Newspaper Heraldry: Cole/Digges

Daily Dispatch (Richmond, Va.)
5 November 1911

We insert the following, Cole and Digges data for the benefit and at the request of a descendant:

Cole.

Colonel William Cole (1), secretary of colony, married, first, Susannah (Crofts?); second, Anne, daughter of Governor Edward Digges; third, Martha, daughter of Colonel John Lear (she married, second, Colonel Lewis Burwell).

William Cole (2), his son, married Mary Roscow, a relative of Colone Burwell.

William Cole (3), his son, married Elizabeth Cocke (2).

William Cole (4), his son, married Susannah Digges, daughter of Major William Digges and Frances Robinson.

William Cole (5), his son, married Mary Frances Alexander, of "Effingham," Prince William county, Va., and had Susannah Digges Cole, who married Judge John Madison Chapman, great-nephew of President James Madison. They had Susie Ashton Chapman, who married Calvin Perkins, and Belle Chapman, who married William Moncure, lawyer, of Memphis, Tenn.

Mary Ella Chapman, who married Dr. Nathaniel Chapman, and had issue, four sons and five daughters.

Emma Chapman, who married Captain R. V. Boykin, of Norfolk, Va., and had two daughters and one son.

Susie Ashton Chapman married Calvin Perkins, and had Blankeney, Belle, Perkins, Ashton Chapman, Louis Allen and William Alexander.

Belle Chapman Perkins married William Moncure, son of Charles F. and Ann (Daniel) Moncure, of Richmond, Va., and had one son and two daughters.

Sallie Alexander Chapman, unmarried, lives in New York.

Ashton Alexander Chapman married Nannie Eaton Gregory, daughter of Colonel Roger Gregory, of Oxford, N.C.; no issue.

Digges.

Sir Dudley -- Lady Mary Kempe.

Governor Edward Digges -- Elizabeth Page (1).

Dudley Digges -- Susannah Cole, daughter of Colonel William and first wife

Hon. Cole Digges -- Elizabeth Power, granddaughter of Rev. Edward Folliot.

Major William Digges - Frances, daughter of Major Anthony Robinson.

Susannah Digges -- William Cole (4)

William Cole (5) -- Mary Frances Alexander, daughter of Gerrard Alexander and wife (cousins) Elizabeth Ashton Alexander

William Cole (6) killed in battle, 1862.

Susannah Digges Cole - Judge John Madison Chapman.

Susie Ashton Chapman -- Calvin Perkins, born in Columbus, Miss., practicing law in Memphis, Tenn. Issue, Blakeney, Belle Moncure, Ashton Chapman, Louis Allen and William Alexander.

Will: William Alexander (Effingham)

Will of William Alexander
PWCo Will Book K, pg. 286
Proved: 2 May 1814

I William Alexander of Effingham in Prince William County make this my last will & testament. I hereby confirm to my children respectively the property which I have heretofore given them. 

I give & bequeath to my son Laurence Gibbons Alexander one fourth part of my horses & sheep & one third part of my cattle and two feather beds & their furniture and I hereby confirm to him the Slaves which I have heretofore given him Viz. Seymour, Sawney, Nero, Dick, Jess, Will (of Juno), Polly, big Lucy, Hester, Sidney, Sukey, George, Mary & the two twins (of Polly) with their future increase. 

I give & bequeath to my son William Segismund Alexander one fourth part of my horses & sheep he accounting in his part of the horses for the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars which he has already received. I also give him one feather bed & its furniture. I give to my Executors hereinafter named in trust for my Grand Daughter Jane Alexander Slaughter the following Slaves to wit Lotty, Nancy, Kitty, Lewis & William & their future increase & one bed and its furniture, which trust shall continue untill my said Grand Daughter shall arrive to the age of twenty one years, or marry, on the happening of either of which events the trust shall cease & the property be delivered absolutely to her, but I reserve to my wife the use of Negro Lotty just above mentioned for & during my said wifes life and I direct in case my said Grand Daughter Jane A. Slaughter shall die before she attains the age of twenty one years or marries, all the property herein bequeathed to her shall be equally divided amongst my four sons Philip, Gerard, Laurence & William, & the issue of such of them as may then be dead leaving issue such issue to take the part to which his or her parent would have been entitled if living. 

