SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY VIRGINIA By John Bennett Boddie SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY VIRGINIA A History of the County of Isle of Wight Virginia During the Seventeenth Century Including Abstracts of the County Records — VOLUME 1 — John Bennett Boddie HERITAGE BOOKS 2007 Page 1 of 4 ** PAGE BREAK ** SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY VIRGINIA By John Bennett Boddie 210 SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ISLE OF WIGHT the Francis Branch who made his will in Bertie, N. 0., in 1739. This is probably the family of John Branch, Colonel of the Halifax County militia during the Revolution and father of John Branch, Governor of North Carolina in 1817. BOYKIN. Edward Boykin was the owner of 1100 acres of land in 1704. He made his will in 1726 and same was probated in 1728. He gave his son John 530 acres, and upon the death of his wife Anne the balance of his estate was to be divided among all of his children but. his other children were not named. Beside John who died in 1729 leaving no will, the others appear to be Thomas, Edward and William. William married Margaret, daughter of Ralph Vicars and made his will in Isle of Wight in 1734. Edward was probably the Edward Boykin who made his will in Northampton County, N. C. in 1743 and Thomas Boykin died there in 1748. (See Grimes’ Abstract of Wills, p. 43) A Francis Boykin, said to he the son of John, made his will in Northampton in 1761. He was the father of William Boykin who married Elizabeth Bryant and moved to Camden, S. C. about 1755. Their son Francis married Catherine. He was a Lieutenant in the 3rd S. C. Troops and later a major in Middleton’s regiment of infantry during the Revolution. Francis died in Baldwin County, Georgia in 1821. His son was Dr. Samuel Boykin (1786-1848) who was the father of Thomas Cooper Boykin (1836-1902) and the grandfather of James Chambers Boykin of Selma, Alabama. Francis Boykin of Isle of Wight, a member of this family, married Anne, a daughter of John Marshall who died in 1784 and gave the property where the present Court House is located to Francis and his daughter. Francis was a Second Lieutenant in the First Regiment of the Virginia Line, commanded by Patrick Henry, during the Revolution. He was Sheriff of Isle of Wight in 1792 and died in 1805. About 1800 he proposed to build a Court House, Clerk’s Office and Jail on his farm located on the Western Branch of the Nansemond River about eight miles from Smithfield; and offered to exchange that property for the Court House property in Smithfield. After the exchange was made the Smiths claimed that inasmuch as the Court House property in Smithfield was no longer used for public purposes, it had therefore reverted to them.2 Francis brought an action of ejectment in the District Court at Suffolk but lost the case. He bequeathed the property in question to his son Francis Marshall Boykin and his daughter Amice who married James Johnson, M. C. 1813-1820. 2. VA. Mag. 3, p. 195. Francis Boykin made his will the 7th of October, 1803, and same was probated 2nd April, 1805. He mentions his daughter Nancy Boykin, sons John and Francis Page 2 of 4 ** PAGE BREAK ** SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY VIRGINIA By John Bennett Boddie M. Boykin, and the executors were son Francis and Andrew Woodley. Francis Marshall Boykin was Lieutenant Colonel of the Isle of Wight regiment during the war of 1812. He married Fannie Godwin, daughter of Anthony Godwin and Medora his wife, also a Godwin, daughter of Jonathan Godwin who made his will in 1762. Anthony was a son of Jeremiah Godwin and his wife Mary Holladay who were married May 18, 1748. Francis Marshall Boykin, II, his son (1806-1863), married Hester Ann Briggs. He was a member of the Virginia State Senate and a General of the State Militia. Their son, Francis M. Boykin, III, (1837-1906), was a major in the 31st Virginia regiment in the Civil War and fought at the battle of Cedar Mountain. He was promoted Lieutenant Colonel and was captured at the Battle of Sailor Creek and confined on Johnson's Island. He married Ellen Burton George and one son, Hamilton Godwin Boykin, lives in Richmond. Page 3 of 4 ** PAGE BREAK ** SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY VIRGINIA By John Bennett Boddie ###### # # ##### ####### # # ##### ####### # # # # ## ## # # # ## # # # # # ## ## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ###### # # # # #### ##### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ## ### # # # # # # ###### # # ##### ####### # # ### ##### ####### # # Transcribed from original documents by Brent R. Brian & Martha M. Brian. This document and others can be found on our website: BMGEN We claim COPYLEFT on the documents that we publish that are our original work. COPYLEFT “rules” can be reviewed on the web site: GNU Free Documentation License In short, use what you like. But if you use our stuff, mention us as the source. Brent R. Brian Martha M. Brian BrianMitchellGenealogy@gmail.com Page 4 of 4 ** PAGE BREAK **