William Daniel, Jr.

Biography

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/187518459/william-daniel

William Daniel was born about 1705 in Essex County, VA in St. Ann's Parish, later Drysdale Parish. He was the son of William Daniel Sr. and an unknown daughter of Robert Williams of Essex County. He was married about 1725 to Elizabeth Coleman who is thought to be a daughter of Robert Coleman. After coming of age and before the death of his father, he is sometimes referred to as William Daniel Jr. or William Daniel the Younger in primary records. Before the death of his father, there were several related men named William Daniel in Caroline County.

William was an enterprising man, at one time owning over a thousand acres of land lying in several Virginia counties where he farmed tobacco. He was also active in his father's grist mill, Daniel's Mill, in Caroline. He was briefly appointed as a constable for his district in the 1750s. He is sometimes given the title "Captain" by various sources, but there is nothing in primary records to suggest he ever had that title, ever served in the county militia, or had any other voluntary public service, etc.

After the death of his father in 1765, he later appeared records as William Daniel Sr., since he also had a son and grandson named William.

He appears to have become inactive around 1775 when he sold much of his land. After 1782 his wife and children were taxed for his remaining property so William probably died in Caroline in 1782 or 1783 and is buried in the family cemetery in Caroline County which now lies within the boundaries of Fort A. P. Hill a few miles south of Port Royal. The bulk of his land adjoined his father's mill on Beverly's Run between Portobago and Peumansend Creeks where he and his family resided.

There is no mention of a probate for him in remaining Caroline records, possibly because he had deeded his remaining property to his children. Deed and probate records for this period in Caroline County are lost but a nearly complete set of court order books remain.

The names of his children are uncertain, but he had at least two sons, John and William III and a daughter Phoebe. Caroline Court Order Books suggest that he may also have had sons Robert and Samuel.

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L6WL-1YQ

William Daniel appears many times in Caroline County, VA court order books. He married Elizabeth Coleman about 1725 in Essex County and apparently purchased a significant amount of land before 1732. He and his wife made several deeds disposing of land in the 1740s and 1750s. He later received a 1000 acre grant of land adjoining his father's grist mill in Caroline County. He sold much of his land in the late 1770s and apparently became inactive about that time. He last appears in the 1782 land tax list of of Caroline County and probably died in 1782 or 1783.

Only two children are proved for him but there may have been others. It is suspected that he also had a son named Robert who died in 1761 in Culpeper County, VA and possibly a son named Thomas who died in 1815 in Greene County, GA. There are also probably daughters who have not been identified.

William's first appearance in Caroline records was in 1736:

"12 November 1736 p. 380. Grand Jury being impaneled and sworn, William Marshall, Thomas Blassingham, Henry Isbell, Wm. Daniel jr., Benja. Grubs, John Long, Robt. Key, James Terrill, Thomas White, Oliver Toles, Robt. Tompkins, John Sanders, John Downer, Thomas Bankes, John George, James Collings, William Blanton, John Sutton, Thomas Ship, William Daniel, John Holloway and John Stuard, returned their presentments: (several cases mentioned)
"

That William was active much earlier is shown by a deed made in Spotsylvania County, VA in 1734 when "William Daniel Junior of St. Anns Parish, Caroline County, planter" purchased 300 acres of land in Spotsylvania from Robert Mauldin. This land later fell into Orange and in 1736 William Daniel Junr., now of Drysdale Parish, Caroline County, sold this land to his brother Elijah Daniel.

Later, in Caroline County, VA, a series of court orders show William Daniel Jr. and wife Elizabeth selling land he had acquired before he got his main land, a 1000 acre grant adjoining his father's mill in Caroline County. Unfortunately, these court order entries are brief and just mention deeds of sale made and dower rights released by his wife. There is nothing in them to indicate the amount of land, location or when he acquired the land. It was a significant amount of land, however, as there are four such entries in court order books. Deed records and court order books from 1728-1732 are lost in Caroline so it is impossible to determine when he acquired his land. From this series of deeds and court orders, however, it can bee seen that William owned land and was active as a planter before 1733, probably obtaining land between 1728 and 1732 since no deeds were made in Essex County where records survive. It is possible that his land was in King and Queen County, part of which was cut off into the the new county of Caroline, and where all records are lost before the Civil War.

Tyler's Quarterly:

Unfortunately, the very flawed work of W. B. Newman published in Tyler's Quarterly mistakenly identifies James, Harrison and Tabitha as children of William Daniel and Elizabeth Coleman. This has been disproved by primary record and Y DNA evidence but many compilers continue to mistakenly cite this information as fact because of this article. James and Harrison Daniel were from a completely unrelated Daniel family, that of James Daniel 1664-1742 of Essex County, VA.

Tabitha Daniel, who married Phillip Buckner, was actually the granddaughter of William Daniel and Elizabeth Coleman, the daughter of their son William Daniel 1734-1817 and his first wife, whose name is not known. William Daniel 1734-1817 next married Mary Snead, daughter of Benjamin Snead, about 1764 and had William IV and Benjamin.

Phoebe, who married Thomas Jackson, was possibly a daughter of William and Elizabeth Coleman Daniel, but proof is lacking. On the day that the will of William Daniel Sr. was presented, the William Daniel of this sketch was appointed guardian of one of the orphans of Thomas Jackson. This suggests that William Daniel Sr. may have been unofficially involved in the care of this orphan.

The Caroline Daniels" in "Genealogies of Virginia Families: From Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Volume 1." Published by Genealogical Publishing Company, Incorporated, 1981. Pages 502-503.
Notes

• **This book contains numerous errors and is not a reliable source.

"William Daniel, son-in-law of Robert Williams, has been referred to as probably a grandson of Hugh Daniel of Richmond.... it is certain that he had seven children, perhaps eight, viz:
1. Sarah, who married James Lindsay...
2. William...
3. Thomas...
4. Elijah, who married Mary Hawes.
5. Moses...
6. Mary, who married Edward Walker and moved to Culpeper. Walker's name first appears on a deed (in Essex) dated October 18, 1726, from Joseph Berry, of Stafford, to James Lindsay. Walker was an attesting witness with William Daniel.
7. Phoebe, who married Thomas Jackson.
8. A daughter who married James Coleman, whose will was proved February 10, 1780, Daniel and Thomas Coleman executors."

References

1. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L6WL-1YQ
2. https://colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I123198&t...
3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/187518459/william-daniel