Genealogy of John Menefee & Mary James
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GENEALOGY of the JOHN MENEFEE and MARY JAMES FAMILY in AMERICA or THE DESCENDENTS of JOHN MENEFEE who died in September or October 176f> in Culpeper Co. Va. By FERDINAND NORTHRUP MENEFEE with acknowledgement and sincere appreciation of extensive and prolonged help and research by Mr. & Mrs. Bill John Douglass and CDR. F.W.Mcintosh, M.S.C., U.S.N. Ret. A quotation favored by many genealogists is: "He who takes no interest in the history of his ancestors does not deserve to be remembered by posterity'.' Copyright (g) 1971 by Ferdinand Northrup Menefee PREFACE For many years a group of Menefee descendents have been working on the history of the Menefee family. They get no pay. They pay for their postage and stationary and typing. To America in the year Name 1622 George born in England 1625 Henry ,, 1639 William ,, I6I1I Charles ,, 1680 John of Spotsylvania; born about 1680. Location unknown. The first four names given above were in Jamestown on the dates shown. These researchers have found that the first Menefee who came to America was George Menefee. He came on the ship Samuel in December 1622 or July 1623 from Devon,England. He became a prosperous busi nessman, a lawyer, a member of the house of Burgeses and a colonizer. They have found that the origin of the name Menefee is not known definitely but may have, been DeMineville (French). They have given each Menefee or other person a number following the name. Though not necessarily descendents of John Menefee(1) and Mary (5), mention will be made of a few Menefees whose names show up in Virginia records following George and preceding John(l) Though the spelling of the name Menefee varies, ( a common occurance ) we will in this genealogy use the most prevalent version, Menefee. We find the name spelled Minifie, Manefee, Menefye,Manaphee and Manafield. Following George, we find a Henry Menefee testified in 1625 in Jamestown at the hearing on the release of Anthony West from inden ture. No further reference is found of this Henry. The record indicates that a William came in 1639, a Charles in I6I4.I, a John Menefield was in New Kent Co. in. 17&J., another or the same Menefee was in King George Co. in 1721-3. A Samuel Menefee got into the record by having his property processioned (surveyed) in llk-7 in Augusta Parish. That these Menefees dropped from sight is an indication of the uncertainty of life in early Virginia. There was sickness and there were relatively few doctors. George died in Jamestown in I61i5. The next Menefee of record was John Menefield of New Kent Co. in I70I4. mentioned above. These Menefees were followed by I4. brothers who were born in the late l600's or early 1700's all of which seems to lay a good claim that the Menefees were FFV if any one is interested. These I4 brothers were John d.1765, Jonas d.1783, William d.1797 and Gerrard d.l8ll Before going on to the John Menefee story, a little Menefee- Virginia back ground might be of interest where it involved Menefees, for Instance from William & Mary Quarterly 2 Vol. p.3, we find. George Ludlow obtained a patent July 26,l61i.6 (the year follow ing George Menefee's death) for lli52 acres lyeing%n York Co.( in which York town is located). Begining at the mouth of Wormley's Creek and from thence running up the river 555 poles unto certain marked trees etc., 600 acres and 750 acres called "York Plantation" purchased from George Menifee,Esq. unto whom the same was mortgaged by Sir.John Harvey. Again from William & Mary Quarterly I4. Vol.p.l5l|-. There are certain persons who believe the Byrd family had a Crown Grant title to land (Buckland) along the James River where George lived, but Colonel Byrd bought 200 acres of Mr.James Mingo x^hich was at one time part of the estate of George Menefee of Buckland adjoining. Comment by the Compiler:- George undoubtedly had the Crown Crant to this land by reason of his importation of colonists. A large brick mansion on this James River property, once owned by the Crane family of Chicago still stands, and on part of the property there is an old cemetery with one or two Byrd grave markers,none for the Menefees, but it is highly probable that George was buried there. If not he was probably burled in a some what now abandoned Church-yard, a short distance down the river. By way of introducing the Descendents of John Menefee(l) and Mary James(5) we will cite a few real estate transactions which took place in the 1700's containing names that will appear frequently in the body of the genealogy,such as the following: Culpeper Co.,Va. Records Deed Book R, page 619,23 Nov.1793, Hay Battailie of Co. of Caroline, State of Va.to Henry Menefee(22) of Co. of Culpeper,80 acfces of land. Witnesses: Joseph Strother, Anthony Hughes, William Yates, Thomas Hughes, Larkin Menefee. Compiler's note: Joseph Strother (2lj.) could have been the husband of Ann Stuart(25), and they could have been the parents of Mary Wade Strother(27) wife of William Menefee(26). Anthony and Thomas Hughes may have been brothers of Elizabeth Hughes (29) wife of John Menefee(28). Larkin Menefee could have been the son of Jonas(2) and Elizabeth(2a) or of Gerrard(3) and Agnes(3a). See location of Hughes River at bottom of Rappahannock Co. map. Deed Book TJ or V, page Ijlk, 21 Oct.1799. John Strother of Cul peper Co.,Va. to Henry Menefee(son of John Menefee(1) of same place, a tract of land on north-west side of Pignut Ridge containing •M- using spelling as in the record ii 93 acres west of Washington and Sperryville, Va. Compiler's note:- In 1799 Culpeper Co. took in what is now Rappahannock Co. The change took place In 1833. Pignut or Pikeral Ridge is still Pignut or Pikeral Ridge and can be seen a few miles west of Washington,Va. in the Blue Ridge mountains and Shenandoah National Park. Deed Book D.D. p.Ii2, April 1810. Hay Battailie and Ann his wife of Co. of Caroline, state of Va., to Henry Menefee of county of Cul peper on Firth River*and Rush River, two tracts of land,first tract containing 1227 acres and the second containing 190 acres. Witnesses:- Byrd C.Willis, John Battailie, William G.Sears, Carter L.Stevenson, William A.Gregory, Garret Minor and John W.Green. Compiler's note: Rush River source is a mile or two west of Washing ton, Va. See Rappahannock Co. map Deed or record of purchase between John Rogers and John Menefee Jr.(10), 17 Oct.1765. Compiler's note: John Rogers may have been related to Henry Rogers,deceased husband of Elizabeth, sister to John Menefee(1). John Rogers of Fauquire Co.,Va. for 26 pounds, 38O acres In the Fork of South Rush River. Note by Compiler: This John Jr. was undoubtedly the son of John Menefee(l) who died in the fall of 1765. John,Jr. was born In 1729, married Mildred Johnston (11). He was called Jr. while his father John(l) was living, but not John, Jr. when he sold land to John Atwood in 1793• Herewith follows a few brief Spotsylvania Co. records beginning in 1721. After l833>these Spotsylvania Records would be Rappahannock Co. records. Deed Book D. page 182 17l\2-17$l, May 1,1750. Robert True of Spotsylvania sold property. Witnesses: Philip Vincent Vase, Robert Dudley, John Menefee. Deed Book E. 1751-1765, p.195 March 2,175ii., Thomas Poole sold property in St.George Parish. Witnesses: Mathew Gayle, John Menefee, Philip Vincent Vase. Deed Book G. 1766-1771, Feb.5,1762, p.253. Benjamin Grymes and Elizabeth,his wife sold property. Witnesses: Jos.Jones, Ben Gwinn, William Menefee. Compiler's note: These deeds and records illustrate the complexity of attempting to unravel contractual relations in the 1700's from what remains of the records In county court and Parish houses.