Descendants of John Chilton (died 1767)
The following has been found:
On 19 June 1754 as a resident of Cameron Parish, Fairfax County, he leased from Lewis Ellzey tract of 159 acres on the west side of Metockton Mountain for the lives of himself, his wife Martha and son William.(1) This land subsequently fell into Loudoun County. He died in Frederick Co., Md., in 1767. The inventory of his estate, made 26 May 1767 and showing a valuation of 87.0.6, was returned to Court by William Chilton and Martha Chilton, his administrators. James Chilton and Sarah Chilton signed the inventory as nearest of kin.(2) Martha Shelton, acting administrator, returned a list of debts due the estate on 1 Sept. 1768(3) and rendered an accounting at the same time.(4) The estate was distributed to the widow and seven children who are not named in the distribution record.(5) His widow subsequently returned to Loudoun Co., Va., where she made her will on 20 Sept. 1772. She gave personalty to her eldest daughter Sarah Chilton, sons Thomas and Mark Chilton, youngest daughter Nancy Chilton, daughter-in-law Ann Chilton wife of her son James Chilton, and grandson John Chilton son of James. She gave to her son Mark Chilton the leased plantation where Frances Clerk lived and directed that the plantation on which she lived should be valued and that one of her four single children, Sarah, Thomas, Mark and Nancy, who chose to live there should pay to the other three their equal parts. Her son James Chilton was named executor. The will was proved 1 Oct. 1772. 1 An inventory of her estate was made 11 Dec. 1772 and showed a valuation of 57.3.7.(6) An additional inventory valued at 57.0.1 was made 23 April 1773.(7) Their seven children were:
a Sarah. An accounting of her estate, showing payments as early as 1 March 1787, was returned 12 Oct. 1789. Henry Brewer was administrator.(8)
b James, born ca.1740. He married Ann ---- , born ca.1748,and at the time of the 1776 census had children Sary, John, Jesse and James.(9) He took the oath of fidelity in Montgomery Co., Md., in 1778.(10)
c William, born ca.1752.(11) It was probably he who died in 1780. On 9 Oct. 1780 Catharine Chelton(12) qualified as administratrix of William Chelton and an inventory of the estate was returned 10 Sept. 1781 owing a valuation of 266.10.0 and 148.4.0.(13)
d Thomas born ca.1752. He married Suffiah --- born c 1756.(14) He took the oath of fidelity in Montgomery Co., Md., in 1778.(15) He is probably the Thomas Chilton who on 12 Sept. 1777 was commissioned ensign in the upper Battalion of Montgomery County and on 4 Aug. 1780 was second lieutenant of Capt. Archibald Allen's Company of the Upper Battalion.(16)
e Mark, born ca.1754.(17) He took the oath of fidelity in Montgomery Co., Md., in 1778.(18)
f Nancy
g ----.
-John Frederick Dorman, The Chilton Families of Virginia and Maryland, Vol 15, # 1, 1971, p. 35-37.
His widow later returned to Loudoun Co., Va. where she is noted in the records for 1771. The tithable list of James Coleman, Cameron Parish shows Sturman Chilton, Thomas Chilton and John Chilton as tithable persons over 16 yrs of age at one location and Marthy Chilton, tithe at another location.(19)
Martha made her will on 20 Sept. 1772 and named her children. It was proved 1 Oct. 1772 in Loudoun county.(20)
IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN; I, Martha Chilton Widow of Cameron Parish, Loudoun County Virginia having at this time my Perfect reason & Memory Praised by good for it do make & ordain this Present Writing to be my last Will and Testament and Manner & form as followeth first- I bequeath my Soul into the hands of Almighty God, who gave it one hoping at the Day of Resurrection through the Merits of my Blessed Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ to receive it again and my Body I bequeath to the Earth to be Decently Buried at the Discretion of my Executor and as for my Worldly Goods both Real & Personal which God hath been pleased to bestow upon me I give and Bequeath in manner & form as followeth, I do give unto my Eldest Daughter Sarah Chilton one of the largest Iron Potts & a pair of Pott Hooks two disches and one large Pewter Bason & three of the best Plates one little Iron Pott one Case of Knives & forks one Spice Morter one box Iron one fine flax Hackle One Churn Two Chairs one Linnen Whell one Poplar Chest one small Walnut Tree table, I give to my Son Thomas Chilton One feather Bed & Bedstead and furniture one Cow & Calf & Yearling one Iron Pott nest to the Largest One Pair of Pott Hooks One Plow Share & Coulter one Quart Pewter Tankard one large Pewter Dish One large Pewter Bason three of the best Pewter Plates two Chairs, I give to my son Mark Chilton One feather Bed and firnithure one Cow & Calf and yearling one Iron Pott four Pewter Pates & One Deep large Pewter Dish & two small Pewter Basons one Dark Brown Mare 1 Plow Share and Coulter One Chair One Pair of Iron Tongs One Pine Chest, I give to my Youngest daughter Nancy Chilton One feather Bed & Bedsted and Firniture, one Cow and Calf one Side Saddle One large Walnut Tree table 1 Copper Tea Kettle one Iron ? Kettle & 1 Pair of Pot Hooks one small Pewter Dish four Plates & small bason four old Knives and forks one linen & one Wollen Wheel One Coarse Hackle my daughter Sarah Chilton to have her Share of the Sheep thee Rest to be Divided between Thomas, Mark & Nancy Chilton thirty head of Hoggs to be Equally Divided between the said Four the Eldest taking Choice I give to my Son Mark Chilton the Lease of the Plantation whereon Francis Clerk now lives on, The Plantation whereon I the said Martha Chilton widow now lives on to be Valued and whosoever of the four Single Children Viz Sarah, Thomas, Mark, & Nancy Chuses to live thereon to pay the other three Single Ones their equal Parts of the Appraisement, I give to my daughter Mary Clark all my wearing Cloathes & One Earthen Pot, I give to my daughter in law Ann Chilton the wife of my Son James Chilton One large looking Glass, I give to my grandson John Chilton Son of James Chilton Case of Bottles and also I do Constitute & Ordain my Son James Chilton to be my whole Executor of this last Will & Testament Signed Sealed & Delivered in the presence of
John Chilton her
Thomas Losson Martha X Chilton
Sturman Chilton mark
September the 20th 1772 Dated
At least some of the children went back across the river Potomac to Maryland as the 1776 Census for Frederick Co., Md. shows. This enumeration provided age information on the children.(21)
The children of John and Martha ( --- ) Chilton were:(22),(23),(24)
1 Sarah, the eldest daughter, was noted as single in her mother's will but was dead by 1 March 1787 when the accounting of her estate returned on 12 Oct. 1789 showed a payment of this date.
2 Mary, married Francis Clerk or Clark.
3 James, born ca. 1740, married first Ann --- prior to 20 Sept. 1772 and probably second to Cath Burns, 25 June 1778.(25) He returned to Loudoun Co., Va. and is listed as a delinquent taxpayer of that county in 1790, having gone to the "french Broad".(26)30
4 William, born ca 1751. He was in Frederick Co., Md. in 1776. The Census shows him age 24 at that time. Catharine Chelton qualified as administratrix, probably of this William Chelton on 9 Oct. 1780 in Loudoun CO., Va. The inventory of the estate was returned 10 Sept. 1781 with an evaluation of 266.10.0 and 148.4.00.
5 Thomas, born ca. 1752, married Suffiah --- by 1776. They went to eastern Tennessee in the early 1790's.
6 Mark, born ca. 1754 and age 22 at the time of the 1776 census for Frederick Co., Md. Just prior to 2 March 1778 in Montgomery Co., Md., he was given the Oath of Fidelity along with his brothers, James and Thomas by Oneas Campbell. On 17 June 1779 he married Clementia Barn.(27)
7 Nancy, youngest daughter.
Two other Chiltons appear to have had a close relationship to Martha; John and Sturman. Both were previously noted with Thomas as tithables at one location in Loudoun Co. Va. in 1771 and they signed as witnesses to her will. Sturman's Oath of Fidelity was taken by William Decker, Jr. just prior to 2 March 1778. Oaths were also taken by James, Thomas and Mark in this county about the same time, but the oaths were given by Oneas Campbell.(28) At sometime in the period 1782-1787, John and Steerman are listed as taxpayers of Loudoun Co., with one and five slaves, respectively.(29)
There are child bearing periods in Martha's lifetime when it would not be unreasonable to suspect that Sturman and John would fit as additional children.
By 1797 there appeared to be only one remaining Chilton family in Montgomery Co., Md. In this year, Joshua began obtaining Maryland Land Grants. This Joshua, too, could be suspect as a child of John and Martha as his birth date is 26 July 1758. His residence was on White's Ferry Road near Poolesville, Md. until his death on 15 Feb. 1847.(30)
-Chilton Part 1 Virginia & Maryland, by Wallace Hopper, 1979, p. 14-15.
