Source Text:
25. THOMAS POINDEXTER27 was born about 1664 in Middle Plantation, New Kent County, Virginia.20,28,29 He died before 1707 at the age of 43 in New Kent County, Virginia.2,28
There is no definite proof for Thomas being the son of George Poindexter. He is sometimes claimed to be son of George II. Circumstantial evidence to the contrary exists and I cannot in good conscience place him as a son of George II. His first three daughters were baptized at St. Peter's; Susanna some 10 years before two of the children of George Poindexter II. Other factors indicate he was some older than usually cited.
I believe many of the "guesstimates" of the ages of the early Poindexters have clouded the research on the family. I also believe it is quite possible that the first George had more than one wife and children by each. Since Susanna has never been truly identified, she could have been a younger second wife. The second George also seems to have married quite late and, if so, Thomas could have been from an earlier marriage of the second George.
John Poindexter Landers, POINGDESTRE-POINDEXTER: A NORMAN FAMILY THROUGH THE AGES 1250-1977, believed that Thomas was a grandson of the immigrant George and not a son. That Thomas was a son of the second George. The Poindexter Association has chosen to accept his theory as the correct lineage since they have been unable to dispute his conclusions. Other errors made by Landers make me highly skeptical concerning his conclusions. It is my opinion that Thomas was a bit too old to have been a grandson of George for the reasons cited above and following, but again the reasoning is based somewhat on inconclusive dates.
Thomas may have been born several years earlier than the usually cited date of 1675 [I have even seen a birth as late as 1685] which in turn may have led to the "grandson" premise. I think a year of 1675 was probably someone's long ago estimate. His wife's father gave her land in 1691, likely in anticipation of a pending marriage. This alone would suggest her husband was born some years before 1675. Since men often married at about age 25 in this time period, Thomas could have easily been born as early as the mid 1660's, or some 15 years earlier than cited. In fact, Frances H. Casstevens, genealogist of Yadkin Co NC and the wife of a Poindexter descendant, in her self-published book, The Poindexter Family, Ancestry & Descendants of Thomas Poindexter of Surry (Yadkin) County North Carolina, 1992, p. 9, suggests a date of birth as 1664 which I have chosen to use here.
Middle Plantation in VA was the location of Williamsburg.
The quit rent rolls for New Kent Co in 1702 show that Thomas Poindexter owned 1000 acres. This would be a lot of land for a man only 27 years old - not so much for a man near age 40.
There exists a remote possibility that Thomas was a nephew of George rather than a son. George's brother Jacob had a son Thomas baptized in 1654 in Jersey. However, this son Thomas was not part of the gift George made to the children of Jacob in 1675, when he visited the Isle of Jersey, so that Thomas may have died as a child. It's also possible that Thomas's gift was transport to America.
In a family that used the same given names over and over, it is noted that Thomas did not name a son either George or Jacob. His eldest son was John. It is not impossible that he was a son of the first George's son John - again the age of that John has been guesstimated and I have found at least one record indicating he may have been older than the guess. There is also a record that this John may have returned to England ca 1686 and nothing further seems to be known about him. Thomas & Sarah did name a daughter Susanna - the name of the first George's wife. Thomas did name children after himself and his wife Sarah. He also named a daughter Elizabeth - the name of the first George's mother.
THOMAS POINDEXTER and SARAH CRAWFORD were married about 1695 in New Kent County, Virginia.28 SARAH CRAWFORD29,30,31, daughter of DAVID CRAWFORD and JANE [CRAWFORD], was born on 12 May 1666 in Henrico County, Virginia.2 She died in 1753 at the age of 87 in Louisa County, Virginia.15
It is said that in 1691, Sarah Crawford received land from her father David, quite likely in consideration of her marriage to Thomas Poindexter. This places the marriage as somewhat earlier than the 1695 date usually listed.
I do not have the reference source for the following other than the book written by John P. Landers:
6 Mar 1765 Thos. Poindexter gave deposition and stated he was then age 60 years. He said he had nothing to gain or lose. He stated that Thomas Poindexter [his father] had married Sarah Crafford, daughter of David Crafford of New Kent Co. VA. David Crafford had deeded 500 acres to his daughter Sarah on 21 May 1691. She had later intermarried with James Brechin.
Note: the gift of 500 acres was not a bequest from a Will - David Crawford left records for several years after 1691.
Louisa Co VA Will Book 1, p.27, 27 Mar 1753. Will of Sarah Brechin mentions all nine children including the four by her second husband James Brechin. Son-in-law John Snead is executor.
p.6 WB 1, p.26 Will of Sarah Brechin. Dated __ Jun 1752. Recorded 23 Mar 1753. 9 Children: Thomas Poindexter, William Brechin, _[James]___ Brechin, Susana Snead, Elizabeth Shrooberry, Sarah __[Rice]___, __[Ann]____Reatherford, Jean Ireland.
