Blann-Watts Genealogy

Welcome to The Lee Family Page, which furnishes historical detail beyond the site index, exploring two generations of Lees in the line of John Washington Lee of Stewart Co. (now Houston Co.), Tennessee.
 

6. Mary Elizabeth Lee (Boone) --"Betty" Boone, the wife of Richard Bird Boone, was born May 18, 1823,  in Stewart Co., TN  and died June 18,1909 in Erin, TN. Her death record confirms that she was born in Stewart/Houston Co. TN (Tennessee, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1874-1955). Betty's parents were John Washington Lee and  Elizabeth Hawkins. According to family lore, Betty Lee was thought to be a first or second cousin of Robert E. Lee, but the names of all of Robert's cousins have been thoroughly checked in sources such as "The Lees of Virginia" and neither Betty nor her father are listed among the family of Robert E. Lee. Betty Lee married Bird Boone (probably in Stewart Co. TN) ca.1843, at around age 20. The siblings of Mary Elizabeth Lee Boone are: Sarah Ann Pegram (b. NC, 1812-1870); George Washington Lee (b. TN or NC, 1812-1852); William R. Lee (b.NC, 1814-1854); Calvin Summers Lee (b. TN, 1827-1873), James Sanford Lee (1829-1909--the first Houston Co. TN Court Clerk), Margaret Wingo (b. 1833) and Mary Allsbrooks (b. ca.1835). Calvin, James and Margaret appear in John and Elizabeth Lee's household in the 1850 census (which states that John and Elizabeth were born in North Carolina). The children who are not named in the 1850 census are attested to in the genealogy notes of Marcia Sizemore Lee, second wife of Betty Lee’s brother, James Sanford Lee, who named these further siblings: Sarah Anne Lee (married Petus Pegram), William Lee, George Washington Lee, and Mary Lee (Allsbrooks). Betty and Bird Boone had three children: John "Jack" Daniel Boone (1844-1913), Emily Caroline (Emma) Nichols (1848-1926), and William Harrison Boone (1856-1930). Jack and Emma were born in Erin, Houston Co. TN after which time Bird and Betty moved to Ashley, Illinois where William was born. Bird Boone died shortly after William's birth and Betty moved the family back to Erin, Tennessee where Betty died in 1909 at the age of  86. The 1880 census shows Betty living with son Jack's family and the 1900 census shows her in the household of son William Boone in Erin.

