APPARENT SOUTHERN FAMILY GROUPS IN MIDDLESEX COUNTY, VIRGINIA
IN THE EARLY TO MID-EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
From The Parish Register of Christ Church, Middlesex County, Virginia, From 1653 To 1812 . Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. Baltimore, 1975. (Reprint of DAR 1897 publication).
Introduction: The Parish Register of Christ Church of Middlesex County, Virginia shows that a family of Southerns headed by John Southern and wife Catherine were living in the county by the early 1700s. Their children included sons Edward, John Jr., William, and daughter Lettice. The record shows the christening dates of sons Edward (1703) and John Jr. (1705). The elder John prepared a will in 1726 that names all four of those children. John Sr. died Oct. 1, 1728.
All three sons of John and Catherine appear to have married in Middlesex and had children there.
Descendants of this small family group are now widely distributed across the United States, and likely number in the thousands.
Note: Material published (and often repeated) by others claim that John, husband of Catherine, was born in 1641 and was the son of the first John Southern who came to Jamestown VA in 1720. This researcher has never seen the basis for this claim. For one thing, it indicates that John married Catherine around age 60 and sired his children thereafter. While possible, the claim begs for documentation of John's birth.
Note: Some of the index entries were incorrect (indicated incorrect page numbers), and other items were discovered that were not indexed. Additional entries that are not indexed may exist in the register.
Entries in the Register
John Southern and Catherine (___) Southern and their children:
Edward, son of John Suthern/Catherine baptized 23 May 1703.
John, son of John S./Catherine baptized 12 Aug 1705.Note: The 1726 Middlesex County will of John "Southren" names sons William, Edward, and John, and daughter Lettice, and is evidently this same John Southern. The will is abstracted in The Virginia Genealogist, Volume 6, Number 1, January-March 1962, p. 9 and p. 13.
Entries related to above:
John Southern Senr. died 1 Oct 1728
John Cheedle and Lettice Southern (daughter of John named in the 1726 will) married 14 Sep 1713.John Southern and Margaret (Kidd) Southern and their children:
Note: If this John is the same as John baptized 12 Aug 1705, son of John and Catherine noted above, he was likely no older than 16 or 17 at the time of marriage to Margaret Kidd, depending on how long after his birth he was christened. Such a young age for a groom may be unusual, but still possible.John Southern and Margaret Kidd married 17 February 1720.
William, son of John S./Margaret born 16 Aug 1722.
Note: This William is the most likely candidate to be the William Southern who settled in Surry County (later Stokes County) NC in 1774 or 1775.
Susanna, dau of John S./Margaret born 22 Jul 1725.
Joseph, son of John S./Margaret baptized 14 Jan 1727.
Benjamine, son of John S./Margaret born 29 Oct. 1730.
Samuel, son of John S./Margaret baptized 21 Jan 1732.
Margaret, dau of John S./Margaret born 18 Aug. 1735.
Averilla, dau of John S./Margaret born 25 Dec. 1738.Entries possibly related to above:
Margrett Kidd died 4 Jan 1720 (mother of the above Margaret (Kidd) Southern?)
Joseph Southern died 7 Feb 1733 (the above Joseph, age 6?)
William Southern and Mary (Saunders) Southern and their children:
Note: There is no birth record for this William, but it seems likely that he is the William named as a son in the 1726 will of John Southern (wife Catherine) cited above. His son William (b. 1734) named below is one of two possibilities to have been the William Southern who lived in Mecklenburg County VA in the late 18th century and migrated to Lee County in the western toe of Virginia in the early 19th century. See also the family of Edward and Mary __ Southern below for a second possibility for that William.
William Southern and Mary Saunders married 3 Aug 1730.
Thomas son of William S./Mary born 25 June 1732.
William son of William S./Mary born 22 Dec 1734.
Sarah dau of William S./Mary born 31 Oct 1740
Entry possibly related to above:
William Southern died 17 Nov 1742 (father or son above?)
Edward Southern and Agatha (___) Southern and their children:
Note: This and the following Edwards are likely to be the Edward born c. 1703, son of John and Catherine above. Wife "Agatha" seen here may be the same as "Agnes" below.Garrett son of Edward S./Agatha baptized 25 July 1731.
Edward Southern and Agnes (___) and their children:
John son of Edward S./Agnes baptized 10 March 1733.
Entry possibly related to above:
Agnes Southern died 11 Feb 1739/40.
Edward Southern and Mary (___) Southern and their children:
Note: Mary here is likely the second (or third?) wife of Edward. There is no marriage record, but the birth dates suggest a marriage within a few years of the death of Agnes above.
Jane dau of Edward S./Mary born 23 Aug 1745.
William son of Edward S./Mary born 5 Aug (n.y.)
Note: The birth year is likely 1747 to 1751. This William is a second candidate to be the William who appeared in Mecklenburg County VA in the late 18th century. See also family of William and Mary Saunders Southern above.
Elizabeth dau of Edward S./Mary born 20 Sep (no year)
___(female) dau. of Edward S./Mary born 23 Oct. 1752.
Judith dau of Edward S./Mary born 24 Jan 1755.Entries possibly related to above:
William Patterson and Elizabeth Southern married 28 Dec 1771.