This post goes from 1714 to 1782, when William’s last record appears. But he lived past that year, most likely.

William Clopton → Walter → WILLIAM → Mary m. William Perrin → Rebecca m. Robert Anderson → Elizabeth Ann m. Champion Wilbourn → Amonet Washington → William Harvey → Ella Washington (Rae) (our grandmother)

William Clopton is a gateway ancestor. That is, he descends from royal lines several generations before him and then he moved to the American colonies. There were hundreds of these ancestors.

The William of this post is the son of Walter Clopton and Mary Jarratt. The Cassandra who married William Clopton is very probably the daughter of Richard and Frances Crump. Frances died April 26, 1720. We don’t know when Richard died.

Unfortunately, we don’t know much about William and Cassandra. It seems that they remained in New Kent County all their lives, and its records were destroyed by fire in 1787 and during the Civil War.

BASIC FACTS

Per the Register of St. Peter’s Parish, William was born 19 November 1714 and baptized 19 December 1714.

It’s not that simple, however. The name of the birth record was eaten away, so we’re not 100% sure this is William, though no researcher doubts it.

However, we finally have confirmation. In the Militia list (see below) the clerk recording the names of the troops in 1782 writes, as follows:

“William Clopton (son to Walter)”

So we finally have legal proof that William is the son of Walter, without mice chewing away the record.

It’s very likely that the Cassandra who married William is a Crump. If so, here’s her record:

Cassaud [sic] daughter of Rich. Crump baptis’d Apl. the 29, 1720.

She was born shortly before her baptismal date—a week? A day? We don’t know.

Note that Frances Crump died April 26, 1720. Can there be any doubt that she died of complications from childbirth with Cassandra?

For more evidence that William married Cassandra Crump, see the section St. Peter’s Vestry Record, below.

Source: The Parish Record of St. Peter’s, New Kent County, Virginia, from 1680 to 1787, National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the State of Virginia, Parish Record Series, No. 2 (Richmond: Wm. Ellis, 1904; fac. Bowie, MD: Heritage, 1988).

Click on the Clopton Birth, Marriage, and Death Records of St. Peter’s Parish, New Kent County, Virginia.

LUCY LANE ERWIN’S ACCOUNT

Here is the research of Lucy Lane Erwin, the dean of Clopton researchers.

Mary Clopton, William and Cassandra’s daughter, who married William Perrin, is our direct line.

See family no. 27.

ST. PETER’S PARISH VESTRY RECORD

This is one of the few records that we’re confident belongs to our William (as opposed to the immigrant William Clopton’s son William, our William’s uncle).

24 Aug 1751

“Ordered that all the lands in this parish be continued and divided into twenty precincts, the same that have been hitherto accustomed to be processioned and that the persons whose names are under specified in each precinct respectively, do processions the same and return to the vestry an account of the proceedings; that is to say in precinct”:

No. 1 John Roper and Henry Atkinson

No. 2. George Poindexter and William Poindexter

No. 3 William Perkins and Jonathan Patteson

No. 4 Walter Clopton and Robert Jarratt

No. 5 Jesse Scott and George Waddill

No. 6 Anthony Cole and John Waddill

No. 7. William Macon and Martin Hewlet

No. 8 Richard Crump and William Clopton

No. 9 John Parke and Edward Bacon

No. 10 Charles Mannin and Joseph Ellison

No. 11 Thomas Martin and Devereux Clopton

……………………

This order is repeated 13 Sep 1755, though the precinct numbers have changed. The right Clopton names and their in-laws have not changed.

Now let’s provide confirmation that William Clopton married Cassandra Crump. We need to do this because St. Peter’s Parish records don’t mention their marriage date (the records were very good, but still spotty). Let’s number the points.

1. William Clopton is partnered with Richard Crump.
2. William was born to Walter Clopton on November 19, 1714, and Cassandra, daughter of Richard, was baptized on April 29, 1720 (St. Peter’s Parish records). So their dates of birth are not that far apart.
3. Walter married Mary Jarratt on September 4, 1711 (St. Peter’s Parish records).
4. Walter, father of William and Devereux, is paired with his father-in-law or brother-in-law Robert Jarratt. For sure they are related by marriage.
5. Devereux was born on August 30, 1727 to Walter Clopton (St. Peter’s Parish records).
6. Devereux married Unity, daughter of Thomas Martin. She was born to Thomas on December 26, 1724 (St. Peter’s Parish Records). So the date of births of Devereux and Unity match up or are not that far apart.
7. So there are three sets of names in combination overseeing three tithe precincts, three Clopton men Walter, William, and Devereux with Jarratt, Crump, and Martin, respectively.

Therefore, it is highly probable that Cassandra is Richard Crump’s daughter and that William Clopton married her.

In fact, we can conclude that the case is proven.

REVOLUTIONARY WAR

In August 1782 William Clopton signed up to be one of the troops in New Kent County. It’s unknown whether he actually saw action. This is his record.

He is in Class 14 and no. 6. Note that it says he is “son to Walter.” We got the right William.

Source: Auditor of Public Accounts (1776-1928), RG 48, APA 225, Militia List, New Kent County, Box 679, Barcode 1081446

This proves that William was alive in that year, being 68 years old. It is amazing to think he signed up in a militia, to be one of the troops at that age. He was a super-patriot.

Here’s his record at DAR:

1) County: NEW KENT CO – State: VIRGINIA

Source

That DAR record means he also contributed supplies (in addition to signing up for the New Kent County militia).

Source: Janine L. Abercrombie and Richard Slatten, Virginia Revolutionary Publick Claims, vol. 2 of 3, (Athens, Georgia: Iberian Publishing, 1992), p. 707.

SUMMARY

Despite DAR’s skepticism, I believe we proved William Clopton married Cassandra Crump.

Unfortunately, we don’t know much about his life from the records, since they were destroyed by fire. Pity.

We do know, however, that he was a super-patriot since he signed up for the militia in 1782 when he was 68 years old and also contributed supplies.