Moorefield - Family History & Genealogy Message Board

Thomas Moorefield of Halifax Co., VA-Married Miss Hamilton after 1850

tunnelm1 — 2015-07-11 16:05:43Z

Does anyone have any information on the Thomas Moorefield/Moorfield in Halifax Co., VA who married a daughter of Thomas Hamilton who owned a mill there? Thomas Moorefield later owned the mill himself for a while. I believe that this daughter was named for her mother, and that daughter's name was apparently Martha J. Hamilton (born about 1831). Thomas Hamilton was on the 1860 census in Halifax Co., VA, and he had moved there from Charlotte Co., VA around the mid-1850s. Thanks.

Note: Thomas Hamilton and his wife had another daughter who was named Ann Eliza Hamilton, and she married a William H. Davidson in 1844 in Charlotte Co., VA....though Ann was living without her husband in the home of her parents in 1850 and 1860, per the censuses in Charlotte and Halifax Co., VA. Thanks.

J.W. MOOREFIELD NOTED ON 1808 GUILFORD N.C. MAP

JoelHewitt55 — 2014-01-07 22:18:25Z

I have a 1808 map of Guilford C. N.C. map drawn by C.M. Miller, the notation of J.W. Moorefield is made just above Guilford College on the map, My assumption is this is where such was living at time. My map copy is what appears to be a reproduction of the original. I am a descendant of >>A<< J.W. Moorefield BUT haven't determined if the one on this map is my connection although my ancestors was in this area of North Carolina in the 1800s

Re: Jona Clyde Moorefield obit. Stokes County, NC

dmoorefield73 — 2013-09-07 13:53:32Z

My most heart felt condolences as My name is Clyde David Moorefield...My family was also from Stokes Co. >>>>>Lemuel Moorefield was Grand Pa....
Will go there one day to scatter my Dad's ashes ...he was also Clyde.

Re: MOOREFIELD HOMECOMING update 2013

jbar564 — 2013-01-30 18:34:31Z

hi there i was looking up my grandmothers history from prince edward island canada. the moorfields are mentioned quite often you want richard and mary moorfield. richard moorfield was a corporal in the 17th light dragoons. he as associatedwith the revolutionary war. there is a book csalled along the north shore social history of township lot 11 pei by j. clinton morrison jr. 1765 to 1982.

MOOREFIELD Charles W. 1925-2012 Ohio

Contribution — 2012-02-06 15:21:39Z

ASHLAND: Charles "Bill" W. Moorefield, 86, of Ashland, died Saturday, February 4, 2012 at Samaritan Regional Health System in Ashland, Ohio.

Bill was born November 29, 1925 in Akron, Ohio to William Harris and Indianapolis (Hess) Moorefield.

He served in the United States Navy during World War II.

He worked at Capital Fire Protection as a pipe fitter, retiring after 43 years of service.
He was a member of Ashland Christian Church.

In 1946, he married Virginia L. Moorefield, who preceded him in death in 1989. In 1992, he married Patricia Sheppard, who survives. He enjoyed Bluegrass music and loved his family.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his sons and daughters: Robert Flowers, Ashland, Kandy (Dorn) Frame, Wooster, Ohio, Arthur (Christine) Honeycutt, Jr., Ashland, Patricia (David) Haffner, North Carolina, Wynona Frizzell, Ashland, Kenneth Honeycutt, Ashland; 17 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and one sister, Dorothy (George) Young, Jeromesville.

He was also preceded in death by one son, Thomas Honeycutt in 2006.

Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at the Roberts Funeral Home, Ashland Chapel, 1058 US Rte 250 W. Ashland, OH with Pastor Mike Thompson officiating. Friends may call Tuesday, February 7, 2012 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be at Ashland County Memorial Park with military rites by Ashland Veterans Honor Guard. Online tributes may be made at www.robertsfuneralhome.com.

Re: moorefield indian connection

Dancing_w_Ghosts — 2011-09-07 10:00:17Z

Not my Moorefields I am afraid. Have you tried the yahoo group Morefiledplace? Those folks are the most knowledgeable (and friendly) people around when it comes to all branches/spellings of the Moorefield Surnames. Many have also done the DNA testing. You most likey already know to search Morefield, Morfield, Mofield, Moorfield. Sometime there will be more then one spelling in the same family. Mine are both Morefield and Moorefield. Good Luck

moorefield indian connection

fooslady123 — 2011-09-01 21:51:09Z

Looking for a possible Moorefield native american connection. My great great grandmother was a harriet elizabeth moorefiled born about 1873 in johnson county tennessee. any help appreciated. married a alexander kimberlin also of tennessee

hey

mjo81991 — 2011-03-19 21:55:50Z

i am looking for a morefield family tree

Henderson Moorefield

victorianquaker — 2009-09-24 21:38:08Z

A lot of the folks looking for Henderson haven't posted in 10 yrs. I am the great-great granddaughter of Henderson Moorefield and Pauline Ashley. My great-grandfather was Pleasant Moorefield and his wife, Nancy J. Wood were the parents of my grandmother, Nannie Moorefield, who married Obediah Ferdinand Young and lived in Ellerbe, NC for a while and in Kernersville at the end of their years. Their baby daughter, Nancy was my mother and she married a Quaker, William H. Angell and here I am 54 yrs later. Henderson, I think had a son or a brother named Talmadge, I remember. And Henderson joined the army during the early part of the Civil War but was sent home because of his age. I think he was in his mid to late 30's about that time. Then, late in the war when they would take almost anyone who was able to walk and not a woman, he re-enlisted which cost him his right arm to a minee ball. He did come home though around May 1865. I'd love to hear from anyone who has more info on the Moorefield line that I come from and I do know a little about Allen, but there was also a Wright Moorefield way back. my email is victorianquaker@aol.com.

Re: moorefield history

Dancing_w_Ghosts — 2009-04-23 21:10:02Z

Rosa Belle Morefield was my Great Grandmother, I have 2 pictures with her in it. Always looking to exchange pictures.
Debbra Walker

Re: morefield family organization

williammorefield — 2009-02-22 02:07:45Z

My Name is William Merritt Morefield and I just ran across this web page. I was born July 7, 1937 to Clarence Odell and Dorothy (Merritt) Morefield in Chicago,Il. My father was born in Johnson Co. Tenn. around 1905 to William W and Sarah (Eggers) Morefield.Do not know the year of his birth. His father and mother were John W. and Matilda Morefield and he was born around 1835. My Email address is;
williammorefield@att.net
Would love to hear from potential relatives

Re: Henry Cheatham Moorefield

dmoorefield68 — 2008-09-05 05:45:11Z

Bill, I thought I should let you know for your records ...

My daughter, who retained her mother's maiden name because we were not married, has recently given birth to a son.

My daughter is Faith Nicole Flamiano born Nov. 30 1989
She has lived with me since March of 2004.

Her newborn son, my grandson, is
Ciarán Dante-Thomas Flamiano
born 08-18-08 at 9:14am
His first name is Gaelic in origin and is pronounced Keer-ran. He will be keeping the maiden name as well.

The first attached photo is me with my newborn Grandson Ciarán. The Second attached photo is Faith with her son Ciarán.

Douglas

Re: Henry Cheatham Moorefield

dmoorefield68 — 2008-09-05 05:37:19Z

I don't know but I will say that the woman in the photo looks like my sisters ... or they look like her. ;)

Re: Henry Cheatham Moorefield

jodansmom — 2008-09-05 03:48:17Z

Benjamin & Anna Moorefield SMITH ca. 1902

Re: Henry Cheatham Moorefield

jodansmom — 2008-09-05 03:39:36Z

Very interesting post.
My husbands ggrandfather was BENJAMIN(BILL/BILLIE) SAMUEL SMITH born about 1876 in Halifax Co., VA. My father-in-law said Benjamin's mother was LIZA REDD but he didn't know Benjamin's father's name. Benjamin married ANNA LLOYD MOOREFIELD about 1902 in Halifax Co., VA. I've not been able to find much on either of them until I read your post. I think I see a possible connection. The 1910 Census lists Benjamin & Anna's marriage as a first marriage for both and she was 16 when she married him so she could not be the ANN ELIZA REDD MOOREFIELD that you mentioned but she could very possibly be a sister/cousin/aunt.....What do you think? Have you come across the names BENJAMIN(BILL/BILLIE) SAMUEL SMITH married to ANNA LLOYD MOOREFIELD? I will attempt to attach a picture file of them. I hope it comes through.
Thanks,
Angel Smith

Jona Clyde Moorefield obit. Stokes County, NC

RedClayFarmers — 2008-03-05 04:30:45Z

KING - Mr. Jona Clyde Moorefield, 88, died early Sunday, March 2, 2008, at Village Care of King [Stokes County, NC]. He was born Sept. 13, 1919, in Stokes County to Walter and Emma Cain Moorefield. Survivors include his wife, Brenda Moorefield; four daughters, Elsie Moorefield, Rebecca Moorefield, Barbara Moorefield, all of King, and Virginia Ortiz of Winston-Salem; a son, Clyde Moorefield of King. A graveside service will be held at First Christian Church Cemetery. There will be no visitation. [edited]

Published in the Winston-Salem Journal on 3/3/2008.

Elvira Moorefield, Halifax Co, VA

2006-09-30 05:12:47Z

My father was Lawrence Dwight Brogdon b. 1920 married to Delores Mae Hill Cole b. 1929.
His father was William Cain Brogdon b. 1898 married to Edna Arvester Cope b. 1901.
His father was Samuel Winfield Brogdon b. 1860 married to Martha Graves b. 1862.
His father was Thomas Brogdon b. 1820 married 1st to Nancy Simmons & 2nd to Elvira Moorefield.
I was told that Elvira was bound out to Wm. H. Bates in 1834 & to Joseph Crews in 1835 & she had an 11-year-old son named Theophilus who died in 1856.
I'm trying to locate her parents. Any help would be appreciated.
Tricia

JO ANN MOOREFIELD -- Where Are You?

2006-02-08 13:36:49Z

Hi All,

I'm trying to get in touch with Jo Ann Moorefield who used to be a fairly regular poster here. She and I shared a lot of family information online about 3 years back but I moved from FL to work in a remote area of Alaska and we lost touch; there were no computers there. Think "Northern Exposure" on a very bad day!....LOL Her old e-mail address isn't valid anymore so if anyone knows how I can contact her online I'd certainly appreciate it. By the way, I'm back in FL. Thanks everyone.

And if you're reading this, Jo Ann, this is Rick. Please get in touch with me at: TheSpiritFarmer@aol.com

Re: Jackson Morefield

2005-04-15 18:11:43Z

Her name was Elvira E White. You probably already know that by now.

Indian Rolls

2003-08-09 01:51:11Z

I found 3 Moorefields on the 1906-1909 Indian Rolls. They are Eliza E. Moorefield, G.W. Moorefield and Hessie Moorefield. All of N.C. Does anyone have info on these Moorefields.

