 |
Live For Today, Hope For Tomorrow!! A. Einstein |
 Email Dave |
|
|
|
|
 Bowen Coat of Arms Avis Robert Bowen's wife - at least from 1730 to 1732 - was named Avis according to the Bristol Parish records for the births of their children Lucie and Ephraim Bowen. No further records have been found for her after 12 Feb 1731 or for any other wife of Robert Bowen. No record of a daughter named Avis Bowen has been found, but the name Avis did appear later in the descendants of Ephraim Bowen. William Andrews (Sr)'s wife's name from at least Jan 1722/23 until his death was named Avis as proven by the birth records for their children in Bristol Parish. His widow Avis survived him as proven by his 1770 Dinwiddie will and a later 1774 Dinwiddie deed after his death by Avis Andrews of Dinwiddie Co., "widow and relic of William Andrews late of Dinwiddie Co, deceased", to her son Ephraim Andrews of Mecklenburg Co. A daughter named Avice was born to them on 7 Dec. 1727 in Bristol Parish. This daughter has not been traced. She was named as Avis in her father's 1770 will, so she was still living at that time. However, she was only named as daughter Avis with no surname given, so it's impossible to tell if she had married or who her husband might have been. Henry Bailey's wife was named Avis in the Bristol Parish birth records for their children from 1727 to 1735. His Lunenburg will written in 1761 also named wife Avis. No records have been found that indicate that he had a daughter named Avis Bailey. George son of Henry & Amy Baley b. 2 June 1725. John son of Henry & Avis Balie b. 23 Oct. 1727; bap. July 28, 1728. William son of Henry & Avice Baly b. 10 May 1733; bapt. 17th June. Martha, dau. of Henry & Avis Baley b. Mar. 30, 1735; bapt. 4th May. The 1761 Lunenburg Co will of Henry Bailey named wife Avis Bailey, son William Bailey, and mentioned other children but didn't name them. The 1792 Lunenburg Co will of Stephen Mize (son of James Mize d 1761) named wife Avis Mize and daughter Avis Mize. This Mize family owned land adjoining the land patented by William Bowen Sr in 1747 and sold to Henry Bailey above in 1749. Three of Stephen Mize's daughters, Susan, Winny, and Joice Mize, were living on the land of Jessee Turner on the west side of Stoney Creek in 1830 when he wrote his will leaving that part of his land to daughter Susan Turner. Mize, Stephen 2-23-1792; 10-11-1792 Lunenburg Co Mentions: Wife: Avis Mize Son: John Mize Daughters: Sylvania Mize, Lyndal Mize, Suky Mize, Avis Mize, Winny Mize, Lucretia Mize, Joice Mize Relationships of following not stated: William Mize, Mary Ann Stegal, Sally Daily Executors: Avis Mize (wife), John Mize (son) Witnesses: William Fisher, George Stegall, John (his X mark) Wright. According to information concerning the Wray family at http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?stephen,mize::wray::86.ht ml (which I have not researched to verify, but the names given agree with the wills I have found), Stephen Mize's wife Avis was the daughter of John Wray, Sr and Frances Oher Bailey b 1720. Since Henry Bailey's will was witnessed by a John Wray and the Bailey land adjoined the Mize land, it's my guess that Frances Oher Bailey was probably an earlier daughter born to Henry Bailey and Avis who was not recorded in the Bristol Parish birth records. So again it appears that the name Avis can be traced back to its origins in Bristol Parish. John Granger left his will in Lunenburg dated 1793 naming a daughter Avis Wills. This John Granger b 24 Dec 1726 was the son of Benjamin Granger and Anne Andrews. His birth record was also found in the Bristol Parish records. Anne Andrews Granger was a sister to William Andrews Sr above, both children of Thomas Andrews Sr who left his will dated 1731 in Henrico. John Granger's will named wife Agnes, but she was a later wife and not the mother of his children born prior to 1781. John Granger m Agness Roberts 21 Feb 1781 Lunenburg Co, Henry Gill surety. The will of William Andrews Sr of Dinwiddie Co named a daughter Winifred Granger, leaving her "135 acres lying on the north side of Meherrin River at the lower part of my land, there being the land whereon she now lives". Winifred Granger, daughter of William Andrews Sr, was the first wife of John Granger, her first cousin. Winifred's brother Abraham Andrews and sister Lucy Andrews were also left land from the same tract of land in Lunenburg. The marriage of Winifred Andrews and John Granger is first suggested by John Granger's will which names a daughter Avis Wills. Avis was the name of Winifred Andrews Granger's mother. But John Granger's will did not name wife Winifred, but rather wife Agnes. The evidence proving that Winifred Andrews was his first wife comes from the Lunenburg land that was left to daughter Winifred Granger and her siblings Abraham Andrews and Lucy Andrews in the 1770 will of William Andrews Sr. The 1750 patent that was granted to William Andrews for land in Lunenburg Co mentioned Beaver Pond Creek. A later deed places John Granger's land near Beaver Pond Creek near Abraham Andrews' land. DB 15 p 517 8 Apr 1790 Abraham Andrews of Lunenburg to Wm. Allen. About 200 acres bounded by bever pond cr on Nevill Gee's corner, thence to David Vandy, Henry Gee, Thos. Jones, John Grainger & Abraham Andrews. Wit Peter Garland, David Van Dyck, Sterling Cooper Rec 8 Apr 1790 The only other occurrance of the name Avis in the Bristol Parish records involves the Thomas Moore family. No connection can be proven to the Bowens or the other families, but there is a possibility of a connection. From the Bristol Parish birth records: Avis, dau. of Thomas & Eleonore More b. 27 March 1733, bapt. 17 June. Will of Thomas Moor 14 May 1772 Chesterfield Co, VA To Stace Moor To son, James To Aves More, Mary Crafton, Rachel Lusse, Lusse Glascock, and William Moor, each, 1 shilling to Wife Allen, etc. and executor. Wit: Zackariah Moor, Zacariah Glascock, Benja. Davis The Brunswick Co Order Book records for Robert Bowen indicate that he had been levied an attachment to garnishee some unspecified property belonging to William Moore in 1741. But Moore had already left for NC and Bowen stated that he wasn't in possession of the property at the time that the attachment was levied. Was there some connection between William Moore and Thomas Moore above? Thomas Moore's daughter Avis born in 1733 was too young to be Robert Bowen's wife, but could the name Avis have been in the Moore family earlier? The name Avis is an uncommon name. For it to appear in so many families that lived near each other is certainly worthy of note. At least four of these families, the Bowens, Andrews, Baileys, and Grangers, had moved to Lunenburg from Bristol Parish, so the origin of the name seems to trace back to Bristol Parish. Certainly the wives of Robert Bowen, William Andrews, and Henry Bailey must have been three different women since they were all producing children during the same period. It is not possible that any two of them could have been the same. |