Re: Edward Davis Radcliffe
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In reply to:
Edward Davis Radcliffe
Julia Kedroff 4/30/08
Hi Julia,
I'm a descendant of Benjamin SAUNDERS/SANDERS and Ann "Nancy" RATCLIFF through their daughter Melinda SANDERS who married Samuel CONN.
Postings I've seen identify Nancy RATCLIFF's parents as John RATCLIFF and Ann DAVIS, but I've always felt that Nancy's father must have been named Edward, because her second son was named Edward, there was no son named John, and she had a brother named Edward Davis Ratcliff. Benjamin SANDERS, whose g-grandfather Lewis SAUNDERS immigrated from Scotland in 1706, followed the traditional Scottish naming pattern with his other children, so must have named his second son after his wife's father.
Nancy RATCLIFF's brother Edward Davis RATCLIFF apparently died childless in Loudoun Co. VA in 1802, and left land in Brooke (now Hancock) Co. (W)VA to his five siblings. Benjamin SANDERS acquired that land from the other RATCLIFF heirs and moved onto it some time before 1810, when he appears in the census.
Whether the middle name of Nancy's father was also DAVIS has always eluded me, but this may be a clue:After his father's death in 1758, Col. Henry Fitzhugh leased land at his part of Ravensworth tobacco plantation to, among others, Edward DAVIS and John RATCLIFF. Perhaps a daughter of Edward DAVIS married a son of John RATCLIFF, resulting in a son named Edward (Davis?) RATCLIFF.
Ann "Nancy" Ratcliff and her siblings (birth order and dates unknown) are:
Richard RATCLIFFdied in Stafford Co. VA after 1806
Melinda/Valinda RATCLIFF m. Jacob WOOLBRIGHT Jr., moved to Wilkes Co. GA before 1806
Daniel RATCLIFF moved to Greenup Co. KY before 1806, died in Taney Co. MO?
Edward Davis RATCLIFF d. in Loudoun Co. VA 1802
William RATCLIFF moved to Rockingham Co. NC before 1806, m. Martha --?--
Ann "Nancy" RATCLIFF b. abt 1770, m. abt 1785 Benjamin SANDERS of Fairfax Co. VA
There might have been other children, but only these were named as Edward's heirs in the Brooke Co. deeds, which make it clear that the estate was divided into five parts.
Does your information on Edward Davis RADCLIFFE's two daughters Ann and Valinda come from his will? If so, I'd love to have a copy. I have his death in 1789 Loudoun Co. VA, but nothing more, nor a confirmation of his middle name. If he named no sons, that could mean that he had sold his land (if he owned any) and given them cash so they could leave the area.
I'm sure Edward was a cousin of some sort of the prominent Richard RATCLIFF of Fairfax County, whose forbears came from Charles Co. MD.
I'd love to compare notes with you.
Betsy
More Replies:
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Re: Edward Davis Radcliffe
Julia Kedroff 8/03/08