Mo(o)refield Homecoming Fall, 2003

2003-05-07 01:34:24Z

Hello cousins. I am posting this message to announce the second annual Mo-More- Moorefield reunion to be held in Halifax County, Virginia this Fall.. The date will be Saturday, September 27, 2003. The location has not been determined but we should have this done by the end of this month. Although there are a number of spellings of our family name, from research of my own and others in our family, I feel that the majority of us in the with this name in the good old USA descend from John Morefield who arrived in Virginia from England in April, 1666. In December, 2001, a group of about twenty of us in the surrounding counties met at the home of Raleigh and Jeraline Moorefield in Halifax Co., and the following April, we had a reunion in Danville, Va. There were over 100 Mo(o)refields from all over Virginia, North Carolina, and other states including Tennessee in attendance. This past October, we had the first annual Homecoming in Halifax County, and had close to 100 in attendance. That event was combined with the Morefield MRE - Morefield Research Exchange. This is a group of our cousins from Ky, Illinois, Tenn, and other areas who meet together annually to do research and share findings. The reason for the Halifax location is that the roots of many of our cousins in other areas go back to this county in Virginia. Even if you are a Kentucky Mofield, or an Illinois Moefield, you are a likely descedant of a Morefield who migrated from Halifax Co. in the late 1700's or early 1800's. If you are within driving distance, please plan to attend. This will be a simple family reunion where you will meet lots of relatives you didn't know you had. As in all family reunions, bring a covered dish, pictures, and stories about your ancestors. You will meet a stranger you will connect with directly. More to come. Bill Moorefield

Re: Henderson Mo(o)refield's ancestors

2003-03-19 03:44:33Z

Robin, sorry to be so late in responding, but I have sread myself pretty thin lately. I have the following information, all of which is taken from courthouse records in Va. and N.C. counties. Robah Lee Moorefield was born ca 1891 to John Henry and Elizabeth Snoddy Moorefield who lived in the Pinnacle area of Stokes Co., N.C., which is about f5-10 miles SE of Pilot Mt., which is in Surry Co. John Henry was the son of John W. and Paulina Paulina Fulk Moorefield, which is where I hit a brick wall, although I believe John W. and Frederick Moorefield of Surry Co. were brothers. Robah's siblings were Lugene Martin, Barnit Talmage, Bessie Frances, and Roy Thomas; these are who I have found records of. I have only found two marrtiages for Robah, but he and Lulla could very well have gotten married in a county I have not been to. In Surry death book 1, p. 596, Luciinda Frances Moorefield is reported as dying on 2-2-1914. Her birth date was 12-6-1891, and parents were Thomas Southern and Mary Catherine Cox. She died of tuberculosis, and husband was not named. She is buried in Little Yadkin cemetary. In Carroll Co., Va. in marriage book 3, p. 26, on 6-22-1932, Bertha Elsie Mofield married Joseph William Snoddy, both living in Pinnacle, N.C. She was 21, and he 53 and a widower. Her parents were Roby and Lula Southern Mofield. On 2-28-1915, Robah married Martha Pettit, Surry bk. 35, p. 17. she died on 4-30-1916, (Surry bk 2, p. 328, and is also buried in Little Yadkin cemetary. On 5-27-1917, Robah married Nora Elizabeth Logan, (Surry bk. 35, p. 21). Robah's other children were Oscar Thomas, 4-30-1916, Josy V., ca 1918, William Leroy, 12-10-1925, Foy Odell, 7-23-1928, Robah Junior, 2-11-1931, Bobby Gene, 12-16-1936, and Joseph Edgar, date unknown to me. Forsyth death reel 63 1741 reveals that Robah died on 12-10-1975. Bill Moorefield

Re: Wade/Moorefield-Halifax Co., VA

kjirsten92 — 2003-02-12 01:01:33Z

Kathleen -- I have a Joseph R. Moorefield, born in VA @1799. His children include Henry, James Hampton, Rhoda, Amanda and Sarah. The family migrated south where the children settled in Alabama and Texas. I cannot confirm the mother/wife or go any further back with the lineage. There's a Joseph who married a Sarah Wade (granddaughter of Henry Wade) in Dec. 1818 in Pittsylvania County, VA. Cannot tie it all together, but it looks like a good place to focus. Any help would be appreciated. (PS -- Have always heard from older relatives that we had Indian blood on the Moorefield side.)

Re: Henderson Mo(o)refield's ancestors

seaverp — 2003-10-15 17:06:59Z

Recent research indicates the following:

Henderson was the son of Allen
Allen was the son of William (Sr.)
William Sr. was the son of John, Sr. of Halifax, VA
Wright was the son of Johnk, Sr. of Halifax, VA

The findings include an analysis of the Halifax County, VA Personal Property Tax Lists, which shows that William was too old to be Wright's son, the 1784 enumeration which shows Wright living in John's household, and an 1801 court document in which William acted as the agent for John, Sr.

I will be happy to supply details.

Pat (Moorefield) Seaver

Mo(o)refield Research Exchange meeting

seaverp — 2003-03-07 12:13:29Z

All Morefield, Moorefield, Mofield, (all spelling variations) researchers are invited to attend the Morefield Research Exchange 2002 to be held in Danville, Virginia October 6-9, 2002.

Danville is located in Pittsylvania County with Halifax County to the east and Patrick and Henry Counties to the west. A very high percentage of early Mo(o)refield records come from this region of south-central Virginia and northern North Carolina.

MRE 2002 will begin with a reception on Sunday, October 6, with the following days filled with library research, field trips to court houses and other sites of interest , and much fellowship. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Danville Howard Johnson Motel. The block rate of $49.00 + tax will be available for reservations made before 20 September 2002.
The reservation number is G0015-99, M.R.E. Family Get Together.

To assist our preparations, please e-mail pseaver@comcast.net to let us know if you plan to attend.

Pat (Moorefield) Seaver

Re: Emma Catherine Moorefield

seaverp — 2006-03-01 01:13:33Z

The MorefieldHomeplace, a group on Yahoo, has information on this line. Mumford C.'s parents were Banister and Susan Martha (Comer) Morefield/Moorefield. Banister's parents are thought to have been Marstin and Wilmouth (Stokes) Morefield. Marstin was most likely the son of John and Martha/Patsy Morefield (Sr.) of Halifax Co., VA. John, Sr. was most likely the son of Edward Morefield, who died in Halifax Co. in 1785. Edward appeared on Lunenburg Co, VA records 1749-1751, then in Halifax Co. from 1752.

Emma C. Moorefield

RMoore5653 — 2006-07-14 01:04:09Z

Looking for infomration on Emma C. Moorefield, probably born in Virginia, married Charles E. Moore from Putnam County, Indiana. Probably married about 1890. Had a son Earle F. Moore, born in 1896 and perhaps a son Roy D. Moore, born in 1894. Earle was born in Tennessee, but don't know which county.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Dick Moore
Fresno, CA

Emma Catherine Moorefield

RMoore5653 — 2006-07-14 01:04:09Z

Bill,

My g-grandfather's younger brother, Charles Moore, married Emma Catherine Moorefield. She was the daughter of Munford C. Moorefield and Sallie R. Bradley (Nichols). She was born June 10, 1868 in Scottsburg, Halifax County, VA, and died 1943 in Evanston, IL.
Can you direct me to a web site where I can gather more information on her family? I would like to know more about her family, ancestors, and descendants if that information is available.
Thanks,
Dick Moore
Fresno, CA

Re: Emma Catherine Moorefield

RMoore5653 — 2006-07-14 01:04:09Z

Patricia,
Thank you for taking the time to provide me with this valuable information.
Richard Moore
Fresno, CA

Re: Wade/Moorefield-Halifax Co., VA

LaurieLenz — 2003-12-05 19:33:37Z

Regarding Willis Moorefield, this is what information I have:

Willis Moorefield, son of John Moorefield & Winnifred (Winnie) Bruce.

1st Marriage - Martha Crews, December 20, 1836 (Index Page 139A, Book 1, Page 154).

2nd Marriage - Meaky R. Crews, November 30, 1840 (Index Page 139A, Book 1, Page 165).

Source: General Index of Marriages - Halifax County, VA

Does this sound right? If so, please e-mail me personally.

Laurie :-)

MOOREFIELD In Caswell County, N.C.

NCCCHA — 2005-06-11 20:55:59Z

I am researching the ancestors of Elijah J. Moorefield (1868-1937) who lived in Caswell County, N.C., and married Ida B. James (1870-1955), the daughter of Jesse James. I need help, and will share what I have. Please contact me at rfrederi2@comcast.net. Thanks. Rick

William and Rebeckar Moorefield

JACKM53 — 2003-07-30 15:09:07Z

I have a record of William Moorefield marrying Rebeckar stevans June24,1801 in Halifax co. Va. Married b Rev. Leonard Baker
Hope this helps you.

J.W. Moorefield NOTED on Guliford Co. N.C. 1808 Map

JoelHewitt55 — 2006-12-31 00:19:11Z

By C.M. Miller
This historic map can be obtained from Guliford County Geanological society (I think this is where I got it from)

This is small writing and it appears that actual spelling is
J.W. Moorefiela NOTE: the little what looks like a a may be d but part of letter not legible.

The note on where his property is just north above Guliford College between friendship and Morehead communities?

Henry Moorefield (1824-@1900)

glnieman — 2004-05-26 09:47:35Z

Henry Moorefield was my g-g-grandfather. His daughter, Sarah Cynthia married Allen Howard Lewis. Their daughter, Amey, born in Texas in 1905, is my grandmother. My current research is looking toward a Joseph R. Moorefield (1799-@1860) as Henry's father. Possible mother is Sarah Wade, as the name Wade is a given name many times in Joseph R.'s descendants. Would appreciate any feedback on the Moorefields of old Halifax County, Virginia. Thanks!

Branson Moorefield obit. Surry Co., NC

RedClayFarmers — 2007-06-02 17:02:22Z

Mr. Branson Del-heart Moorefield, 80, passed away Wednesday, May 30, 2007, at Yadkin Nursing Center. He was born May 30, 1927, in Surry County [NC] to the late Rev. O.M. and Gladys Dowell Moorefield. Mr. Moorefield was a longtime member of Shallowford Baptist Church where he was a deacon, adult Sunday school teacher and choir director. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Mr. Moorefield was owner of Northside TV Service and retired in 1993. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Shirley M. Davis; and a brother, Jack Moorefield. Mr. Moorefield is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Earline Stewart Moorefield; three children, Mike Moorefield, Janice Post and Mark Moorefield; five grandchildren, Michelle Wood (Bryan), Alicia Thompson (Tim), Matt Moorefield, Andrew Moorefield and Luke Moorefield; a great-granddaughter, Megan Thompson; a brother, Jimmy "Bert" Moorefield; and a sister-in-law, Viola Moorefield. A funeral service will be conducted Saturday, June 2, at Shallowford Baptist Church, with Pastor Bill James officiating.

Published in the Winston-Salem [NC] Journal on 6/1/2007.

Re: Mastin Moorefield ?

dmoorefield68 — 2007-03-13 17:08:58Z

Thanks for all of your information, it is quite fascinating. :)

Douglas

Re: Mastin Moorefield ?

dmoorefield68 — 2007-03-13 03:01:58Z

Bill, one more thing
I found this on One World Tree. Are you familiar with this?

