Who is this William Fleppin, an adult during 1700

in (Essex Co. or) Gloucester Co., VA?

query sent by Kay L. Wrage Gunn

Who is this William Fleppin, a witness on an Essex Co., VA deed dated 11 July 1700?

"p. 50:  DEED - John Baker to William Bastyn - 1700

John Baker of Kingston Parish in Gloucester County sold to

William Bastyn of same parish and county 118 Acres of land

in Sittingbourne Parish in Essex County.

11th July 1700.

Witnesses:John Baker

Geo: Axe

Wm. Armistead*

Wm. FLEPPIN**."

[from Records of Colonial Gloucester County, Virginia, Vol. II, compiled by

Polly Cary Mason (1948), p. 100.  "Essex Co. Deeds, Wills, 1699-1702, X."]

William was not listed among the children of [Thomas? and] Elizabeth Flippen of Cumberland Co., VA per her will dated 1747 and would have been too old to be one of their children who were born between 1700 and 1714.

As the land that was deeded was in Essex Co., I have included that county as a "possible" for William Fleppin; however, as William Armistead and George Axe, the other witnesses to the deed, were of Gloucester Co., it is more likely that William Fleppin was as well.

*One William Armistead was married to Anna Lee, granddaughter of Richard [1] Lee, the immigrant; the latter had a plantation called "Paradise" in Gloucester Co., VA.  Anna Lee was the daughter of Hancock Lee of Ditchley in Lancaster Co., VA.  She married William Armistead of Hesse on the Piankitank River in what is now Mathews County, VA.  As Anna Armistead, widow, she made a deed of gift in 1757, Ware Neck, Gloucester Co. to Francis Whiting, Mordecai Booth and wife Joyce (daughter of Anna), George Booth (nephew of Mordecai and Joyce), Thomas Booth (another nephew of Mordecai and Joyce), and John Fox, Jr. (also nephew of Mordecai and Joyce).  The witnesses were Will Dudley, John Cary and George Dunley, Jr.

**William Fleppin, adult in 1700, is apparently equally as old as Thomas Flippen who is believed to have married Elizabeth [who left a will dated 1747 in Cumberland Co., VA] and was on the 1704 Quit Rent Roll 1704 of Gloucester Co.  Was William a brother of Thomas Flippen?  Is there evidence of another line?

The 1946 map (J. C. Mason) of Colonial Kingston Parish (present Mathews Co.) shows "Paradise" as having been near to the King & Queen County border, far northwest part of present Mathews Co. and Ware Neck as a promontory between Ware River and North River, projecting into Mobjack Bay, part of Chesapeake Bay.

Thanks to Kay for posting this query which I am including here as a biography due to its length and information.  If you have any comments about this William Fleppin, please send them to me and I will include it with this article.  Please type on the subject line "William Fleppin."  Your comments are always welcome.

More information on Thomas and Elizabeth Flippen

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