First Generation

1.  Jeremiah Upshaw was born before 1655 in England?. He lived in Gloucester Co, Virginia from 1667 to 1672. He died before 1700 at the age of 45 in Gloucester? Co, Virginia. Jeremiah was buried at an unknown cemetery in Gloucester? Co, Virginia. 

DOCUMENTATION & NOTES:

1. 1655 (prior): Birth date approximated from calculating that his son William was of majority age in 1697 when he was a landowner in Gloucester Co, Virginia; William would have been born no later than 1677 & it is reasonable that Jeremiah, father of William, was about 20 years old at his birth, meaning he would have been born before 1655.

2. 1661, 28 July: Date of the christening record of a "Richard Upshot", male, at Wotton, Surry County, England, whose father was Jeremiah Upshot (sic). (Source: www.familysearch.org, "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975.") Note that the given name Richard was used in the early generations of the Upshaw family in America; note also that Arthur, the progenitor of the Upshur family in America and supposed brother of the non-existant Abel, appears in the early records here as Arthur Upshott, later changed to Upshur. It is unfortunate that the name of the mother of this Richard Upshot was not given; if it were Cordelia, we would be on track.

3. 1667, Apr 10:  Virginia Land Patent Book 6, page 74: Jno. Benson & Jno. Waller, 423 acres in Ware Parish, Gloster (sic) Co., 10 April 1667.  Beg. at Mr. Talifro, along Wm. Peach, to Xtopher. Grinaway's land, to Edward Teale's line near the Hollybush Pond & c.
  Transportation of 9 persons:  Eliz. Higgenson, Wm. Hughes, Wm. Johnson, Mary Blury, JEREMIAH UPSHAW, Jno. Tilson, Tho. Stephens, Robt. Smith, Rebecca Toppin (or Tappin).

4. 1672, Oct 7:  Virginia Land Patent Book 6, page 435: Col. Jno. Blake, 200 acres, Nansimond (sic) Co., adjoining William Eson, 7 Oct 1672.  
   Transportation of 4 persons:  Mary Blenly, JEREMY UPSHAW, John Tilson, Tho. Stevens.  (Note: All four of these persons are also named in the 1667 Patent; see note #1). These land patents were probably fraudulently awarded for the transport of Jeremiah Upshaw and the other three persons twice reported. 

RESEARCH NOTES: 

1. There is NO record found of the supposed progenitor of the Upshaw family, "Abel" Upshaw, although many references are found to "Arthur" Upshott/Upshur, who was the proven progenitor of the "Upshur" family of Accomac Co, VA. See John Andrews Upshur, "Upshur Family in Virginia" (Lynchburg, VA: Warwick House Publishing, 1993, Second Edition), page 3-5.
   Furthermore, quoted from an original letter from Mr. John A. Upshur to Mrs. Grace E. Jared, dated 4 Nov 1961: "It is tradition - - I repeat - - TRADITION - that Arthur Upshur I had a brother Abel. Abel Upshur was NOT, repeat NOT, included in Capt. William Stone's list of headrights. The original document is right here in the old ORIGINAL court house records. Only Arthur UPSHOTT is listed. I know all about Capt. Stone and have personally seen every headright he ever received." Mr. John A. Upshaw was the highly respected researcher and author if the award winning and highly respected book, "Upshur Family in Virginia" and was, as is obvious, vehemently opposed to the carrying forward of this non-factual "tradition." He further states in the above cited letter that "Genealogy without proof is not worth the paper it is written on  ... “

2. Repeating the "traditional story" is Grace Jared, "They Met Challenges ... With Memoirs" (see UFJ, Vol. 1, page 48): "The tradition is that the Upshaws (sic) and Upshur families were descendants of two brothers, Abel Upsher, age 16 years, and Arthur Upsher, 14 years, who came from England to America in 1640. Even our English Upsher cousins accept this tradition. But they say they are not of Huguenot descent. The Upshurs of Virginia have proof that their ancestor was the Arthur Upsher above, but the Upshaw family have never proved that Abel, his [supposed] brother, was the Upshaw progenitor, but he tradition goes back 150 or 200 years."  
   Furthermore, "The History of the Upshaws, Lafons, Jacksons and Youngs" (Kentucky Historical Society Register, vol. IV, 1904 (see UFJ, Vol. 6, page 65) repeats the story: "Their names [Abel and Arthur Upcher] are entered on Capt. Stone's List of Headrights of ship in the year 1640. Capt. Stone paid the passage money of the youths." This account is not only non-factual, but untrue, as there is definately no one named Abel Upcher (or Arthur Upcher, for that matter) on the 1640 list. The actual record, of which I have a photocopy, from "Northampton Co., Virginia Orders, Deeds, Wills & etc., No. 2, 1640-1645", page 28 (which contains Captain William Stone's list of headrights in 1640) contains only the name of Arthur Upshott (sic) and no "Abel" Upshott, or any other surname, is listed. Essex County, home of William Upshaw, Capt., Gent., was created in 1692 from Old Rappahannock and their earliest records are extant, although no record of the name of any "Abel" Upshaw/Upshott/Upcher/etc. has ever been located in early Essex County, or anywhere else in the vicinity. I sincerely invite any other evidence pro or con.  

3. There are two mentions in early Virginia records of a "Jeremiah Upshaw", in 1667 & 1672 in the Virginia Land Patents (see notes 1 & 2 above), indicating there was such an actual person, who could have been the correct age to be William Upshaw's father.

