Descendants of Watson (England/Scotland/Irish)

 

In the Middle Ages, the name Walter was often pronounced with a silent I, as a direct result, its abbreviated of pet form was often pronounced and written as “Wat.”  The name Watson is patroymic surname which meant “son of little Walter”.  It is derived from Walter, a personal name of Teutonic origin which came into England sometime after the conquest.  As the personal name grew in  popularity in Britain, a number of Variant forms were devised in order to distinguish on Walter from another.  Most of these variants eventually gave rise to individual surnames.  Among these surnames which evolved from this single root we find Watts, Watkins, Walters and Watson.  Some regions associated with this name are the Welsh lands in England and Edinburgh, Scotland. 

 

 

Generation 1

 

 

1  JAMES WATSON I (b. bef. 1700) married POLLY ROOKINS (ROOKYNS).

*Note:  JAMES WATSON was from Glasgow, Scotland, a "King's Surveyor" in the province of Virginia.  He settled in Charles City County, VA.  POLLY ROOKINS father was WILLIAM ROOKINS (see footnote 2).  She was a ward of SIR PEYTON SKIPWITH of Mecklenburg Co., VA.  SIR PEYTON SKIPWITH is the son of Sir William Skipwith and Sarah Peyton, Middlesex Co., VA? POLLY ROOKINS, through her father’s death, came into possession of a large estate called “Flying Island”, “Flying Point”, or “Ionia”.  Land was given to JAMES WATSON I OR II (See footnote 1.) POLLY ROOKINS is his second wife and not certain if she is mother of James Watson II.

 

Children of JAMES WATSON I and POLLY ROOKINS:

 

2 i          JAMES WATSON II  (b. abt. 1720s?)

 

 

Generation 2

 

 

2 ii  JAMES WATSON II (JAMES 1 WATSON I) married 1. PATTY BURROWS BRYANT.

 

2 ii  JAMES WATSON II (JAMES 1 WATSON I) married 2. EVA FINCH. 

 

Children of JAMES WATSON and EVA FINCH:

 

              3  i          EDWIN "NEDDIE" (son of EVA FINCH or PATTY BRYANT?)

              3 ii          JOHN

 

 

Generation 3

 

 

3 i  EDWARD WATSON (JAMES 2 WATSON II) married ANN NOBLE.  He fought in the Revolutionary War for VA.

         

Children of EDWARD WATSON and ANN NOBLE:

 

              4   i        ANN

4  ii        WILKINS WATSON I   b. Sept. 18, 1785 Amherst, VA  d. 1856

4 iii        ALEXANDER

              4 iv       JOHN

              4  v        LUCY

              4  vi       LILLY or LILLIE VIRGINIA (married into the Kent family)

              4 vii       WILLIAM  b. abt 1815 VA

4viii       DANIEL

 

 

Generation 4

 

 

4 ii WILKINS WATSON I. (EDWARD 3 WATSON) married 1. MARY H. TUCKER (b. abt. 1782  d. Aug. 20, 1838    Lynchburg, VA) in 1815.  MARY TUCKER is the daughter of DANIEL TUCKER and JUDITH HARRIS (b. abt. 1750.) *Note:  DANIEL and JUDITH TUCKER also had a child named ST. GEORGE TUCKER (b. abt. 1780).

 

              Children of WILKINS WATSON and MARY TUCKER:

 

              5  i         ANN ELIZA   b. 1816-1818                          

5  ii        HENRY

              5 iii        JUDITH

              5 iv        GEORGE

              5  v        JOHN

              5 vi        MARIA (married a ? Steptoe)

              5vii        LUCY (married a ? Roberts)

 

4 ii  WILKINS WATSON I. (EDWARD 3 WATSON) married 2. ELIZABETH ANN HOLLOWAY HENLY on March 23, 1840.  ELIZABETH HOLLOWAY HENLY is the daughter of THOMAS SLAUGHTER HOLLOWAY and ELIZABETH MOORE.    

*Note:  W. WATSON as a mason.  ELIZABETH HENLY was previously married to ? HENLY. For ELIZABETH HOLLOWAY, see MOORE genealogy.

