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CLOPTON William, Jr.

CLOPTON William, Jr.

Male Abt 1680 - Bef 1733  (~ 53 years)

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  • Name CLOPTON William 
    Suffix Jr. 
    Birth Abt 1680  York County, VA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Gender Male 
    Lived(s) In St. Paul's Parish, Hanover Cty, VA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Merry Oak 
    Military French and Indian Wars 
    • See general notes
    Occupation 1706-1716  St. Paul's Parish, Hanover Cty, VA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Collector of Taxes 
    • He was the Collector of Taxes and Deputy Sheriff of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County, from 1706 to 1716
    Reference Number 1056 
    Death Bef 1733  St. Paul's Parish, Hanover Cty, VA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • Was on the staff of Governor Spotswood and was a 'Knight of the Golden Horseshoe.*' He served in the French and Indian Wars.

      1. William17 Clopton, of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover (William16, William15, Walter14, William13, Richard12, William11, John10, William9, Thomas8, Walter7, William6, Walter5, William4, Walter3, William2, Guillaume1 Peche, Lord Of Cloptunna and Dalham)1 was born Abt. 1685, and died Bef. 17332. He married Joyce Wilkinson, of Black Creek January 27, 1717/183, daughter of George Wilkinson and Sara Lyddall.
      He was the Collector of Taxes and Deputy Sheriff of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County, from 1706 to 1716. The home may have been named "Merry Oak"
      "There was in my father's possession a golden horseshoe which the tradition of the family said was worn by William Clopton, Jr. above mentioned. That it had seven (7) diamonds set in it in the place of nail heads, was inscribed on one side "Sic Juvat Transcenderi Montes" and on the other "William Clopton, Knight." That as a child I have had it laid in my hand to look at and that it was of a size to encircle the center of my palm. And that this horseshoe was stolen by Pickpocket Smith, a notorious character, who operated among the fashionable of Richmond in 1842 or 3."
      Witness my hand and seal this ninth day of August, 1897.
      Signed: Joyce Wilkinson Wallace
      For more on William Clopton and Joyce Wilkinson, see " Knight Of The Golden Horseshoe"
      Children of William Clopton and Joyce Wilkinson are:
      + 2 i. Waldegrave18 Clopton I, born November 19, 1719 in New Kent County, Virginia; died April 13, 1786 in St. Peter's Parish, New Kent County, Virginia, probably.
      3 ii. Anne Clopton, of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover, born January 16, 1720/214. She married William Divers, of Bruton Parish.
      + 4 iii. William Clopton, III, of St. Paul's Parish, born February 2, 1721/22 in "Roslyn" New Kent County, Virginia; died August 3, 1796 in Hanover County, Virginia.
      + 5 iv. George Clopton, Sr., of King William County, born January 14, 1722/23 in New Kent County, Virginia; died Aft. 1795.

      * Alexander Spotswood became acting royal governor of Virginia in 1710, by which time pressure on the colony to expand had become more acute than ever. In 1716, Governor Spotswood, with about 50 other men and 74 horses, led a real estate speculation expedition up the Rappahannock River valley during westward exploration of the interior of Virginia. The journalist of this expedition was a Huguenot, Lieut. John Fontaine, who served as an officer in the British Army.
      The party included 14 rangers and 4 Meherrin Indians, and departed Germanna on August 29, coming within sight of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the 31st. They continued upriver past today's Stanardsville, reaching the head of the Rappahannock on September 2. Fontaine recorded in his journal for September 5 that axemen had to clear the way along the path of what he called the "James River", but which was in fact a creek along the eastern slope named Swift Run, surrounded on all sides by steep mountain terrain. Swift Run is part of the James River drainage system. The expedition had followed the Rappahannock drainage system up to this point.
      There they crossed the top ridge of the Blue Ridge mountains at Swift Run Gap (elevation 2,365 feet).
      On September 6, 1716, they rode down into the Shenandoah Valley on the east side of Massanutten Mountain and reached the Shenandoah River, which they called the "Euphrates" near the current town of Elkton. There, they fired multiple volleys and drank special toasts of wine, brandy, and claret to the King and to Governor Spotswood, naming the two peaks after them.[1] The taller summit they called "Mount George", and the lesser, "Mount Spotswood".
      On the banks of the river they buried a bottle, inside which they had put a paper whereby Spotswood claimed the place in the name of George I. On the 7th, the party returned home, reaching Germanna on the 10th.
      After the journey, Spotswood gave each officer of the expedition a stickpin made of gold and shaped like a horseshoe on which he had inscribed the words in Latin "Sic jurat transcendere montes", which translates into English as "Thus he swears to cross the mountains." The horseshoes were encrusted with small stones and were small enough to be worn from a watch chain.[2] The members of Governor Spotswood's expedition soon became popularly known as the "Knights of the Golden Horseshoe."
      Of the expedition members, only the following are known by name to have taken part: Lt. Governor Spotswood, John Fontaine, Robert Beverley, Jr., William Robertson, Dr. Robinson, Mr. Todd, James Taylor (great-grandfather of US President Zachary Taylor), Robert Brooke (grandfather of VA Governor Robert Brooke), George Mason III, Capt. Smith, William Clopton, Jr., (second son of William Clopton and Ann Booth Clopton)and Jeremiah Clouder.[3]
      In a Richmond news article, dated 16 Feb 1901, honoring John Bacon Clopton, the grandson of William Clopton Jr.. The following is a copy of a handwritten statement, signed and sealed to be found among the John Bacon Clopton papers at Duke University Library, Durhan North Caroline: There was in my father's possession a golden horseshoe which the tradition of the family said was worn by William Clopton Jr.. That is had 7 Diamonds set in it the place of nailheads, was inscribed on one side "Sic Juvat Trancsenderi Montes" and on the other "William Clopton, Knight." That as a child I have had it laid in my hand to look at and that it was of a size to encircle the center of my palm. And that this horseshoe was stolen by Pickpocket Smith, a notorious character, who operated among fashionable of Richmond in 1842 or 3. Witness my hand and seal this ninth day of August, 1897. Signed: Joyce Wilkinson Wallace
      [edit]

