Grace Arrowsmith

Grace’s birthplace, maiden name, and birth date are unknown. An estimate from her children's ages suggests she was born about 1640 and married to John Ashton by 1659.[1] She died after 1710 of Washington Parish, Westmoreland County, Virginia.

Grace may have been 1st married to a man called Beard or Best; 2nd to John Ashton; 3rd to James Key or Kay; and lastly, to Thomas Arrowsmith.

Disputed Origins

Grace has been claimed to be the daughter of Lt Colonel Henry Meese, Sr. (1628-1682).

Henry was a Maryland and Virginia merchant, but Meese did not arrive in Virginia until 1660 or 1661, after Grace was married. He cannot be her father.

The claim that Grace was the daughter of Henry Meese traces back to an article in the William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. IV, No. 1, 1895, p. 40. The author says "Henry Meese, merchant, made a gift to Mary, daughter of John and Grace Ashton, in 1670. Was Grace, wife of John Ashton, a kinswoman of Meese?"

An article from 1898 (Vol. VII, No. .2, , p. 115) has moved on to state "John Ashton married Grace Meese(?). Numerous subsequent articles restate the "Grace Meese" name, along with numerous other genealogical errors made in these early articles.

From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Frizer-1

Dr. William [Alexander] Frizer, named "Mrs. Grace Ashton, widdow, my executrix" and her children in his will. Westmoreland County Deeds, Patents, etc. 1665-1677. , pp. 346-346a:

9 Sep 1677 - 24 Oct 1677 names Grace's children: Priscilla Ashton, Charles Ashton, Sarah Ashton, Henry, Grace Jr., and Mary.

https://colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I71816&tr...

Colonial Familes of Northern Neck of Virginia;

Wright & Wright William Frizer, WC, chirurgeon, d. leaving a will dated 9 Sep 1677, proved 21 Nov 1677. To Mrs. Grace Ashton, widdow, extx. my gold watch, all my debts. Unto Prissilla Ashton, horse and mare. Prissilla shall give Henry Ashton the first mare colt. Unto Henry Ashton, son and orphant of Capt. John Ashton 2000 a. of my tract of 5500 a. purchased by me of John Mathews. If he die before age 21, to his brother Charles Ashton. Unto Grace Ashton Junr. 500 a. of 5500 a. tract. Unto Mary Ashton, 500 a. Unto Sarah Ashton, 500 a. - daughters and orphans of Capt. John Ashton each 500 a. Unto Thomas Beard son of John Beard my Godsonne, 2000 a. being the remainder of the 5500 a. If he die to Prissilla Ashton. {WC DWP, 1065-77:346-346a}

Family notes

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-534914

Charles Ashton was born before 1656 in Washington Parish, Westmoreland Co., VA, as he appears to be of age at the time of his father's death about June 1677, [1] the eldest son of John Ashton, but may not have been a son of his surviving wife, Grace (here profiled as Grace Frizer).[2]

On 9 Sep 1677, William Frizer signed his will in Westmoreland, making "Mrs. Grace Ashton, widdow" his executrix. He leaves her a sizable portion of his personal property (no land), including responsibility for his debts. He leaves to the following members of the Ashton family: Prissilla Ashton (two horses), Henry Ashton (said to be underage and to get almost half his land - 2000 acres out of 5500), Grace Ashton Junr (500 acres), Mary Ashton (500 acres) and Sarah Ashton (500 acres). He leaves the residue of his land to his godson, Thomas Beard. If Thomas dies without heirs, the land to go to Prissilla Ashton. If Henry leaves no heirs, his inheritance to go to his brother Charles.

By the wording of the will, it appears Prissilla and Charles are of age, and may have already received property from their father, as Charles would have been heir-at-law. The will makes it appear that Grace is either the daughter, or the closest relative, that William Frizer has. It is somewhat telling that William is passing on the largest portion of his land to Charles if Henry dies without issue, rather than to the daughters. From the entries regarding John Ashton's estate, he appears to have died intestate, as no will is recorded - only an inventory. If this is the case, Charles, as heir-at-law, would have gotten everything, except his mother's widow's portion. This might explain why he gets nothing from Frizer's estate unless Henry dies. He may still be a son of Grace.[3] Henry did come of age, and is recorded in Westmoreland records as late as 1709.