7. John Washington Lee --John W. Lee, father of Betty Lee Boone, was born in North Carolina in 1784 (per the 1850 census). The 1840 Stewart Co. TN census shows John W. Leigh as age 50-59 (born 1780-1791) and his wife as 40-49 (born 1790-99). John married Elizabeth Hawkins, who was born in 1794 (per 1850 census) or 1795 (per 1880 census) and died in 1893. Elizabeth Lee last appears as a widow on the TN 1880 census living with her son James S. Lee; the 1890 Tennessee census was lost.) One of John W. Lee's sons, James Sanford Lee, had a second wife named Marcia Sizemore Lee (1862-1947), who kept genealogical notes and also had a Lee Family Bible. These notes were generously shared with me by her grandson, Alan Collier. Her records are valuable as she was married to John & Elizabeth Lee's son, who would have been able to provide reliable family history garnered from his parents (unfortunately he appears to have had no knowledge about his paternal Lee grandparents). According to Marcia Lee's notes, John Washington Lee was of English descent and may have been born in 1790 in Virginia, or possibly North Carolina. Marcia attempted to contact Robert E. Lee about their possible relationship, but never received a reply. Marcia states that John Washington Lee had a sister named Sarah Anne Lee, who married a Billips in Charlotte, N.C. Sarah’s daughter, Hallie Billips, married a Boone in Charlotte. She adds: “John, as a young man was a sailor and made trips to London, England, on tobacco shipping, with a tobacco merchant. They were shipwrecked, stayed in water, on timbers, two weeks before three of the crewmen were rescued off the coast of North Carolina. This happened in May. Later, J. W. Lee went to the home of Steven Hawkins, a relative of his [who died in Nov.1794, according to Edgecombe Co., NC.court records]. “He married Hawkins' daughter in North Carolina about 1812. His father was blind.” (It is not clear whether the blindness refers to Lee or Hawkins' father, but likely the latter given the context.) Marcia adds that John W. Lee and Elizabeth Hawkins were cousins of some kind.
     John and his wife died in Stewart Co.,TN, now Houston Co., and were buried in Ross Grave Yard, Wells Creek, John dying shortly after the 1850 census and Elizabeth living on as a widow until 1884. After appearing with John and family in the 1850 census, Elizabeth appears in the 1880 census in the household of her son, James Sanford Lee. She does not appear in the 1870 census but an Elizabeth Lee who was born in North Carolina in 1795 does appear in the  1860 census in Sumner Co. TN in the household of William May Jr. and his wife, Nancy May (born ca. 1803). Nancy's 1828 marriage record shows that her maiden name was Lee, suggesting that she might be a relative of Elizabeth (perhaps a daughter or sister-in-law ?). There is evidence that John W. Lee fought in the War of 1812. John W. Lee is listed  as an ensign in the second regiment of Wake Co. North Carolina (Raleigh area) and also a John W. Leigh is listed as a private serving under Major Gen. Wm. Carrol and Capt. Francis Ellis’ infantry division in Sistler’s Tennesseans in the War of 1812. The Tennessee list specifies that the company was in service from Nov.1814 till May 1815. (If John was still in North Carolina in Nov. 1814, then the North Carolina listing would be more likely to be our John W. Lee, yet it is possible that the family moved to Tennessee around late 1814. There is more on the dating of their move to Tennessee below.)
      Marcia Sizemore Lee also informs us that Elizabeth’s parents were Stephen D. Hawkins and Fanny Bonner of North Carolina, who lived in Edgecombe Co. NC, according to the 1790 census, and had only one daughter living with them at that time. (Marcia believed Stephen's parents, who are unknown, came from Scotland). Sometime after Elisabeth and John’s 1812 marriage, Fannie Bonner Hawkins is thought to have moved to Tennessee (probably along with Elisabeth and J.W.Lee). Marcia states that Fanny died in Lexington, TN. and was buried just outside the town. She says "George Lee" was also buried there and that there are no markers for either of them. (This might refer to John's son, George Washington Lee, however I have found no records, such as the census, which would confirm that either Fanny or George lived in Lexington, Henderson Co. TN.) The 1830 and 1840 Stewart Co. TN censuses for John W. Leigh both show an older female of the age to be Fanny living with them prior to her death. Marcia Sizemore Lee states that Fannie’s sister married a Capt. Ellis in North Carolina.

      The 1850-1880 Tennessee censuses contain data which can help determine when John W. Lee and family moved to Tennessee. According to the 1850 Stewart Co. TN census, their son, William Lee, was born in 1814 in North Carolina. Their next child, Sarah Ann Lee Pegram, was born in North Carolina per the 1870 Stewart Co. TN census, while their next known child, Elizabeth "Betty" Lee Boone, was born in Tennessee in 1817 (other census and death records show her birth year as 1823). The 1880 census shows one of the Lee's younger son, James Sanford Lee, as born in Tennessee and also states that his parents were born in North Carolina. From this we can surmise that John W. and Elizabeth Lee moved from North Carolina to Tennessee between 1816-1823. (Note: John and Elizabeth's oldest child, George Washington Lee (b.ca.1812), is more elusive to locate on the censuses. There is a G. W. Leigh on the 1850 census of nearby Montgomery Co. TN which shows him as born in 1812 in Tennessee, however it is uncertain whether this is their son, George W. Lee, as there is another George W. Leigh (born ca. 1812), son of Washington (b.1780) and Mary Lee  living in Montgomery Co. TN with another family member named John Wesley Leigh (b. 1816).  This Leigh family appears to be distinct from my Lee line, descending from John Bingham Leigh (1742-1821) of Chapel Hill, Orange Co. NC. There are many John Lees in the North Carolina censuses from 1800-1820 which makes it difficult to identify our John W. Lee there with any certainty. There is a Shelby Co. TN death record for John & Elizabeth's daughter, Margaret Wingo, which lists her father as John W. Lee and states that he was born in Virginia and lists the mother's maiden name as Elizabeth Barner (also born in Virginia). The name "Barner" may be a misspelling of Bonner, Margaret's grandmother's maiden name, but Virginia given as the place of birth for the parents conflicts with other evidence from the censuses which shows North Carolina as their birthplace.