Mastin A Moorefield
Spouse: Lucy Ann Rice (1825-1873)
Spouse: Martha Ann Salmon (1839-1878)
Spouse: Sarah Jane Reaves (1852-1934)

B: 1 Jan 1828 in [city], Halifax, Virginia, USA
D: 4 Apr 1906 in [city], Halifax, Virginia, USA

Father: Banister Moorefield (1804-)
Mother: Susan Martha Comer (1812-1902)

Re: Henry Cheatham Moorefield

dmoorefield68 — 2007-03-13 02:36:45Z

Hi Bill,
This information is very helpful. My daughter, Faith Flamiano, who is now 17, has done extensive research of the "Throckmorton" side of the family through Sally Snead, and it seems the line is traceable in many dozens of directions, back to Royalty in Medieval England and Scotland and back to Norway in one direction, back to France in another direction and even back to Roman Emperors. I never would have imagined that records were kept so meticulously, especially considering how diluted and broken the lines of Moorefield, Cassidy and Gregory are. I admire you and Pat Seaver for doing so much research on Moorefield. My daughter and I have read in detail what you and Pat have written. It is my hope, that we can eventually trace back the Moorefield line into England and beyond, it seems terrible that the record is so incomplete.

I will call you at some point, thank you for the invitation.

Douglas Moorefield & daughter Faith Flamiano
Rochester, NY

Re: Henry Cheatham Moorefield

dmoorefield68 — 2007-02-27 08:20:21Z

I can't believe that in five years, there hasn't been an answer to this post.

Re: Henry Cheatham Moorefield

dmoorefield68 — 2007-02-27 08:20:03Z

I can't believe that in five years, there hasn't been an answer to this post.

Re: Henry Cheatham Moorefield

s73337a — 2007-03-13 00:30:16Z

Douglas, your grandfather, Henry Cheatham Moorefield, 8-28-1871 to 11-13-1954, was a son of Joseph Henry Moorefield who married Ann Eliza Redd on 4-27-1867 Halifax County, Va. Joseph was born about 1844 in Halifax County to Elijah Moorefield and Martha Lou Cheatham. He died on 4-4-1873 of pneumonia and is buried with his older brother John on his parents' former farm near Scottsburg, Va. Ann Eliza was daughter of John and Martha Redd. After Joseph's death she married William F. Smith in Halifax County.
I have been to every county that I think Elijah and Martha could have possibly been married in, but have not found their marriage record. This is NOT unusual; I have records on a number of husbands and wives who I have found no record for; it likley indicates that the minister simply failed to "reurn" the marriage bond to the courthouse for recordation. Also, in some cases, a minister could post an announcement of a pending marriage in his churh for several weeks and perform the ceremony without clerk of court written approval; this record was called a "bahn". All this ended about 1853 with the advent of the marriage license.

Elijah was born somewhere around 1810 and died on 11-15-1886 and I'm sure that his and Martha's graves are about twenty feet from the two sons mentioned above; surely two graves, but no headstones. I have located Elijah's farm and traced ownership to the current owner; Falkland game preserve in Halifax County.

There is no written document that I have found that states Elijah's parents names, but I have done extensive study of every Morefield I can find record of in Halifax County, and I have no doubt that he was a son of Mastin Morefield and Wilmouth Stokes, and was also an older brother of my ggg grandfather Stephen Morefield, born about 1815 and died about 1854.

If you would like, you are welcome to call me at 276 340-6014. BTW, I saw David last Thursday night and he called me tonight. I do have a photo of Henry C. given me by David, and he and my grandfather look like brothers.

Cousin, Bill Moorefield

MOOREFIELD HOMECOMING

s73337a — 2007-03-12 01:33:32Z

2007

MOOREFIELD HOMECOMING

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED THE 2007
MOOREFIELD HOMECOMING

WHEN: 12:30 P.M. SUNDAY JULY 8, 2007

WHERE: HALIFAX COUNTY, VA.
SCOTTSBURG FIRE DEPARTMENT

WHO: ALL MOFIELDS, MOREFIELDS,
MOOREFIELDS, OF ALL SPELLINGS,
CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN, ETC.

WHAT: THIS EVENT IS THE PERIODIC GATHERING OF
THE MOOREFIELD FAMILY AND IS BEING HELD IN
CONJUNCTION WITH THE LOCAL MOOREFIELD – WHITE-
SEAMSTER FAMILY REUNION

WHAT TO BRING: COVERED DISH FOR LUNCH, PHOTOS,FAMILY BIBLES, MEMORIES TO SHARE

HOW TO GET THERE: A MAP OR MAPQUEST.COM
DRIVE TO SCOTTSBURG, VA. AND YOU ARE AT THE
FIRE STATION
SCOTTSBURG BAPTIST CHURCH IS JUST UP THE STREET IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND SERVICES

Re: Henry Cheatham Moorefield

s73337a — 2007-03-12 01:07:55Z

EARLY MOREFIELD GENEALOGY
FROM JOHN NO. 1 (DIED 1688) OF NEW KENT COUNTY
TO
JOHN NO. 3 (DIED 1812) OF HALIFAX COUNTY
BY
WILLIAM FRANK MOOREFIELD, III
1424 SPRUCE ST.
MARTINSVILLE, VA. 24112
276 638-6001
WMOOREFI@COMCAST.NET
MARCH 1, 2007

PROLOGUE

Since early 2001, I have spent numerous hours in courthouses in the state of Virginia from Virginia Beach to Richmond to Bristol and all counties in between; from Orange County in North Carolina out to Tennessee; and Johnson and Carter counties in Tennessee. My primary purpose has been to find source document records of events pertaining to the members of the Morefield family, with all spellings included. I have transcribed records of births, marriages, deaths, wills, deeds, and court proceedings as time has allowed during my visits. More of my time has been spent in the courthouse in Halifax County, Va., than any other single courthouse for a number of reasons. First, but not foremost, is that this is where I was born and where my roots lie. My original purpose in beginning my research was to determine my Moorefield ancestry as far back as I could, and to learn as much as I could about these ancestors. Second, my research has shown that there have been more of our family members that have lived in Halifax County than any other area, with Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and perhaps Johnson County, Tennessee being the next most populous areas. Third, although our Morefield ancestors lived in the eastern counties of Virginia before succeeding generations migrated to Halifax, our family has lived there continuously since the 1750’s and there are numerous records detailing life events. Earlier records in the more eastern counties are scant and in a few cases have been destroyed in courthouse fires and/or in the Civil War. Although the first generations of Morefields lived in New Kent, Hanover, and Lunenburg counties of Virginia, these early ancestors of ours were few in number, and their names are found in only a few records. If one were to take a map showing the southern half of Virginia and the northern half of North Carolina, the greatest concentration of Morefields in the United States would lie along the border from Halifax and Pittsylvania counties of Virginia, and Caswell, Rockingham, Guilford, Forsyth, Stokes and Surry counties of North Carolina, and out to and into Kentucky and Tennessee. Of course, migrations over the generations have resulted in members of our family living in every state.
Over the course of my travels and research, I, along with other researchers, have compiled listings of the various Moorefield family groups, and have been able to determine which particular family most individuals in our expanded family belong to. We have compared this activity to solving a huge jigsaw puzzle. Each time we go to a new courthouse, we seem to find Morefields that already “fit” somewhere in the puzzle, but we also find new “pieces” that we cannot place with the existing information we have.
Pat Moorefield Seaver of Loudon, Tennessee has devoted untold hours to the study of census records of our family line through the decades of records available, and in all geographic areas of the United States. From this research, she has compiled census records of most of our family members, and from these and other records, has been able to trace the migrations of individuals and families from location to location.
The majority of the information that follows is derived from my research of court records in Virginia and North Carolina, and Pat’s census and personal property tax records in various counties. Many thanks to Pat for her devotion to this task and for unselfishly sharing her research.

SPELLING OF OUR FAMILY NAME
Many of our family members today incorrectly feel that the Mofields, Morefields and Moorefields are different families. In the early days of this country, there were few people who were literate, and when people got married, bought property, or for other reasons had their name written in a court record, it was written by the court official the way it sounded to him. In many of the early records, we find our name spelled a number of ways, such as Marfield, Merefield. Mirfield, Murfield, Morefield, Moorfield, Mofield, Moefield, Morefeal, and others. By the later 1700's, the common spelling in Halifax County, Virginia court records was Morefield. Halifax County began maintaining a personal property tax list in 1782, and our family name was spelled Morefield in most records through 1817; but in 1818 and thereafter, Moorefield became more common. Many of our Kentucky, Tennessee and Illinois Mofield and Morefield cousins, whose families can often be traced back to Halifax County, simply had their name spelled that way by public officials due to the fact that they spelled the name as it sounded to them. I have observed that many of the Mofields, Moefields, and Morefields in this country descend from ancestors who migrated away from Halifax County by the early 1800's, say by 1820, and many of the Moorefields descend from those who migrated afterwards. In some areas today, such as Guilford, Forsyth, Stokes and Surry counties in North Carolina, most of the Moorefields who live there had grandparents and great grandparents who were Morefields.
While it would be very difficult to determine the exact number of people with the Moorefield surname (of all spellings) by birth who live in this country today, I estimate this number to easily be about one thousand. From research by myself, and others such as Pat Seaver, named above, Robert Morefield of Illinois, and Phyllis Morefield of the Edinburg, Va., I estimate that upwards of ninety percent of these folks descend from the early Morefields of Halifax County, Va. There have been a few colonial era Morefield records found in other locations, but most of these seem to have disappeared leaving few or no descendants.
Also, research has shown that during the 1760 to 1790 era, the only Morefield families found in this country lived in Halifax County, Va., and Rowan County, N.C., and that these family groups were undoubtedly closely related to each other.

GENERATION NO. 1 JOHN MOREFIELD (Probably born in England, unknown birth date, and likely the same John Morefield who died in New Kent County, Va. on 2-18-1688).
This section is based on scant data, and is mostly an educated guess on my part. The first Morefield in this country that I believe we descend from was John Morefield who came to Virginia from England under England's Headright program. His name is mentioned several times in a book entitled CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS , which can be found in most Virginia libraries. Under the Headright program the King of England, through the Virginia Company, granted fifty acres of land in Virginia to anyone who would come to this country, and a sponsor could be arranged for anyone who did not have funds to pay his own way. The person wanting to come to Virginia would agree to give the sponsor his fifty acres and also agree to work as an indentured servant for a period of time in exchange for his passage. Thomas Riding is named as having paid the passage for John Morefield and nineteen others, who arrived on Virginia's Eastern Shore in April, 1666. He was the only Morefield in his group and there were no brothers or other family members with him. Some descendants feel there were two or more brothers who came to this country together but I have found no document to support this theory.
In New Kent County, Virginia, and located near the town of Talleysville, there is a church known as St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. The central building of this church was erected from 1701 to 1703, but the church dates back 1679. At that time, and up until the Revolutionary War, this church was part of the Church of England, the only officially recognized church in the colony of Virginia. In those days, the rector of the parish, or the minister, was responsible for civil matters in his parish, such as building of roads and bridges, surveying properties, and collecting taxes to support such matters. He also maintained a registry in which he recorded births, deaths, and marriages of his parishioners. The registry of this era for this church survives today and is maintained in the archives of the Library of Virginia, in Richmond. In it is recorded the death of Jno. Morefield on February 18, 1688. ( A history of this church can be found on its website; type St. Peter’s church in your web browser search area). It is pure speculation on my part to believe that this John was the same one named above, but I think it is very probable.

