Person:Abraham Compton (3)

Notes

FACT: I0142 Type: Merged GRAMPS ID

Abraham Compton was killed while a soldier of the Continental Army, and his widow was paid a sum of support of herself and three small children by the court of Botetourt County, VA. These children were a daughter and two sons, Jeremiah and Abraham II. The daughter (name not known) is said to have married a (first name not known) Phillips. Jeremiah and Abraham II lived in Southwest Virginia and also their mother (who married John Brickey), until 1817, so itis plausable the daughter also lived in this area.

1.   Blalock, Delton D. (Delton Dennis). British and American Comptons from the colonial era to the modern day in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas, 1634-1984: related to Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Boone, and many other prominent Americans : descendants include Phillips and Mayfields in Alabama, Hensons in Tennessee, and Corrys and Yarboroughs in Texas. (Hanceville, Alabama: D.D. Blalock, 1984).

   John Compton and Lydia Carhart had a daughter, Amy , born before 1754, and possibly other children (e. g. George). Lydia had a daughter, Mary, by a previous marriage. After Lydia died, John Compton married Margaret Raemer (German). The Raemers had left Germany in 1735 to escape religious persecution.
   
   John Compton left New Jersey with his family and that of Abraham Compton (b. ca 1750), and arrived in Augusta County, Virginia in the fall of 1772. It is unclear how Abraham Compton was related to John Compton. He may have been a younger brother, nephew, or possibly a son by John's first wife.
   
   John Compton bought 411 acres of land in Botetourt County, Virginia on May 5, 1775. Abraham Compton also relocated to Botetourt County, Virginia. There was a court order entered February 11, 1778 commissioning John Compton to determine a suitable landing for the ferry crossing the James River from Crows Island.
   
   Tragedy struck in the spring of 1778 while John Compton was clearing new ground beside the Bluestone River. A tree limb fell and struck John before he could escape. The blow was fatal and ended the dreams of a man who was excited about making a prosperous life for his family in virgin land located in a fertile valley. Naturally, the soils in New Jersey had become worn from years of continuous use, and without fertilizer the only constructive alternative was to find new ground.
   
   Tragedy also hit the Abraham Compton family when he was killed in the line of duty while serving in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. His widow, Mary Compton, married John Brickey, and they moved to Russell County, Virginia.
   
   The inventory of John Compton's estate on May 9, 1778, showed a value of 552 pounds. Some of the iems in the inventory were: 11 head of horses, 25 cattle, 1 wagon, 4 pairs, 17 sheep, 2 plow forms, 7 pairs horseshoes, 30 hogs, boar gun, 2 saddles, numerous tools, and household items.
   
   John Compton's widow, Margaret Raemer Compton, married William Aston on April 16, 1780 in Botetourt County, Virginia. Margaret's son, Joseph Compton, brought suit against his mother and William Aston for the division of the Compton estate. There is a land transaction on record between these same parties when Joseph sold 281 acres of land to William and Margaret Aston for 200 pounds of Continental money. The land was in Botetourt Co., Virginia.

2.   William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine. (Omohundro Institute)
   Vol. 23, No. 2, April 1943.