Luke Thornton, Sr.

Abt 1650 - Aft 1725  (~ 75 years)

• Name	Luke Thornton
  Suffix	Sr.
  Born	Abt 1650	of Richmond Co., Va.
  Gender	Male
  Died	Aft 29 Jan 1725	Date of will in Richmond Co., Va.
  Death	2 Mar 1725	Richmond, Virginia, United States
  Initiatory (LDS)	22 Apr 1998	ARIZO
  _UID	2E1ABDEE15CA11D782E700047586F39BB011
  Person ID	I784	Linder-Hood
  Last Modified	20 May 2018

  
  

  Father	Henry Thornton,   b. Abt 1630, St. Margarets, Westminster, London, England ,   d. 1730, Waraw, Richmond, Virginia  (Age ~ 100 years)
  Mother	Deborah Scoper,   b. 31 Mar 1635, West London, Greater London, England ,   d. 1735, Richmond, Virginia, United States  (Age 99 years)
  Married	18 Nov 1652
  _UID	B29EB12694876C4E8AEC1C6D6F6108D7AA04
  Family ID	F386	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Anne Hall,   b. Abt 1645, Farnham, Richmond, Virginia, United States ,   d. 1725, Farnham, Richmond, Virginia, United States  (Age ~ 80 years)
  Married	1675	Farnham, Richmond, Virginia, United States
  _UID	60AAE062782665419F12B2E70DA22AA154E1
  Children	1. Luke Thornton, Jr.,   b. Abt 1676,   d. Bef 2 Apr 1718, Richmond County, Virginia, United States  (Age ~ 42 years)   2. John Thornton,   b. 1678,   d. 1692  (Age 14 years)   3. Elizabeth Thornton,   b. 1679, Farnham, Richmond, Virginia, United States ,   d. 30 Mar 1762, Westmoreland, Virginia, United States  (Age 83 years)   4. Matthew Thornton,   b. Abt 1682, N Farnham, Richmond, VA ,   d. Mar 1727, , Richmond, Virginia, USA  (Age ~ 45 years)   5. Ann Thornton,   b. 1683, Farnham, Richmond, Virginia, United States ,   d. 1740, Richmond Magisterial District, Wise, Virginia, United States  (Age 57 years)   6. Mark Thornton,   b. 23 Sep 1686, Farnham, Richmond, Virginia, United States ,   d. Bef 3 Jan 1722, Richmond, Virginia, USA  (Age < 35 years)   7. Thomas Thornton,   b. 5 Apr 1688, Farnum, Harrison, Virginia, United States ,   d. 28 Jun 1729, Richmond Magisterial District, Wise, Virginia, United States  (Age 41 years)
  Last Modified	21 May 2018 03:52:48
  Family ID	F387	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  WILL OF LUKE THORNTON January 29, l725 Richmond County, Virginia, Book 5, Page 6: In the name of God, Amen. I, Luke Thornton, of North Farnham Parish, in the County of Richmond, being weak in body but of sound and perfect memory, - thanks be to God for the same, do make this my last Will and testament, in manner and form, following: First, I bequeath my soul to Almighty God, who gave it, hoping through the merits of my Savior Jesus Christ to obtain everlasting life; and as for my body I commit to the earth, to be decently buried at the discretion of my executors hereafter named. Imprimis: I will my just debts and funeral expenses to be paid out of my estate. Item: I give to my son Thomas Thornton the land belonging to me in Westmoreland County, from a branch beyond Pantico, as goes to Mr. Sorrell's land where Joe Holliday now lives, to his heirs forever . . . I give to my grandson William Thornton a piece of land bound as follows, - from the fence where his mother now lives down to Pottage Pot and a water course to their spring, thence to a line which now divides his and my land, to him and to his heirs forever. Item: I give to my grandson Mark Thornton the land where Richard Jones now lives, to go up a branch beyond Pantico, joining to the land given to my son Thomas Thornton. Item: I give to my son Matthew Thornton, four head of cattle, the youngest to be three years old and the oldest not over ten years; also twenty shillings to buy him a ring. Item: I give to my daughter Elizabeth Nash twenty shillings to buy her a ring. Item: I give to my daughter Ann Mountjoy and my granddaughter Sarah Jones my negro man named Tony, during their natural lives, and at their decease give to my grandson Rowland Thornton and his heirs forever. As for ye rest, residue and remainder of my estate, I give to my daughter Ann Mountjoy and my granddaughter Sarah Jones and their heirs forever, whom I also make, constitute and appoint my whole and sole executors of this my last will and testament, in witness whereof I have set my seal and hand, ye 29th day of January, 1725. Signed, sealed and published and declared to be his last will and his testament in the presence of us: Marmaduke Beckwith Signed: Luke T. Thornton William Sisson Michael M. Winder SEAL __________ Richmond County, Virginia, Deed Book 8, Page 295 "Deed of Gift" Luke does not appear again in the records until 1725 when he executed a deed of gift (Richmond County, DB 8, p 295) to his children. He gave to son Thomas the land in Westmoreland County, adj. Mr. Sorilis where John Holyday now lives. To daughter Anne Mountjoy and granddaughter Sarah Mountjoy �land in NFP after my and my wife�s decease�. To grandson William Thornton � a piece of land from fence where his mother now lives down to potage pot and a water course to a spring. John Mountjoy, husband of daughter Anne shall not lay claim to anything given her or their daughter Sarah. After decease of Anne and Sarah Mountjoy I give land where Richard Evans now lives to grandson Mark Thornton. The land I live on to go to grandson Rowland Thornton.