 

Children of WILKINS WATSON and ELIZABETH HENLY:

 

              5  viii     WILKINS T. (TEMPLE?) , II   b. May 22, 1845  Amherst, VA d. July 30, 1909 Amherst Co., VA

5    ix      EDWIN

 

 

4 vii  WILLIAM WATSON (EDWARD3 WATSON) married SUSAN CARY DUNNINGTON (b. abt. 1822 VA) on June 7, 1838 in Lynchburg, VA.

*Note:  WILLIAM WATSON was shown in the census of 1850 in Lynchburg, VA as of age 35, a constable, Susan, age 28, Mildred age 7, Wm. H. age 5, Wilkins age 4, Edward, age 3, and Clarence age 1. He owned 400 acres (information from Bob Watson of the Historical Buckingham Society, Buckingham, VA. MARY WILKIN’s information from Library of VA microfiche, (from Kristina Weiss, WILLIAM WATSON named his daughter MARY after his brother Wilkens.)

 

              Children of WILLIAM WATSON and SUSAN DUNNINGTON:

 

              5   x        MARY WILKIN   b.  1823  d. Oct. 30, 1832 Lynchburg, VA (scarlet fever)

5  xi        MILDRED  b. abt. 1843

              5 xii        WILLIAM H.   b. abt. 1845

              5xiii        WILKINS   b. abt. 1846

              5xiv        EDWARD   b. abt 1847

              5 xv        CLARENCE   b. abt. 1849

 

 

Generation 5

 

 

5 i  ANN WATSON (WILKINS 4 WATSON) married JAMES HORNER on May 31, 1836 in Lynchburg, VA.

*Note:  James Horner was a merchant and was married by Rev. Williams S. Reid.

 

 

5 viii  WILKINS T. WATSON (WILKINS 4 WATSON) married BETTIE FRANCES ELLIS (b. May 16, 1852  d. Feb. 5, 1890 died in childbirth) on June 18, 1873 in the First Baptist Church, Richmond, VA by Dr. Burrows. (according to the Family Bible, but other records place the date on June 10, 1874.)  BETTIE ELLIS is the daughter of RICHARD SHELTON ELLIS and ANNE FRANCES PERKINS.

*Note:  All resided in or around Campbell, Co., Lynchburg, VA.   WILKINS T. WATSON enlisted for the Confederacy on March 15, 1862 at the Amherst County Court House, VA and served as Captain in the Co. D, 19th Battalion Heavy Artillery under the command of J.H. Campbell; he had a fair complexion, dark hair, grey eyes, stood 6’l.    Their cabin is still standing in Sandiges Cty., VA (see footnote 3). For BETTIE ELLIS, see ELLIS genealogy.

 

Children of WILKINS T. WATSON and BETTIE ELLIS:

 

6    i       MYRTLE   b. May 31, 1874

6   ii       BOY  b. April 19, 1875

6  iii       BOY   b. July 1876

6  iv       EVA MCGUIRE (doctor’s name is middle name)   b. Mar. 27, 1878  d. Feb. 21, 1957

6   v       BOY   b. Oct. 1879

6  vi       ADA LOUISE   b. Aug. 1880

6 vii       RUBY TEMPLE   b. Feb. 22, 1882  d. May 20, 1962

6viii       WILKINS T., JR.  b. July 12, 1883-1884  d. May 6, 1954

6  ix        BESSIE   b. Aug. 1884

6   x        BETTIE FRANCES   b. May 11, 1887  d. March 30, 1946 (cancer)

6  xi        ROBERT EDWARD   b. Feb. 5, 1890  d. May 25, 1890

 

 

5 ix  EDWIN WATSON (WILKINS 4 WATSON) married ROSE ROBERTS.

 

          Children of EDWIN WATSON and ROSE ROBERTS:

 

          6  xi          ELIZABETH WILKINS

          6 xii          HESPER

          6xiii          EDWIN ALBAN

          6 xiv         LILLY

 

 

Generation 6

 

 

6 iv  EVA WATSON (WILKINS T. 5 WATSON) married CHESTER KENT SWIMMELY (German descent).