GENERATION NO. 2. JOHN MOREFIELD NO. 2 (unknown birth date, probably before 1688 in New Kent Co, Va., died in 1751 in Lunenburg Co., Va.)
The next reference to a Morefield is the inclusion of John Merefield on the Rent Roll in New Kent County, Virginia in 1704. The Rent Roll was a list of those who paid an annual property tax to the King of England, and the 1704 list is the only one surviving from this era. As there is no record of any other Morefield families being in this country at that time, I feel it likely that this John was a son of the first John Morefield. My belief, while unproven, is that the first John came to this country as a young man, probably in his teens or early twenties, served as an indentured servant on the Eastern Shore for three to six years, and later migrated to New Kent County. I feel he must have died in his middle ages and that the John named in 1704 was a son of his who had reached adulthood and become a landowner. There was also a Daniel Murfied who married Rachel Coker in New Kent County in 1708, and I believe John and Daniel were likely brothers. This marriage is also recorded in the registry of St. Peter’s Parish. There are a number of Murfield families in this country today who trace their ancestry back to Daniel and Rachel.
From a comparison of names found in New Kent - Hanover County records, and Lunenburg County, Va. records, it is apparent that John Morefield and a friend named Jonathan Ashworth migrated from eastern Virginia to Lunenburg County in the 1740's. In addition, Pat Moorefield Seaver has found records of a John Hilton living in New Kent County in the 1720’s, and a Thomas Hilton buying 270 acres of land in Lunenburg County in 1748.
In Hanover County, which is adjacent to New Kent County, there was a general store operated by Thomas Partridge in the early 1700's in which there are entries for Jonathan Ashworth and Edward "Murfil"; one such instance in which Jonathan Ashworth bought Edward Murfil a hymnal. Also, in a registry book for St. Peter's parish, John Morefield, and Johnathan Ashworth are both named as property owners. John Morefield is named as having his property surveyed every few years from the early 1700’s to the mid 1740’s, a few years before he appears in Lunenburg County court records.
There are several court records in Lunenburg County, Va. naming John and Edward Morefield, (named a constable in 1749), and Jonathan Ashworth. John Morefield's will was recorded there in 1751, and Jonathan Ashworth's in 1759. After the 1751 death of John Morefield in Lunenburg County, a Jean Morefield married John Ashworth, son of Jonathan, and they moved into what is now Pittsylvania County. From these and other records, it is apparent that the Morefield, Ashworth, and Hilton families migrated from the Hanover – New Kent area of Virginia to Lunenburg County in the 1740’s.

GENERATION NO. 3 EDWARD MOREFIELD (probably born in the early 1700’s in New Kent or Hanover Co., Va, died in Nov., 1785 in Halifax Co., Va.)
GENERATION NO. 4 JOHN MOREFIELD, SR. (probably born by 1730 in New Kent or Hanover Co., died about October, 1812 in Halifax Co., Va.)
There are no extant documents which state the relationship between John no. 2 and Edward and there are varying opinions among Morefield researchers as to their kinship. I believe Edward to have been a son (but not necessarily the only one) of John no. 2. John's 1751 will names daughters Jane, Elizabeth, and "grandson" John, but not Edward, causing some researchers to believe Edward was not a son of John. I subscribe to the theory that John followed the custom of transferring property to some heirs prior to his death and naming others in his will (Jean Morefield who married John Ashworth may have been this same Jane, or perhaps a daughter of Edward). Edward and a third John, who I feel was the "grandson John", moved into Halifax County between 1753 and 1755, (John Morefield was appointed a constable in Lunenburg County in 1753, so he was still living there then). To repeat, I believe that the "grandson John", was a son of Edward, and that Edward was a son of John who died in 1751. Edward and John Morefield, (the third John Morefield), are mentioned in Halifax County court records numerous times beginning in 1755 through 1785, and in 1756, Edward Morefield "of Halifaxx (sp) County" sold property he owned in Lunenburg county. This fact negates the theory by some that Edward and John actually lived in the part of Lunenburg County that became Halifax County in 1751; and indicates that they physically moved from Lunenburg into Halifax.
After the end of the Revolutionary War in 1781, the former thirteen colonies became the United States of America, and the first population count of the United States was taken in 1782. This was not actually named a census, but a Head of Household count in preparation for the first U.S. census planned for 1790. In 1782, records can be found for only two Morefield households in Virginia, and both were in Halifax County. These were the households of Edward Morefield and John Morefield. Edward's household had three members, and John's had ten. At that time, the only names taken were the head of household; other members were not named, and no ages were given. For this reason, it is not possible to name the members of each household with absolute certainty. We know that Edward had a wife, as the Halifax County record of his estate sale in November of 1785 mentions "the widow Morefield" as well as John Morefield, who also was named administrator of Edward's estate in a separate document. There was an earlier deed that named Edward and Alse Morefield, so it is presumed that Alse was his wife. John's wife was named Martha and Patsy in different documents. In other records and for other families, it is seen that Patsy was a common nickname for Martha in those days, just as Jack is a nickname for John these days. The name of the third member in Edward's household is not known, nor has it been determined if this was a child, other family member, or someone outside the family. The household count was done again in early 1785, before Edward’s death in October or November. At this time Edward's household still had three members, but John's had only nine. John's daughter Elizabeth married Howard Cain that year, which probably explains the decrease from ten members to nine. I assume John to have been her father as he signed her marriage bond.
In the 1787 count, the only Morefield households in Virginia were the homes of John Morefield and Wright Morefield, (Edward had died in 1785). Since Wright was listed as living in John's household in the 1784 Personal Property Tax List for Halifax County, (prior to Edward’s death in 1785), it is assumed that John was the father of Wright, and that Wright was probably John’s oldest son. The PPTL was a record of all landowners and those over the age of twenty-one. In summary, I feel Edward was a son of John no. 2 who died in 1751, and "grandson John", John no. 3, was Edward's son. Another possibility is that Edward and John no. 2 were either brothers or uncle/nephew. The 1790, 1800, and 1810 census records were destroyed in the War of 1812 when the British burned Washington and unfortunately, much valuable genealogical information was lost with these records.
It is very likely that John no. 2 who died in Lunenburg County in 1751 had other children. In 1754 and 1755 there was a James Morefield in Granville County, N.C., (mentioned along with a John Blackman in a militia roster). Granville County is due south of Lunenburg County, and its northwest corner borders the southeast corner of Halifax County. There is a 1765 Halifax County deed book record of a James Moorefield living on land being sold to Thomas Hilton, (remember that name?), and in 1766 there is a Halifax court case naming James Morefield and Elizabeth Morefield as defendants. (Curiously, the record does not state James and Elizabeth Morefield, but is worded as above). In 1760, Thomas Hilton and Beacham Hilton are shown in Halifax records. Neither James nor Elizabeth is mentioned again in Granville or Halifax counties, but a James Morefield appears in tax records in Rowan County, N.C. in 1768. This is the Salisbury area today, but in the 1760's, Rowan County also encompassed present Davidson County, and it appears that James lived in the part of Rowan that became Davidson County. Davidson County lies south of Guilford County; Greensboro and High Point, N.C. On October 16, 1789 in Rowan County, N.C., a Mary Morefield married Mark Sluider, and the bondsman was "Peachum Helton", likely the same Beacham Hilton of Halifax County. Also, on November 5, 1792, Milly Morefield married Lifas Helton in Rowan County. I, and other researchers believe it to be very probable that James moved from Granville County, N.C. to Halifax County, Va., then further west to Rowan County, N.C., and it is also very likely that Mary and Milly were his daughters. It is also probable that John Blackman Morefield, named in other records, was his son, and perhaps named after his friend John Blackman of the Granville County militia roster. Clearly, there was some sort of connection among the Morefield, Ashworth, and Hilton families of New Kent, and other counties of Virginia and North Carolina.
On 2-9-1765, Edward bought a 220-acre farm from James Thomas Barding. This property lies on both the north and south sides of the Dificult Creek along the current Allen’s Mill Rd., about four miles northeast of the town of Scottsburg. He sold 50 acres of this property in August, 1777 and the remainder in the following October.
On 11-22-1777, John Morefield bought 140 acres on what is now Long Branch Rd, about two miles north of Scottsburg on the west side of present day route 360. He later increased his holdings to 225 acres. This farm was sold in parcels, the last in September of 1806, and the following month, he bought a 100-acre farm about two miles northeast of Scottsburg along the Hazlenut Branch. This farm was later bought by Thomas C. Wilmouth, my great great great grandfather in 1832, and lies just on the east side of present day Lee-Syd-Moore Rd. (The Hazelnut Branch runs across Lee-Syd-Moore Rd. into the farm owned by my grandparents, William Frank and Stella Wilmouth Moorefield, Sr.).

GENERATION NO. 5 JOHN AND MARTHA MOREFIELD'S CHILDREN.
John Morefield’s (No. 3) will was recorded in Halifax in May, 1812, and probated the following November, naming both his wife Patsy and his "beloved son John". It is not known for sure why he named no other children and singled out John, except laws and customs were different then. In several court records in Halifax County, the senior John is listed as John, Sr., and the "beloved son John" as John, Jr. Now remember that John, Sr. is not the same John who first came to this country, but I believe him to be the grandson John named in the Lunenburg will of 1751. Following, in order of marriage are those who I feel were children of John and Martha.
1. Elizabeth Morefield married Howard Cain on 4-4-1782. The only clue to Elizabeth’s age is that John gave his consent to the marriage by signature. Statute required consent of a parent or legal guardian if under age 21, so it is believed that Elizabeth was born later than 1861. No further research has been done for Elizabeth.
2. Wright Morefield married Nancy Stevens on 12-22-1785. Wright’s name first appeared on the Halifax County personal property tax (PPTL) list in 1784, listing him in the household of John Morefield. Given this, he would have been born by 1763. He is not listed in deed records as having owned any real estate, and last appeared on the PPTL in 1821. He is not named in any records after that year. From study of various records, several other researchers and I feel that Wright and Nancy were parents of the following children.

a. John W., born about 1790, married Sally Powell, daughter of Joshua and Frances Powell, on 12-12-1810. Numerous descendants of their son, William T. live in Halifax, Pittsylvania, Charlotte, and Amhurst counties. Raliegh Carrington Moorefield, former Halifax County school board member, is a descendant. John W., his wife, and their younger children moved to Henry County, Tenn. about 1847. He was last named in the 1850 census.