       The earliest Tennessee census (1820) shows a John Lee Sr., a John Lee Jr., and a "John Lee MT" in Stewart Co.TN and there is an 1814 land grant to a John Lee, but, given the census data (none match what would be expected of  our John W. Lee in 1820), it is unlikely that these records refer to John Washington Lee. A John W. Leigh appears in the 1820 Census in Dickson Co. TN (the census data mostly matches what would be expected of John W. Lee in 1820) and there is also a record of a Dickson Co. court case in 1823 involving Montgomery Bell and John Lee. This might be the same John W. Leigh who is listed in Sistler’s list of Tennesseans in the 1812 war, and possibly our John Washington Lee prior to settling in Stewart Co. TN. An April 29, 1823 land record shows John W. Leigh of Dickson Co. TN (an old typed version says “of Davidson Co”, which is probably incorrect) purchasing land in Stewart Co. TN from John Pritchett (Stewart. Deed Books May 1821–December 1829, April 1823–November 1825 on Familysearch). This appears to confirm that John first moved to Dickson Co. TN, then purchased land in nearby Stewart Co. An 1831 grant of 100 acres to John W. Lee in the Well’s Creek area (next to Betty’s father‑in‑law, Etheldred Boone’s land, acquired in 1827 & 1835) is again in all probability our John Washington Lee, as is the 1840 census listing of him as John W. Leigh in Stewart Co. with wife, children and a 60-70 female (probably Fanny Hawkins).  John last appears in the 1850 Stewart Co. census (age 66--born in 1784 in North Carolina) with his wife, Elizabeth Lee (age 56), living with their children, Calvin, James and Margaret. Another son, William, age 36, is shown on the 1850 census married to Dollie (Milam) with two children.

      Marcia S. Lee also mentions another son of John W. Lee, referenced above, George Washington Lee, who she says married Margaret Billup. Indeed George W. Leigh is listed in the Tennessee, U.S., Marriage Records, 1780-2002 as having married Margaret Billup in 1836 in Dickson TN (where John W. Leigh appeared on the 1820 census). The eldest daughter of John W. and Elizabeth Lee was Sarah Anne Lee, born in 1812. Around 1835, Sarah married Nathan Petus Pegram (1813 to after 1860) of Stewart Co.,TN, son of Daniel Pegram who moved from Warren Co. NC. to Stewart Co., TN where he died.
     The father of John W. Lee is unknown. Two of  John's sons stated in the 1880 census that their father was born in North Carolina, so this is the likeliest place where his parents might be found. Given her report that, prior to his marriage, John Lee sailed frequently to England and that he was of English descent, it is possible that his parents lived in England and immigrated to North Carolina, perhaps dying young. Another possibility entertained by Marcia's grandson, Alan Collier, was that if John was of illegitimate birth, this might explain why his parents weren't talked about in the family and his son, James, didn't seem to know anything about his Lee grandparents. Fortunately DNA can now provide some clues about Lees that might be related to John's parents.

8. James Lee Jr. --James Lee (known as "Rich Jimmy"), born ca. 1760-68 in Johnston Co. NC and died in Darlington, SC in Oct. 14, 1820, is the most likely candidate I have found for John Washington Lee's father. (He is sometimes listed in on-line sources as James Henry Lee Jr. but I have not found the middle name Henry in any original documents). Marriage index records show that James Lee Jr. married Ann Ingram on Sept. 20, 1785 in Johnston Co., NC (North Carolina, Marriage Records, 1741-2011).  Nancy Ann Ingram (1765-1801) was James' first wife, the mother of five children, and very possibly the mother of John Washington Lee. (Her name is listed simply as Ann Ingram in the original records.) Although some have suggested John Audry Lee and Sarah Morgan Lee as possible parents of John W. Lee, Sarah's date of birth in 1781 appears too late to have been John W. Lee's mother and I do not show any significant DNA matches to Sarah Morgan suggestive of a close family relation, so it is probably safe to rule out this couple as John W. Lee's parents. The 1850 Tennessee census states that John W. Lee was born in North Carolina; John's wife, Elizabeth Hawkins and her parents lived in Edgecombe Co. NC. and James and Ann Lee lived in nearby Johnston Co., NC (Johnson and Edgecombe counties bordered each other in the period around 1770-1790). Therefore John W. Lee could have been the son of James and Ann Lee in terms of proximity.