      A commemorative plaque and pyramid-shaped stone at Swift Run Gap (at the south side of U.S. Highway 33 near the Skyline Drive overpass) mark the historic crossing of the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe.[5] The Skyline Drive and the Appalachian Trail both pass nearby as well.


      Also at this location, a Virginia Historical Highway Marker, # D10 Knights of the Golden Horseshoe, is located. It reads:
      On 5 Sept. 1716, in this region, it is believed Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood and his party of government officials, gentry, Native Americans, soldiers, and servants crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Shenandoah Valley. Their adventure into Virginia's western lands began at Germanna late in Aug. and ended when they returned there on 10 Sept. According to legend, Spotswood gave his companions small golden horseshoes on their return and the group became known as the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe. The journey has been fictionalized and mythologized in literature since the 19th century.
    Person ID I71  Booth Family
    Last Modified 26 Aug 2014 

    Father CLOPTON William, Sr.,   b. Abt 1655, Essex, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Bef 1733, New Kent County, VA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 78 years) 
    Mother BOOTH Ann Dennett,   b. 7 Mar 1647, Gloucester, VA (Belleville Plantation) Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 4 Mar 1716, New Kent County, VA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 68 years) 
    Marriage 1673  [2, 3, 4
    • CLOPTON FAMILY (Continue4 from Vol. V., p. 80 . ):
      As already shown, the ancector of this family in Virginia. was WILLI.IAM CLOPTON, aged about thirty in 1685 . In 1682 he was constable of Hampton Parish, York county, and on January 23, 1682-83 he made a deed of gift to his daughters Ann and Elizabeth. He married Ann Booth, widow of Thomas Dennett,
      and daughter of Robert Booth, clerk of York court. (WMG, Pg.54)

      U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
      about William Clopton
      Name:William Clopton          
      Gender:Male          
      Spouse Name:Ann Booth          
      Spouse Birth Year:1640          
      Marriage State:of VA          
      Number Pages:1          

      U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
      about Ann Booth
      Name:
      Ann Booth          
      Gender:Female          
      Birth Year:1647          
      Spouse Name:William Clopton          
      Spouse Birth Place:EN          
      Spouse Birth Year:1655          
      Marriage Year:1673          
      Number Pages:1          
    Family ID F20  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family WILKINSON Joyce,   b. Black Creek Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Yes, date unknown 
    Marriage 27 Jan 1718 
    • Christ Church Parish, Virginia Records, 1653-1812 about William Clopton Junr
      Primary Name:      William Clopton Junr
      Spouse:      Joice Wilkinson
      Marriage Date:      27 Jan 1718

      He married Joyce Wilkinson, of Black Creek January 27, 1717/183, daughter of George Wilkinson and Sara Lyddall.
    Children 
     1. CLOPTON Waldegrave,   b. 19 Nov 1719, Gwathmey, Hanover, Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Yes, date unknown
     2. CLOPTON Ann,   b. 16 Jan 1720, Gwathmey, Hanover, Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Yes, date unknown
     3. CLOPTON William, III,   b. 12 Feb 1721, Gwathmey, Hanover, Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 3 Aug 1796 (Age 75 years)
     4. CLOPTON George,   b. 14 Jan 1723, Christ Church Parish, VA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Yes, date unknown
    Family ID F38  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 17 Apr 2011 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - Abt 1680 - York County, VA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsLived(s) In - Merry Oak - - St. Paul's Parish, Hanover Cty, VA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsOccupation - Collector of Taxes - 1706-1716 - St. Paul's Parish, Hanover Cty, VA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - Bef 1733 - St. Paul's Parish, Hanover Cty, VA Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Photos
    Clopton: William
    Clopton: William
    Platt info at St. Peter's Church, New Kent, Va
    Clopton: William
    Clopton: William
    Tombstone
    Booth: Ann Dennett
    Booth: Ann Dennett
    wife of William Clopton
    Clopton: William
    Clopton: William
    Vestry burial records, St. Peters Church, New Kent, VA Listed under Ann Clopton

  • Sources 
    1. [S24] The ancestors of William Clopton of York County, Virginia_by Lucy Lane York and Old New Kent County, Virginia_by Dr. Malc.

    2. [S186] Florence Haupt King 1-3-03.

    3. [S141] Dee Redkevitch, Dee Redkevitch, (Dee Redkevitch of Atlanta, Ga).

    4. [S164] William & Mary Quarterly...on file, Pg 227 (Reliability: 2).