b. Henry, born about 1791, married Nancy Powell, Sally’s sister, on 5-10-1814. Henry last appeared on the Halifax County PPTL in 1822, and was on the 1830 and 1840 census records for Stokes County, NC. He was listed as a pensioner for the War of 1812. It is possible that Henry and his family moved to Stokes County about the same time that his uncle William Moorefield, Sr., listed below, moved to Patrick County, Va. These two counties have a common border, and William lived in the Mayo Creek area of Patrick County, just north of the Snow Creek area of Stokes County, and it is possible the two families moved together. In 1839, Henry, and his son – in – law, William C. George, bought land in Patrick County, so it is evident they were not far from the border. In the 1850 census, the family is shown in Pulaski County, Kentucky. They have no descendants in Stokes County. Henry was last listed on the 1860 census.

c. James Harding, born about 1794, married Polly Powell, sister of Sally and Nancy, on 9-13-1816 in Caswell County, NC. James last appeared on the Halifax PPTL in 1822, and he was living in Rowan County, NC in the 1830 census. From there, they migrated to Clark County, Illinois by 1840, and to St. Claire, Il. By 1850. He was last named in the 1850 census.

d. Armistead, born about 1798, married Anna Thomas on 2-14-1822, the last year he is found on the PPTL. Armistead is not found in the 1830 census, but appears on the Iredell County, NC census in 1840. I feel he was probably living with his wife’s parents most of the intervening years. He has numerous descendants in surrounding counties.

e. Robert S. Morefield was born on 5-25-1803, according to his great great grandson, Bob Morefield of Murphysboro, Illinois. His parents are not named any document we have found, but we include him as a child of Wright for two reasons. First, in the 1820 census, there is a male of his age group in the household of Wright, and second, his close proximity to Henry Morefield in Stokes and Patrick counties. Robert is included on the Patrick County tax lists for the years 1832, 1833, and 1834. He returned to Halifax County, where he married Prudence Irby Sneed, a widow, on April 15, 1834, his bondsman being one Elijah Webb. The following October 23, Robert witnessed a deed of trust note from Henry Morefield to F. Webb in Stokes County, and on April 21, 1835, Henry and Elizabeth Morefield witnessed the will of Elijah Webb in Stokes County. Also, there is ample evidence in Halifax County that Robert was the father of Andelusia Morefield of Stokes County. Robert and Prudence migrated to Kentucky to land she inherited from her grandfather, and later moved into Illinois. Robert died there on March 1, 1866 and Prudence on September 4, 1876.

3. John Morefield, Jr. first appeared on the PPTL in 1788, and was probably born about 1766. He and Winifred Bruce, daughter of John Bruce, were married on 5-17-1787. He last appeared on the PPTL in 1815, and Winifred is listed in 1817, so it appears he died sometime in between. Winifred died in 1849, and her grandson Isaac was named administrator of her estate. John and Winifred’s daughter in law, Sally Monday, had a sister, Tabitha, who was married in their home. However, the minister failed to return the bond to the courthouse, so the marriage was not recorded. In 1844, Winifred signed an affidavit attesting to the marriage to support Tabitha’s claim for a widow’s pension. As part of this affidavit, Winifred provided a family register naming her children. Those named were:

a. William. Jr., perhaps named after his uncle, William, Sr., was born on 3-27-1888, and married Nancy Canada on 9-25-1809. They lived in Halifax and Pittsylvania counties until the 1840’s, during which time, William migrated to Troup County, Ga, apparently without Nancy, but with their son Willis. In the 1860 and 1870 census, he is shown living in Alabama.

b. Polly, born on 4-6-1789, married Nevin McKinney on 9-15-1817.

c. John Royal, born on 5-16-1791 married Sally Monday on 6-13-1813. They lived in Halifax County until 1850 and then moved to the city of Danville, where John Royal died of typhoid in 1856. Sally later moved to Prince Edward County with their daughter Sara Catherine Sest, where she died in the 1880s. They have numerous descendants in Halifax, Pittsylvania, Prince Edward, Cumberland, and Henrico counties of Virginia, and Rockingham, Caswell, and Guilford counties of North Carolina.

d. Edmund, born 4-19-1793, married Rachel Crews on 9-24-1816. They had one daughter, Elizabeth Ann, and Edmund died in 1822, cause unknown.

e. Coleman, born 8-31-1795.

f. Dickerson, born on 4-7-1798. A Richard Moorefield married Nancy McKenney on 11-12-1819. Richard lived next to Winifred in the 1830 census, and his three children were named in the settlement of her estate. I believe that he was either Coleman or Dickerson, but there is no document to state which, or what became of the other. He died in 1843, and has descendants in the Richmond, Va. area.

g. NOT LISTED: Sarah, born about 1796, was not named in Winifred’s family registry, but indications are that she was her daughter. Sarah married William Coates in 12-11-1818, with William Morefield signing a statement that she was over the age of twenty-one. This was more likely Sarah’s older brother, William Morefield, Jr., but could have been her uncle, William Sr., named below. In Halifax Court, February, 1822, William Coates was ordered to appraise the property of Edmund Morefield, deceased. Assuming Sarah to have been Winifred’s daughter, then Edmund was brother in law to William Coates. Evidently Sarah died without children. In 1824, William Coates remarried, and there was no mention of any children in the division of Winifred’s estate in 1854.

4. Moore Morefield married Virginia Reitey (Henrietta?) Strange on 6-7-1798. In most years, up to 1832, he is found living in the southern district of Halifax County, which I believe is all the area west of the Banister River, and in 1819, he is listed in Pittsylvania County, Va., just west of Halifax County. Following are the names of his and Reitey’s children:

a. Joseph R. was born about 1799, and is named in Pittsylvania County records, including his marriage to Sarah Wade in 1818. Later records show him living in South Carolina and then Georgia.

b. Lucy was born about 1800, and married Daniel Talley in Pittsylvania County in 1818, Moore signing as her father.

c. Wiley was born about 1801. There is no document naming his parents, however, there is a male of his age grouping in the 1820 census listing of Moore’s household. Also, Wiley and his wife Cary Vaughn lived on a farm she inherited from her maternal grandfather. This farm is just inside Pittsylvania County on the road to the community of Kentuck from South Boston, in the Birch Creek area. It just seems more probable that Wiley would have lived somewhere in this vicinity for he and Cary to gotten to know each other, than if he were raised in the eastern part of Halifax County. Wiley and Cary’s oldest son, James R. owned a farm about two miles due north of theirs, and I think Wiley and Cary are buried there with James and his wife in the Moorefield – Hodnett family cemetery.

d. Susannah, born about 1803, married Richard Perkins in Halifax County in 1820.

e. Willie was born about 1805 and married Lewis Spencer in Halifax county in 1824.

f. Julius, born about 1810, is added to Moore and Reitey’s family for two reasons. First, Reitey was a daughter of Julius Strange, perhaps his namesake, and second, there is a male of his age grouping living with Moore and Reitey in the 1820 census. However, there is no document stating him to have been a son of theirs. Julius moved to Smith County, Tenn, then to Illinois, and finally further west to Wright County, Mo. by 1870.

5. William Morefield, Sr. was born about 1777 and married Nancy Stevens on 6-24-1801. They had at least six children in Halifax County, and moved west to the Mayo River district of Patrick County about 1823, (see Henry above), where William died about 1828. The children that we can name for certain were:
a. Nancy, born about 1802, married Joseph Harris in Patrick County on 12-9-1824, later moved to Tennessee.
b. Allen, born about 1802, married Martha Harris on 3-2-1825. They moved just south to the Snow Creek district of Stokes County, NC in the mid 1840’s, later to Scott County, Va., then to Hawkins County, Tenn. Pat Moorefield Seaver, named previously, is a descendant.
c. Josiah, born about 1805, married Ruth Keaton on 3-8-1830. They moved to Illinois by 1840. Their son Josiah James fought for the Union Army.
d. Wright, born on 10-20-1812, married Jane Martin on 12-25-1831. He died on 4-6-1882 and is buried in Stokes Co., NC in the Moorefield – Gibson family cemetery. This cemetery is beautifully maintained today by a descendant Timmy Gibson.
e. Mary, born about 1817, married Sampson Keaton on 6-3-1841, later moved to Tennessee.
f. William, Jr., born in 1822, married Mary Ann Kasey on 3-25-1848. He died in 1899 and is buried about twenty feet from his older brother Wright.
g. Martha J., born about 1826, married Lewis Martin on 5-11-1848.
h. Rebecca, born in 1827, married Alexander Bryant on 8-8-1848.
i. There was a James Morefield mentioned in records in Patrick County who also was likely a son of theirs.
Many of William and Rebecca’s descendants who carry the Moorefield name still live in Patrick and Pulaski counties of Virginia, and Surry, Stokes, Forsyth, Guilford, and Davidson counties of North Carolina, and in various parts of Tennessee. Very few of these folks even know of the others.
6. Mastin Morefield married Wilmouth Stokes on 5-21-1804. Although not clearly documented, evidence leads me to believe that my great great great grandfather, Stephen Moorefield was a son of theirs. They have descendants in Halifax County, Va., and Guilford and Caswell countes in North Carolina. (Yancey, the “other” Moorefields in Caswell County descend from Elijah and Martha Cheatham Moorefield of Halifax County; I’m sure that I have found their graves on their farm near Scottsburg, and I am fairly certain he was the older brother of Stephen Moorefield, my ggg grandfather).
7. Edward Morefield. This second Edward Morefield, for whom no marriage record has been found, began having children with his wife about 1798. I believe him to have been a child of John and Martha, also. His and his wife’s children migrated into areas of Kentucky and Illinois.

Re: Mastin Moorefield ?

s73337a — 2007-03-13 12:34:02Z

Mastin A. Moorefield, son of Banister and Susan Martha Comer Moorefield is buried in Roger's Chapel Baptist Church, near the town of Clover in Halifax County. Mastin and his brother Theophilus were trustees of this church and on 6-25-1874, Thophilus sold the land for the cemetery to the church for ten dollars, about an acre. Mastin A, Theophilus, and their mother Susan Martha are all buried there in clearly marked graves, along with other family members, plus Signora Moorefield Crowder, grandaughter of Elijah and Martha Cheatham Moorefield. Other brothers moved to Christian County, Ky. after the Civil War.
Banister was clearly a son of Mastin and Wilmouth Stokes Moorefield, and I'm certain a brother of Elijah and Stephen Moorefield.