     James Henry Lee, born in 1760 in Johnston Co. NC and died in Darlington Co., SC in 1820, was a businessman, farmer and plantation owner who was called "Rich Jimmy" by the residents of Darlington, SC. After the 1801 death of his first wife, Ann Ingram, James married Elizabeth Ingram (1770-1826), in 1803 and the family moved to Darlington Co., South Carolina. Elizabeth was the mother of six children (listed below) and might be a sister of Ann, although this is unproven. An article published in the "Hartsville Messenger", January 13, 1910. Hartsville, NC mentions the family during their time in South Carolina: "The next scene that filled me with sad emotions is the cutting down of the old walnut tree in the lane towards Carter's bridge on Lynche's creek. That tree stood in old Jimmie Lee's yard near a century and a half ago, and the public road runs over where once stood his rock chimney. Jimmie Lee, the Ingrams, Fields, Phillips, McKnights, Heoples and Locklains were the second colony that settled in this part of Darlington District. They came from the Neuse river in North Carolina." The Neuse river does run through Johnston Co. NC, partial evidence that James Lee of Johnston Co. NC and James Lee of Darlington Co. SC. are likely the same person.

     Ann Ingram and Elizabeth Ingram are listed in many online trees as the children of William (Lemuel) Ingram (1745-1790) and Ann Elizabeth Bryan (1750-1830), both of Johnston Co. NC. However, I have found little evidence of such a couple in Johnston Co. NC or its surrounding counties during this time period and no documentation proving that William and Ann Bryan Ingram are their parents. Rather, through a process of elimination I have found the most likely father of Nancy Ann Ingram to be Shadrach Ingram (James Lee's uncle), with whom I have 28 DNA matches, as the most likely possible father for Ann. Shadrach left a 1827 will naming all his living children but since Ann had died in 1801, she would not have been mentioned. Shadrach's wife was Ann Rains; they married ca. 1766.
As for William Lemuel Ingram there is a William Ingram in the 1784 Johnston County census who might possibly be this William but I have found little else other than a marriage index record at Ancestry.com for a William Ingram and Ann Bryan which shows no date or location (U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900). An alternative older William Ingram lived in Johnston Co. from about 1737 until his death in 1771, who was the husband of John Lee Esquire's daughter, Elizabeth Lee, and the father of Shadrach Ingram (ca.1745/50-1827). This William's father, Richard Ingram (b.ca.1715),  left a 1781 Johnston Co. NC will but neither Richard's will nor the 1771 will of  his son, William, lists a daughter named Ann. Richard's will also doesn't list a daughter named Elizabeth, while William Ingram does have a daughter named Elizabeth (1752-1855),who married William Lee Sr. in the 1770s. There are only three Ingrams in the 1790 Johnston Co. NC census: Shadrach, Joseph (both sons of William who died in 1771) and Isaac but no William Ingram in 1790. Marriage records show Isaac Ingram (ca, 1665-1819) marrying in 1786, which rules him out as a parent. Joseph had no daughter named Ann but had one named Elizabeth (1780-1820) who married Charles Stevens in 1800. This leave Shadrach and Ann Ingram as the likely parents of Nancy Ann Ingram Lee.

