2._--Margaret Gwin, b. unk, but said to have been b. in NC; moved with some of her children to Habersham Co., GA, after her husband died; d. unk. date in Habersham Co., GA; m. unk. date and place to Daniel England (b. unk., s/o William England who had been in NC prior to Rev. War) several children;

3._--Richard Gwin, b. unk.

I am VERY interested in your Gwin family!

I have not been able to discover the first name of my Margaret Gwin's father, as he died before the 1790 census of Burke Co, NC, and his widow, Deborah Gwin, (unknown maiden name) is shown on that census. Margaret married Daniel England.

Daniel England died about 1815 in Burke Co, NC, and Margaret moved with some of her children to Habersham Co, GA, where she later died.  Margaret was said to have been born in NC.  I also don't know where her parents came to NC from.

Daniel's father William England had been in NC prior to the Rev. War, but I don't have proof where they came from either.  Daniel and Margaret did have a son named Richard, and I always wondered if that was perhaps Margaret's father's name.

The 1760 replacement census for VA shows David Gwin and George Gwin in Lunenburg Co, VA; David, Henry, John, Jos'h, Josiah and Thomas Gwin in Nansemond Co., VA; James and Elizabeth Gwinn in Prince William Co., VA, and a Hugh Gwynn in Stafford Co, VA; however, I think this book didn't cover all VA counties, and I have a 1740 book on order.

Library of VA shows the following at  http://www.lva.lib.va.us/dlp/index.htm:

 
GRANTEE Gwinn, Richard,  DATE 1 July 1780. NOTE Location: Pittsylvania County. NOTE Description: 3850 acres on both sides of Cherrystone Creek and Harpin Creek and adjoining Walton &c. NOTE Source: Land Office Grants A, 1779-1780 (v.1 & 2 p.1-685), p. 530 (Reel 42).

GRANTEE Gwyn, Richard DATE 15 June 1773. NOTE Location: Pittsylvania County. NOTE Description: 335 acres on two branches of Sandy Creek of Banister river adjoining Isham Kennen's land. NOTE Source: Land Office Patents No. 41, 1772-1773, p. 345 (Reel 40).

GRANTEE Gwyn, Richard DATE 25 June 1780. NOTE Location: Pittsylvania County. NOTE Description: 330 acres on the branches of Sandy Creek, adjoining Kennon and Kirby. NOTE Source: Land Office Grants A, 1779-1780 (v.1 & 2 p.1-685), p. 522 (Reel 42).

No Richards listed in the index to wills, but

Gwin, John   DATE 1753 SOURCE Deed Book 7, 1747-1755 (Reel 7) p. 471. Inv. & Appr. rec. 15 May 1753. NOTE Part of index to Princess Anne County Wills and Administrations (1691-1800), and

Gwin, John  DATE 1740 SOURCE Deed Book 5, 1735-1740 (Reel 5) p. 466. Accounts rec. 2 Apr. 1740. NOTE Part of index to Princess Anne County Wills and Administrations (1691-1800), and

Gwin, John  DATE 1728 SOURCE Deeds & Wills No. 4, 1724-1735 (Reel 4) p. 171. Will pro. 1 May 1728. NOTE Part of index to Princess Anne County Wills and Administrations (1691-1800), and

Gwin, Joseph  DATE 1777 SOURCE Chesterfield Order Book 6, p. 129. His orphan, Joseph Gwin, to be bound out by the Churchwardens of Dale Parish, 4 April 1777. NOTE Part of index to Chesterfield County Wills and Administrations (1754-1800)
and
Gwyn, Thomas  DATE 1788 SOURCE Will Book 1, 1784-1800 (Reel 19) p. 14a-15. Will pro. 25 Feb 1788. p. 18a-19a. Inv. & Appr. rec. 20 Jan 1789. NOTE Part of index to Norfolk Wills and Administrations (1784 - 1800)

Then in the  Virginial Genealogical Society Quarterly       [Name/Series/Volume/Chapter/Section]

Richard Gwin XXIX 3 01-AUG-1991 Albemarle County, Virginia Court Orders, 1744/45 - 1748 June Term 1748 - August Term 1748

Richard Gwin XXX 3 01-AUG-1992 Virginia Land Patent Book 29   Albermarle Co, VA 1749 neighbor of Joseph Adcock

Richard Gwin XXXII 1 01-FEB-1994 Virginia Land Patent Book 32  Albermarle Co, VA  1754  neighbor of Col. John Bolling

Richard Gwin XXXII 2 01-MAY-1994 Virginia Land Patent Book 33    Albermarle Co, VA  1756  his own patent

In a message dated 03/26/2003 5:01:34 AM Eastern Standard Time, GWIN-D-request@rootsweb.com writes:

X-Message: #1
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 08:35:22 -0700
From: John Gwin <jmcdgwin@zianet.com>
To: GWIN-L@rootsweb.com
Subject: Richard Gwin in Jamestown

I've wondered for years how my uncle James learned that our ancestors went back to Richard Gwin and Sarah Chesley in Jamestown, VA, then through their son, Isham Gwin, who married a Ms. Cleveland, and finally to their less elusive and much more traceable son John Gwin who in 1812 married Jane Walker in Blount Co., TN and moved to Dallas Co., Alabama, where the family thrived for several generations.

Well, no. Uncle James said he got this information from the "Abridged Compendium of American Genealogy, Vol. I, p. 706",  but I was never able to find this set to discover how THEY learned the information.  Then recently I discovered the complete seven-volume set of ACAG (in my local library!) and read the entire entry myself.

Now I can see the source of the article's information as none other than Champe Carter McCulloch--former CSA major, mayor of Waco, TX, and passionate family historian who submitted the article to the ACOAG.  Champe had married Emma Basset, daughter of Sarah Gwin Basset (Sarah lived with Champe and Emma for years), who was the daughter of John Gwin HIMSELF.

This information is now much more credible to me, then, since John Gwin HIMSELF was still alive for a full ten years after his granddaughter Emma married Champe.  I imagine that the wealthy Champe and Emma often wrote letters to John (who, though illiterate, was always around family members back in Dallas County, AL,  who could read and write), probably
even occasionally traveling by railroad to visit him and other relatives in Cahaba and/or Wilsonville.

I believe this information was memorized and passed down by Richard's illiterate grandson, John Gwin!  Everyone knows that illiterate yet nonetheless brilliant people use their incredible powers of memory to record such information in their minds, making it accessible to later generations by word of mouth.

Having established to my own satisfaction, then, the validity of Uncle James claim that John Gwin was the grandson of Richard and son of Isham, I am now ready to ask others with more enthusiasm to assist me in finding out more about Richard.

I have already added a bit more information to my collection.   I recently saw for the first time Richard and Sarah in an LDS IGI microfiche file at our local Family History Center.  I wasn't sure how to read the documentation or even if there was any; nevertheless, three new possibly-documented pieces of data were added for me:

(1) Richard was--again, all allegedly--born ca. 1748 in Jamestown, James City Co., VA;
(2) he married Sarah Chesley ca. 1773 in Jamestown, James City Co., VA; and
(3) she was born there ca.1755.

If any reader has other clues or documentation or can get me started in the right direction, please notify me--and thanks!

In Jesus,
John