� He also mentions son Matthew and daughter Elizabeth Nash. This deed was executed 5 Oct 1725 and recorded 6 Oct 1725. He gave power of attorney on 5 Oct 1725 to William Hodgkinson attorney to acknowledge his deed of gift. (Note: Luke Thornton made deed of gift on 6 Oct 1725 and so his will could not have been probated 2 Mar 1725. This must reflect the old calendar and really be 2 Mar 1726 and probably the will was written 29 Jan 1725/26.) Luke Thornton Sr. wrote his will 29 Jan 1726 naming son Thomas to receive land in Westmoreland County, son Matthew, daughters Anne Mountjoy and Elizabeth Nash, grandson William Thornton to receive land where his mother now lives and grandson Rowland Thornton to receive one negro. To granddaughter Sarah Jones all other lands. To grandson Mark Thornton �at decease of Ann and Sarah land where Richard Evans lives adj. land given to son Thomas�. His daughter Anne Mountjoy was named executrix and the will was witnessed by Marmaduke Beckwith, William Sisson, and Michael Winder. The will was probated 2 Mar 1726 (Richmond County, WB5, p. 6) with an inventory ordered 1 Mar 1726 to be done by John Yeatman, James Harrison, and Leonard Dozier. The inventory was returned 6 Apr 1726. Per Nancy Royce __________ "Historical Southern Families", Volume XII. Copyright 1968 by Mrs.John Bennett Boddie. Pages 1-89. 975 D2b. Luke1 Thornton of Richmond Co. was born about 1650- 55 and died in Richmond Co., Va. between Jan. 29 and Mar. 2, 1725/6. His wife was named Anne, as shown by the Northfarnham Parish Register. She died between Oct. 5, 1725, when she is mentioned in a deed that Luke Thornton made to his heirs, and Jan. 29, 1725/6, when Luke wrote his will and makes no mention of his wife. Luke Thornton first appears in the Records of Westmoreland Co., Va. Sept. 26, 1677 ... However , he moved very soon thereafter to old Rappahannock (later Richmond) Co., where he was deeded land successively in 1679, 1681, and 1685... He and his son, Luke Thornton, Jr., were deeded additional land in Westmoreland Co. May 29, 1700 by Randolph Kirk.... In a deed dated Oct. 5, 1725 (Richmond Co. D. B. 1720-23, pp. 294 -5) and in his will, dated Jan. 29, 1725/6 and probated Mar. 2, 1725/6 (W. B. 5, p. 6), Luke Thornton mentions the same legatees with very slight changes in the bequest of land, but the deed mentions his wife as still living, while the will does not mention her, indicating her death in the interval.. The bequest of the will were: son Thomas, land in Westmoreland; grandson William Thornton land "where his mother now lives": daughter Ann Mountjoy and granddaughter Sarah Jones the rest of the land, and after their deaths to grandson Mark Thornton; "the land I now live on" to grandson Roland Thornton; son Matthew Thornton Cattle and 20 s. for a mourning ring; daughter Elizabeth Nash 20 s. for a mourning ring; a negro to Ann Mountjoy and her daughter Sarah, after their deaths to go to grandson Roland Thornton; Ann and Sarah residuary legatees. The deed mentioned previously also mentions John Mountjoy, husband of daughter Ann. The persons mentioned in the deed and will are easily identified with the exception of the grandson Roland Thornton. Luke Thornton's sons, Luke, Jr. and Mark Thornton, had predeceased him. The grandson, William Thornton, was a proved son of Luke, Jr., and it is practically certain that Mark was a son of Mark. This leaves uncertainty as to the parentage of Roland. Since the will and deed seek to provide for each of the children, including the eldest sons of Luke, Jr. and Mark, it would seem that the grandson Roland was the son of another son who had predeceased his father. This son was probably a John Thornton, who was witness for his brother, Luke , in suits in Westmoreland Co. in 1704 (Westmoreland O. Bk. 1698-1705, pp. 225a and 226), and was probably born about 1680 . After the will, the grandson, Roland, disappears from the records, and probably died without issue. The following is known of the children of Luke1 and Anne Thornton. (page 4) __________ Genforum Re: Elizabeth Thornton,c1678,VA,gd/o WmThornton Posted by Darl S. Hood on October 09, 1998 at 13:51:38: In Reply to: Elizabeth Thornton,circa 1678,Virginia posted by Ron Bryant on October 08, 1998 at 23:00:46: I have it that Elizabeth Thornton (Mrs. Thomas Brown) was born abt 1678 in Westmoreland Co. VA. I don't know their other children either, but would like to. Elizabeth's g-father was Wm Thornton, the imigrant. Wm Thornton came to VA from Yorkshire, England about 1640, and not later than 1646. He built his home "The Hills" in Stafford Co., VA. Wm Thornton died in 1708. He married (1) Elisia Billing (Bellington, Bullington)1640/1642, daughter of Luke Bellington and Elisia Russell in Lunenburg Parish, Richmond Co., VA. Wm's first son was Luke Thornton (Elizabeth's father). Wm married next (2) Elizabeth Rowland. The