     My strongest DNA matches among the early Lees of North Carolina are a 22 cM match to Decater, or Cader Lee (b. in 1771 in Johnston Co, NC.-d.1855) and a 27 cM match on the longest segment for Elizabeth Lee (Henderson) (b.1793 NC-died 1871 Lincoln, TN). One record shows Cader Lee in Wilson County, TN in 1804, but it is unclear if he is the same as Decatur Lee of Johnston Co. NC. While the parents of  Elizabeth Lee Henderson are uncertain, Cader Lee is documented as a son of John Lee Sr. (1730-1809) in John Lee's 1809 Hawkins Co. TN will. The will also identifies John's wife as Elizabeth. John's son, John, who is mentioned in the will, is likely not John Washington Lee (b. 1784) but likely his older uncle. Elizabeth Hocutt Lee (b. 1735), was 51 ca.1784 when John W. Lee was born, thus too old to be his mother.
     I also show a number of DNA matches for James Lee Jr. (ca.1760-1820) and Ann Ingram (1768-1801) and their children. James Lee had four children who show as DNA matches to my line: Tobias Lee (1803-1862), Needham Ingram Lee (1799-1872), Eleanor Lee Mims (1813-1881) and Sarah Ann Lee Mangum (1817-1869). John Washington Lee was born in NC around 1784 (based on the 1850 census; other sources say he was born 1790); he could well be the son of James Henry Lee and his first wife Ann Ingram, who married in 1785 in Johnston Co. NC, if the census birth date was off by one or two years, as is frequently the case. James Lee died intestate but the Nov. 10, 1820 estate administration granted to his widow, Elizabeth, mentions Rev. Thomas Lee (1794-1860), Samuel Lee Sr.(1799-1855) and Needham Lee (1799-1882), who were all likely his sons. Final estate settlement administration was in January 1829 with a notation that many of his children were then residing in Alabama, USA. Those who received a share included (birth dates below are estimates and not specified in the documents):

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1. John Lee (b: ca. 1786-90)

2. Thomas Newton Lee (b: ca. 1789)

3. Mary Lee (b: 1790; married William Mangum)

4. Samuel Franklin Lee (b: ca. 1799; married Lavinia Jones)

5. Nancy Lee (b: ca. 1801)

6. Cader Lee (b: ca 1802)

7. Jeremiah Lee (b: ca. 1804)

8. Timothy Lee (b: 1809)

9. Amaniah Lee (b: ca. 1812)

10. Eleanor (Lee) Mims (b: 1813)

11. Sara Ann Lee (b: ca. 1817; married Elisha Mangum)

   

     Two other children not included in the settlement were Tobias Draken Lee (b.1803) and Needham Ingram Lee (b.1799), and there is some evidence suggesting that they may have been tenants taken in by the family. However I have DNA matches to both which suggests they may be children or close relatives rather than unrelated tenants.

      The John Lee (b: ca. 1786) who is the oldest son listed in the will above might well be John Washington Lee (James' son, John, has not been conclusively identified otherwise). John Washington Lee was born in North Carolina around the time that James and Ann married and John stayed in the Carolinas until Ann's death. The 1784-1787 North Carolina census (compiled in order to record military age males) shows 2 James Lee Sr.s in Johnston Co. NC. One of them shows a white male 21-60 (James), and a white male who is designated under 21 or over 60 (infant John Washington Lee?), and 1 white female of any age (wife Nancy Ann?). As John is the name of their first child, born around 1786, and their next child wasn't born until 1789, the 1787 census information about this James Lee fits. Around 1812, John married Elizabeth Hawkins and soon left North Carolina, moving to Stewart Co. TN with his wife and mother-in-law. As he is a DNA match to four of James' children, they may possibly be John's siblings. But without further proof of these connections, however compelling, they must remain a hypothesis.
    A few trees on Ancestry.com attempt to identify a John Haynes Lee as being the first son of James Lee, however, there is no record specifying where in North Carolina John Haynes Lee was born, nor is Haynes a family name. There appears to be an older John Haynes Lee (1753-1814) who is a better candidate to be his father. The question as to why James Lee Jr. is not the son of a James Lee Sr. is due to the naming conventions of the time, whereby two persons of the same name would be designated on census lists and other records as Jr. and Sr. in respect to who is older. In this case, James has a slightly older cousin of the same name living near him in Johnston Co. NC who is designated James Lee Sr., thus his younger cousin is James Lee Junior. Below is a table of relationship showing how the Lees and Ingrams are likely related.)
























