers, acquired a 244 acre parcel adjacent to Col. John Buchanan, on Hays Creek in the north central portion of Borden's Grant. [4][5]

Robert died about 1750, leaving an estate to a wife, legatee "Jean" (whom Chalkley suggests may be his wife) and children Dorthy, William, and John. We have relatively few records for Robert on Borden's Grant, mostly centered around his estate. His will identifies William Edmiston as Executor, and John Edmiston as witness. While William could be his son, it seems likely that William the executor is his brother, as would be John the witness. John was also appointed by the court to appraise Robert's estate.

Other than this, our source materials for Robert are very limited: Chalkley provides a number of relevant entiries. (See also Edmondson Family of Rockbridge County Virginia, Chalkley.


Edmiston Robert 1747 Benj. Borden, &c., to Robert Edmiston (sold in testator's lifetime); 244 acres, £7.6.7, part of 92,100 acres; corner to Col. John Buchanan's land; crossing Moffett's Creek; the Barrens. Teste: John Lyle, John Miller, Josiah Linn. Acknowledged, 16th September, 1747
Edmiston Robert 1747 Jean Bohannan. Will--Son, John; granddaughter, Mary Bohanan (daughter of John); eldest daughter, Elizabeth Bohanan; granddaughter, Jean Bohannan; second daughter, Margaret Campbell, the tablecloth I brought from Ireland; granddaughter, the baycolt that was lately put to Elizabeth Bochanan; granddaughter, Mary Bochanan. Executors, Joseph Culton and Robert Edmiston. Teste: Joseph Culton, Robert Edmiston. Francis McCown, John Betty. Proved, 19th August, 1747, by Francis McCown
Edmiston Robert 1749 Robert Edmiston's will--Wife (Jean?); legatee, Jean Edmiston; daughter, Dorothy Edmiston; son, James; son, William. Executors, Thos. McSpaden, Wm. Edmiston. Teste: Jno. Edmiston, Samuel Buchanan. Proved, 22d May, 1750, by Buchanan, and Edmiston summoned
Edmiston Robert 1750 Robert Edmiston's appraisement by John Moore, John Edmiston, Joseph Kennedy
Edmondson Robert 1750 Wm. Edmondson's bond as executor of Robert Edmondson, deceased, with surety John Edmondson
Edmiston Robert 1760 Borden's executors to James Wilson (Wittson), £5. 382 acres) part of 92,100; corner to his tract where widow Patterson dwells, crossing Kennedy's Mill Creek; corner plantation of Robert Edmiston; corner Samuel Buchanan on side Buffler draft. Teste: James McDowel. Jno. Paxton, Richard (his mark) Brown

Personal Data

Personal Data
VitaDatumSource/Basis/Comment
DOB:Based on a 1749 DOD, leaving three children, Robert could have been born no later than c1720
POB:
DOD:c1749will written 1749; proven May 1750. [6]
POD:
Father:
Mother:
Spouse:Jean ThompsonChalkley's extract of Robert's will seems to indicate that "Jean" is Robert's wife, but this is not certainly the case. Possibly an examination of the original would clarify this. See[6]Some genealogists identify her as "Agnes Thompson". The basis for identifying his wife's maiden name as "Thompson" is unknown.
DOM:
POM:
Children
Name DOB POB DOD POD Spouse DOM POM Dispersion and Notes
Person:Dorothy Edmiston (1) Mentioned in fathers will See[6] Said to have married Person:Thomas McSpadden (1)
Person:William Edmiston (3) 1788-1789 [6] Mentioned in will See[6] Moved to Southwest Virginia, signed Ebbing Springs Call
James Edmiston Mentioned in will See[6]


Dispersion

Spouse. Robert's wife may have been the "Jean Edmistion" mentioned as a legatee in the will. Chalkely suggests that she may be the wife, but does not consider this a proven case. Jeane or Jane Edmiston appears in no other records shown by Chalkley or Morton for the area, and we know nothing further concerning the wife of Robert Edmiston.

Dorthy Edmiston. Identified in Robert's will as a daughter. Since she is the first child listed, she may have been eldest. However, she was presumably unmarried in 1749 since Robert does not list her under a married name. Chalkley and Morton show no data for a "Dorthy Edmiston", and we have no further knowledge of her.

William Edmiston. Person:William Edmiston (5) is believed to have relocated to southwest Virginia, settling on the Middle Fork of the Holston River, about 1770, along with the the family of his cousin Person:William Edmiston (3). William appears as an adult on the Ebbing Springs Call in 1773.