4. William Upshaw, in his will, probated in 1720 Essex County, names his first (supposedly eldest) son as "Jeremiah", which is further circumstantial evidence that William's father was Jeremiah; William named no son "Abel".

5. There is a christening record of a "Richard Upshot", male, christening date: 28 July 1661 at Wotton, Surry County, England, whose father was Jeremiah Upshot. (Source: www.familysearch.org, "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975." The given name Richard was used in the early generations of the Upshaw family in America; note also that Arthur, the progenitor of the Upshur family in America and supposed brother of the non-existant Abel, appears in the early records here as Arthur Upshott. It is unfortunate that the name of the mother of this Richard Upshot was given; if it were Cordelia, we would be on track.

6. For other notes regarding the connection between Jeremiah & Cordelia Upshaw and William Upshaw, see the William Upshaw notes.  

7. Copy of this Family Record Sheet sent to the Gloucester Genealogical Society of Virginia, 23061 in January 2011 for their "vertical file" in the Virginia Room at the Gloucester Public Library..

SECONDARY SOURCES:

1. Harry R. Jordan, Cemeteries of Lower Gloucester County Virginia (Utica, KY: McDowell Publications, n.d.): No Upshaw references.
 
2. Harry R. Jordan, More Cemeteries of Gloucester County Virginia (Gloucester, Virginia: Gloucester County Historical Committee, n.d.): No Upshaw references.

3. Sophie W. Upshaw, "Captain William Upshaw, Gent. Planter of Virginia and Allied Families" (Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, Inc, 1975), page 3.

Jeremiah Upshaw and Cordelia Waring? were married circa 1674 in Gloucester? Co, Virginia?. Cordelia Waring? was born before 1655 in England?. She lived in King & Queen Co, Virginia in 1704. She was livingon 16 Dec 1716 in King & Queen Co, Virginia. Cordelia died after 16 Dec 1716 at the age of 61 in King & Queen? Co, Virginia. She was buried at an unknown cemetery in King & Queen? Co, Virginia. 

DOCUMENTATION & NOTES:

1. 1655 (prior): Birth date approximated from calculating that her son William was of majority age in 1697 when he was a landowner in Gloucester Co, Virginia; William would've been born no later than 1677 & it is reasonable that Cordelia, mother of William, was about 20 years old at his birth, meaning she would've been born before 1655.

2. 1704; Virginia Quit Rent Roll: King & Queen Co: "Martin, Cordelia, Widdo, 200 acres". (These were lists of landowners who paid "rent" to the King of England) (Annie Laurie Wright Smith, "The Quit Rents of Virginia, 1704" (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co, 1980), page 59; the only other "Martin" in King & Queen Co. in the 1704 Rent Roll was Elizabeth Martin, 400 acres.

3. 1716, Dec 16:  "Cordelia Martin" was mentioned as "mother" in the will of William Upshaw, Essex Co, VA; she was living at this time. This indicates that his mother "Cordelia", had been widowed by Jeremiah Upshaw, had remarried to (given name unknown) Martin, and also widowed by him, all prior to 1704 when she was named as "Cordelia Martin" in the Quit Rent Roll for King & Queen Co. 

COMMENTS: 

1. I have found no other mention of "Cordelia Upshaw", "Cordelia Martin", or "Cordelia (any surname)" in any of the Gloucester or Essex Co, Va, records I have searched.  The given name of her second husband, __________ Martin, is not known to me. "Cordelia Martin (Widdo)" is listed in the 1704 Rent Rolls for King & Queen Co, VA, and early King & Queen Co. records need to be searched. 

2. Several Upshaw researchers believe that Cordelia's maiden name may have been "Waring", although this is totally unsubstantiated, as far as I know.
   There are many "Waring" families in early Essex Co, VA, and there are Upshaw family connections with them, so that might be worth exploring. There are no "Waring" or "Martin" families mentioned in the "Vestry Book of Petsworth Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia 1677-1793", by C.G. Chamberlayne, and no reference to any "Cordelia" is found in the index of this book.  

3. Virginia Historical Index (by E.G. Swem) only gives one reference to "Cordelia Martin" which is to the same 1704 Rent Roll for King & Queen Co, VA (printed in the Virginia Magazine of History & Biography, Vol. 32 (1924), page 152).

4. C.G. Chamberlayne, "The Vestry Book of Stratton Major Parish, King and Queen County, Virginia" (Richmond, VA: The Library Board, 1931): No Martin references.

5. Clayton Torrence, "Virginia Wills and Administrations 1632-1800" (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1972): This shows no "Waring" testator who could be of the proper age to have been her father. The earliest Waring testator is "Thos. Waring", 1754 Essex Co.

6. There is no mention of "Cordelia" (any surname) in "England and Wales Marriages 1530-1906".

RESEARCHERS & CORRESPONDENTS:

1. (1992) Peggy B. Chapman, 1503 47th, Lubbock, TX  79412. (Martin line:  Henry Martin & wife Jane/will, Spotsylvania Co, 1749).

Jeremiah Upshaw and Cordelia Waring? had the following child:

	+2	i.	William Upshaw Sr. "Gent.", born bef 1676, Gloucester? Co, Virginia; married Susannah(?) (maiden name unknown), ca 1696, Gloucester? Co, Virginia; married Hannah Forrest?, ca 1702, Gloucester or Essex Co, Virginia; died 1718–1720, Essex Co, Virginia.

Preparer:
  (c) Ted O. Brooke
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