Broyhill Family History

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John Broughill
1737??-1773>
    John's name first appears in the Caroline Court Orders in Aug. 12, 1758 when Charles Story brought suit against him.  Judgment was granted to the Plaintiff for £4.9.2 current money, with interest from July 1st of that year.  He would then have been at least 21 years old, establishing his birth date as prior to 1737.
     In early 1772, John Murray, the Earl of Dunmore, became Virginia's new Governor. Appointed by King George III, he had little patience for the democratic process. He ruled the English Colony with an iron fist, quickly felt by the people of Caroline: He denied the Caroline Baptists the right to freely practice their religion in accordance with the Toleration Act; he stacked its court with loyalists, who would vigorously enforce the wishes of King George; and he strictly enforced the collection of taxes levied on the Virginia colonists by the English Parliament.
     Favoritism in the enforcement of the tax laws remained a favorite device for the magistrates to reward their friends and punish their enemies. In 1772 when John Armistead, William Micou, Thomas Royston and John Roy failed to report their wheeled vehicles for taxation, the court excused Armistead, who was a magistrate and Micou, who was the son of a magistrate, but fined Royston and Roy 500 pounds of tobacco each.
     The grip of this iron fist was keenly felt by John Broughill. The following year, 1773, he, Joseph Willis, John Nun, Francis Fleming, Elizabeth Fortune, William Smithers Sr. and Andrew Ross, were each fined 500 pounds of tobacco for concealing one or more tithes. No doubt, his Celt blood boiled over at being selectively tried and convicted of violating an unfair tax law created by an English Parliament and enforced by a court stacked in favor of the English King.
     The Caroline Tax List for 1783 lists William Broughill in Caroline County with one tithable white and five slaves. "Tithes" were essentially a tax based on head count made on males between the ages of 16 and 65. Since William was too old to have been tithable (he was then 71), the tithable white must have been John Broughill. The five slaves indicate a small plantation.
     A spot check of later Caroline Court Orders revealed reference to a 1791 suit "Nunn vs. Broughills." The plural use of the name establishes that William was survived by more than one family member.
     The 1790 and 1800 Virginia Census records have been lost but the former has somewhat been replaced by tax lists. They, and the Virginia Census for 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850 and 1860 were searched for the names Broughall and Boughill, but none were found.  This suggested that John had died without leaving male issue to carry on the name.
     In July of 2007, I received an email from Connie Broy of Shenandoah County, Virginia. She had discovered this web site and was especially interested in the information on John Broughill.  She wrote: 
Jacob Rinker, a surveyor, surveyed a tract of land for Jacob Coleman consisting of 172 acres near Jeremy's Run.  The survey took place 12 March 1787.  The 26 April 1790, Jacob Coleman assigned all his right, Title and Claim of this land to John Broughill.  (This warrant located in two areas.  One is at the Virginia Archive, Richmond, Virginia; Land Grant Book #8, page 303.  The survey was received 15 December 1792 and grant issued by Henry Lee, Esq., Governor of the commonwealth of Virginia, 12 August 1794.  The other location is in Jacob Rinker's Survey Book, 1785-1794, page 63, Shenandoah County Court House; Woodstock, Virginia.)
 
John Broughill / Broy m. Nancy Newton. I can't find a marriage record for them but with the Newton name filtering throughout the Broy family, I am almost certain of the name.  I can find three of their children.  Elisha, William and Martha.
 
Elisha Broy, b. c.1780, m.(1) 12 April 1805, Nancy Ennis, d/o Ezekiel Ennis. Nancy d. bef. 1820. m.(2) Mehitable, "Hetty", Keith, 16 May 1825, IN, (First marriage from original marriage bonds, Shenandoah County, VA., register 1781-1850.)
 
William Broy, b. c.1782, m. 22 June 1803, Shenandoah Co., VA., Elizabeth Martin. William d. March 1839.  This is the start of my book on;  Descendants of William Broy and Elizabeth Martin of Gooney Manor, Warren County, Virginia".
 
Martha Broy, b. c. 1784, m. 25 April 1802, Shenandoah Co., VA., Isaac Odell s/o James Odell.  The marrage consent was written on 23 April 1802 and signed by John Broy and Nancy Broy.  Witnessed by Elisha Broy in front of the county clerk, Don Lee.  The next day, 24 April 1802, Elisha Broy and Isaac Odell signed the marriage bond.  The marriage is then performed by John Coonts/Koonts a Baptist minister.  When the minister made his returns of matrimony to the county clerk it is registered as " Isaac Odell and Patty Broyhill, 25 April 1802".  Patty is a nickname for Martha. They left the area about 1808.
 
4 June 1796 John Broughill and Nancey his wife sells the 172 acres to John McKarty and wife Elizabeth.  This deed is signed John Broughill and Ann Broughill in Shenandoah County, VA.  (Deed Book, "K", Shenandoah County, Virginia, pages 530-531.)  Then John McKarty sells the 172 acre tract to Adam & Barbara Kilber and Kibler sells it to Benjamin Blackford & John Graham of Frederick County, MD.  It is mentioned ....same tract of land which John Brohall and Anna his wife by Indenture, the 4th June 1796....(Deed Bk, R, p. 231 1810)
 
I believe the McKarty/McCartey and Broughill/Broy knew each other in Caroline County, VA.  In Deed Bk, "M", pgs 231-232 Shenandoah County, VA is a list of heirs of David McCartey of Caroline County, VA to divide 58 acres, in Caroline County, VA among his children of which John and wife Elizabeth is one.  Also Absolom Hurst is mentioned and there were Hursts near John Broughill/Broy near Jeremy Run.
 
I believe John Broy was alive in 1800-01 due to an list of delinquent levies for the year 1800.  On motion of it is ordered that John Broy be exempt from the payment of parish and County levies in future.  (Order Bk. 1799-1802 Shenandoah Co., VA., page 437)
 
I have the list of Broughill names from the Order Books, Caroline County, VA. from 1741 to 1770.  Then Land Tax, Halifax Co., VA lists William (no Junr added) and James from 1787 to 1794. 
 
The ministers return in Halifax Co., VA, dtd. 22 Sept 1785 lists James Broy to Rebecca Baily, by Thomas Dobson.
 
With the above mentioned information, I feel strongly there is a connection between my Broys and the Broughill/Broyhills.  This could be another piece of the puzzle?  I do believe, but can't prove it, that John Broughill/Broy and Nancy had twins Elisha and Elijah who both married women by the name of Nancy.
 
Sincerely
Connie Broy
Toms Brook, VA
   So now after all these years, we know what happened to John Broughill.  The change in surname should not have come as a surprise, because his brother William appears in various court records under several variant surnames, including Broy. His son, often went by the name of Bray.  (See James - the First Broyhill).
   From the birthdates of the children it would seem that John married around 1778 or 1779. Other records suggest that he was born before 1738.  Thus he did not marry Nancy until age 40.  That was a a late date to marry, so there may have been a previous marriage.
   This author has not checked Caroline records for the Broy surname.