One moiety of the lands lying in Fairfax county (formerly Loudon) which I purchased of Newtons Executors I gave to my son John Stuart Alexander, the remaining moiety lying on Bull run I devise to my Executors to be by them sold, and the proceeds to be equally divided amongst my sons, Philip, Gerard, Laurence, William, & my Grand son Robert (son of Robert) & provided that if before a division of the sd. proceeds, any one of the Devises should die leaving issue such issue shall take the part the father would have been entitled to if living & to any other Lands which I may be entitled to excepting the Farms commonly called Effingham, Congress and Massey Dale.

I devise to my Executors to be by them sold & the process divided in the same manner and subject to the same limitations as those in the County of Fairfax. My lands in Prince William County commonly called Effingham, Congress & Massey Dale and all other my property real & personal not heretofore disposed of in this will I give & bequeath to my wife Sigesmunda Mary Alexander for & during her life, & after her death I desire that my personal Estate may be divided amongst my sons, Philip, Gerard, Laurence & William, my son Philip accounting in the division for negro Fran if she be living at the time of the division. The lands after my wifes death to be divided equally amongst my sons Philip, Laurence & William agreeable to quantity and having regard to an equal division of the Woodlands as will appear by a survey made (by Mr. Daniel Grant) of the whole Farms, in such division I desire that my son Philip's part be laid off on the Congress Farm, Laurence's part on the Effingham Farm & William's on the Massey Dale Farm. If either of my said sons Philip, Gerard, Laurence or William shall die leaving issue living at the time of his death or before the abovementioned Division shall have been made such issue shall be entitled to the portion to which his her or their father would have been entitled if living but if either of my said sons shall die before the said division without leaving issue living at the time of his death, or before such division shall take place, such Decedents part both real and personal shall be divided amongst the survivors of my said four sons, and the issue of such as may be dead leaving issue which issue shall take the part to which the father would have been entitled if living.

I desire that my Estate may not be appraised and I appoint my wife Sigesmunda and my sons Philip, Gerard & Laurence my Executors. In Witness of all of which I have hereunto set my hand and Seal this tenth day of September in the year 1813.

Wm. Alexander {seal}

At a Court held for Prince Wm. County May 2nd 1814

This Last will and testament of William Alexander decd. was presented to the Court by Laurence G. Alexander one of the Exors. therein named and it appearing to the Court that the said Will is all in the handwriting of the said William Alexander by the Oath of William Foote it is ordered to be recorded. And at a Court held for sd. County May 2d 1814 Laurence G. Alexander one of the Exors. named in the last will and Testament of Wm. Alexander decd. came into Court and made oath to the same according to law and having taken the Oath of an Executor and performed what is usual in such cases Certificate is granted him for obtaining a probate thereof in due form.

Teste   Phil. D. Dawe   Ct. Cur.

Trustees Sale: Effingham (1828)

Alexandria Gazette (Va.)
21 August 1828

TRUSTEE'S SALE

By virtue of five several deeds of trust from Lawrence G. Alexander to me dated the --- day of July, 1827, the 6th day of August, 1827, the 5th day of March, 1828, the 16th day of March, 1828, and the 4th day of June, 1828, duly recorded in the Clerk's Office of Prince William County Court, I shall on Thursday, the 7th day of August next, before the front-door of Prince William Court-House, offer for sale to the highest bidder, for ready money, all the Estate, real and personal, conveyed to me by said deeds, consisting of said Alexander's interest under his father's Will in a Tract of Land called Effingham, lying upon Cedar-Run in said County and in 31 valuable Slaves, his share, estimated to contain 3,000 acres, of certain Lands in the state of Kentucky, a Tract of Land of about 160 acres adjacent to Effingham, and four Slaves now in his possession. As I shall sell merely ad a Trustee, I shall convey to the purchasers of said Estate such title only as is vested in me by the said deeds.

JOHN MACRAE
June 23--ts

The sale above advertised, has been adjourned to the First Monday in September next.

J. MACRAE
aug 14

Newspaper Tidbit: Old Homes of PWCo

Manassas Journal
13 July 1933

[Photo]

Participants in the program "Old Homes of Prince William" which was presented at the recent meeting of County Homemakers Association.

On the left is Mrs. Benjamin Brown, who represented Effingham; Miss Mildred Ewell told of early days in her own home, Edge Hill; little Clara Bell Carter and Miss Mary Louise Carter pictured interesting happenings at Mt. Atlas and Erindale; and Miss Maude Ewell gave an account of life and conditions during the early years of Bel Air.

[Effingham plantation was recently purchased by a private owner who announced their intention to convert the historic property into a winery.  There have been decidedly mixed reactions in the Nokesville community to the plans. ~cgl]