Joseph Abbott Jr. (abt. 1750 - 1811)

Born about 1750 in King and Queen County, Virginia

Died 1811 at about age 61 in Halifax County, Virginia, United States

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Biography

Joseph Abbott, Jr. b: Abt. 1750 of King and Queen Co, VA d: 1811 Halifax Co, VA

Spouse

Magdaline Lacy (d/o Thomas Lacy & Catharine) b: Abt. 1757 of Halifax Co, VA m: Abt. 1778 Halifax Co, VA d: Bet. Mar 1813 - Mar 1814 Halifax Co, VA

We know from Joseph’s son William Abbott’s application for a Revolutionary War pension that when William was born in 1756, his family was living in King and Queen County, Virginia. [NARA File W5616] Given the general migration patterns of the early 1700’s, if Joseph were born in the Colonies, he likely was born in King and Queen County or in the same immediate vicinity.

JOSEPH ABBOTT JR. was born around 1750 in or near King and Queen County, Virginia, where his father is proved to be living at least by 1756. [NARA W5616] Joseph Jr. is the secondoldest son of Joseph Abbott Sr. and his first wife, whose name is not known. Joseph Jr.'s age is approximated from the way his father's 1787 will differentiates the older and younger of his 16 surviving children (see report on Joseph Sr. for details) as well as the proved ages of Joseph Jr.'s siblings and his marriage date.

Joseph Abbott Jr. married Magdaline Lacy in Halifax County, Virginia about 1778. Like most Halifax marriages prior to the mid-1780s, no record has survived, but we can pin-point the date fairly closely from two other records. First, a Halifax court record shows that Joseph Jr. is gone from his father's household before 16 Sep 1779, as Joseph Sr.'s tithables list names his next younger son, William Abbott (b. 1756), as the only "white male tithe" age 16 or over living with him then. [HPB10:74]

(Joseph Sr.'s next son was not born until c1770.) Second, the special 1782 household enumeration for Halifax County lists "Joseph Abbott Jr." with three whites and no blacks (slaves), indicating that Joseph Jr. was married and had one child by this date. [List of Inhabitants 1782-1785. LVA Misc. Reel 1263] As we shall see, this child was Joseph and Magdaline's daughter Adaline Abbott, born abt. 1780.

Jacob Abbott in King and Queen Joseph Abbott had an obviously close relative in King and Queen named Jacob Abbott, whose land was adjacent to a land grant issued to Joseph Abbott. Joseph’s son William Abbott’s pension statement says that Joseph and the family moved to Halifax the year before the patent deed (below) was written, but Joseph probably used this land for years before, since the formal patent deeds sometimes were issued long after the applicant obtained the required survey for the desired unclaimed land. In fact, the deed states that 50 acres of this land were “formerly patented.” Although it does not specify Joseph as their original patentee, no patent on Hogg House branch was previously issued. The adjacent Jacob Abbott is not recorded with a patent, and since county deed records are lost, we do not know when he purchased his land or what other land Joseph may have owned.

- - - - - 7 Jul 1763 - Land Patent to JOSEPH ABBOTT - King and Queen County 64 acres, adjacent to JACOB ABBOTT and Thomas Stevens near the head of the Hogg House branch. 50 acres part thereof formerly patented “the Right and Title whereof is now become Vested in the said Joseph Abbott” and 14 acres the residue never before granted. [Source: Virginia Land Office Patent Book 35, p. 294, Library of Virginia, online image. Abstract by J. Horsley.] - - - - - This Jacob Abbott could be a brother of Joseph. Combined evidence indicates he probably is the Jacob Abbott who first appears in area records in Essex County in 1727, when he was at least 21 years old. [ECO1725-1729:154] Jacob last appears in Essex in Nov 1751, even though the vestry book where he appears from 1739 to 1751 continues to 1779. [South Farnham Vestry Book, p. 8] He is not found later elsewhere in the area and seems a relatively young man, thus he could well be the Jacob Abbott with land next to Joseph in King and Queen by 1763.

A younger Jacob Abbott (b. c1740), who could be the elder Jacob’s son (or less likely, could be Joseph’s adjoining neighbor), married a woman in adjacent Middlesex County abt. 1765.

He lived in King and Queen throughout the 1780s and died there bet. 1791-1792. [K&Q PP tax lists 1782-1803] He had at two proved sons, Abner Abbott and Jacob Abbott Jr., who are shown by tax lists to be born abt. 1769 and 1771 respectively.

Sources

• joanhorsley.org