Possible further lineage: John Lee

     The parents of James Lee have tentatively been identified as John Lee  (1730-Aug. 22 1809) and Elizabeth Hocutt  (b.1730 Johnson Co. NC-d.1820 Hawkins Co., TN). John was born probably in Johnston Co. NC around 1730. Land records place him in Johnston Co. NC between 1758-1785. Around 1790, John and Elizabeth and a number of other family members moved to Lee Valley, Hawkins Co., TN (near Kingsport and Bristol, TN) where John died in 1809. He is buried in the Lee Valley Cemetery (per Find-a-grave). John left a will in 1809 in which he is identified as John Lee Sr. He was probably designated "senior" after his father's death in relation to his own son, John, but his father was also named John and is commonly known as John Lee (Sr.) Esquire. Listed in the 1809 will are sons: Robert, John (b.ca.1778), Cader and Burrell, as well as daughters, Mary, Martha and Sarah Patrick. Witnessing the will are James Lee, Edward Lee and James Griffin. (As there were several James and Edwards in the family we cannot be sure who the witnesses were.) There is also a clause in the will in which John disallows, revokes and disanulls any previous will or executors.  James Lee is not named in John's 1809 will, but he may have already received his inheritance before he moved to South Carolina.  This is shown by the following land transaction dated Oct 26., 1793
      [Johnston County Deed Book T-1] #181. "JOHN LEE (Sr) of Hawkins Co NC [TN] to James Lee of Johnston Co for affectionate regard, 2 tracts in Johnston Co (1) 100 acres Southside of Neuse River in Bear Hill Pocoson adjacent the Marshes ... granted to John Powell ... (2) 225 acres adjacent above tract, adjacent the Great Marsh and outside the low grounds, Nathan Williams ... grant to JOHN LEE 22 July 1774 ... and I, the said James Lee do hereby acknowledge myself fully satisfied for the same for my full right and part of JOHN LEE Estate... Wit: John Smith, Cader Lee; signed JOHN LEE Senr; February Court 1794.
  Another deed record from 1798 has John Lee of Hawkins Co., TN, selling to Hopkins Lee (1767-1834) of Cumberland Co., NC. 1265 acres for 500 pounds. Hopkins Lee appears to be John's son, because another son, Robert Lee, who lived near John Lee in Hawkins Co. TN, named his siblings in his 1834 will as: James, Hopkins, Kader, Burrell, John, Sarah Patrick, Mary Lee and grandson, Clinton. (Tennessee, U.S., Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 on Ancestry.com,  probate: 30 Aug 1834 Hawkins County, TN.) I have two DNA matches to Hopkins Lee, one 27 cM and the other 19 cM.
     I also show DNA matches to John and Elizabeth Lee, as well as other family members (particularly Burrell and Cader Lee). John and Elizabeth Lee married around 1760 and lived in Johnston Co. NC during the time when James was born. Of further interest is the fact that Elizabeth Hocutt Lee's mother is named Martha Bonner, which could explain Marcia Sizemore Lee's report that John Washington Lee and his wife were "cousins of some kind." Fanny Bonner was the name of the mother of John's wife, Elizabeth Hawkins Lee.

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    John Lee, Esquire, the documented father of John Lee (d.1809), was born between ca.1695 in Virginia (the exact location of his birthplace is not known). John and his family came to Johnston Co., NC in the early 1740s from the area along the North Carolina-Virginia border counties of: Halifax, Martin, Bertie and Edgecombe; he is frequently associated with Edgecombe Co.,NC. He had settled in that area ca.1720 along with William Bryan and possibly John Bryan, father and uncle of his wife, Mary Winford Bryan (ca.1697-before 1780). Mary was born ca. 1693-1706 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. She and John Lee were married ca. 1723 in Nottoway, Isle of Wight, Virginia (Family Data Collection - Individual Records on Ancestry.com). Alternatively, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 gives the marriage date as 1700. (See below for more on the lineage of Mary Bryan Lee.)

