General Notes

Will written April 30, 1708, Northampton Co. VA.  Estate to sons James, Bartholomew, William and John.  To daughters Jane and Mary, each one ewe lamb.  Bartholomew receives the hattery and all things belonging to William's "shope".  The hand mill goes to James and Bartholomew.  The rest of the estate goes to his wife Jane, after her death to sons Willam and John.. Bartholomew is to sell 150 acres of land to settle debts.

William Twiford (Twyford) is first found in the county court records, vol 7 & 8 pg 19 in Northampton Co. VA in 1655.  The contents are unreadable.  William twyford is found in court records of Deed and Wills, pg 67 in 1682/3 in Northampton Co. VA.  His wife Jane was mentioned.  The record had to do with land.

Twiford-Twyford families can be found in England from the 1300's up to the present time.  At present time the name is found on plumbing articles.  After the 1500's, they became more numerous.  It cannot be determined which area William Twyford cam from.  He was a hat maker by trade.

The Twifords probably emigrated from England to VA in the early to middle 1600's.  They settled in the eastern most part of VA, Accawack Co. which is a strip of land bordered by MD on the north, the Chesapeake Bay on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east.  Accowmak Co. was formed in 1634.  In 1642/3 it became Northampton Co.  In 1663, the upper half of Northampton Co. became Accomack Co.  Searching for ancestors during this period is difficult because Accomack and Northampton Counties did not keep birth and death records until 1853.  Northampton has marriage records from 1706;  land, probate and court records from 1632.  Accomack Co. has records from 1774; land, probate and court records from 1663.

This Twiford information received of Don Bellessa, 1998.