Bill

FAMILY HISTORY

s73337a — 2007-03-24 02:13:57Z

EARLY MOREFIELD GENEALOGY
FROM JOHN NO. 1 (DIED 1688) OF NEW KENT COUNTY
TO
JOHN NO. 3 (DIED 1812) OF HALIFAX COUNTY
BY
WILLIAM FRANK MOOREFIELD, III
1424 SPRUCE ST.
MARTINSVILLE, VA. 24112
276 340-6014
WMOOREFI@COMCAST.NET
LAST UPDATED
MARCH 23, 2007

PROLOGUE

Since early 2001, I have spent numerous hours in courthouses in the state of Virginia from Virginia Beach to Richmond to Bristol and all counties in between; from Orange County in North Carolina out to Tennessee; and Johnson and Carter counties in Tennessee. I do feel that I have been to more counties and cities in the states of Virginia and North Carolina than anyone else has. My primary purpose has been to find source document records of events pertaining to the members of the Morefield family, with all spellings included. I have transcribed records of births, marriages, deaths, wills, deeds, and court proceedings as time has allowed during my visits. More of my time has been spent in the courthouse in Halifax County, Va., than any other single courthouse for a number of reasons. First, but not foremost, is that this is where I was born and where my roots lie. My original purpose in beginning my research was to determine my Moorefield ancestry as far back as I could, and to learn as much as I could about these ancestors. Second, my research has shown that there have been more of our family members that have lived in Halifax County than any other area, with Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and perhaps Johnson County, Tennessee being the next most populous areas. Third, although our Morefield ancestors lived in the eastern counties of Virginia before succeeding generations migrated to Halifax, our family has lived there continuously since the 1750’s and there are numerous records detailing life events. Earlier records in the more eastern counties are scant and in a few cases have been destroyed in courthouse fires and/or in the Civil War. Although the first generations of Morefields lived in New Kent, Hanover, and Lunenburg counties of Virginia, these early ancestors of ours were few in number, and their names are found in only a few records. If one were to take a map showing the southern half of Virginia and the northern half of North Carolina, the greatest concentration of Morefields in the United States would lie along the border from Halifax and Pittsylvania counties of Virginia, and Caswell, Rockingham, Guilford, Forsyth, Stokes and Surry counties of North Carolina, and out to and into Kentucky and Tennessee. Of course, migrations over the generations have resulted in members of our family living in every state.
Over the course of my travels and research, I, along with other researchers, have compiled listings of the various Moorefield family groups, and have been able to determine which particular family most individuals in our expanded family belong to. We have compared this activity to solving a huge jigsaw puzzle. Each time we go to a new courthouse, we seem to find Morefields that already “fit” somewhere in the puzzle, but we also find new “pieces” that we cannot place with the existing information we have.
Pat Moorefield Seaver of Loudon, Tennessee has devoted untold hours to the study of census records of our family line through the decades of records available, and in all geographic areas of the United States. From this research, she has compiled census records of most of our family members, and from these and other records, has been able to trace the migrations of individuals and families from location to location.
Much of the information that follows is derived from my research of court records in Virginia and North Carolina, and Pat’s census and personal property tax records in various counties. Thanks to Pat for her devotion to this task and for unselfishly sharing her research.
I would add that this is a somewhat fluid and expanding document. I wrote the first draft of this several years ago, and it contained about two pages. We folks who research our family seem to come across new documents from time to time which expand our collection of data, and sometimes someone discovers something which alters our opinions as to family connections. For instance, early researchers felt that William Morefield, Sr. of Halifax County, Va. was a son of Wright. Pat Morefield’s study of Halifax County personal property tax lists indicates that William would probably have been too old to have been a son of Wright. There are several conclusions I make in the following that I state are my opinions based on information I have, much from source documents, and some from secondary sources. I have tried to be careful in stating that these are my opinions. Other researchers with the same source data as I have drawn different conclusions. That points to one of the benefits of open dialogue and sharing of research and opinions. Sometimes we convince each other to alter our thinking and arrive at a consensus of opinion as to our interpretation of the facts we have. So, do not read what follows as if it were a precise historical document, rather, read it as a summary of what I believe is a rough outline of our family beginnings, subject to change or expansion as new data comes forth. Also, this is part one of a two-part summary. From time to time, I also enjoy writing a continuation of the lineage down to living members of our family. I limit this to the states of Virginia and North Carolina, as this is where most of my research has been.
Also, I will add that I roughly divide our family into two large groups; those I call the Halifax County, Virginia. Morefields, and the Johnson County, Tennessee Morefields. Most of the Morefields who live today in eastern Tenn., Kentucky, and West Virginia can be traced back to Johnson County. Generally, they spell their name with one “o”, but sometimes as Mofield, or Moefield, as well. I do believe that the JCT group has roots in Halifax County, but most likely through a James Morefield who seems to have migrated from there to what was then Rowan County, but now is Davidson County, North Carolina, in the 1760’s. The consensus of opinion among researchers is that the Morefields who began appearing in Carter and then Johnson County, Tenn. in the early 1800’s were most likely descendants of James.

SPELLING OF OUR FAMILY NAME
Many of our family members today incorrectly feel that the Mofields, Morefields and Moorefields are different families. In the early days of this country, there were few people who were literate, and when people got married, bought property, or for other reasons had their name written in a court record, it was written by the court official the way it sounded to him. In many of the early records, we find our name spelled a number of ways, such as Marfield, Merefield. Mirfield, Murfield, Morefield, Moorfield, Mofield, Moefield, Morefeal, and others. By the later 1700's, the common spelling in Halifax County, Virginia, (as well as Rowan County, N.C.) court records was Morefield. Halifax County began maintaining a personal property tax list in 1782, and our family name was spelled Morefield in most records through 1817; but in 1818 and thereafter, Moorefield became more common. Many of our Kentucky, Tennessee and Illinois Mofield and Morefield cousins, whose families can often be traced back to Halifax County, simply had their name spelled that way by public officials due to the fact that they spelled the name as it sounded to them. (Many of the older folks in the Scottsburg area of Halifax County still pronounce our name as “Mofield”, although it is spelled Moorefield). I have observed that many of the Mofields, Moefields, and Morefields in this country descend from ancestors who migrated away from Halifax County by the early 1800's, say by 1820, and many of the Moorefields descend from those who migrated afterwards. In some areas today, such as Guilford, Forsyth, Stokes and Surry counties in North Carolina, most of the Moorefields who live there had grandparents and great grandparents who were Morefields.
While it would be very difficult to determine the exact number of people with the Moorefield surname (of all spellings) by birth who live in this country today, I estimate this number to easily be about one thousand. From research by myself, and others such as Pat Seaver, named above, Robert Morefield of Illinois, and Phyllis Morefield of the Edinburg, Va., I estimate that upwards of ninety percent of these folks descend from the early Morefields of Halifax County, Va. (Pat is a descendant of William and Rebecca Morefield of Halifax County; Robert is a great great grandson of Robert S. Morefield of Halifax County; Phyllis’ husband Jim is a descendant of the Johnson County Morefields). There have been a few colonial era Morefield records found in other locations, but most of these seem to have disappeared leaving few or no descendants. Also, there have been a couple of Moorefield families who migrated into this country in the later 1800’s who do have traceable descendants, and who do appear to be from different origins.
Research has shown that during the 1760 to 1790 era, the only Morefield families found in this country lived in Halifax County, Va., and Rowan County, N.C., and that these family groups were undoubtedly closely related to each other.
There are various opinions as to the origins of our name. Early world history shows that the country we know as England was first inhabited by the Celts, or at least they were the earliest identifiable group. Later invasions by the Angles from Germany and then centuries later by the Saxons and Jutes, also from Germany, resulted in there being a strong Germanic influence along the southern part of England. Simultaneous and later invasions by the Vikings merged with these groups to drive the Celts mostly to Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. (Not to get into world history, but the most stable period in early British history was during the Roman occupation; they created order among the Britons, and kept the invaders out). I think that our Morefield name comes from England, but I also think that it very likely has its roots in early centuries Germany where Murfeldt is a surname today.

GENERATION NO. 1 JOHN MOREFIELD (Probably born in England, unknown birth date, and likely the same John Morefield who died in New Kent County, Va. on 2-18-1688).
This section is based on scant data, and is mostly an educated guess on my part. The first Morefield in this country that I believe we descend from was John Morefield who came to Virginia from England under England's Headright program. His name is mentioned several times in a book entitled CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS , which can be found in most Virginia libraries. Under the Headright program the King of England, through the Virginia Company, granted fifty acres of land in Virginia to anyone who would come to this country, and a sponsor could be arranged for anyone who did not have funds to pay his own way. The person wanting to come to Virginia would agree to give the sponsor his fifty acres and also agree to work as an indentured servant for a period of time in exchange for his passage. Thomas Riding is named as having paid the passage for John Morefield and nineteen others, who arrived on Virginia's Eastern Shore in April, 1666. He was the only Morefield in his group and there were no brothers or other family members with him. Some descendants feel there were two or more brothers who came to this country together but I have found no document to support this theory.
In New Kent County, Virginia, and located near the town of Talleysville, there is a church known as St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. The central building of this church was erected from 1701 to 1703, but the church dates back 1679. At that time, and up until the Revolutionary War, this church was part of the Church of England, the only officially recognized church in the colony of Virginia. In those days, the rector of the parish, or the minister, was responsible for civil matters in his parish, such as building of roads and bridges, surveying properties, and collecting taxes to support such matters. He also maintained a registry in which he recorded births, deaths, and marriages of his parishioners. The registry of this era for this church survives today and is maintained in the archives of the Library of Virginia, in Richmond. In it is recorded the death of Jno. Morefield on February 18, 1688. ( A history of this church can be found on its website; type St. Peter’s church in your web browser search area). It is pure speculation on my part to believe that this John was the same one named above, but I think it is very probable.

GENERATION NO. 2. JOHN MOREFIELD NO. 2 (unknown birth date, probably before 1688 in New Kent Co, Va., died in 1751 in Lunenburg Co., Va.)
The next written reference to a Morefield is the inclusion of John Merefield on the Rent Roll in New Kent County, Virginia in 1704. The Rent Roll was a list of those who paid an annual property tax to the King of England, and the 1704 list is the only one surviving from this era. As there is no record of any other Morefield families being in this country at that time, I feel it likely that this John was a son of the John Morefield who died in the same area in 1688. My belief, while unproven, is that the first John came to this country as a young man, probably in his teens or early twenties, served as an indentured servant on the Eastern Shore for a few years, and later migrated to New Kent County. I feel he must have died in his middle ages and that the John named in 1704 was a son of his who had reached adulthood and become a landowner. Also recorded in the registry of St. Peter’s Parish, is the 1708 marriage of Daniel Murfield to Rachel Coker in New Kent County, and I believe John and Daniel were likely brothers.
From a comparison of names found in New Kent - Hanover County records, and Lunenburg County, Va. records, it is apparent that John Morefield and a friend named Jonathan Ashworth migrated from eastern Virginia to Lunenburg County in the 1740's. In addition, Pat Moorefield Seaver has found records of a John Hilton living in New Kent County in the 1720’s, and a Thomas Hilton buying 270 acres of land in Lunenburg County in 1748.
In Hanover County, which is adjacent to New Kent County, there was a general store operated by Thomas Partridge in the early 1700's in which there are entries for Jonathan Ashworth and Edward "Murfil"; one such instance in which Jonathan Ashworth bought Edward Murfil a hymnal. Also, in a registry book for St. Peter's parish, John Morefield, and Johnathan Ashworth are both named as property owners. John Morefield is named as having his property surveyed every few years from the early 1700’s to the mid 1740’s, a few years before he appears in Lunenburg County court records.
There are several court records in Lunenburg County, Va. naming John and Edward Morefield, (named a constable in 1749), and Jonathan Ashworth. John Morefield's will was recorded there in 1751, and Jonathan Ashworth's in 1759. After the 1751 death of John Morefield in Lunenburg County, a Jean Morefield married John Ashworth, son of Jonathan, and they moved into what is now Pittsylvania County. From these and other records, it is apparent that the Morefield, Ashworth, and Hilton families migrated from the Hanover – New Kent area of Virginia to Lunenburg County in the 1740’s.