James Edmiston. James was listed last in Robert's will, which may indicate that he was the youngest. There are numerous records for a James Edmiston (or variants) in Augusta County throughout the period following Robert's death, until after the Revolution. (See: Notebook:James Edmiston). It is sometimes difficult to distinguish which records apply to which James. Some of these records clearly refer to James son of Robert, but others certainly refer to one of the sons of David "the Immigrant" Edmiston, (settled on Elk Creek on Beverly's Manor and some refer to a James Edmiston who settled at Red Banks well to the north of either Beverlys' Manor or Borden's Grant. It is most likely that James son of Robert, is the Person:James Edmiston (1) who married Sarah, widow of George Hays, and settled south Timber Ridge MH, well south of Robert's homeplace on Moffett/Hays Creek. This James remained on Borden's Grant until at least 1774, well after his kin had moved down to Washington County. I A "James Edmiston" does not appear on the 1773 Ebbing Springs Call, so either he was not yet an adult in 1773, or, if an adult, did not relocate with his brother William. The James who married Sarah Hays is sometimes identified with a James Edmondson who died in Wilkes County, NC about 1792. As it happens this James leaves part of his estate to wife Sarah. He also leaves land in Virignia to his son Robert. Both of these bequests are consistent with James of Wilkes County being the James who married widow Sarah Hays on Borden's Grant. His 1792 DOD is also consistent with this interpretatiion. Additional supporting evidence is needed for this to be considered proven.


Questions surrounding Robert Edmiston's Will and possible daughter named "Jean"

At the beginning of Robert Edmiston's will, he refers to "Wife; Legatee, Jean Edmiston". In Lyman Chalkley's transcrtion, he felt that Robert had named his WIFE as "Jean" (some say Jean THOMPSON, although it is perhaps "family tradition" and apparently not proven that she was really a Thompson). Some researchers have thought that Robert Edmiston's will MAY have been naming a DAUGHTER Jean, who some have speculated may have married John McGill (Magill), Jr., who lived nearby in Beverley Manor, but it has been conclusively proven (see below) that the Jean Edmiston that married John McGill, Jr. was the daughter of Matthew Edmiston, who lived on Jenning's Creek in Augusta County. Since there is no other "Jean Edmiston" that appears in Augusta County records, and Robert Edminston's will does not specifically name a daughter named Jean, it appears a remote possibility that he had a daughter Jean.

Proof of Jean Edmiston's parentage (that married John McGill):

1. Matthew Edmiston's Will specifically names his daughter "Jean MaGill":

Page 213 - - 28th June, 1790. Mathew Edmiston's will, farmer - - To son, James; to son, William; to son, David; to grandson, Matthew Kirk; to daughter, Mary Kirk; to granddaughter, Margaret Jones; to grandson, Matha Edmonson, Maagill; to daughter, Ann Jones; to daughter, Jean MaGill. Executors, son James and William Edmiston. Teste: David McNair, John Kirk, Jean Kirk. Proved January Court, 1796, by McNair and Jno. Kirk.


2. The Marriage Bond of Jean Edmiston and John McGill states she was the daughter of Matthew Edmiston (Edmondson):

Marriage Bonds - 1785 - October 5, John McGill and Jane Edmondson, daughter of Mathew Edmondson, surety, Wm. Shires; witnesses, Richard Jones, James McCann.

Footnotes

  1. Donald Loyd Bradley.

    Date of Import: Aug 21, 1999

  2. Source:Chalkley, 1912-1913.
  3. This migration history is documented in a letter by a grandson of William, written about 1840 to Governor Daniel Campbell of Virginia. See Edmondson Family of Southwest Virginia.
  4. According to Chalkley's abstract of the transaction: Benj. Borden, &c., to Robert Edmiston (sold in testator's lifetime); 244 acres, £7.6.7, part of 92,100 acres; corner to Col. John Buchanan's land; crossing Moffett's Creek; the Barrens. Teste: John Lyle, John Miller, Josiah Linn. Acknowledged, 16th September, 1747 See Edmondson Family of Rockbridge County Virginia, Chalkley. Borden died in 1743 (see Person:Benjamin Borden (3) for a stub article providing information about Borden), so we know tht Edmiston was on Borden's prior to 1743.
  5. Source:Hildebrand, J.R., 1964 shows this 244 acre parcel as lying astride Hays Creek, adjacent to land owned by John and Samuel Buchanan. The waters of Moffetts Creek, a tributary of Hays Creek, lie immediately to the north, which may explain the discrepancy. There seems to be some "flexibility" among the pioneer settlers as to what constituted which creek. It may be that "Moffett Creek" was used by some at this time for a larger portion of what is now called the Hays Creek watershed.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Edmondson Family of Rockbridge County Virginia, Chalkley