• General Notes

  Virginia Soldiers of 1776
  Virginia Soldiers of 1776
  Affidavits.
  
  He appointed Hon. Robert Hanson, Harrison and Benjamin Grayson Orr and all of his children as Extrs. Signed 11th March, 1790. Witnesses, Spencer Grayson, Sid. Orr, Richard Graham and James Wallace. The will was proved at Frederick Co. Court, 7 Dec., 1790.
  
  Note. Though William Grayson lived in Prince William Co. he died in Frederick. Yet no copy of his will was found in the latter county, and the original was destroyed at Manassas. Benjamin Grayson Orr and William (Spencer) Grayson refused to take upon themselves the administration or execution of the will. James Tidball was appointed Extr. At a court for Frederick Co. the will was further proved by Spencer Grayson, another witness thereto. Teste, by the court, James Keith, Cler. Certified as true copy, T. A. Tidball, Clerk. 20th March, 1832, 56th year of the Commonwealth, of Va. Certified as to Thomas Allen Tidball, John Smith, Genl. Land Off. As to true copy, James Whitcomb, Commissioner, Gen. Land Off.
  
  The original will of Col. Grayson was destroyed during the battle of Manassas Junction in the Civil War. Fortunately, there is a copy of the will on file in the Land Office, and it will be given in full. William Grayson was an Aide de Campe to General Washington, 1776. He was made a Colonel of the Contl. Line 1777, and later, 1779 was one of the Commissioners of the Board of war. In the D. A. R. Lineage Book it is told that he married Hebe Smallwood, that their daughter Hebe married Robert Wormely Carter, the father of Robert Grayson Carter. Susanna Monroe Grayson was the mother of Col. William Grayson, and his father was Benjamin Grayson. Rev. Spence Grayson, an Episcopal Clergyman, is said to have aided the cause of Liberty by his sermons and Patriotism. Rev. Spence Grayson was the father of John Robinson Grayson, a Captain in the U.S. Navy.
  
  The following data of Heaberd Smallwood contains a will of interest. It is the will of Col. William Grayson of Prince William Co., who married (according to the data I have copied from the papers on file in the land office) Eleanor, one of the five sisters of Capt. Smallwood.
  Abstract of the will of Heaberd Smallwood of Charles Co., Md. To his Mother, Priscilla Smallwood; brother William and sister Elizabeth Leiper (Leisser); sisters, Margaret Stoddert; Eleanor Grayson; and Priscilla Heabert Smallwood; nephew, William Truman Stoddert. He appointed his Mother Priscilla Smallwood sole Extrx. Signed, 4 July, 1778. Witnesses, Richard Speake, Lawson Speake and Edward Skinner.
  Charles Co., Md. court, Oct. 9, 1838. On motion of Walter Mitchell it was proven that by testimony of Daniel Delozier, General William Smallwood, Lucy the wife of William T. Stod-dert, Elizabeth, wife of Dr. Leisser, Eleanor, wife of Col. William Grayson and Priscilla, wife of Dr. John Courts were the brother and sisters of, and only heirs at law of Heabard Smallwood, a Captain the Rev. war.
  Elizabeth Leisser, long since dead and leaving no children. Lucy married Bernard Moore of Virginia. Eleanor Grayson died before her husband, long since, leaving six children:--1, William who died without children; 2, George W.; 3, Robert H., 4, Heabard S.; 5, Alfred; 6, Gray-son. (There is no name given for the sixth child).
  Abstract of William Graysons will. Agreeable to the present laws of Virginia, I make an equal division of my estate amongst my children, with the only exception that I make all my slaves born since the Independence of America,--free.
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  A Geanealogy of the Glassell Family:Genealogy Library Page 105
  107. JOHN5 BALL (George,4 William,3 William,2 William1), of Fauquier county, b. Lancaster county, cir. 1740; d. Fauquier, 1773; m. Mar. 2, 1765, MARY BALL, dau. of William and Lettice (Lee) Ball, 99, b. cir. 1745. She m. (II.) Apr. 3, 1774, Reginald Graham and moved to Ky.
  
  In the mar. bond she is called dau. of Lettice Ball; and he is named "John Ball, brother of Williamson." (L.) His personal est. was inventoried by James Ewell at œ209, administered by Mary Ball July 27, 1773, and divided among his wife and children Jan. 25, 1779, am't œ775.19.1 (Fauq. Bk. B. 216, 367). Mar. 14, 1788, the rest of his est. was divided, the children then being of age. The negroes were distributed to Miss Mollie Ball, Mrs. Judith Blackburn, Lettice Ball and William Ball. (id. F. 137.)
  
