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Introduction to the Pegram Family of America

All Caucasian Pegrams living in America today can be traced to George Pegram who died in York Co., Va. prior to 1693.   George had other sons as reflected by the records of early Virginia but there are no living male descendents of any that did not come through his son Daniel Pegram who was born by 1690 in York Co. or son William who also lived in Williamsburg, Va. The home of William Pegram is still standing in Williamsburg and is now in private hands. We know nothing of George's wife except that she was a HUNT. We can determine this from the apprenticeship papers of George's son, George,  when he was apprenticed to Daniel DuVal. George's apprenticeship papers were signed by ROBERT HUNT who is identified as his uncle. It is thought that Daniel DuVal  was the builder of the historic Ware Parish Church in Gloucester Co., VA. which would have occurred during George's apprenticeship.  While this has been a theory of many DuVal researchers, it is not yet proven.  We have not been able to identify any subsequent descendants of this George.  

Daniel (son of George, our common ancestor)  was orphaned in York Co, VA. At the age of about 12-14  he was apprenticed to Thomas Whitby as a carpenter (01/24/1704 - 01/12/1711) York Co., Deeds, Orders, Wills 12, 1702-1706, 165. He later acquired and built a house on lot 183 in  Williamsburg which he occupied at the time of his death in 1726. Since he lived very near the Governor's Palace it is interesting to think he may have been involved in the construction.

His will,  proved 18 July 1726, listed his children and ordered that ..."every one of my Children namely Daniel Pegram, Edward Pegram, Mary Pegram and Sarah Pegram have each of them a Ring of the Value of twenty Shillings to be raised out of my Estate," and also ordered that his house and lot in Williamsburg  be sold.  He left the remainder of his estate to his wife Sarah, "to be disposed of as she thinks fitt," and named her his sole executor.  York County Records, Orders, Wills, Book 16, page 400.    His wife had apparently  been married prior to her marriage to Daniel Pegram.  She left her "Son David Foese his freedom" and all the tools formerly belonging to her husband Daniel Pegram.  Sarah's estate was to be divided among her five children, Mary, Sarah, Daniel, Edward and George.  The inventory of her estate, recorded in York County June 21, 1727, listed cattle, horses and household furnishings valued at 53:8:4- 1/2 pounds.  Since George was not named in his father's will, it is assumed he was born after his father's death.

Sarah sold the house and lot to Lewis Burwell for ten (10) pounds. The house on lot 183 probably disappeared for in 1745 the trustees of the City granted lots 182, 183, and 184 to Lewis Burwell for 2.5 pounds with the usual building clause  included in the deed.   Still later the lot 183 was included in 6 lots owned by Peyton Randolph.   These six  lots were sold by the executors of Mrs. Betty Randolph, widow of Peyton to  Joseph Hornsby in February 1783.  Hornsby also purchased the house and lots on Nicholson Street, where Peyton and Betty Randolph had lived.  The property passed from Hornsby to the Peachy family in the nineteenth century.

There is absolutely no documentation for the idea that Sarah, wife of Daniel was also a Hunt and this is the first correction that anyone tracing their Pegram roots should make. Daniel died in Williamsburg in 1725/26 and his wife died the next year in 1727. Sarah's tombstone can still be seen in the Bruton Church cemetery in Williamsburg.

Daniel and Sarah Pegram's sons are named in their wills but again, the only ones with proven surviving male descendents are Daniel (2) who settled in present  Warren Co., N.C. and Edward Pegram who remained in Dinwiddie County, Va.  We stress "proven" since we know there were two Pegram females, Caroline and Mary,  who married back into the family of  Edward Pegram and are thought to be daughters of George Pegram, son of Daniel.   It is also thought that George Scott Pegram who went to Tennessee may have been a grandson of George Pegram.  Bob Pegram of Dallas, Texas spent many years researching the family of George Scott Pegram of Tennessee and placed him as a grandson  of Edward but others have questioned this connection.  We know there was a George Pegram, Jr. who died in Dinwiddie Co., VA in 1805.  For our purpose, George Scott Pegram of Tennessee will be treated as a grandson of George Pegram who was born in Williamsburg in 1726/27 and son of George Pegram, Jr. who died in Dinwiddie Co., VA in 1805.   

Edward Pegram's line has been extensively documented by Dr. Samuel W. Simmons.  Winona, a descendant of Daniel Pegram of Warren Co., NC has also maintained an extensive database on the descendants of Edward which she has shared for inclusion here. We originally intended to limit this webpage to the descendents of Daniel Pegram of Warren Co., NC. but with   Winona's generous contributions, we have expanded our scope to include ALL descendants of George Pegram of Williamsburg, Va., our common ancestor.  We have also included a transcribed copy of Dr. Simmons'  book on the web site.

Another great resource on the Pegram family is "Some Pegrams of Middle Tennessee" by Dorothy Pegram Roland which we be posting here as well.  Dorothy was kind enough to give us written permission to use her work and it is a great source for any Pegram descendants with Tennessee roots.

There are still links that can not be documented from existing public records but with rare exception the only questions involve a choice of brothers as to an undocumented parent. While we think we have almost exhausted the public records, we realize there are still possible links to be found in family bibles and private collections which are not in the public domain. Until recently, no one in N.C. could document John Pegram's wife, Parthenia. Then I heard from a Pegram in West Virginia who said she had a family bible naming Parthenia as Parthenia Bell.

We do hope others will share their own family information  through this web site dedicated to tracing the descendents of our common ancestor, George Pegram of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Note:  We will soon finish updating the present information found here.  It may take a few months to finish projects we have already started but the final update should be finished and online before the end of 2010.  There is so much more that can and should be done but it must be left to others.  We do hope that we have provided sufficient information to help future generations use our data to document their own Pegram ancestry.


 

©1999 - 2010  N. Duffy, Winona Solomon and Pegram cousins across the country.  No portion of this site may be reproduced for  further publication ANYWHERE without express written consent. You are welcome to take anything here but please leave it on your own computer.    We make corrections daily and hate seeing our mistakes, which we have corrected,  appear on other sites.   For corrections or additions, e-mail Nola. To contact the true Pegram authority, e-mail Winona.   Updated: 05/26/2010