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Greetings All,
I've put all the Kerby/Kirby entries from the Charles Parish, York Co., VA, Birth
and Death registers on my web site. You can access that page from my Kirby page,
which is reached from my URL below. Hope this helps with York County, VA, Kirby.
Good Hunting!
--
Eve S. Gregory, Director
Virginia Foundation for Archaeological Research, Inc.
egregory@techcom.net
http://www.techcom.net/egregory
Here is some information for your Kirby web site about Mary, wife of Thomas
Kirby of Charles Parish, York County, VA.
Thomas Kirby deeded land to Peter Plouvier in 1660, and his wife Mary gave her
consent to the transaction 9 Jan. 1660/61. The deed was recorded in York
County court on 25 January 1660/61. This is the first documentary reference
to his wife's name, that I know of. An earlier reference to Thomas Kirby's
wife does not give her name. It is likely that Mary was a second or third
wife. The birth of their son Robert was recorded in the Charles Parish birth
register as Robert, son of Thomas by Mary, b. May 1, 1662. This is the only
birth recorded for them in this register. Thomas Kirby's death on 1 June 1668
is recorded in the parish death register.
Mary was a common forename in seventeenth century Virginia, which sometimes
makes it difficult to put all the Marys in their proper places. So too with
Mary Kirby. If we rely on the parish register alone for our information, we
might think that she died in 1686 or 1693, for there are deaths and burials
recorded there for Mary Kirby. But further inquiry into York County court
records tells us that on 26 Oct. 1668 Mr. Robert Shelston, as marrying the
relict of Mr. Kirby, dec'd, is ordered to pay Mr. William Phillipps 660
gallons of cider. Therefore, Mary was no longer widow Kirby, but was then
Mrs. Shelston. No death is recorded in the register for Mrs. Shelston. Robert
Shelston, however, died 13 Nov. 1673. This leaves the question of what
happened to her. Perhaps she married yet again.
The speculation has been made that she was either the widow or daughter of
Thomas Ray. She cannot have been the daughter, for court records show that on
11 Sep. 1660 James Hazelgrove came into York County court and declared that he
had received from Daniel Fisher such cattle as were given to his wife Mary by
the will of her father Thomas Raye, late deceased. Daniel Fisher was guardian
of the Ray children, a near neighbor, and I suspect that he married the Ray
widow, whose first name I have not seen in any record. Mary Ray Hazelgrove
had one child, Daniel Hazelgrove, and died soon afterward. The fact that she
named her son Daniel, not James for her husband, supports the theory that
Daniel Fisher married her widowed mother. The question of the identity of
Thomas Kirby's wife is still open.
--
Eve S. Gregory, Director
Virginia Foundation for Archaeological Research, Inc.
egregory@techcom.net
http://www.techcom.net/egregory
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