John Statham (bef. 1737 - abt. 1823)

Born before 1737 in Hanover County, Colony of Virginia

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about Nov 1823 after about age 86 in Elbert County, Georgia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Donna Newman [send private message]

Biography

(Information added 5/12/21 by Donna Newman)

Birth: John's precise birth information is unknown as he appeared in only one federal census; he was age 45 or over in the 1820 census, Elbert County, Georgia. The 1790 and 1800 censuses for Virginia and the 1790, 1800 and 1810 censuses for Georgia have not survived.

None of the numerous records found for him provide an age; at best it can be stated that he was born by 1737 as he would need to have been at least 21 when he bought land in 1758 (Louisa County Deed Book B, pp. 318-319, 29 Dec 1758, Benja. Brown of Louisa Co to John Statham of Albemarle Co).

Parentage: He was the son of Love Statham, possibly by his wife Martha but since the earliest record found for her is from 1750, it's unknown whether she was Love's first or only wife. Love Statham was found in records for Hanover County from the early 1730s, e.g., land grants and merchants' account books.

Wives: John was married at least twice. In 1767 he and his wife Elizabeth, whose maiden name is not known, sold land in Albemarle County (Deed Book 4, pp. 415-416), so if there was no wife before Elizabeth, she was the mother of the seven oldest of John's nine children.

He married Susannah Thomson by Oct 1773, based on a deed that date so she was probably the mother of his youngest son Pleasant and possibly the mother of his only known daughter Nancy, who was born between 1760 and 1770 according to the 1840 census. Susannah Statham was named in the Albemarle County will of her father, Robert Thomson, written in 1774 and proved in 1778.

Revolutionary War: Like his father and brother Charles, John was reimbursed for supplies he provided to (or that were impressed for) the patriots during the Revolutionary War. He was on the muster roll of Capt. B. Harris' Co., Albemarle County Militia, men who joined the army at Williamsburg on 19 Sep 1781 and discharged after following # of days: line 9, John Statham, 36 days.

Albemarle County, Virginia: John was on the Albemarle County tax lists from 1782 (the earliest surviving list) through 1789, and the last record found for him there was in Feb 1790 when he and Susannah sold land. He appears to have been laying plans to relocate to Georgia for several years and was possibly waiting till after the death of Martha, his father's widow and possibly John's mother (see her profile page); the last record found that mentions her was the 1788-1789 guardian account for her granddaughter Patsy Humphries.

Georgia: John may have gone to Georgia to scope it out as early as 1784; a survey was done for a John Statham that year in Wilkes County but it has not yet been determined whether this was John Sr. or Jr. He and his sons Charles, John Jr., Jesse and Nathaniel were all on the 1787 Wilkes County tax list; he and Nathaniel owned no land and John was also on the Albemarle tax list that year.

In 1785 Charles and John were on the Wilkes tax list, with John noted as "minor", but according to two authoritative sources this would signify he was the younger of two men bearing that name as he would need to have been at least 21 to own land, as he did on this tax list.

Elbert County was carved out of Wilkes in 1790, and John and Jesse Statham are found there throughout the 1790s. Jesse was the only one of John's children who stayed in that county as long as his father was living.

Death: John died between Jun 1823 when his will was published and Nov 1823 when it was proved. He left a dollar each to his sons Robert, John, Charles and James (the first three were already deceased by then but it isn't clear whether he knew this) and directed that the rest of his estate be divided between William, Nathaniel, Jesse, Pleasant and Nancy Barnett. He named two friends as Executors and there were a number of suits against them by the legatees, possibly because of how long the estate administration was drawn out. The final return by the Executors was submitted in 1830 and John's land wasn't sold until Jun 1831.

For more information, see John Statham's 1823 estate, Elbert Co Georgia and John Statham descendants Book of Stathams, both have been uploaded

Sources

Sources added by Donna Newman, 5/12/21

Virginia, Public Service Claims, Commissioner's Book 1, Reel 5, p. 30, At a court held for Albemarle County on 14 June 1781, the claim of John Statham for supplies impressed, Library of Virginia, Richmond

Albemarle County, Virginia tax lists and land records

Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790, Records of the State Enumerations: 1782-1785, Virginia; available at http://archive.org.

Rosalie Edith Davis, Louisa County, Virginia, 1743-1814: Where Have All The Children Gone?, p. 29; the original from which this was abstracted was inexplicably missing from the microfilmed record

Albemarle County, Virginia Deed Book 8, p. 32, FHL microfilm no. 30227

Albemarle County, Virginia Will Book 2: 361-362, FHL microfilm 30,212

Frank Parker Hudson, "Wilkes County, Georgia Tax Records, 1785-1805"

Georgia, Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892, Ancestry.com

1820 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com

Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990, and Elbert County Probate minutes, 1791-1833, FamilySearch.org

U.S. Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820, Ancestry.com

The official history of Elbert County, 1790-1935, Ancestry.com