General Notes

Subj:     Re: [RUTHERFORD-L] Robert Rutherford
Date:    02/10/2000 7:34:08 PM Central Standard Time
From:    gharding@uswest.net (Gary Harding)
To:    RUTHERFORD-L@rootsweb.com

Dear Listers,
I'm writing in response to Susan Nebecker's questions about Robert Rutherford of Essex County, VA. I'm a Rutherford researcher and Robert Rutherford is my 8x's great grandfather. Robert Rutherford's baptismal
records came from Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland along with his siblings. He was the son of Adam and Janet Rutherford - Adam of the Rutherfords of Hall and Janet of the Rutherfords of Castlewood - Edgerston
- Hunthill. Janet's line was noble and Adam's was a  burgher family from Jedburgh.

Most Rutherfords in the USA have been getting their data from William K. Rutherford's "The Geneological History of the Rutherford Family". However, I would not trust anything concerning Scottish genealogy that William and
Ann Rutherford have ventured in their various editions of the Rutherford books. They drew heavily on the work of Thomas H. Cockburn-Hood in his "The Rutherfurds of that Ilk and their Cadets" published in Edinburgh at 1884.
This work has been shown to be seriously flawed and even has some out and out fabrications. Kenneth Rutherford Davis in his book "The Rutherfords in Britain: a history and guide" published by Alan Sutton Publishing of
Gloucester-1987 also disclaims the use of Thomas H. Cockburn-Hood's work.  KR Davis wrote to WK Rutherford guessing that Robert Rutherford might have immigrated from England. This was an unsupported guess that was made before the above mentioned records of Adam and Janet Rutherford [and their son Robert] had been discovered. KR Davis' book has a sketch of the data on both lines. The Castlewood and Hall lines are on pages 135 and 154.

Unfortunately, all three books have problems and contradict each other. WK Rutherford's latter editions were primarily published to correct earlier errors he took from Thomas H. Cockburn-Hood's work. KR Davis' work also is drawn from sources available to him in England not in Scotland.  His display of well documented lines, such as the Edgerston/Hunthill Rutherfords have many mistakes. Also the materials on General Griffith Rutherford have him placed in the wrong family!?

The materials below start with Robert's father Adam Rutherford.

I'd love to talk to you more about this. Please be in touch

Gary Rutherford Harding

----------------

-1. [#17] Adam Rutherford of Hall
d. in 1648
wife: Janet Rutherford of Castlewood
daughter of Robert Rutherford of Castlewood, Roxburghshire, Scotland
born abt 1614 in Roxburghshire, Scotland
married abt 1635 in Roxburghshire, Scotland
see "The Rutherfords in Britain" by Kenneth Rutherford Davis
chapter VII, page 135 and chapter IX, page 154

--2. James Rutherford
b. bef. 1631 Scotland[see below]

--2. Robert Rutherford
b. 1640 Jedburgh, Scotland
christened: 6 May 1640 Jedburgh, Roxburgh, Scotland
d. after 21 Aug 1728 in Essex Co., VA.

--2. Elizabeth Rutherford
christening: 23 Aug 1642 Jedburgh, Roxburgh, Scotland

--2. Adam Rutherford
christening: March 10, 1644/45 Jedburgh, Roxburgh, Scotland

--2. William Rutherford of Hall
He was served heir to Adam of Hall on April 4, 1648 and had sasine of 4 1/2 acres near Jedburgh. William and his wife Jennet are buried in the nave of Jedburgh Abbey. Their inscription reads as follows: "Hier lyes William Rwtherford of The Hall who de pairted this lyfe Januari 8 1673. Here lyes Jennet Rwtherford of the Hall spous to Uilliam Rwtherford who depairted this lyfe November 26 1691 and of hir age 61."
children:
i. Thomas Rutherford
ii. Adam Rutherford
iii. Helen Rutherford
iv. Elspeth Rutherford

Adam Rutherford of Hall, Janet Rutherford his wife, and James Rutherford their son received sasine February 17, 1630/31 of one part of the lands of Castlewood in Roxburgh County, Scotland. Sasine was granted to Adam
Rutherford of Hall and Janet Rutherford his wife, March 4, 1631, of the land of Easter Gillis and Knowe in Roxburgh County. (Roxburgh County General Register of Sasines (1), Vo. 30, folio 105, 226.)

Adam Rutherford of Hall was a maltman and Burgess of Jedburgh. He was prosperous and accommodated his kinsman, Robert Rutherfurd of Edgerston, with a loan of 200 merks. A bond for the amount was granted Adam Rutherford of Hall and Janet Rutherford his wife in 1633. A general service of William Rutherford of Hall to his father Adam Rutherford of Hall was "expede" before Archibald Douglas, January 18,1648. ("The Rutherfurds of that Ilk and their Cadets" by Thomas H. Cockburn-Hood published in Edinburgh - 1884)[also cited by WK Rutherford]


Generation 18


--2. [#18] Robert Rutherford Sr.
b. ca. 1634 Jedburgh, Scotland
christened: 6 May 1640 Jedburgh, Roxburgh, Scotland
d. after 21 Aug 1728 probably in Essex Co., VA.
wife: Maragaret Vawter
daughter of  Bartholomew Vawter and Winifred Hodgen
The father of Bartholomew Vawter, along with Angus, Richard, Beverly, David, Margaret and Winifred, was John Vawter.

According to the book "The Vawter Family in America" the name Vawter was of Norman extraction and was originally spelled "Valletort", pronounced as vay-e-tor. There is still a Valletort castle in England.

