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| Rebecca Bailey
(1760??-1830+), wife of James, the
first Broyhill |
In his Revolutionary War Pension
Request, James Broyhill stated he married Rebecca Bailey in Halifax
County, Virginia. Halifax's marriage records show that Rebecca Bailey
and James Bray were married on Sept. 19, 1785, by Rev. Thomas Dodson.
The marriage bond states that she is the daughter of Joseph Bailey. As
James often went by the name Bray, this is almost certainly his marriage
to Rebecca.
Joseph Bailey appears on
the 1783 tax list of Halifax County as having eight white souls in his
household, but then disappears from the records. He does not
appear in the county deed book indexes as either grantor or grantee. The
only Baileys to appear in them over the next two decades are James,
Thomas and John Bailey Jr. Apparently Joseph moved on, either west into
Tennessee or Kentucky, or south into the Carolinas, Georgia or Alabama.
Thomas Bailey was a
Revolutionary War soldier. In his pension request (No. S.6578), he
stated that he was born April 8, 1761 in Fairfax Co. Va. and moved to
Loudoun County when three years old. He lived there one year after the
close of the Revolutionary War and then moved to Halifax County. He was
still living in Halifax County when he filed the request on Nov. 21,
1832.
Louise Hutchinson is a professional researcher
living in Leesburg, Virginia, Loudoun County seat. In 1987, she wrote,
"by checking the tithable lists [for Loudoun County], I found two
Joseph Bayleys. Not all the years have a complete list but Joseph Bayley
appeared in 1765, 1770, 1771, 1772, 1773, 1775 and 1776, each year with
a single tithable. In 1778 he appeared with two, Tho. Bayley being
listed with him. In 1779 the second one in his household is listed as
Thos. Bayley. In 1781, 1782 and 1783 the name Thomas is spelled out.
Neither appears in 1784 or 1785. There were no clues to the Joseph
Bayley here 1765-1783 in any of the deeds. Some Bayleys witnessing deeds
were Daniel, James, Joseph and John. There are numerous listing for
members of the family of William Bayley of Colchester, particularly to
Pierce."
This fairly well proves that the Rebecca Bailey
who married James Bray (Broyhill) was the sister of Thomas Bailey of
Halifax County, and that their father Joseph Bailey had moved to Halifax
County around 1783. But where did Joseph come from?
Loudoun County was formed from Fairfax County
in 1757. A review of deeds and court orders from both counties reveal
numerous references to members of the family of William Bayley. In a May
17, 1756 Fairfax County Indenture between Peter Wagner, John Barry and
Edward Washington, Gent, directors and trustees of the town of
Colchester in the county of Fairfax, and William Bayly, William is
identified as being from the parish of Dettingen in the county of Prince
William. In a March 12, 1757, Fairfax Indenture, he is identified as
being of Truro Parish in the county of Fairfax. William Bayly's will was
proved in May of 1782 in Fairfax County. In it, he names his sons Pierce
Bayly, William Bayly, Samuel Bayly, Joseph Bayly, Mountjoy Bayly, Tapley
Bayly and Robert Bayly.
Ms. Hutchinson was correct about there being
two Joseph Baileys in Loudoun County. As we have seen, one of them moved
to Halifax County around 1782. The other died in Loudoun County. His
will was proved July 13, 1789, and names his wife as Elizabeth, devises
land in Maryland to William and Robert Bayley, sons of his brother
William, and mentions brothers William and Pierce Bayley. Obviously the
Joseph Bailey who died in Loudoun County was the son of William Bayley
of Colchester in Fairfax, so who was the other Joseph Bailey? Was he a
son of one of the other Bailey boys did he come from somewhere else? |
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