Relationship between Joseph, Ann and John Gist
Contributed by Mary Gregg, Erick Montgomery and Rhoda Fone
Posted on Simpson GenForum by Mary Gregg, August 23, 2000
Hello, Rhoda and all. Rhoda, I am so glad
you posted this information about our ancestor, John Simpson, Scotsman. I know
it was a lot of trouble, but it is sure to help a lot of people. I thought I
would add a bit about AnnG, Joseph, and John Gist. [The name was variously
spelled Gist, Guess, and Guest.] . Since there is no one statement (that we
know of) stating that Ann Simpson's husband was Joseph Gist and not John Gist
as George H. S. King stated in the article in TYLER'S QUARTERLY MAGAZINE, I
will post some of the evidence which leads me (and others) to conclude that
even so respected a genealogist as Mr. King could make mistakes, and that John
Gist was Ann's son, not her husband; her husband being Joseph Gist.
Below are a few of the pertinent records:
VIRGINIA NORTHERN NECK LAND GRANTS,
1694-1742, by Gertrude E. Gray.
(Northern Neck Grant Book 5:98) Nov. 1.1715. Joseph Guess of Stafford County. 280 acs.
on N. Run of Pohick in Stafford County adj. Thomas Simpson, land
Guess lives on. Warrant. Nov. 6. 1714. Thomas Hooper. surveyor. In BEGINNING AT
A WHITE OAK. Beth Mitchell wrote of this grant: "Ralph Falkner. Iron
Master. Baltimore. Md.. sold to Thomas Due. planter. this 280 ac. grant plus
106 acs. of Brechin grant for 120 pds. (Fairfax Deeds C:44 May 15, 1740)
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VIRGINIA, DEED BOOK, LIBER D, 1738-1740. June Whitehurst Johnson
(Prince William Co., Va., DB D:40-42) Feb. 26. 1738. Sampson Darrell of Truro
Par.. Prince William County. to Joseph Guess of same. plantation now in tenure of Joseph Guess. 200 acs.. for natural
lives of Joseph Guess & Anne his wife.
Wits: Jer. Bronaugh. John Farguson.
Acknowledged in Ct. Feb. 26. 1738.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VIRGINIA, WILL BOOK C, 1734-1744. John Frederick Dorman
(Prince William Co., Va., WB C:214-215)
Mar. 24, 1739. Bond of Anne Guess, Thomas Ford & Richard Drakeford, 330
pds. Anne Guess is administratrix of Joseph Guess.
Wits: Jno. Bowie.
/s/ Anne (X) Guess. Tho. Ford. Richd. (R D) Drakeford
Acknowledged Mar. 24. 1739.
ibid. (Prince William Co., Va., WB C:303-304) Mar. 13, 1740. Will of Richard Drakeford witnessed by Charles Green,
John (mark) Grey, Gerrard (I T) Tramol & Ann (X) Gist.
ibid.
(Prince William Co., Va., WB C:317-319) Richard Drakeford's inv. /d/ July 24,
1741, taken by Richard Osborn, William Payne & John Gist.
NOTE: This is the first record I have
found for John Gist. There was no mention of any Gist but Joseph in the earlier
records.
ibid.
(Prince William Co., Va., WB C:384-385) Supplemental inv. of Richard Drakeford
/d/ Dec. 14, 1741 taken by Richard Osborn & John Gist.
DEED ABSTRACTS OF FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 1742-1750. Ruth & Sam Sparacio
(Fairfax Co., Va., DB A:404-406) June 18, 1745. Sampson Darrell of Truro Par., Fairfax
County, Gent., to John Gist of same, planter, in consideration of rents, farm
lets 106 acs., part of a greater tract belonging to Sampson Darrell; b/b line
of the land late William Spencer & Doegs run ...for natural lives of John
Gist & Mary his wife & the afsd Sampson Darrell or the longest liver of
them. Rent is 730 lbs. of tobo. Feb. 6,
1744.
Wits: Giles Tillett, William Sturman.
Lease recorded June 18, 1745.
ABSTRACTS OF VIRGINIA'S NORTHERN
NECK WARRANTS & SURVEYS: HAMPSHIRE, BERKELEY, LOUDOUN, FAIRFAX, KING
GEORGE, WESTMORELAND, RICHMOND, NORTHUMBERLAND & LANCASTER COUNTIES, 1697-1784. Peggy Shomo Joyner
Fairfax County.
George Mason, no warrant; date from resurvey. Mar. 12, 1755 - May 20, 1755;
formerly granted to Mathew Thompson for 1,906 acs. . .John Gist showed the
surveyor the corners of this tract; houses of William Brammett & Widow Gist
on plat; 1,648 acs. on S. br. of Little Hunting Creek & Dogue's Run; adj.
Danl. French, Spencer & Darrell. John Mathews. Sampson Danell (sic mg).
James Noland, William Collins, Walter Taylor & John Gist.
There are a few other scattered
mentions of the name Gist in the extant Fairfax County records, but none of
them bear directly upon the question of "Who was Ann Simpson's
husband?" so I will omit them here.
The next important record I have is the
deposition Rhoda mentioned in her post, which George H. S. King abstracted in
TYLER'S QUARTERLY, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 60-61, and which the Sparacios
abstracted more fully in ABSTRACTS OF LAND CAUSES, PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY,
VIRGINIA, 1789-1790.
In summary - There is no John Gist in
the available early records of Stafford County, but there is a Joseph Gist, and
Joseph's wife's name was Ann. In Fairfax County, in 1755, there were both
John Gist and the Widow Gist. I believe that "Widow Gist" was John's
mother, Ann (Simpson) Gist, widow of Joseph. Ann Gist's (or Guest's)
deposition was taken in 1769 at the home of John Gist (or Guest) in Loudoun County,
Virginia. NO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANN AND JOHN IS STATED.
===================
Response Posted on Simpson GenForum
by Erick Montgomery, Aug. 26, 2000
The following deposition provides
evidence that John Gist was born circa 1722, since he was aged about 26 in
1748. This fact provides collaborating evidence that John was the son, rather
than the husband, of Anne Simpson Gist in the deposition that Mary Gregg cited
in the previous post. I would like to thank Lee Lewis for sharing this
information from his excellent research files.
WASHINGTON PAPERS, SPENCER-WASHINGTON
GRANT OF 1748, Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, Mount Vernon, VA
The annexed Depositions of Anne
Drakeford Daniel Ansdale Thomas Odford, John Gist & Jeremiah Sparks were taken
before me the 29th Day of March one thousand sever hundred & forth eight
MSS-43 D, reverse side
John Gist of Fairfax County planter
aged about twenty six years being produced as a Witness by the Deft &
examined being first sworn on the Holy Evangelists deponeth & saith that
the place now shown by his to the Surveyor & Jury is the place where Mr.
Zachariah Wade committed the Trespass about six years ago for which he was sued
by Mr. Darrell the now Deft & was as this Deponent has heard the said
Zarhariah Wade himself say adjudged a Trespasser in the General Court &
this same place was on the Survey in that Suit shown by this Deponent to Mr.
Robert Brookes who was the County Surveyor being interrogated by the Plt he
says that he heard his Mother say that Mr. Thomas Marshall the now Plt.
Demanded Rent & Possession of her about four or five years ago which she
refused him and further this Deponent saith not
John Gist
I hope this will help to set the record straight on John Gist's relationship to Joseph and Anne (Simpson) Gist.