      The earliest date associating John Lee with Johnston County is July 26, 1743, when he received grants for 500 acres of land on the south side of the Neuse River. He bought many other acres from land owners around Mill Creek from 1752-1765. At the time of his death in 1768, he willed a total of 1779 acres to his heirs in his will, dated Dec.4, 1766. He named eight children and a grandson in his will, as well as his wife, Mary. The 1768 will mentions his son John as well as "my grandson Shadrach Ingram." Shadrach was the son of John Lee Esquire's daughter, (Barthania) Elizabeth, and William Ingram. I have 28 DNA matches to Shadrach Ingram (1745-1828) and I suspect that he could be the elusive father of James Lee's wife, Ann Ingram (for reasons given above). Children listed in John Lee Esquire's 1768 will are: Robert (1725-ca 1786), Edward (1725-1775), John (ca 1730-1809), Thomas (ca.1735-1816; m. Mary Ingram Raines),  Frederick (ca. 1737-1816), and daughters, Mary Ballenger, Elizabeth (1720-1794; married William Ingram-parents of Shadrach) and Sabray Green (ca. 1738-1795). There was also a daughter named Rachel who was not mentioned in the will (one line is illegible due to a fold). The will contains inferential evidence of James Le Jr.'s relation to John Lee, Esquire in naming John's daughter as Mary (Lee) Ballenger (1743-1793). Her husband was Edward Ballenger and their oldest son was William Ballenger (ca 1760-ca.1792) of Johnston Co. NC. William Ballenger is named as the witness at James' 1785 marriage to Ann Ingram and appears to be James' cousin.

     John's son, Edward, married Mary Allen and they were the parents of James Lee (ca.1768-1835) who married Elizabeth Rains. Thus in the 1780's and 1790's there were two James Lee's in the Mill Creek area of North Carolina, one the son of Edward, the other the son of John--both grandsons of John Lee, Esquire. Possibly the son of Edward was the older and therefore called "Sr." since the one who married Ann Ingram was called "Jr." on his marriage bond. Some researchers list Richard Henry Lee (who married Mary Young) as John Lee Esquire's father, however Y-DNA shows that both John Lee, Esquire and James Henry Lee are of Haplogroup R1b while Richard Henry Lee is of Haplogroup I, which proves that Richard is not related to John. The identity of John Lee Esquire's parents remains uncertain.

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BRYAN:

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John Lee, Esquire's wife, Mary Bryan was likely the daughter of William Bryan and Alice MacLand. Mary is mentioned in the will of her maternal grandfather, John MacLand, dated  June 28, 1705. On page 473 of the Isle of Wight County, Virginia Deed Book 1, it gives the estate information of John Macland (elsewhere spelled Mackloud and McClendon) who died in 1705 at about age 90 in Isle of Wight, Colonial Virginia and names his daughter "Alice Bryant" and lists several grandchildren including Mary. The others listed are: Needham, William, John, and Alice Bryant as well as Mary's sister, Elizabeth Perry and her children). Alice's father, John MacLand, was probably born in Ireland. In 1652 he arrived in Virginia from Ireland and died in 1705 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. His wife, Elizabeth, lived from about 1616 to 1690.

     Note: There are two marriage records for William Bryan; one has him marrying Alice MacLand and the other  (on Ancestry.com) "Lady Alice Needham." This has given rise to a debate among genealogists as to which Alice was his wife. If he married Alice Needham, this could account for the first name of their son, Needham, a name that also appears in further generations. (U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 lists such a marriage but without providing a date; also Alice MacLand's date of death is uncertain--most of the local records having been burned). We may never know for sure whether Alice Bryan was a MacLand or a Needham, or if William married two different Alices. Another possibility put forward by some researchers (without proof) is that the surname of John MacLand's wife, Elizabeth, was Needham, and that she was the daughter of Sir Thomas Needham, ME Royalist, 2nd Viscount of Kilmorey and 2nd Feudal Baron of Orhera of England, 2nd husband of Lady Elinour Dutton. Further muddying the waters, some think the hard-to-read handwriting cocerning Mary's brother in the John MacLand will says "Woodham" rather than "Needham" (to me it looks like "?icodani"). And there is an individual of another line altogether in Isle of Wight Co., Virginia named Woodham Bryant who has siblings matching many of the names mentioned in John MacLand's will. Another speculation is that Alice was the daughter of Lord Charles Needham (4th Viscount of Kilmorey) and Bridget Drury of England--William Bryan and Alice Needham marrying in England and immigrating to America in 1689. However this is unlikely since Lord Charles named his children in his will and mentions no daughter named Alice. Furthermore, Lord Charles was in prison in 1659, about the time that Alice would have been born, and died in prison the following year.