GENERATION NO. 3 EDWARD MOREFIELD (probably born in the early 1700’s in New Kent or Hanover Co., Va, died in Nov., 1785 in Halifax Co., Va.)
GENERATION NO. 4 JOHN MOREFIELD, SR. (probably born by 1730 in New Kent or Hanover Co., died about October, 1812 in Halifax Co., Va.)
There are no extant documents which state the relationship between John no. 2 and Edward and there are varying opinions among Morefield researchers as to their kinship. I believe Edward to have been a son (but not necessarily the only one) of John no. 2. John's 1751 will names daughters Jane, Elizabeth, and "grandson" John, but not Edward, causing some researchers to believe Edward was not a son of John. I subscribe to the theory that John followed the custom of transferring property to some heirs prior to his death and naming others in his will (Jean Morefield who married John Ashworth may have been this same Jane, or perhaps a daughter of Edward). Edward and a third John, who I feel was the "grandson John", moved into Halifax County between 1753 and 1755, (John Morefield was appointed a constable in Lunenburg County in 1753, so he was still living there then). To repeat, I believe that the "grandson John", was a son of Edward, and that Edward was a son of John who died in 1751. Edward and John Morefield, (the third John Morefield), are mentioned in Halifax County court records numerous times beginning in 1755 through 1785, and in 1756, Edward Morefield "of Halifaxx (sp) County" sold property he owned in Lunenburg county. This fact negates the theory by some that Edward and John actually lived in the part of Lunenburg County that became Halifax County in 1751; and indicates that they physically moved from Lunenburg into Halifax.
After the end of the Revolutionary War in 1781, the former thirteen colonies became the United States of America, and the first population count of the United States was taken in 1782. This was not actually named a census, but a Head of Household count in preparation for the first U.S. census planned for 1790. In 1782, records can be found for only two Morefield households in Virginia, and both were in Halifax County. These were the households of Edward Morefield and John Morefield. Edward's household had three members, and John's had ten. At that time, the only names taken were the head of household; other members were not named, and no ages were given. For this reason, it is not possible to name the members of each household with absolute certainty. We know that Edward had a wife, as the Halifax County record of his estate sale in November of 1785 mentions "the widow Morefield" as well as John Morefield, who also was named administrator of Edward's estate in a separate document. There was an earlier deed that named Edward and Alse Morefield, so it is presumed that Alse was his wife. John's wife was named Martha and Patsy in different documents. In other records and for other families, it is seen that Patsy was a common nickname for Martha in those days, just as Jack is a nickname for John today. The name of the third member in Edward's household is not known, nor has it been determined if this was a child, other family member, or someone outside the family. The household count was done again in early 1785, before Edward’s death in October or November. At this time Edward's household still had three members, but John's had only nine. John's daughter Elizabeth married Howard Cain that year, which probably explains the decrease from ten members to nine. I assume John to have been her father as he signed her marriage bond.
In the 1787 count, the only Morefield households in Virginia were the homes of John Morefield and Wright Morefield; (Edward had died in 1785). Since Wright was listed as living in John's household in the 1784 Personal Property Tax List for Halifax County, (prior to Edward’s death in 1785), it is assumed that John was the father of Wright, and that Wright was probably John’s oldest son. The PPTL was a record of all landowners and those over the age of twenty-one. In summary, I feel Edward was a son of John no. 2 who died in 1751, and "grandson John", John no. 3, was Edward's son. Another possibility is that Edward and John no. 2 were either brothers or uncle/nephew. The 1790, 1800, and 1810 census records were destroyed in the War of 1812 when the British burned Washington and unfortunately, much valuable genealogical information was lost with these records.
It is very likely that John no. 2 who died in Lunenburg County in 1751 had other children. In 1754 and 1755 there was a James Morefield in Granville County, N.C., (mentioned along with a John Blackman in a militia roster). Granville County is due south of Lunenburg County, and its northwest corner borders the southeast corner of Halifax County. There is a 1765 Halifax County deed book record of a James Moorefield living on land being sold to Thomas Hilton, (remember that name?), and in 1766 there is a Halifax court case naming James Morefield and Elizabeth Morefield as defendants. (Curiously, the record does not state James and Elizabeth Morefield, but is worded as above). In 1760, Thomas Hilton and Beacham Hilton are shown in Halifax records. Neither James nor Elizabeth is mentioned again in Granville or Halifax counties, but a James Morefield appears in tax records in Rowan County, N.C. in 1768. This is the Salisbury area today, but in the 1760's, Rowan County also encompassed present Davidson County, and Pat Seaver’s research shows that James lived in the part of Rowan that became Davidson County. Davidson County lies south of Guilford County; Greensboro and High Point, N.C. On October 16, 1789 in Rowan County, N.C., a Mary Morefield married Mark Sluider, and the bondsman was "Peachum Helton", likely the same Beacham Hilton of Halifax County. Also, on November 5, 1792, Milly Morefield married Lifas Helton in Rowan County. I, and other researchers believe it to be very probable that James moved from Granville County, N.C. to Halifax County, Va., then a few counties southwest to Rowan County, N.C., and it is also very likely that Mary and Milly were his daughters. It is also probable that John Blackman Morefield, named in other records, was his son, and perhaps named after his friend John Blackman of the Granville County militia roster. Clearly, there was some sort of connection among the Morefield, Ashworth, and Hilton families of New Kent, and other counties of Virginia and North Carolina.
Also, available data, while scarce and inconclusive, indicates the first Morefields in eastern Tennessee, migrated there from the western counties of North Carolina in the early 1800’s (between 1806 and 1819), and most probably were descendants of James of Rowan County. Existing records show scattered Morefields living in Rowan, Stokes, and Ashe counties of North Carolina through the late 1700’s, after which the Morefield name disappears for about twenty years in North Carolina and surfaces in Carter and Johnson counties in Tennessee. While there is no document to prove these were the same folks, the migratory pattern westward seems to indicate family ties.
A John Morefield married Elizabeth Hines in Davidson County, N.C. in 1828, and it appears that by 1850 his widow was living a little further west in Surry County with their two sons, John and Frederick. However, there is no document that hints at his origins, and it is unknown whether he was a Rowan County or a Halifax County Morefield. Except for the likelihood that this John was a native Rowan County Morefield, after the migration into Tennessee, North Carolina had no other Morefields until Halifax County Morefields began migrating there again in the 1820’s. Today, there are more members of our family living in North Carolina than in Virginia.
On 2-9-1765, Edward bought a 220-acre farm in Halifax County from James Thomas Barding. This property lies on both the north and south sides of the Dificult Creek along the current Allen’s Mill Rd., about four miles northeast of the town of Scottsburg. He sold 50 acres of this property in August, 1777 and the remainder in the following October.
On 11-22-1777, John Morefield bought 140 acres on what is now Long Branch Rd, about two miles north of Scottsburg on the north side of present day route 360. He later increased his holdings to 225 acres. This farm was sold in parcels, the last in September of 1806, and the following month, he bought a 100-acre farm about two miles northeast of Scottsburg along the eastern side of the Hazlenut Branch. This farm was later bought by Thomas C. Wilmouth, my third great grandfather in 1832, and lies just on the north side of present day Lee-Syd-Moore Rd. (The Hazelnut Branch runs across Lee-Syd-Moore Rd. into the farm once owned by my grandparents, William Frank and Stella Wilmouth Moorefield, Sr.).

GENERATION NO. 5 JOHN AND MARTHA MOREFIELD'S CHILDREN.
John Morefield’s (No. 3) will was recorded in Halifax in May, 1812, and probated the following November, naming both his wife Patsy and his "beloved son John". It is not known for sure why he named no other children and singled out John, except laws and customs were different then. In several court records in Halifax County, the senior John is listed as John, Sr., and the "beloved son John" as John, Jr. Now remember that John, Sr. is not the same John who first came to this country, but I believe him to be the grandson John named in the Lunenburg will of 1751. Following, in order of marriage are those who I feel were children of John and Martha.
1. Elizabeth Morefield married Howard Cain on 4-4-1782. The only clue to Elizabeth’s age is that John gave his consent to the marriage by signature. Statute required consent of a parent or legal guardian if under age 21, so it is believed that Elizabeth was born later than 1861. No further research has been done for Elizabeth.
2. Wright Morefield married Nancy Stevens on 12-22-1785. Wright’s name first appeared on the Halifax County personal property tax (PPTL) list in 1784, listing him in the household of John Morefield. Given this, he would have been born by 1763. He is not listed in deed records as having owned any real estate, and last appeared on the PPTL in 1821. He is not named in any records after that year. From study of various records, several other researchers and I feel that Wright and Nancy were parents of the following children.

a. John W., born about 1790, married Sally Powell, daughter of Joshua and Frances Powell, on 12-12-1810. Numerous descendants of their son, William T. live in Halifax, Pittsylvania, Charlotte, and Amhurst counties. Raliegh Carrington Moorefield, former Halifax County school board member, is a descendant. John W., his wife, and their younger children moved to Henry County, Tenn. about 1847. He was last named in the 1850 census.

b. Henry, born about 1791, married Nancy Powell, Sally’s sister, on 5-10-1814. Henry last appeared on the Halifax County PPTL in 1822, and was on the 1830 and 1840 census records for Stokes County, NC. He was listed as a pensioner for the War of 1812. It is possible that Henry and his family moved to Stokes County about the same time that his uncle William Moorefield, Sr., listed below, moved to Patrick County, Va. These two counties have a common border, and William lived in the Mayo Creek area of Patrick County, just north of the Snow Creek area of Stokes County, and it is possible the two families moved together. In 1839, Henry, and his son – in – law, William C. George, bought land in Patrick County, so it is evident they were not far from the border. In the 1850 census, the family is shown in Pulaski County, Kentucky. They have no descendants in Stokes County. Henry was last listed on the 1860 census.

c. James Harding, born about 1794, married Polly Powell, sister of Sally and Nancy, on 9-13-1816 in Caswell County, NC. James last appeared on the Halifax PPTL in 1822, and he was living in Rowan County, NC in the 1830 census. From there, they migrated to Clark County, Illinois by 1840, and to St. Claire, Il. By 1850. He was last named in the 1850 census.

d. Armistead, born about 1798, married Anna Thomas on 2-14-1822, the last year he is found on the PPTL. Armistead is not found in the 1830 census, but appears on the Iredell County, NC census in 1840. I feel he was probably living with his wife’s parents most of the intervening years. He has numerous descendants in surrounding counties.

e. Robert S. Morefield was born on 5-25-1803, according to his great great grandson, Bob Morefield of Murphysboro, Illinois. His parents are not named in any document we have found, but we include him as a child of Wright for two reasons. First, in the 1820 census, there is a male of his age group in the household of Wright, and second, his close proximity to Henry Morefield in Stokes and Patrick counties. Robert is included on the Patrick County tax lists for the years 1832, 1833, and 1834. He returned to Halifax County, where he married Prudence Irby Sneed, a widow, on April 15, 1834, his bondsman being one Elijah Webb. The following October 23, Robert witnessed a deed of trust note from Henry Morefield to F. Webb in Stokes County, and on April 21, 1835, Henry and Elizabeth Morefield witnessed the will of Elijah Webb in Stokes County. Also, there is ample evidence in Halifax County that Robert was the father of Andelusia Morefield of Stokes County. Robert and Prudence migrated to Kentucky to land she inherited from her grandfather, and later moved into Illinois. Robert died there on March 1, 1866 and Prudence on September 4, 1876.