Family

From "Ashton Family" article from The William and Mary Quarterly, Volume 7.< link <

3. John Ashton (Charles ') married Grace Meese (?)

Issue, named in the will (dated September 9, 1677) of Alexander Frizer,, surgeon with Lieutenant-Colonel John Washington in the attack on the Susquehanna Fort;

• 4, Priscilla;
• 5, Mary, who, in received the gift of a mare from Henry Meese, Esq., of the council; &,
• Henry*;
• 7, Charles';
• 8, Grace;
• 9, Sarah' (note 3), married, first, Col. Philip Alexander, and had issue : Jane, Elizabeth, Sarah, Philip, born July 22, 1704, who married, Nov. 11 1726, Sarah Hooe, daughter of Rice Hooe (note 4); married,, secondly, Thomas Clifton, and had Ann Clifton and Burdett Clifton (born June 29, 1708, will proved 1762); married, thirdly, McGill. Jane, daughter of Philip and Sarah (Hooe) Alexander (bom January 12, 1730), married 15, Henry* Ashton. (CJ below.)

She married, secondly, James Kay (note 2). He died in 1677.

Grace married again, before 2 Sep 1691 in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia, to Thomas Arrowsmith. He died after 1696 in Washington Parish, Westmoreland County, Virginia.

• 1689-1692 Old Rappahannock County, Virginia Order Book; [Antient Press]; Page 225
• - Rappahannock County Court 2d of September 1691
• This day WM. BROWNE confessed Judgment to THO: ARROWSMYTH for Five hundred pounds of tobb & caske upon Bill which this Court have ordered to be recorded wth cost of suit als exe.
• - Reff. intr. THO: ARROWSMYTH as Marrying the Admistrx. of JAMES KEY SR. Plt. & JAMES KEY JUNR. till next North side Court

Comments

From http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/ashton/1742/

Suggest you search this forum for postings by Lou Poole. She has found records of Captain John Ashton and Grace in Warwick County, Virginia, as early as 1650, which cast doubt on her identity as a daughter of Col. Henry Meese. It seems that she was previously married to William Best of Warwick County; and that she married Captain John Ashton, in 1651, after the death of William Best, in 1650. Captain John Ashton was an attorney and was closely involved with the Dade Family, who muved to the Northern Neck of Virginia about the same time (1662-1664) as the Ashtons. It may be possible to trace Captain John Ashton further through some of these connections.

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References

• Pippenger, Wesley E.. John Alexander, A Northern Neck Proprietor. Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, 1990.
• https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Grace_Meese_(1)
• From http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/ashton/1742/“Suggest you search this forum for postings by Lou Poole. She has found records of Captain John Ashton and Grace in Warwick County, Virginia, as early as 1650, which cast doubt on her identity as a daughter of Col. Henry Meese. It seems that she was previously married to William Best of Warwick County; and that she married Captain John Ashton, in 1651, after the death of William Best, in 1650. Captain John Ashton was an attorney and was closely involved with the Dade Family, who muved to the Northern Neck of Virginia about the same time (1662-1664) as the Ashtons. It may be possible to trace Captain John Ashton further through some of these connections.”
• Date of death https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L1QQ-VBR/mary-frances-ashton-...
• Fitzhugh, Norman S. “Captain John Ashton of Westmoreland County, Virginia, and Some of His Descendants.” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 14, no. 2, 1934, pp. 151–155. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1915677
• The Kay-Pendleton-Neel families Page 23 AncestryImage
• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Oct 22 2019, 6:16:38 UTC
• https://colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I71816&tr... "Will of William Frizer of the County of Westmoreland, chirrurgion, being sick of body, dated 9 Sept. 1677. ... Mrs. Grace Ashton, widdow, my executrix. ... "
• "Who were the three Graces?" < Wikitree query >
• https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I1703... "not proved that she was a daughter of Henry Meese"
• "Washington Parish, Westmoreland County, Virginia Genealogy" Founded 1664. Washington Parish has served Westmoreland County, Virginia. Round Hill Church fell within the bounds of Washington Parish until 1777, when it became a part of Hanover Parish.[1]. Colonial parish registers have been lost.
• St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Oak Grove, Virginia) St. Peter's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church located at the junction of VA 3 and VA 205 in historic Oak Grove, Westmoreland County, Virginia.[3] Although the surrounding parish was created in the 17th century, the current brick structure, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, was consecrated in 1849,[1] and planned to celebrate its 175th anniversary on May 31, 2024. ... In 1664 Appomattocks was renamed Washington Parish to honor early vestryman John Washington, the great-grandfather of President George Washington who reorganized the parish in 1661.[5][6]
• Mason, George Carrington. “The Colonial Churches of Westmoreland and King George Counties, Virginia: Part II.” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 56, no. 3 (1948): 280–93. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4245559.