William Edzard was the youngest child of James Edzard Sr. with
his second wife Margaret “Peggy” (unknown surname, possibly Saffery). He does not appear in Revolutionary War
records and therefore was probably born between 1760 and 1764, possibly even as
late as 1765. He was likely born in
Stafford County or King George County (his father’s inventory was administered
in King George County in 1764). Father
James Edzard Sr. died about 1764 and so he would have had no recollection of
his father. He was instead raised by his
mother and his court appointed guardian, James Saffery (Saffarly from records;
Virginia General Assembly record, 1789).
William Edzard’s older brother James Edzard Jr. was probably
not a part of his early life. Brother
James Edzard Jr. grew up with his mother’s family in Culpeper County,
Virginia. Later, his brother James
Edzard Jr. was a sergeant in a Revolutionary War company recruited from
Culpeper County. He was a part of the 11th
Virginia Regiment and had a successful, but short, career as a soldier. On 4
February 1778, James Edzard Jr. died at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He died intestate and with no male issue
(Virginia General Assembly record, 1789 states he left no issue capable of
inheriting land, 1790 record claims no issue). Sometime during or after the war, William
Edzard came to live in Culpeper County. On 30 December 1785, William Edzard married
Martha Lightfoot in Culpeper County (Culpeper County VA marriage records). The Lightfoot family was well-to-do in
Culpeper County. Martha Lightfoot was born
4 November 1766 in Culpeper County and was the daughter of Goodrich Lightfoot
and Susanna Slaughter.
William Edzard remained in Culpeper County wherehe was taxed
repeatedly. For example in 1787, William
Edzard was taxed in Culpeper County on 0 white males 16 to 21, 2 blacks greater
than 16, 2 blacks less than 16, 3 horses, and 12 cattle. And in 1789, William Edzard was taxed in
Culpeper County though no specifics regarding tithables or taxable assets have
been seen (22 March 1789).
Eleven years after the death of brother James Edzard Jr. in
1778, William Edzard brought a suit to the Virginia Assembly for a ruling
regarding his brother’s estate (26 October 1789; the suit states that James
Edzard Jr. died in 1778 but this is incorrect).
This suit was initiated four years after James Edzard Jr.’s death. On 1 December 1789, a committee reviewed the
petition and stated that the previous Virginia law prohibited William Edzard
from inheriting his brother’s land. They
also stated that the land had been escheated (law transferring property from an
individual who died without heirs to the state) to Virginia. The committee reported that suit was
“reasonable” and would go the Virginia Assembly for final review. The Virginia General Assembly issued a
verdict on William Edzard’s suit regarding the assets of James Edzard Jr.’s
estate (10 December 1789; after three reviews in the two previous days). The verdict reported that James Edzard Jr.
“was in his lifetime (given) two tracts of land lying in the counties of
Stafford and Orange, which descended to him as heir at law of this father James
Edzard (Sr.) who died intestate.” The
verdict further stated that William Edzard was the closest male relative,
though only “half blood.” And, William
Edzard was awarded the land of his half-brother James Edzard Jr. (the escheat
was released from Virginia to Edzard). The
record also mentions that the widow of James Edzard Sr. (Peggy Edzard) was
still alive.
The following year in 1790, William Edzard brought a suit
against Daniel Grinnan, the guardian of James Edzard Jr. (District Court Records, City of
Fredericksburg, 1790, CR-CV-V, 673-131).
I have not seen the original record but an unclear abstract reveals
confusing information. For example, the
record stated William Edzard was represented by his guardian (James
Saffarly/Saffery) even though William Edzard was already married with
children. Also the record stated that James
Edzard Sr. died in 1785 which certainly was an error – James Edzard Sr. died in
1764 (assumed from year of probate in 1764).
This suit was probably connected to the Virginia General Assembly ruling
and probably had something to do with Daniel Grinnan’s reluctance to give up
James Edzard Jr.’s land.
On 22 March 1791, William Edzard was again taxed in Culpeper
County. He was taxed on 1 white tithable
(which was himself), 4 blacks above 16, 1 black 12 to 16, and 3 horses. There would not be many years of taxation
after 1791. By 1795, William Edzard was
dead. He was probably between 30 and
35. He left a wife Martha Edzard and
four young daughters – Margaret “Peggy” (born circa 1786), Susanna “Susan”
Edzard (born 1789), Nancy Lightfoot Edzard (born 1790), and Mary “Polly” Edzard
(born circa 1795).
William Edzard appears to have died intestate. His widow Martha Edzard handled the
administration of his estate. She was
the defendant in a suit filed by Haywood in 1795 Culpeper County court
(probably in connection to a debt owed by the William Edzard estate). Records of the William Edzard estate are
found in Culpeper County in 1798 (probate records) and then in May 1802 and 17
September 1806 (Franklin County, Kentucky probate records). A guardian report for William Edzard
(probably for his young daughters) was also found in the Franklin County,
Kentucky records.
Records appeared in Franklin County, Kentucky because William Edzard’s
widow Martha remarried on 15 March 1796 to George Jordan in Franklin County,
Kentucky. Martha lived in Kentucky until
her death in Anderson County, Kentucky on 8 April 1842. She gave William Edzard’s daughters six
additional half siblings.
The children of
William Edzard and Martha Lightfoot:
·
Margaret “Peggy” Edzard, born about 1786 Culpeper County, Virginia,
married 15 December 1806 Franklin County, Kentucky to Benjamin Price, may have
been in Pike County, Kentucky by 1830 (not Bracken or Harrison).
·
Susannah “Susan” Edzard, born 17 May 1789 Culpeper County, Virginia,
married 15 August 1807 Franklin County, Kentucky (or 3 September 1807 Woodford
County, Kentucky) to James Sublett, at Oldham County, Kentucky 1830, at
Clinton, Hickman County, Kentucky in 1840, died 9 June 1860 Hickman County,
Kentucky
·
Nancy “Anna” Lightfoot Edzard, born 19 September 1790 Culpeper County,
Virginia, married 1 August 1809 Franklin County, Kentucky John Finnie, at
Woodford County, Kentucky 1810, at Union County, Kentucky 1820, at Randolph
County, Kentucky 1860, died 31 March 1866 Randolph County, Kentucky
·
Mary “Polly” Edzard, born about 1795 Culpeper County, Virginia,
married 5 April 1815 Franklin County, Kentucky William White Penny, may have
been in Nelson County, Kentucky 1830, at Anderson County, Kentucky 1840, died
1840 to 1850 Anderson County, Kentucky
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