       The father of Mary Bryan Lee was William Bryan Sr. William was born about 1655, possibly in County Clare, Ireland. (U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s lists a William Bryan arriving in Virginia in 1667.) However many researchers list his birthplace as Isle of Wight County, Virginia. William and his wife Alice had five known children: Needham (1690-1767), William (1692-1744), John (1692-1735), Mary (Lee) and Alice (b.1704). The Virginia, Apprentice Index, 1640-1800 lists William Bryan, son of John Bryan, as a cooper in Princess Anne County, VA in 1729. William died in Pasquotank County, North Carolina in 1742 and is buried there in the Bryan Family Cemetery (per Find a Grave). There are some colorful stories on-line which attribute royal ancestry to William as the "1st Marquis of Thomond," however the dates belie this claim as the first Marquess of Thomond was Sir Murrough O'Brien (1726- 1808) and the 2nd Marquess of Thomond was William O'Brien (1765- 1846). 

      More prosaically, William's parents are thought to be John Bryan and Sarah (Elizabeth) Berryman. John Bryan was born ca. 1626 in Milltown Malbay, Clare, Munster, Ireland and baptized there on Feb.19, 1626. He immigrated to the American Colonies sometime before 1645. Sarah was born ca. 1637 in Accomack County, Virginia, the daughter of Capt. Willam Berryman and Eleanor Hold. William Berryman was a wealthy merchant and ship owner who was born by 1590 and died in 1648 in Northampton County Virginia. Sarah married John Bryan about 1645-55 in Virginia and together they had the following known children: James. William, Lewis and Joseph. Wikitree.com lists the following land records which links John Bryan Sr. to his son, William: "Isle of Wight, Great Book, Vol. 1, Part 1, p. 685; John Bryan, Sr. bearing date 20 Apr. 1682; John Bryan, Sr. of the Lower Parish of Isle of Wight to my son William Bryan of the same County and Parish for natural love and affection 200 acres of land...." Sarah Bryan died before 1711 in Surry County, Virginia. John died before Sept.21, 1711 at about age 85 in Norfolk County, Virginia. John's father is thought to be Edward Bryan (abt. 1590 - 1660) who arrived as an indentured servant in Jamestown, Virginia aboard the ship Bono Novo in 1620. He was recorded in the 1623 census of Virginia as living in Elizabeth City and was listed as a planter in 1624 in Virginia. Edward Bryan appears to be the first Bryan in Virginia and little else is known about him.

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About the Lee Family: The Anglo-Saxon word for a grassy clearing in the forest or in an open meadow was Leah (also spelled Lee, Leigh, Lea, etc.). The Lees of Virginia, the line to which John Washington Lee is probably distantly related, trace their lineage back to a knight in the 12th century named Reyner de Lega (or Le) whose Norman ancestor had fought in the Battle of Hastings on the side of William the Conqueror. Reyner became the sheriff of  Shropshire, England (near Wales) and was the first to use the checkered bars and rectangles in the Lee arms (pictured above). Prominent among Reyner's descendants were Roger Lee (who married Margaret Ashley ion 1385, thus adding the Ashley cinquefoils to the Lee arms), and one of his sons, John Lee of Coton Hall, father of the line of Coton Lees from whom Gen. Robert E. Lee of Virginia is descended. From this line, it was Col. Richard Lee II (ca.1610-1664) of England who emigrated to Virginia, settled in Jamestown, and fathered the line of Virginia Lees. Several of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren were American governors, congressmen, signers of the Declaration of Independence and Revolutionary war heroes. Richard's grandson, Henry Lee Jr. (1691-1747) married Mary Bland, daughter of Col Richard Bland of Williamsburg, VA. (who was probably a not too distant relative of Thomas Bland of Caroline Co. MD., whose lineage is featured in this website). Henry Lee Sr.'s grandson was Gov. Henry Lee (1756-1818), also called "Light Horse Harry", the father of the most famous American Lee, Gen. Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate Armies in the Civil War and afterwards a college president.