Virginia only figures on the branches of this tree at fairly early dates. There are several different branches of the tree which came from the state. It was an obvious entry point for 17th century immigrants, such as the Wimberlys. Other families on this tree, however, such as the Dyes, came there later from elsewhere, mostly New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These families are fascinating, therefore, because they tap into the movement and convergence of several colonial American immigrant groups (English, German, and Dutch especially) as the colonies were being formed. Some ancestors in these trees were likely to have been involved in colonial wars, though I haven't identified which ones, yet.
The Wimberlys and the Dyes have been well researched. Other family groups, including those below, are taking some heavier lifting, so I present some problems here in the hopes that others might help.
I break the queries down by County and family group. Unlike the other pages of mysteries, there are no photos for this state, just problems to solve . . .
Allen Strain's marriage to Jane Higgins is
the first entry in their family Bible.
Walls
1. Central Virginia. Rockbridge Co. was formed in 1778 out of Augusta and Botetourt Counties (Botetourt itself had been formed from Augusta Co. a few years earlier). It is now home to VMI and W&L, schools which several family members have attended.
Amherst County is east of Rockbridge and Augusta counties.
Who were James Strain's ancestors? There is an set of relations on the site, but these connections are educated guesswork (if well-educated); the connection to his possible father here, David, can only be rated as possible. See the Tennessee Mysteries page for questions about the Strains; James' son Allen moved there in 1811.
(Query updated December 2006).
Who were the ancestor's of James' wife Agnes McLintock? (Query posted December 2006).
Who were the parents of Mary Phillips? I think that she and her family were from Amherst Co., Virginia, but I have no good information here. She and her husband James Savage lived in Lewis Co., Kentucky. Mary's parents on this tree can at the moment only be called questionable. A related question is: was James really a Revolutionary War soldier? No-one seems to have joined the DAR using his name, though the narratives I have found for his descendants say that he is. (Query updated December 2006).
2. Northern Virginia (including Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties). The ancestors of Helen Adams Simpson were from here. She later moved to Texas, where she married Edgar Tomlinson.
Who were the parents of Susannah (or Susan) King? She died in Virginia, but possibly reaches back to roots in Pennsylvania. Currently this tree has them as Christian King and Margaret Toot, from Dauphin County, Pa., but this is only a theory, and one with a lot of holes in it--the primary problem being that the birth date for Susannah is only 6 years after the apparent birth date for her mother Margaret. (Query posted April 2007).
Who were the ancestors of Mary Morrell (also Morell, Moreill, Morrill, etc.)? I've seen her identified as the wife of several people (including, for instance, Rutger Johnson Sr., and his son, Rut Johnson Jr.), generations apart. It only makes sense, however, that she is the wife of Benjamin Hixson, Sr., given her dates (and help from S233).
(Query updated Summer 2005).