George Washington 
First President and Father of his Country

Now, I feel downright embarrassed to say that I am supposed to be related to our first president, 
George Washington.  So I won't.  However, they tell me I am related to his father, and his sisters... 
and somehow that seems more plausible. Note: the photo of the home in the heading above is of 
Mount Vernon, George Washington's home.

I was fortunate to discover a family who had already documented the line, so the credit for this 
nicely formatted lineage goes to them, not to me.

This line of descent gives more detail about the families members, and includes the lines of Taliaferro and Thornton, who are closely interwoven with the Washington line during this time in history.  This format attempts to show how the intermarriage of these families comes to 
result in our particular line of ancestry.

Francis TAGLIAFERRI married Bennet HALE.
Francis and Bennet Hale had the following child:

Robert TALIAFERRO, b. 11 Sep 1629 in England; d. about 1700 in Essex Co., VA; Robert married Sarah GRYMES.

Notes for Robert Taliaferro:

• Robert Taliaferro, of Cornwall England, emigrant, patented lands in Gloucester 1655-1662 on a swamp running into Poropotank Creek. 

• He, with Lawrence Smith, patented 6,300 acres on Rappahannock. 

• His son, Col. John Taliaferro, married Sarah Smith, daughter of Lawrence Smith. 

• Issue: Lawrence Taliaferro, married Sarah Thornton, and was the father of William Thornton of King and Queen, grandfather of Philip Taliaferro of "Hockley."

Sarah GRYMES, b. 1624 in Of Brandon [then part of Gloucester County, now Middlesex] VA. 
She d. 1687 in Rappahannock, Virginia. Sarah married Robert TALIAFERRO.

Notes for Sarah Grymes: 

Robert and Sarah Taliaferro had the following children:

John "The Ranger" TALIAFERRO was b. 1656, Essex, VA. He died on 21 Jun 1720 in Gloucester, Va. 
John married Sarah SMITH calculated 1680, Essex, Va.

We find a number of large land grants recorded in the State Land Registry office, beginning with one to Robert Taliaferro (father of John) and Lawrence Smith jointly, of 6,300 acres of land in Rappahannock County, Virginia, on 26 May 1661 [Book No. 5, p. 597].

Notes for John "The Ranger" Taliaferro:

• Lieutenant, County Militia-Rangers, James City, VA 13 Jan 1692

• Sheriff, Essex County, 1699

• Member of the House of Burgesses for Essex County 17 Apr 1699.

• Justice of Essex Co., VA 8 Jul 1702, along with Francis Taliaferro [probably his uncle].

• Quit Rent Rolls of 1704: has 2,000 acres in Essex Co., Va. Also listed in Essex Co. are Francis and Charles

• Called the Ranger; Colonel in the Caroline Company of Rangers

• His Will dated 1 June 1715 in Essex Co., VA; proved 21 Jun 1720, Essex Co., VA. [Will Book 3, page 157]

Notes for Sarah Smith Taliaferro:

• Born in Gloucester Co., VA

• On August 9, 1692, John Smith, of Ware Parish, Gloucester County, made a deed to John Taliaferro, of St. Mary's Parish, Essex County, for 200 acres of land, "the one half moiety of the land taken up by Charles Grymes, dec'd, November 22, 1661, and bequeathed by him to Mary Dedman (Sarah's mother). (Essex County records, Book I, p. 40.)

• Daughter of Lawrence Smith and Mary Dedman

• Died in Essex Co., VA

Other marriages:

CONWAY, Francis

John and Sarah Taliaferro had the following children:

Notes for Col. Francis Thornton, Jr.

• Born in Stafford County, VA

• Settled at Snow Creek, near the present Fredericksburg about 1703. Snow Creek flows into the Rappahannock River a short distance below Fredericksburg. When John Taliaferro and Francis Thornton settled there, that section belonged to Essex Co. and they were near neighbors and brothers-in-law. The act creating Spotsylvania Co. in 1720 specified Snow Creek as its Southern boundary. This put John Taliaferro into the new county and left Francis Thornton in the old.

• There is a recorded deed in Essex County, dated Mar 1703/04 from Francis Thornton of Stafford conveying to Francis Thornton, Jr., then of Essex Co., VA, a tract of about 700 acres at Snow Creek. Snow Creek was in Essex County and then part of it was in Spotsylvania County when it was formed.

• First Justice in Caroline County.

• Justice of Essex County

• Burgess for Spotsylvania 1723-1726

• Lt. Col. of His Majesty's Militia in Spotsylvania Co., Virginia

• Three of their sons married Gregory sisters; his son Francis built Fall Hill in Fredericksburg, Va.

• Died at Snow Creek, Essex Co., Virginia

Near the Thornton cemetery in Kenmore is a road sign erected by the Virginia Conservation Commission which reads as follows: “Fall Hill - on the heights one mile to the west, the home of the Thornton family from about 1736. Francis Thornton 2nd was a Justice, a Burgess 1744-45 and Lieut. Col., of his Majesty’s Militia for Spotsylvania Co. He and two of his brothers three Gregory sisters, {Note: the sign is obviously referring to Francis Thornton, III and not the II], first cousins of George Washington. Fall Hill was still owned and occupied in 1997 by direct Thornton descendants.” [Note: Mrs. Lynn W. Franklin, Sr., still lived there as of 1997]. On the way up to Fall Hill, one finds a large old water-worn stone called the “Indian Punch Bowl” and it’s seated on the banks of the Rappahannock River. It was originally carved into the rocks by Indians who used it to brew their poison for the tip of their arrows. Francis Thornton, II found the bowl, cleaned it out and served tasty punch in it during his river parties. The date he carved (1720) and the initials of his guests can still be seen today! There he held a fish fry for his friends every year for forty years.

