Family:William Gambrill and Ann Milstead (1)

The oral family history from 3 different sources, claim that the Gambrels came from North Carolina, yet between 1787 and 1860 they can be found only in Indiana, Ohio, and Virginia. In August of 1779 Prince William County Virginia, William Gambrell (def) is sued by James Jamison, surviving partner of Messers John and James Jamison Merchants in Glasgow in debt. The last line of the abstract says "Same Order". Is this a "ditto" from the above record which states "The suit abates the defendant being no inhabitant of the county." It appears that William had left the county by 1779; perhaps he was in North Carolina. He returned by 1787.

There is no hard evidence that the relationships in this family are as listed. No birth records, no will. They are all based on analysis of Census and Tax records from Hamilton, Wood, and Prince William Counties. And from personal testimony of Icerea Swafford who as born in 1900, who stated that there were four brothers, Ned, Jack, Travis and Hugh; and two sisters Caty and Polly. A letter written by Harriet Gambrel Jackson in 1885 states there were six brothers and four sisters, but she did not name them.

1.   "Caty married a Boswell" according to Icerea Swafford. This is quite likely John Boswell who showed up in Hamilton County Ohio about 1812