  Children:
     164.     i.     WILLIAM,6 165. ii. PETER. 166. iii. HANNAH.
     167.    iv.     JUDITH, m. Maj. Richard Scott Blackburn, U. S. N. (SCOTT 20).
     168.     v.     LETTICE.
     169.    vi.     MARY, m. Col. Alexander Dalrymple Orr, son of John and Susan (Grayson)
                       Orr. John O., b. Scotland, was son of Alexander Orr, of "Waterside,"
                       near Berwick, Scot'd, and his wife, (???) Dalrymple, dau. of the Earl of
                       Stair. I cannot find this in Douglas.
  Susan Grayson was sister of Col. Wm. Grayson, aide to Gen. Washington at Long Island, &c., and one of the first two Senators from Va. after the adoption of the present constitution. A. D. Orr went to Ky. before 1776, and was founder of Maysville, Ky.; Mem. Va. Leg. from Mason Co., Ky., 1790, and Senate, 1792. He was one of the first representatives in Congress from Ky., 1792-1797 (Coll. Ky. II., 576; Maryland Line Papers, 99-108, where it is said that Col. A. D. Orr m. Miss Grayson.) Col. O. had five child., of whom the 2d dau., Susan, m. Dr. Elisha Warfield, Prof. of Surg. and Obstet., Trans. Univ., Lexington, Ky., 1809, pro. father of Elisha W., Jr., who, 1833, m. Cath'e Ann Ware, b. Miss., 1817, author of "Poems by Two Sisters of the West," 1842, and a vol. issued 1846. (Coll. I., 574. Ranke's Lex. 45.) The above deduction is proven by a letter, Jan. 27, 1840, from Mrs. Jane C. Washington, dau. of Major Blackburn, supra, which says: "Dr. Warfield, of Lexington, Ky., m. my Aunt Orr's second dau., Susan." She speaks of her Aunt Orr's eldest dau. as a widow with 4 or 5 children. It is said that Col. O. was a man of commanding person and a polished gentleman. For Grayson, v. Va. His. Soc. Coll. IX., 195, et seq.
  
  108. WILLIAM5 BALL (George,4 William,3 William,2 William1), of "Chapel Green;" b. 1740(?); d. Fred'k Co., Va., 1796; m. (I.) JUDITH THROCKMORTON; (II.) July 12, 1790, DRUSILLA SINGLETON. (Munford's Va. Rep. III., 280.)
  
  Wm. Ball's will, dat. May 14, 1796, was pro. Sep. 6, 1796. It appears from Munford that he had children by his 2d mar., but their names are not known, and all efforts to get data were made in vain. The name of his first wife was given to me as "Kempe." Judith Throckmorton may have been named Kempe.
  
  
  (*) Mrs. Brown of 265 and Mrs. Cooke of 257 have aided me in the line of 105, but efforts to extend it or to
  secure dates have failed.
  ---------------------------------
  Susan Monroe GRAYSON
  Sex: F
  Birth: 1743 in Virginia
  Death: WFT Est. 1794-1889
  Note: " Susanna Monroe Grayson, only daughter of Benjamin Grayson and Susanna Monroe, was born in 1743. She married John Orr in 1761, a Scotch merchant of Leeds Town on the Rappahannock. Her father gave her a fine estate of six or seven tracts of land, sixteen valuable servants and one-fourth of all his personal estate including large amounts of debts due him. Her brother Benjamin was her guardian, and he by his failures in business lost all her fine estate which had fallen in to his hands. As suit was brought against the Justices of Fairfax Co. who had neglected to take security from her guardian, a compromise took place between the parties and Mr. Orr received twenty-five hundred pounds Virginia money for his wife's personal estate. Mrs. Orr was a tall elegant woman, and fine and spirited in her manners. The following were the children of this marriage. Alexander Dalrymple Orr, who removed to Kentucky and about 1782 married Miss Mary Ball of Dumfries, and was a Member of Congress for two turns from Kentucky, and well known as a gentleman of culture and refinement. Benjamin Grayson Orr was bred a merchant, was active, energetic and enterprising. He had large transactions with the General Government as Contractor for the Northwestern Army of the War of 1812. After the close he settled in Washington D. C. And was Mayor of the City from 1817 to 1819. He is remembered as an official of unspotted character and ever solicitous for the public weal. He left no children. John Dalrymple Orr born in 1771 was a physician, educated in Scotland. He married a daughter of Thomas Lee, Esq. A daughter of this marriage is the wife of General Rogers of Loudoun Co., Va. And is well remembered as on of the former belles of Washington. Wm. Grayson Orr married a Philadelphia lady and it is believed left one son. Nellie Orr married Major Valentine Peers of the Revolution. Betsy Orr married Levin Powell son of Col. Levin Powell ( of Loudon) mentioned as an officer of the regiment of Col. Grayson. She left children, one among whom was Alexander Orr Powell, of Loudon. Dr. Powell, now practicing physician of Baltimore 1874, is of this branch. The eldest daughter of John Orr and Susanna Monroe Grayson married in 1778 Hugh Stewart, a Scotch merchant. They had the following children. Susanna Monroe Grayson Stewart, married Jeremiah Williams of Georgetown D. C. They left no issue. Ann Stewart married Charles K. Carter of Loudon, and left a large family. Wm. Montgomery Stewart died single. Margaret Stewart married John Ashton and died without issue. Archibald Stewart went to South America and is supposed dead. Parker Stewart died single."
  
  Father: Benjaminn GRAYSON b: ABT. 1707 in Scotland
  Mother: Susannah MONROE b: WFT Est. 1695-1756
  
  Marriage 1 John ORR b: ABT. 1741 in Scotland
  Married: 1761
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Details of Susan Monroe's family with John Orr