3. John Morefield, Jr. first appeared on the PPTL in 1788, and was probably born about 1766. He and Winifred Bruce, daughter of John Bruce, were married on 5-17-1787. He last appeared on the PPTL in 1815, and Winifred is listed in 1817, so it appears he died sometime in between. Winifred died in 1849, and her grandson Isaac was named administrator of her estate. John and Winifred’s daughter in law, Sally Monday, had a sister, Tabitha, who was married in their home. However, the minister failed to return the bond to the courthouse, so the marriage was not recorded. In 1844, Winifred signed an affidavit attesting to the marriage to support Tabitha’s claim for a widow’s pension. As part of this affidavit, Winifred provided a family register naming her children. Those named were:

a. William. Jr., perhaps named after his uncle, William, Sr., was born on 3-27-1888, and married Nancy Canada on 9-25-1809. They lived in Halifax and Pittsylvania counties until the 1840’s, during which time, William migrated to Troup County, Ga, apparently without Nancy, but with their son Willis. In the 1860 and 1870 census, he is shown living in Alabama.

b. Polly, born on 4-6-1789, married Nevin McKinney on 9-15-1817.

c. John Royal, born on 5-16-1791 married Sally Monday on 6-13-1813. They lived in Halifax County until 1850 and then moved to the city of Danville, where John Royal died of typhoid in 1856. Sally later moved to Prince Edward County with their daughter Sara Catherine Sest, where she died in the 1880s. They have numerous descendants in Halifax, Pittsylvania, Prince Edward, Cumberland, and Henrico counties of Virginia, and Rockingham, Caswell, and Guilford counties of North Carolina.

d. Edmund, born 4-19-1793, married Rachel Crews on 9-24-1816. They had one daughter, Elizabeth Ann, and Edmund died in 1822, cause unknown.

e. Coleman, born 8-31-1795.

f. Dickerson, born on 4-7-1798. A Richard Moorefield married Nancy McKenney on 11-12-1819. Richard lived next to Winifred in the 1830 census, and his three children were named in the settlement of her estate. I believe that he was either Coleman or Dickerson, but there is no document to state which, or what became of the other. He died in 1843, and has descendants in the Richmond, Va. area.

g. NOT LISTED: Sarah, born about 1796, was not named in Winifred’s family registry, but indications are that she was her daughter. Sarah married William Coates in 12-11-1818, with William Morefield signing a statement that she was over the age of twenty-one. This was more likely Sarah’s older brother, William Morefield, Jr., but could have been her uncle, William Sr., named below. In Halifax Court, February, 1822, William Coates was ordered to appraise the property of Edmund Morefield, deceased. Assuming Sarah to have been Winifred’s daughter, then Edmund was brother in law to William Coates. Evidently Sarah died without children. In 1824, William Coates remarried, and there was no mention of any children in the division of Winifred’s estate in 1854.

4. Moore Morefield married Virginia Reitey (Henrietta?) Strange on 6-7-1798. In most years, up to 1832, he is found living in the southern district of Halifax County, which I believe is all the area west of the Banister River, but for one year, 1819, he is listed in Pittsylvania County, Va., just west of Halifax County. Following are the names of his and Reitey’s children:

a. Joseph R. was born about 1799, and is named in Pittsylvania County records, including his marriage to Sarah Wade in 1818. Later records show him living in South Carolina and then Georgia.

b. Lucy was born about 1800, and married Daniel Talley in Pittsylvania County in 1818, Moore signing as her father.

c. Wiley was born about 1801. There is no document naming his parents, however, there is a male of his age grouping in the 1820 census listing of Moore’s household. Also, Wiley and his wife Cary Vaughn lived on a farm she inherited from her maternal grandfather. This farm is just inside Pittsylvania County on the road to the community of Kentuck from South Boston, in the Birch Creek area. It just seems more probable that Wiley would have lived somewhere in this vicinity for he and Cary to gotten to know each other, than if he were raised in the eastern part of Halifax County. Wiley and Cary’s oldest son, James R. owned a farm about two miles due north of theirs, and I think Wiley and Cary are buried there with James and his wife in the Moorefield – Hodnett family cemetery.

d. Susannah, born about 1803, married Richard Perkins in Halifax County in 1820.

e. Willie was born about 1805 and married Lewis Spencer in Halifax county in 1824.

f. Julius, born about 1810, is added to Moore and Reitey’s family for two reasons. First, Reitey was a daughter of Julius Strange, perhaps his namesake, and second, there is a male of his age grouping living with Moore and Reitey in the 1820 census. However, there is no document stating him to have been a son of theirs. Julius moved to Smith County, Tenn, then to Illinois, and finally further west to Wright County, Mo. by 1870.

5. William Morefield, Sr. was born about 1777 and married Nancy Stevens on 6-24-1801. They had at least six children in Halifax County, and moved west to the Mayo River district of Patrick County about 1823, (see Henry above), where William died about 1828. The children that we can name for certain were:
a. Nancy, born about 1802, married Joseph Harris in Patrick County on 12-9-1824, later moved to Tennessee.
b. Allen, born about 1802, married Martha Harris on 3-2-1825. They moved just south to the Snow Creek district of Stokes County, NC in the mid 1840’s, later to Scott County, Va., then to Hawkins County, Tenn. Pat Moorefield Seaver, named previously, is a descendant.
c. Josiah, born about 1805, married Ruth Keaton on 3-8-1830. They moved to Illinois by 1840. Their son Josiah James fought for the Union Army.
d. Wright, born on 10-20-1812, married Jane Martin on 12-25-1831. He died on 4-6-1882 and is buried in Stokes Co., NC in the Moorefield – Gibson family cemetery. This cemetery is beautifully maintained today by a descendant Timmy Gibson.
e. Mary, born about 1817, married Sampson Keaton on 6-3-1841, later moved to Tennessee.
f. William, Jr., born in 1822, married Mary Ann Kasey on 3-25-1848. He died in 1899 and is buried about twenty feet from his older brother Wright.
g. Martha J., born about 1826, married Lewis Martin on 5-11-1848.
h. Rebecca, born in 1827, married Alexander Bryant on 8-8-1848.
i. There was a James Morefield mentioned in records in Patrick County who also was likely a son of theirs.
Many of William and Rebecca’s descendants who carry the Moorefield name still live in Patrick and Pulaski counties of Virginia, and Surry, Stokes, Forsyth, Guilford, and Davidson counties of North Carolina, and in various parts of Tennessee. Very few of these folks even know of the others.
6. Mastin Morefield married Wilmouth Stokes on 5-21-1804. Although not clearly documented, evidence leads me to believe that my third great grandfather, Stephen Moorefield was a son of theirs. They have descendants in Halifax County, Va., and Guilford and Caswell counties in North Carolina.
7. Edward Morefield. This second Edward Morefield, for whom no marriage record has been found, began having children with his wife about 1798. I believe him to have been a child of John and Martha, also. His and his wife’s children migrated into areas of Kentucky and Illinois.

CONCLUSION OF PART ONE

Re: Julian A. Moorefield

blpurdy1 — 2006-07-01 02:39:59Z

I'd be interested in communicating with you if you are doing Moorefield geneaolgy. Your grandfather was my cousin and he and my mother (her name is Allene) were raised by your great-grandmother. Her name was Virginia Brown Windle Moorefield. I believe your Dad has two sisters named Rebecca and Martha. They would know me as Beezy. I'm also in contact with Renee (Patricia's daughter) in Florida trying to help her with the Moorefield geneaolgy. Please contact me directly at blpurdy@sbcglobal.net and tell your Dad I said hi.

DATA: Moorefield, F. R. listed in 1929 Richmond, VA yearbook

sassytazzy — 2006-01-07 02:48:14Z

DATA Message RE: The Marshallite, 1929 John Marshall High School yearbook (Richmond, VA).

This yearbook lists the members of the Senior class of 1929, faculty members, members of the Corps of Cadets, and many members of various clubs (not all). Unfortunately, it does not list the names of the members of the Junior, Sophomore or Freshmen classes (only officers listed for those classes). It includes the following name(s):

Moorefield, F. R.

There's over 1,900 records, so I've only listed the name(s), as it appears in the yearbook in this message.

If you would like to view all of the information that I extracted from the yearbook, I have uploaded it to my freepages genealogy web site. The link to the first page of these extracts on my web site is:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sassytazzy/family/r...

Or it can be accessed through the "General Research" link on the main page at:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sassytazzy/index.ht...

Please note that my site contains free genealogy related data & IS NOT a "commercial" or "advertising" site. Until I can get back out & do research on my own families, my hobby is posting free genealogy related data online that may help other reseachers. I put all kinds of genealogy information on my web site (including information others send to me to share on the site), not just data about the families I am researching (therefore I can't answer questions about everyone I have listed on the site). I hope the information I've put online helps someone with their research . . .

Susan :)
Sassytazzy's Online Genealogy Research Library
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sassytazzy/index.ht...

Mourfield family in TN

catmire88 — 2006-04-17 07:26:00Z

Looking for information about 3 Mourfield sisters around 1840-1900: Sue, Addie & Mollie, all (not at same time) married to James A. Black in Loundon County, TN and later Rockwood, Roane County, TN where they ran a hotel. Sue d. 1882, Mollie & James married 17+ years. Children are Ashby, Mary, Lillie, Anna & Sue. Mollie had no children. Happy to share what I know. Thanks.

Moorefields of Virginia

kjirsten92 — 2003-02-12 01:01:33Z

Have a Joseph R. Moorefield, born in VA @1799. His children include Henry, James Hampton, Rhoda, Amanda and Sarah. The family migrated south where the children settled in Alabama and Texas. Any help would be appreciated. Cannot confirm the mother/wife or go any further back with the lineage. There's a Joseph who married a Sarah Wade (granddaughter of Henry Wade) in Dec. 1818 in Pittsylvania County, VA. Cannot tie it all together, but it looks like a good place to focus. Any help would be appreciated.

Re: Henderson Mo(o)refield's ancestors

RobinCarmichael — 2003-02-02 03:31:21Z

Looking for information on a Robah Mo(o)refield he married a Lula Southern they had 1 child (Bertha) Lula died and he remarried Nora Logan and had several more children. COX and SAMS play a roll in these name and they all play a roll in my line would love any information you can help me with.

Robah who was his parents his siblings. Any information on Bertha and Bertha's mother Lula and Bertha's Children. I know Bertha married a Snoody but remarried a Kemp would love to share if possible. Thank you Robin rlcarmichael40@msn.com