Re: Leighs - How do Mecklenburg (1770s) Leighs connect?
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In reply to:
Re: Leighs - How do Mecklenburg (1770s) Leighs connect?
James T. Holt 2/16/05
James,
I believe you are correct.I believe William who left K & Q, went with brother Richard to Mecklenburg Co., VA (on the NC border) and then to NC is the same William who bought land in Albemarle and Amherst and whose will was probated Amherst 1894.When he was in Mecklenburg his wife was Diannah.His will indicates there were 2 older children, John and Mary.Diannah could have died and he could have remarried Anne.DNA testing shows an exact match over 37 markers with a descendant of Ferdinand, son of William of Amherst, and the descendants of Gilbert Leigh who died in Perquimans Co. NC 1792-93.Gilbert was from King William Co. VA--we have documentation of that.Family records indicate he was the son of "William of West Point", assumed to be the son of Col. William Leigh, but there is no real documentation here.Were William, Richard and John brothers or nephews?It certainly looks like it.
There is another exact match between the descendants of Gilbert and the descendants of Whitmill Leigh, b. Perquamans Co. c. 1806.He was orphaned and taken to Tennessee as a young boy.We are trying to make those connections also.
DNA testing on the descendant of Ferdinand Leigh (1724 - 1779) through the Benjamin Watkins Leigh line is one number of one allele off, showing he was a very close relative.Ferdinand was born in England and came to Virginia about 1745, coming to an area where we assume he already had family.
Another line tested in this project was the line of Francis Leigh, probable son of John Leigh, oldest son of Col. William Leigh. On 37 markers one number of one allele was off from both the Gilbert line and the Ferdinand line.It was a different allele form the on off on the Ferdinand line.We were able to cross of two lines--the Leighs of Bath, NC and the Leighs of Amelia/Prince Edward Co. VA.
The WARE name probably comes Valintine Ware (or sometimes William Valentine Ware) who married one of the daughters of Col. William Leigh.There is a patent for Mary Leigh, Valentine Ware, and Edward Haines not long after Col. Leigh's death. There is also mention of Valentine Ware in papers of Richeson Leigh (John Leigh of Orange's son).
Virginia