Porch Swings, Fireflies, and Jelly Jars: William Dendy's wife Elizabeth

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

William Dendy's wife Elizabeth

William Dendy, sometimes spelled William Dandy, who died in Halifax County, Virginia c. 1757, is my furthest back Dendy ancestor. I've spent several years collecting information on him. Now images of those records are viewable through Family Search.

William Dendy's wife Elizabeth appears with him at least twice in the records. Her last appearance was when she released her dower rights in Amelia County, Virginia on 24 July 1752. Her husband, William Dendy, had sold 399 acres in Amelia County to Isaac Ferguson. It is possible to see both the Dendy and Dandy spelling in this single document.

This document indicates that Elizabeth was still living as of 1752, but had probably predeceased William by the time his estate was being probated in Halifax County, Virginia in 1757.

Elizabeth Dandy first appears with William Dandy when they both witnessed the will of Francis West in Amelia County, Virginia on 26 April 1738. Following the death of West, William Dandy acted as an appraiser for the estate.

It is still impossible to determine when and where William and Elizabeth Dendy married. The earliest record I have found of William Dendy is when he was sued by the estate of John Shelton in Goochland County, Virginia in 1728 and 1729. That lawsuit was brought by Thomas Posser who had evidently married John Shelton's widow, Elizabeth. John Shelton had died intestate in 1725. In order for William Dendy to be indebted to Shelton, they would have had to have known each other before Shelton's death, so they were well enough acquainted by 1725 for Dendy to have incurred a debt to Shelton.

Based on those dates, I would push William Dendy's birthdate back to at least 21 years prior to 1725. That would be a birthdate of at least 1704. Very likely, William Dandy was born in the late 1600s. There is at this point no reason to think that he was not born in the colonies although he may have immigrated to Virginia.

Based on William Dendy's presence in Goochland County, Virginia by 1725, I would say that he is most likely to have met and married Elizabeth in Virginia so that they were not an immigrant couple.

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About Me:

My favorite memories from childhood include visits to my grandparents in East Texas. At dusk we'd run around my grandparent's yard, catching fireflies and putting them in jelly jars. When darkness descended, we'd return to the porch. It was a special treat to sit in the porch swing. Inevitably, the adults would launch into family stories of Pink Kelley's brush with Sherman's troops, of Great Uncle Hood Brown's tragic death, and of the Kelley family's wagon trip to Texas, among many others. The stars on those nights were magical.

I began my genealogy research in the summer of 1975, less than a month after my high school graduation. When I married in 1983, I started researching my husband's family as well. I was fortunate to start this hobby as a youngster because it gave me an opportunity to correspond with researchers who are long gone; to ask questions of family members -although not enough, never enough; and travel a bit. The result is a lot of information. I've come to the realization that I will probably never be able to afford to publish, so this is my publication.

This blog contains a mixture of information on my husband's family and mine. I've expanded into a second blog called Flimsies and Frippery with the intention of focusing on quilts and dolls, but I have several historical research entries there with more planned, which is why I don't get more quilting done.

Ultimately, genealogy is my passion. This is where I plan to record family stories, research adventures and misadventures, and those serendipitous moments that happen out of the blue. You should be warned that I have a bad habit of going back and adding information and links to individual entries, so it is beneficial to check back often if there is a family of particular interest to you. If you wander in and discover that you are a cousin, please contact me.

Since many younger family members who are new to genealogy are starting to contact me about their ancestors, I've started adding family trees to help them see how everyone is connected. The trees are divided between my family and my husband's. You will find them below under the label's Family Trees - My Husband's Side and Family Trees - My Family's Side.

For better or worse, this blog reflects the research, thinking, and writing of a human.