CRAWLEY William, Sr.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: 1735, Prince George County, VA; Merchant and Indian Trader

Notes:

He and Sarah moved to Amelia County.

My first husband was Robert Chappell who can tell you about our 6 children. Shortly after he died, I married William Crawley, a very wealthy merchant and Indian trader, of Petersburg. "Billy" as he was known, and his brother David Crawley came to Virginia from Hertfordshire, England.

Once Billy and his friends tapped a cask of West Indies rum. When the taste went bad, they knocked in the head of the cask to find the well pickled body of a frenchman. Rum being the only preservative available, someone had packed him for shipment to France and the barrells got mixed.

Billy and I were the parents of William, Jr., before his death about 1737.

Occupation:
Between 1735 and 1745 he moved with his family to Amelia County, Va

Family/Spouse: DICKIE Sarah. Sarah was born about 1686 in Charles City County, VA; died on 17 Aug 1781 in Amelia County, Va. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

William Jr., who was extremely wealthy and married well, shared 100 acres of land with his Crawley half-brothers. Although none of his sons married, the descendants of his daughters were very prominent, including a Congressman.

William's son Benjamin emancipated 50 slaves, including Sukey (Susanna), a mullato woman and their son, Jonathan. Susanna and Jonathan Crawley, as they were later known, went to Howard County, Missouri, where she married my grandson Abner Chappell. ... Pritchett's Virginians