Exrs: Son Thomas Poindexter & son-in-law John Snead
Signed: Sarah Brechin (X)
Wit: Charles Parrot, John Lose, Samuel Lose
The following said to be a full transcript; dates differ slightly:
Last Will & Testament of Sarah Brechin Signed ___ June 1751; Proved 23 March 1753 [Note: The clerk did not indicate on what date the will was recorded. The outer edges of the pages have broken off, and along with them went the number of the day in June on which the will was signed. In this transcription, portions of the original record which were on the now missing edges of the pages are indicated with bracketed ellipsis points, I.e., "[...]". When enough of a word or phrase remains to be fairly sure of what letters are missing, the missing letters are placed in brackets.]
Louisa County, Virginia, Will Book 1 (1745-1761), left-hand page of folio 27:
In the name of God Amen I Sarah Brechin of [t]he County of Louisa being sick and weak in body but of perfect Sence and [m]Emory blessed Be the Almighty God fore it, and considering the [U]nsartenty of Life and that it is appointed once for all to Die Do consti-[t]Ute and Ordain this my Last Will and Testament revoaking and Disannuling all and every other Will and Wills whatsoever here- [t]ofore made by me, and I Do Declare this only to be my Last will [an]d Testament in manner and form following Imprim's first and [pr]incapally I give my Soul into the hands of Almighty God that gave [it] me hopeing assuredly through the Meritorious Dethe and Passion [of ou]R Blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ to Receive free Pardon and [the] Remission of all my Sins, Secondly I commit my body to the
[right-hand page of folio 27]
Ground to Buried in a Cristian Decent manner according to [...] of my frinds, and as to what estate it hath pleased the Almighty [...] me with be the Same raial or personal, or in what nature or [...what-] Soever I give and bequeath in manner and form following It[em I give and] Bequeath my fieve negros By name Bender, Dinah, Duk[e, ...and] Nell to be equilly Devided between my Nine Children [...] John Poindexter, Thomas Poindexter, William Brechi[n, ...] Brechin, Susana Snead, Elisabeth Shrosberry, Sarah R[...] Reatherford and [J?]oan [I?]rland to them and their heirs or [assigns for-] ever, Item further Give and bequeeth to my aforesaid Nin[e Children] all my hole and Sole right and Title to all the negros that [...] property in which was of my fathers Estate Descending to m[e...] to them and their heirs and assigns for ever, that is to say, m[y...] Desire is that my Loving Daughter Susana Snead shall [...] Young Negro to her Self before the Devision made and afte[R...] Rest to be equally devided amongst them all Item I give [...] William Brechin my bed and furniture Item my Will [...] that all my Wairing Cloths shall be Equly Devided amongst [...] Daughters Lastly I Do apoint my Son Thomas Poindexter [...] Son John Snead hole and Sole Executors of this my Last W[ill and Testam-]ent In Witness hereof I have hereunto Set my hand and [seal this ___ ] Day of June in the year of our Lord Christ One thousand Seven [Hundred and] fifty one his her Charles C Parrot Sarah S Brec[hin (Seal)] mark mark [J or I]on. I [L?]ose Samel [L?]ose
At a Court held for Louisa County on Tuesday the XXiii [Day of] March MDCCLiii This Will was this Day Proved in open Court by the Oath of Charle[S Parrot one] of the Witnesses thereto, & by the Court admitted to Record and [recorded.] Teste Jas. Littlepage Cl[...]
Note: The second witness may have signed with a mark, but the clerk did not indicate as such. The "I" between his first and last names looks like a printed capital "I" with a short horizontal line drawn across the vertical stroke at the midpoint--somewhat like some people write the number "7" with a short horizontal stroke intersecting the vertical part of the figure. The first letter of that witness's given name could be a "J" or an "I". [My note: This is a description of an initial I have often seen for the letter J made by those who could not sign their name.] The similarity of those two letters also left me guessing whether one child's name was Joan Irland. In this clerk's handwriting, the capital letters "J" and "I" are virtually the same. The first letters of the surnames of the second and third witnesses could be "L" or "B", since one of the three ways this clerk wrote a "B" was virtually the same as one of the ways he wrote an "L". The clerk also wrote a capital "H" so that it looked the same as the "Lo" or "Bo" in those witnesses' surnames, but "Hse" doesn't seem to be a possible spelling of their names. The surname of the daughter named Elisabeth is probably meant to be the same as Shrewsberry or Shrewsbury.]
THOMAS POINDEXTER and SARAH CRAWFORD had the following children:
+38
i.
John POINDEXTER.
+39
ii.
Susanna POINDEXTER.
+40
iii.
Elizabeth POINDEXTER.
+41
iv.
Sarah POINDEXTER.
+42
v.
THOMAS POINDEXTER.
Source Facts:
birth, children, death, gender, location, marriage, name, occupation
