Person:Joseph Royall (2)

Captain Joseph Royall, 1646-1732. Married before 1681-2, Mary Eppes, daughter of Col. Francis Eppes and Elizabeth Littleberry. Elizabeth was twice married, first to William Worsham, and then to Eppes, and she leaves the unusual record of having two daughters named Mary, one by each union. Mary Eppes was born 1664 and date of death is not known. Henrico records refer to her 1681j-1698, identifying her as wife of Joseph Royall, brother of William Eppes, and the Eppes wills show her parentage.

Because the children of the first George Archer refer to Joseph Royall as father, and the latter calls them in-law, there is ground for the opinion that Joseph also married Archer's widow, who was the daughter of Major-General Abraham Wood, though it must have occurred between 1676, when Archer died, and 1681-2 when Joseph and Mary Eppes were married. Counting the age of the Archer children, their mother must have been near 44 years old, or about ten years the senior of her husband.

Virginia Patent Books, 7, 8, 9, 10, and Henrico records show that Captain Joseph had for himself and in connection with Col. William Randolph, Col. Francis Eppes, and George Archer, 4,542 acres of land, embracing Martin's Swamp on the south side of the James, and tracts on north side of the Appomattox River, and on Proctor's Creek. His title, service as sheriff, and as vestryman in Curl's Episcopal Church, and innumerable references to him in public documents enable us to know much of him and his issue. Up to now no will has been found, but land conveyances and other records clearly prove what is here included. Issue: Joseph Royall, Jr., Henry Royall, William Royall, Sarah Royall. (From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, published Quarterly by The Virginia Historical Society for the Year Ending December 31, 1924, Vol. XXXII, pp. 411-412:Genealogy, the Colonial Royalls of Virginia By John Royall Harris, President of Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tenn.)