The first large landowner in the area which is now Danville, Virginia was Col. William Wynne. On 26 March 1748, he entered for 400 acres near an old cabin below the fork of Rutledges Creek. At this time this area was a part of Lunenburg County. Wynne later consolidated his land into a large tract of 1,810 on 30 June 1760. He and his sons acquired other land adjoining for a total of more than 3,500 acres which stretched from the area of downtown Danville to the North Carolina border.
The fork referred to is probably the one near the old road shown below. William Wynne built a water-powered grist mill above that fork and on the old pioneer road to North Carolina. This mill is mentioned in a road survey in 1754, indicating that the mill was built and operating at that early date. At that time this area was a part of Halifax since 1752 and in Lunenburg before 1746. The mill application has not been found. Col. Wynne lived near the mill and the mansion on this map may be his old homeplace. Using this map and following the old roadbed to the creek we found remnants of the 12″ x 12″ wooden sill which was under the earthern dam to prevent the water from washing underneath. At a 45 degree angle are planks nailed to this sill. On the north side we found the wings of the dam and a sunken place nearby which was probably where the waterwheel was located.
On the south side is a high cliff. The road south east by the mill and down the creek where it crossed near the fork and continued to the top fo the hill, then into North Carolina. Just before entering Caswell County, the road forked. The east fork went acros Hogan’s Creek, where Azariah Graves Walters built Walters Mill about 1840, about the time he bought this mill. Since records cease about that time for the old Wynne mill, Walters may have used some of the machinery in his North Carolina mill.
William Travis was born about 1746 and settled in southern Pittsylvania County, Virginia. In 1782, he lived on 109 acres on the waters of Rutledges Creek (Pumpkin Creek) in what is now Danville, Virginia. In 1784, he received a land grant for 300 acres which included the land on which he lived.
William Travis land grant, left of center on N.C. line, 1784
This is an 1870s map of the road from Danville to Caswell Courthouse
- In 1806, William Travis, Sr. gave a part of his 300-acre land grant to his sons. William Travis, Jr. received 75 acres along the state line and John Travis received 77 acres.
- Descendants of William Travis, Sr. remained on the land. In 1883, George A. Travis sold Suiter M. Coleman of Caswell County, North Carolina 84 acres on the waters of Pumpkin Creek, Penick’s Branch and on the Danville and Yanceyville Road. The land adjoined Mrs. Susan M. Price.
- The Suiter Coleman house was at the crest of the hill on the east side of the Yanceyville Road about where the U.S. 29 bypass was built. This tract “on the plank road” was part of the estate of John W. Travis, which was purchased by George A Travis in 1868.
- We do not know the father of Suiter Coleman. In 1860, at age five, he is living in the household of Josias Travis, age 23. Sallie Travis appears to be his mother.
In 1900, Sallie is 72 years old and gives her birth in May of 1828. Suiter was born in December of 1854 and wife Isabel in July 1842. He is listed as a widow and had only one child (Suiter) who is living.
William Travis died in 1814.
Other blogs: http://megiddofirstlast.blogspot.com/
History posters:
http://rdricketts.com/blog/history-posters-danville-pittsyvlania-co-va/
I am very pleased to read of your Travis ancestors in early Pittsylvania/Lunenburg County. Thank you for posting it.
My earliest known ancestor was also in Lunenburg, in 1753, then in Halifax, then in Pittsylvania County. Christopher GORMAN was granted 784 acres on “Panther Creek”, now known as Whitethorn Creek I believe. He also owned property on Bearfoot Creek and on Little Bearfoot Creek. Associated names were ABNEY, SPRAGINS, LEE.
You mentioned COLEMAN. The John GORMAN family (son of Christopher) moved to Edgefield Co., South Carolina around 1784/85, where a COLEMAN family also settled, and still are owners of
property near the old GORMAN holdings. John GORMAN died 1803 in
Edgefield Co. SC, and his property there gradually disbursed.
I know the chances are slim indeed; but wondered if possibly you
had run across any of my names in your early research?
Thank you for posting your story of your family’s early life in
Pittsylvania County. It really brought helped to bring life into a
mysterious void for me.
Sincerely,
Norma G. Wright
PS: Was our Texas hero William TRAVIS descended from your
William TRAVIS?
I am decedent of john Travis through his son Ellis E Travis Your information seems to clear up this ancestry. Many researchers have John Travis’s father as Champion Travis of Williamsberg va, and some have as his father a Robert Travis. If you have anymore genealogy on this family, i would like to hear from you. Regards< Doug Travis
travisdet@aol.com
My ggg-grandfather was Philip Travis. According to the 1830 TN. Federal Census, Philip Travis was b. 1785, somewhere in VA. The city & county of his birth, his parents and siblings have been my brick wall for 12+ years.
On a reconstructed 1800(?) or 1810(?) census for Pittsyvania Co., VA. I once found an Ellington TRAVIS as HOH, along with a Philip TRAVIS. Both were listed as HOH. This is the first time I have ever seen two men listed as HOH for the same house. Anyway, on the next census, the Philip TRAVIS was not listed at all.
Later, I found a document where in 1817, a Philip TRAVIS was listed as JP on a marriage document for a couple in Jefferson Co., TN. This is my Philip TRAVIS.
There is no 1820 Jefferson Co., TN. census as it was lost or distroyed. I then found a marriage for my Philip TRAVIS in 1824, Jefferson Co., TN. to a Polly RYONS (poss. spled. RYAN(S). Philip later marries in 1836 to a Sarah MORRIS, in Jefferson Co., TN. Philip has at least 16 children between these two (possibly three) marriages. I say possibly three marriages as he was 39 years old at his first marriage. I find your posts interesting to say the least due to the names of my Philip Travis’ children:
from Philip TRAVIS & (Polly? RYONS/RYAN(S)>
William Henry TRAVIS
Possibly a Nancy Jane TRAVIS?
John Travis
Elizabeth Travis
James Travis
from Philip TRAVIS and wife Sarah (MORRIS) TRAVIS>
Levi Travis
Easterly Travis
Mary Ann Travis
Joseph Newton TRAVIS
possibly: Adaline Travis
Milton Travis
Martha L. Travis
Margaret Travis
David Tate Travis (my gg-grandfather)
Delilah Catherine Travis
Clem or Clementine Travis
I am trying to determine of my Philip TRAVIS was the same Philip TRAVIS as the one with Ellington TRAVIS as HOH in Pittsyvania Co., VA. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks! Debbie (Travis) Blakley, OKC, OK, May 2010
Mr or Mrs Ricketts,
Can you tell me where you found the two maps for the land of William TRAVIS above? I would like to get page sized copies of these if possible. My husband is taking to me Pitt Co., in the Fall of this year to do TRAVIS genealogy. Many Thanks! Debbie (Travis) Blakley
The top one is a poster 17 x 22 inches on the land grants in the Danville area, mainly about the land of Col. William Wynne and his sons. $5 plus shipping. The other is a small map from court records on which I added comments and notes. The present City of Danville is the line between Virginia and North Carolina. It is very likely that this is your Philip Travis who lived here.
I hope you survived the bad weather yesterday. Our son Paul and family live in Broken Arrow. We love Oklahoma and go once or twice every year. My email is dan@rdricketts.com .
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