second son was Edward and the third son, Rowland; forth son Francis; fifth child (a daughter) was Esther [SOURCE: Georgia Magazine Dec./Jan.1968, pp 32, 33, 37), by Adelle Bartlett Harper]." __________ "The Thornton Family, Dozier Thornton Line" by Jonathan Mills Thornton 1960 and based on and updating another book, "A Glimpse of the Thorntons Through the Centuries" by Walter W. Thornton in 1952 Walter reviewed Jonathan's book and agreed with the corrections in his earlier volume. This came from; John Bell jabell24@aol.com 46 Watch Hill Drive Fishkill, NY 12524-1013 This included a source to show the parents of Luke Thornton to be William Thornton and Elisia Billington. The following is an excerpt; However, it is worthy of note that in 1952 one of the Rogers sisters, Miss Edna, compiled all their records in permanent form in a little book, "The Thornton Line", using records accumulated after many years of research by her sister, Alpha, a most competent genealogist. Miss Alpha had intended publishing her findings, but died in 1949 before completing her research. The sum and substance of her version, so far as it concerns us here, is that William I (The Immigrant) was twice married; that his first wife was Elisia Billington, daughter of Luke Billington and wife Elisia Russell; that they had several children, among them Luke Thornton born in 1642, - known grandfather of Mark Thornton, father of Dozier, as shown in this book This version, of course, makes Luke Thornton an older half-brother of the known and well recorded Sons of William I, namely: William II, Francis and Rowland. Reference quoted by Miss Edna for this version is a book, "Cavaliers and Pioneers of Gloucester County, Virginia", by Polly Mason. While discussing the Rogers book with Mr. Thornton in April, 1958, he stated that he thought it only fair to say that true and reasonable though it may appear, correspondence had by him with some of the best known genealogists in Virginia, and with Historical Society of Virginia, in Richmond, had developed no known authentic record of such connection. __________ Looking for Luke, A Thornton Family Narrative http://pacific.telebyte.net/~thornton/looking%20for%20luke.htm By Richard S. Thornton, July 2000 thornton@telebyte.net My aunt Artie Thornton gathered much of the original documentation on the Thornton family. She almost dedicated her later years, after her parents died, to organizing material on the family. She found an earlier Luke, the second of three sons of Henry and Deborah, born in 1655 in St. Margarets. Two thirds of the emigrants in the mid 1660s came from the south and west of England. If this number was added to those who emigrated from London it was three fourths of the total number who arrived. Included in this number from St. Margarets, Westminister, London, were Henry and Deborah Scoper Thornton and their three sons, Henry, Luke, and John. Luke was between 5 and 10 years old when they set foot on Virginia soil. After they arrived in the new Colonies, the Thornton family settled in the North Farnham area of Richmond County, VA. This area is about 60 miles northeast of the city of Richmond, just north of the Rappahannock River. Around 1674 Luke married a local girl, Anne, who was born in North Farnham around 1654. ____________________ Richard Thornton Fox, Thornton - Branches to Westward (Portsmouth, Virginia: Privately printed, 1996), 5. , cites as his authority "The Ancestry of Jane Thornton, of Spartansburg, SC" by Ariel L. Crowley Ph.D., June 14, 1969 (LDS Family History Centers) Exactly the same information as, "Looking for Luke, A Thornton Family Narrative" by Dr. Richard S. Thornton." <http://home.comcast.net/~rjthornton/familyintro.htm> Henry7 Thornton (Henry6, Henry5, Henry4, Thomas3, Richard2, John1)14,15,16 was born circa 1630 in Fulham Parish, Middlesex, England.17 He married Deborah Scoper on Nov 18, 1652 in London, England. Children of Henry7 Thornton and Deborah Scoper were as follows: 8 i. Henry8 Thornton18 was born circa 1653. + 9 ii. Luke Thornton, born circa 1655; married Anne (--?--). 10 iii. John Thornton19 was born on Oct 26, 1656 in London, England. microfiche #0908148, Item _______________ Marcine's Genealogy, Electronic Library, online < http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~celticlady/default.htm>, Marcine Lohman, webmaster (509 Kehrs Mill Road, Ballwin, MO 63011-3231). : I am beginning to seriously believe that Luke Thornton was NOT a son of William Thornton of Gloucester County, Virginia. I can find no proof (not even in land deeds) that they were related. When William Thornton gave a gift of deeds to his three sons, Luke was still alive and living in Richmond County, Virginia but there was no mention of him. I believe this is because William was not his father. I also am not sure if Luke's parents are Henry Thornton, born circa 1630 in Fulham Parish, Middlesex, England and his wife Deborah Scoper, which is another possibility. Until I find proof, I just can't come out and say "who" his parents were.