*Note:  EVA WATSON was a teacher at the Ghent School in Norfolk, VA and is reported, according to Family history, to have written or composed the anthem for the Daughters of the American Revolution, either for the national or local group.

 

 

6 vii  RUBY WATSON (WILKINS T. 5 WATSON) married MORRIS PARR (b. Apr. 15, 1878) on June 12, 1923 in VA. MORRIS PARR is the son of BETTY ANN C. HIGGINBOTHAM and JOHN HENRY PARR of Amherst, VA.

*Note:  RUBY WATSON owned the house at 145 Princeton Street, Lynchburg VA as a tearoom for people attending Randolph-Macon college.  She had a friend named Mildred Strother (b. Sep. 9, 1854 Buckingham Co, VA).  THEY lived near the Ty River (29 & 60 N of Amherst Co., VA.) For MORRIS PARR, see PARR genealogy. 

 

 

6 viii WILKINS T. WATSON , JR. (WILKINS T. 5 WATSON) married GERTRUDE (HOLMAN) KENT (b. Minnesota).

*Note:  WILKINS WATSON, Jr. served briefly in the Secret Service, and owned a store in Minnesota.  He also served for four years as a harbormaster in Egypt and France during World War I.

 

              Children of WILKINS WATSON, JR. and GERTRUDE KENT:

 

              7  i         LOU ELLIS  (lives in Arizona; married a cousin Ellis)

 

 

6 x  BETTIE F. WATSON (WILKINS T. 5 WATSON) married WILLIAM HENRY CRAIG (b. Nov. 26, 1886  d. Oct. 1964) on December 18, 1912.  WILLIAM CRAIG is the son of LILBURN CRAIG and BETTY WALSTRUM.

*Note:  For WILLIAM CRAIG, see CRAIG genealogy.

                            

Children of BETTIE WATSON and WILLIAM CRAIG:

                            

7  ii        WILLIAM HENRY, JR.

7 iii        KATHLEEN WATSON   b. Feb. 6, 1915 Lynchburg, VA. d. Nov. 9, 1991 Buckingham, VA, buried Farmville, VA

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

FOOTNOTES:

 

1. Sir Peyton Skipworth belonged to Mecklenburg Cty.,  Committee of Safety,  as of May 8, 1775 (http://home.inu.net/sadie/benjaminw.htm)

MECKLENBURG  COUNTY COMMITTEE OF SAFETY 
May 8, 1775

John Speed, chairman

William Lucas, Francis Ruffin, Robert Burton, Cluverius Coleman, Sir Peyton Skipwith, George Baskerville, Joseph Speed, John Jones, Robert Ballard, John Ballard, Junr.,  Bennett Goode, Henry Speed, Lewis Burwell, Edmund Taylor, Thacker Burwell, Benjamin Whitehead,  Reuben Vaughan, John Tabb, William Leigh, Samuel Hopkins, Junr., Isaac Holmes, Clerk.

 

John Tabb, one of the original members of the Committee of Safety, died in June soon after appointment to the committee. George Baskerville, a member of the committee, died in 1777, and Wm. Lucas, another member, died in 1778. John Jones, Joseph & Henry Speed, resigned.  Robert Ballard, Samuel Hopkins, Junr, John Ballard, Junr, and Isaac Holmes, entered service. Robert Burton, Sir Peyton Skipwith, Edmund Taylor and Wm. Leigh removed from the County.  While there is no record found in the Order books of the appointment of a new clerk to succeed Isaac Holmes, the Journals of the Council of State shown that Daniel Hunt and John Swepson served subsequently as clerks of the committee.  The Committee of Safety was reorganized and new members were appointed. 

 

2. William Rookins (Polly Rookins) http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~nvjack/davnport/jamesriverdavenports.pdf (pg 21)  His patron belonged to the London Company of Merchants.

 

3. Watson Cemetary is located on top of a mountain in Amherst Co., VA.  The house Wilkins Watson and Elizabeth Holloway built is located off of Rt. 60 towards Sandiges, VA. Route 60W to Sandiges, cross creek, take a Rt. at Sandiges hwy. sign, less than one mile back, sits on a farm.)