Some questions remain. Perhaps additional research will provide the answers. It seems strange that William was the only child mentioned when John and Martha leased the land in 1754. Also, with the wording of the wills, it doesn't appear that Hopper would have been correct in assuming there might have been additional children in the family. To his credit, he did find mention of the seventh child, Mary Clark, down at the bottom of Martha's will that Dorman had missed.
Hopper states the 1776 Census in Maryland has William, Mark, and Mary (age 37) living with James Chiltons family (The Chilton Families of Virginia and Maryland, Vol 20, #1, 1976, p. 15-16). The William and Mark Chilton fit in the family. If this is their sister, Mary Chilton, than it looks like something happened to her marriage and there is no mention of children. If she isn't their sister, than who is she?
Unfortunately there are more questions than answers. It is unclear just which direction the family went after their father, John Chilton, died. Perhaps the deeds will make things more clear. Just where was the land Martha was living on? And where in Loudoun County, Virginia was the land of which James Chilton was delinquent? Did James and Thomas go to Tennesse together? Just what qualifies a person as tithable so that they are counted and were these done at a certain time of year? These are questions that hopefully will be answered in time.
1. Fairfax Co., Va., Deed Book C, pp. 763-65.
2. Maryland Proprietary Inventories, Loc. cit.; Frederick Co., Md., Inventories, Box 5, folder 69, Maryland Hall of Records.
3. Maryland Proprietary Inventories, v. 96, pp. 313-314.
4. Maryland Proprietary Accounts, v. 60, pp. 4-5.
5. Maryland Balances of Final Distribution, v. 5, p. 140.
6. Ibid., pp. 27-28
7. Ibid., p. 44.
8. Ibid., Will Book D, pp. 97-98.
9. Frederick Co., Md., Census of 1776 [for area which became Montgomery County], box 2, folder 11, p. 11.
10. Montgomery Co., Md., Oaths of fidelity, 1778, Box 4, folder 10, Maryland Hall of Records.
11. Frederick Co., Md., Census of 1776, Box 2, folder 11, p. 33.
12. Loudoun Co., Va., Order Book G, p. 291.
13. Ibid., Will Book B, pp. 385-86.
14. Frederick Co., Md., Census of 1776, Box 2, folder 11, p. 12.
15. Montgomery Co., Md., Oaths of fidelity, loc. cit.
16. Archives of Maryland, v. 16 (Baltimore, 1897), p. 373; v. 43 (Baltimore, 1924), p. 248.
17. Frederick Co., Md., Census of 1776, Box 2, folder 11, p. 2.
18. Montgomery Co., Md., Oaths of fidelity, loc. cit. He may be the Mark Chillon [sic] who on 18 July 1776 was enrolled in the militia by Cpt. Aeneas Campbell in the Upper District of Frederick County [which became Washington county] (Archives of Maryland, v. 18 [Baltimore, 1900], p. 49).
19. Creekmore, Pollyanna, Loudoun Co., Va., 1771 Tithable List, The Virginia Genealogist, V. 17, No.4, pp. 270, 271.
20. Loudoun Co., Va., Will Bk. B, pp. 31-33. This will was undoubtedly written with a feather quill lpen. It displays the variety of spelling found so often in the early writing. A coulter, mentioned here, is a blade or wheel on a plow which makes vertical cuts in the sod. If this item was in use, it indicates that new ground was still being broken for cultivation on John's4 and Martha's plantation.
21. Brumbaugh, Gaius Marcus, Maryland Records, V. I, Baltimore, Md., pp. 210, 211, Lists Number of Souls with names and ages --- Hundred, Frederick Co., Md., Aug. 1776 in portion now Montgomery Co. (Formed 16 Sept. 1776).
23. Dorman, op. cit., p. 37.
24. Loudon Co., Va., op. cit.
25. Brumbaugh, G. M., Maryland Records, V. II, 1928, Montgomery Co.
26. Clay, Robert Y., Some Delinquent Taxpayers, 1787-1790, Loudoun Co., Dorman, op. cit., V. 20, No. 3, p. 202.
27. Brumbaugh, V. II, op. cit.
28. Brumbaugh, G. M. and Hodges, M. R., Revolutionary Records of Maryland, Baltimore, Md., 1967, pp. 6, 9.
29. Fothergill, A. G., Virginia Taxpayers, 1782-1787, 1924, p. 24.
30. Farquehar, R. B., Old Homes and History of Montgomery Co., Maryland, p. 308.