WILLIAM H. HARRISON
THE STORY AS I KNOW IT
William H. Harrison was born about 1680 in Stafford
                County, Virginia.  Many online place his birth
              in 1686.  That may be right, but he wed in 1702 and
              he would have been only 16 at the time.  Not
              impossible but unusual.  No where is there
              documentation to support their claims, so I will make my
              own.  I cannot confirm his parents at this time.
                I 
              
William H.  Harrison, I don't know
              what the H stands for married
                  Sarah Hawley about 1702.
            
            
                 
                 
          1. William H. (who also became
      "Captain") born 1703 married Isabella
        Triplett.
                 
                 
                 
          2. Sybil born 1705 married Col.
        Hugh West
                 
                 
                 
          3. George born 1707 married Martha
        Price
                 
                 
                 
          4. Sarah born 1708/9 married 1st Thomas
        Triplett, 2nd John Manley.
                 
                 
                 
          5. Mary born after 1714 married 1st John
        Brown, 2nd John Peake
    
            
                 
                 On Dec. 4, 1706
      William H. Harrison bought 266 acres in Stafford County
        on Dogue Run.  Deeds NN 3:146  
        Dogue Run, now in Fairfax County flows    
                 
                 
                  into the
        Potomac. just south of  Mount Vernon Stafford
      County covered all of northern Virginia until 1730 when Prince
      William was carved out. Fairfax    
                 
                 
                  
        County was carved from the northern part of PW in
      1742.  This William Harrison also owned land that
      eventually was in Loudoun County.  We know
                 
                 
                 
             because of a wonderful colonial Loudoun
        County Deed C:255
    
            
                 
                William H
        Harrison died in Stafford County in 1724. Ms. Mack notes
      that the will was recorded in Stafford County Will book K,
        page 99 which is now lost.     
                   
                   
               Ann H. Mack wrote an article
      for The Virginia Genealogist, Volume 28, 1984 entitled Hawley/Halley
        In Seventeenth Century Virginia.  Her eldest son,
                 
                 
                 
             William H. most likely took
      over as head of the house. He didn't marry until he was 31. 
      The youngest child,  Mary was 10.  
    
In 1740, after Mary Harrison wed John Brown, Sarah Hawley Harrion married a second time. She was 54 years old and her new husband, Thomas Lewis was 10 years younger. He died in 1749. His will can be found in Fairfax Co, VA Will Book A-1 pp. 291-3. Sarah was to have the use of the estate, Difficult Run, during her natural life. Difficult Run was in the north of Fairfax County All lands and estates were bequeathed to the children of his brother, Stephen Lewis. Sarah sued that her late husband and his brother had conspired to defraud her and she was granted a judgement of 6868 pounds of tobacco. However, she was ordered to pay 15 pounds, 2 shillings and 5 pence to the estate of Stephen Lewis.
Mary Harrison Brown had gone to Difficult Run to live with her mother after her husband John Brown died. There she met and married the overseer of Difficult Run, John Peake. By 1772 the Peake family had moved to Fauquier County, Virginia. Sarah moved there to be with her daughter and died there in 1778 at the age of 92.
Some of those wonderful colonial deeds spelled out the family connections. William H. Harrison inherited a track of land in Loudoun County, VA from his father William Harrison. On September 3/4, 1760 Margaret (nee Harrison) and her husband Edward Blackburn sold their portion of the track. The deed found in Loudoun Deeds C:255 connects the family. It says..
"track taken up by William Harrison and devised to William H. Harrison his son.....The Northern Neck Grant was to Sarah Lewis, then Sarah Harrison, widow and relict of William Harrison the elder and mother of William the son. The track was devised to his (William - the son) four daughters, Margaret who married Edward Blackburn, Sarah who married John Monroe, Susanna who married Robert Slaughter and Mary who married John Waler."
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
If you know the answer please CONTACT US
1. Who were William Harrison's parents?
              2.  Was his middle initial H, or was it a misread of
                William III Harrison?
              3.  When was he born? 
              4.  Find all the property owned by this William
                Harrison. 
              5.  Is there any secondary source for his lost will?
            
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Doc; gbhar020.html
              Date created 1/5/2016
              Date edited 6/22/2024