Notes for Mary Taliaferro:

• Born at Powhatan Plantation, St. Mary's Parish, Essex Co., Virginia

• Daughter of John "the Ranger" Taliaferro and Sarah Smith

• Died at Snow Creek, Essex Co., Virginia

Francis and Mary Thornton had the following children:

[i] Francis THORNTON III was born on 7 Apr 1714 in Essex, Virginia. He died on 11 Nov 1748.
 Francis married Frances GREGORY on 3 Sep 1736 in Spotsylvania, Virginia.  Francis Thornton, III Col., b. 7 Apr 1714, Snow Creek, Essex Co., VA, d. 7 Apr 1749, Fall Hill, Spotsylvania Co., VA, m. 3 Sep 1736, Frances Gregory b. ca. 1720, Spotsylvania Co., VA, d. 22 Jan 1790, Fall Hill, Spotsylvania Co., VA, (daughter of Col. Roger and Mildred (Washington) Gregory). Francis played an important part in county affairs, serving as vestryman, member of the House of Burgesses and Colonel of the Militia. His will was written 11 Nov 1748, proved 5 Sep 1749, Spotsylvania Co., VA. In Francis Thornton’s will, his son William was bequeathed all lands at the Great Mountains in Orange County, being about 2,600 acres. 

Frances GREGORY was born 7 Apr 1714 in Spotsylvania, Virginia. 
She married Francis THORNTON III on 3 Sep 1736 in Spotsylvania, Virginia.

Francis and Frances Thornton had the following children:

[i] See Col. John Thornton, below...

[vii] William Thornton, Col., b. 22 Nov 1742, Fall Hill, Spotsylvania Co., VA, d. 22 May 1818, Montpelier, Rappahannock Co., VA, m. 11 May 1775, Chantilly, King George Co., VA, to Martha Alexander Stuart, b. 10 Oct 1754, St. Paul’s Parish, d. 1812, Montpelier, Rappahannock Co., VA, (daughter of John and Frances (Alexander) Stuart). William’s will was proved 17 Aug 1818, Culpepper Co., VA, 

Lawrence WASHINGTON  was born Sep 1659 in Bridge Creek, Westmoreland, Virginia.  
He was christened in 1697.  He was the 9th great-grand uncle Of Shannon Gentry. 
He died on 30 Mar 1699 in Bridge Creek, Westmoreland, Virginia. 
Lawrence married Mildred WARNER in 1690 in [probably] Warner Hall, Gloucester Co, Virginia.

Mildred WARNER was born in 1671 in Warner Hall in Fredericksburg, Gloucester Co. Virginia. 
She was christened on 26 Mar 1701 in Buried Whitehaven, Cumberland, Virginia. 
She d. 26 Mar 1701 in Whitehaven, Cumbria Co., England; buried 26 Mar 1701 in Whitehaven, Cumberland, Va.
Mildred married Lawrence WASHINGTON in 1690 in [probably] Warner Hall, Gloucester Co, Virginia. Mildred was the daughter of Col. Augustine Warner and Mildred Reade.

Lawrence and Mildred Washington had the following children:

 [ii] Capt. Augustine WASHINGTON was born in 1693/1694 in Bridge's Creek, Westmoreland, Virginia. 
He died on 12 Apr 1743 in Ferry Farm, King George, Virginia and was buried in 1743 in Virginia. 
Augustine married (1) Mary BALL on 6 Mar 1731 in Epping Forest, Lancaster, Virginia, North America; (2) married Anne AYLETT, b. 1726, d. 1773, Virginia.

Mary BALL was born in 1708/1709 in Of Epping Forest, Lancaster, Virginia.
 She died on 25 Aug 1789 in Mount Vernon, Fairfax, Virginia and buried Aug 1789 Mount Vernon, Virginia.
 Mary married Capt. Augustine WASHINGTON on 6 Mar 1731 in Epping Forest, Lancaster, Virginia.  

Augustine also married (2) Anne AYLETT, b. 1726, d. 1773, Virginia, North America

Augustine and Mary Washington had the following children:

Capt. Augustine WASHINGTON also married Anne AYLETT, b. 1726, d. 1773, Virginia, North America.   

Augustine and Anne Aylett had the following child:
Jane Augusta WASHINGTON, b. after 1726, d. 1833 who married (Col.) John THORNTON. 

(Col.) John THORNTON was born about 1739 in Spotsylvania, Virginia. He died in 1822.  

Roger GREGORY was born in 1690 in King & Queen, Va. He died in 1731 in Virginia. 
Roger married Mildred WASHINGTON.

Mildred WASHINGTON was born in 1696 in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Va. She died on 5 Sep 1747 in Va. 
Mildred married Roger GREGORY.

Other marriages:

WILLIS, Henry (Harry)

Roger and Mildred Gregory had the following children:

Francis and Francis Thornton had the following children:

   (Col.) John THORNTON was born about 1739 in Spotsylvania, Virginia. He died in 1822. 
He married Jane Augusta WASHINGTON, b. after 1726, d. 1833.

They had the following child: Nancy Augusta THORNTON T, b. 1763, d. 1843.

Nancy Augusta THORNTON , b. 1763, d. 1848, married Hugh Rogers, b. 1741, d. 1800.  Hugh and Nancy led very colorful lives, as those before them did, and those who came after.