Knight's Reginduis de Valletort; Hugh de Valletort; Ralphe de Valletort and Seigfried de Valletort were Norman knights living in the area of St. Michaels 14 miles from the coast near Castle Maynne Normandy, France. Count
Juel de Maynne was a general under Baron Robert Mortaine 1/2 brother of William Duke of Normandy. Four of de Valletort brother's were free knights not under service or servitude and were recruited by Count Maynne for
service. After the battle of Hastings November 14, 1066 the de Valletort brothers received 33 1/3 knight's fee's and land holdings at Cornwall and Plymouth, England. De Valletort's Castle, Treamenton still stands today.

The Margaret who married Robert Rutherford Sr. is not Margaret Vawter daughter of Bartholomew. Margaret Vawter dau. of Bartho. married Thomas S. Tinsley III. The Margaret who m. Robert Rutherford, Sr. was b. ca 1644
according to a deposition in court listing her age. Bartholomew Vawter gave a gift of a cow calfe to this Margaret so her connection to him is yet unknown. It could be a sister or is old enough to be his mother who may have married for a second time. Robert Rutherford of Essex County, Virginia, was born in Jedburgh, Scotland, and married Margaret Vawter. (Brooks and Kindred Families, 1950. p. 295-296) Louise A. Keynton, Dallas, Texas, searched Essex County, Virginia records and also confirmed this statement. He was probably one and the same as the Robert Rutherford who was baptized May 6,1640, a son of Adam Rutherford of Hall and Janet Rutherford of Roxburgh County, Scotland. His father-in-law, Bartholomew Vawter was married to Winifred Hodgen and
had (8) children by her, one of them was Margaret Vawter born 1647 and died about 1735 in Essex Co. VA. She was married to Robert Rutherford Sr..  Bartholomew Vawter had another unknown wife who produced another daughter named Margaret. She was born in 1672 probably in England and died in 1687 probably Essex, Va. She was married to Robert Rutherford Jr. These two Margaret Vawters were half sisters and were married to father and son,
Robert Rutherford Sr and Jr.

The name Robert Rutherford was recorded as early as 3/10/1676 in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia, and as late as 7/21/1728 in Essex County, Virginia. Conveyances of land by Robert Rutherford and his wife Margaret
verify their places of residence were in Sittenburn Parish in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia, and in St. Anns Parish in Essex County, Virginia. Among the neighbors of Robert Rutherford were Daniel Smith and John Miller, both of whom moved to Augusta County where they lived neighbors to the descendants of Robert Rutherford.

A court order bearing the date 8/4/1684 show Robert Rutherford was appointed Constable by the Court of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia.  Another court order dated 3/3/1686 ordered Robert Rutherford to pay tenancy
on his plantation. Among the wills witnessed by Robert Rutherford were those of Thomas Page of Old Rappahannock County, 3/10/1676; David Jameson of Essex County, 12/2/1711; and Samuel Stallard of Essex County, 12/2/1720.  Robert Rutherford was ordered by the Court of Essex County, Virginia to pay
Robert Rutherford, Jr., and John Rutherford, Jr., for their attendance in court as witnesses on his behalf in 8/1724. Robert Rutherford of Old Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia was probably the father of Patrick Rutherford of Orange County, North Carolina, as well. (pg.54 - 1969 edition "Genealogical History of the Rutherford Family" by William and Anna Rutherford)

---3. Robert Rutherford Jr.
b. 1663 probably in Old Rappahannock Co., VA
d. 3/15/1725 in Essex Co. - made from Old Rappahannock Co.
married 1687
wife Maragaret Vawter
b. abt. 1672 England
d. 1687 probably Essex Co., VA
d/o Bartholomew Vawter and his 2nd unknown wife

Robert Rutherford, Jr., resided in Rappahannock Co between 1676 and1686. He served as a witness for his father in the August term of court in 1724 in Essex County, Virginia. The court order specified that Robert Rutherford
pay Robert Rutherford, Jr., for serving two days as a witness. Robert Rutherford, Jr., died intestate in Essex County, Virginia, 3/15/1725, his son John Rutherford, Jr. relinquished his right to the administration of
the estate and a certificate was granted to John Rutherford, his uncle, with John Vawter and Thomas Thorpe as his securities, gave bond for the just and faithful administration of the estate. The inventory was dated 4/18/1726 and the appraisement of the estate was returned 6/21/1726 by John Rutherford, administrator.
(pg.63 - 1969 edition "Genealogical History of the Rutherford Family" by William and Anna Rutherford)

---3. John Rutherford d. 11/15 - 3/15/1742  St. Ann's Parish, Essex Co.
wife Mary Atkinson d. before 3/20/1753 Essex Co. VA????

* John Rutherford who died in Essex Co. in 1742 married Mary Brown (not Mary Atkinson as has been speculated). Mary's sister Ann married an Atkinson. Mary's father appears to be Daniel Brown, son of Francis Brown, and her mother was Jane Copeland, daughter of Nicholas Copeland. One of her ancestors was the Ancient Planter, Francis Cole. Her grandfather, Nicholas Copeland, left her 170 acres in his will in 1720, which she and her
husband, John Rutherford, sold source: Barbara Good BWGood@aol.com

---3. [#19] James Rutherford
b.1668-78
d. 1759 Lunenberg Co
occupation: weaver
1st wife: Rose [Rosannah]
d. bef. 1759

---3. Adam Rutherford before b. abt. 1634 in Essex Co., VA d. 7/28/1761
Louisa Co. VA
wife Margaret ---

---3. Ellison Rutherford

---3. Thomas Rutherford

---3. George Rutherford

---3. Christian Rutherford