In the William & Mary Quarterly, Ser. 1, Vol. XII, No.1, 61, we find the following statement, “ In 1750, James Skelton contracted to rebuild the Capitol in Williamsburg, burned in 1746. In the Diary of ‘John Blair’ is this paragraph, under the date January 31, 1751: ‘Skelton set off to go up to bury his wife, having got a black coat for it.’” “The diary of John Blair has been published in the William & Mary Quarterly. It mentioned several times James Skelton who was building the Capitol in Williamsburg: Nov 15, 1751 - ‘Skelton is building the Capitol.’ And in 1754: ‘Your old acquaintance, James Skelton, is dead.’ “ John Blair was apparently a member of the Committee in charge of the rebuilding of the Capitol.”

In the Abingdon Parish Register, Gloucester Co., VA p.168, we find, “Mr. James Skelton departed this life August 31, 1754.”

In each of the citations written above, it has been assumed that this James Skelton was the same who married Jane Meriwether, however, this is not possible. James Skelton, the builder, died in 1754, whereas James Skelton the husband of Jane Meriwether, was listed as tithtable in Hanover Co., VA in 1763 and still alive in 1773. Earl Skelton goes on to point out that, James, the husband of Jane, came from a family of considerable wealth. His lifestyle was likely that of an eighteenth century Virginia squire not that of a builder.

In 1891, Judge Lewis Hampton Jones of Winchester, KY, who wrote the book, _Capt. Roger Jones of London and Virginia_, states on pages 153-156, “As early as 1735, there was living in the parish of St. James, Co. Goochland, in the colony of Virginia, a Mr. James Skelton, a gentleman of wealth and of high social standing.” “There is among our papers a bond which was executed by him June 10th, 1735, in which he binds himself in the sum of six hundred pounds sterling to convey, on or before March 25th next ensuing, one thousand acres of land and divers slaves to one William Meriwether in trust for his (Skelton’s) wife Jane during her life, and after her death, to Sally Skelton, daughter of said James and Jane Skelton, in fee simple. This bond is attested by Frances Colston, probably daughter of William Colston and Mary Bathurst, and by T.W. Belfield, who was doubtless the Thos. Wright Belfield who had previously married Mary Colston, widowed daughter of Francis Meriwether.” “In the year 1770, as appears from a contemporaneous letter now before me, Mr. Skelton comtemplated selling his estates in Virginia and returning to England; but we find him still in Virginia as late as 1773.”

“His arms as borne by his family in Virginia are Field Azure, a fess Or between three fleur de lis Or. Crest, a peacock’s head erased proper in the beak, an acorn Or stalked and leaved vert. This family no doubt is the same originally as the Skeltons of Armathwaite Castle, county Cumberland, England, one of whom represented Cumberland in Parliament during the time of Edward I; for their arms agree, except that the latter bears on the fess, a Cornish chough sable beaked and legged gules.” Judge Jones goes on to write about a bible that was in the possession of his uncle, Roger Jones, which was supposedly the property of Reuben and Meriwether Skelton at one time. On the flyleaf of the two large volumes, is engraved a copy of the Skelton arms with crest. Under one engraving appears the name of Meriwether Skelton, and likewise, under the other, the name of Reuben Skelton. The book-plate of arms used by Reuben Skelton was in the possession of Dr. R. A. Brock in 1891, who was then the editor of the Richmond “Standard”, and secretary of the Virginia Historical Society. He also had a letter from Meriwether Skelton, written in 1770, ordering one to be similarly engraved for him, in England.

Dr. James Skelton obtained large grants of land in Virginia as follows: James Skelton, grants 1200, 400, 400 and 400 acres, all in Henrico Co., VA dated 20 Feb 1743, Book 2, pp.338, 339; James Skelton, of King William Co., VA, two grants of 1600 acres each, and one of 750 acres, in Henrico Co., VA, 1726, shown in the Virginia land registry office.

This particular family of Skeltons is also attached, posthumously through marriage, to President Thomas Jefferson. An interesting account of the rivalry between Bathurst Skelton, 5th child of Dr. James Skelton and Jane Meriwether, his wife, and Thomas Jefferson for the hand of Patty Wayles, daughter of John Wayles, Esq., was published in a book entitled, _The Youth of Jefferson_. The book contains a romantic account of the ‘lives and loves’ of Jefferson in his years at William & Mary College. When Bathurst died in 1769, Thomas Jefferson, who was his unsuccessful rival, married his widow on 1 Jul 1772.

Another writer, Mrs. Mildred Campbell Whitaker, had attempted to join all Skelton, Shelton, Sheldon, Skilton, Chelton and ten other variants of the surname living in Virginia under the “Shelton umbrella”, as Earl Skelton puts it, in her book published in 1927, claiming they were the same family. Two rebuttals to her error were written and published in 1929, one by Richard D. Gilliam and the other by Judge Jones. Another of more recent vintage, by Earl Skelton in his Skelton Newsletter - II, No.3, 28-31 dated 6 Jun 1993.

Judge Jones wrote: “There is no evidence of which I am aware that this [Skelton] family had any [other] connections of the name in Virginia, and it appears that there is no posterity bearing their name.” He wrote this in his aforementioned book, over 100 years ago, and nothing has been uncovered to change it: ‘No male heir of James Skelton is known to have survived.’ The younger daughter of James Skelton and Jane Meriwether was named Lucy Skelton, and she married Robert Gilliam. She signed her will as Lucy Gilliam on 23 Feb 1784. Her three brothers, Meriwether, Reuben and Bathurst, and her only nephew, John Skelton (son of Bathurst and his wife Patty, nee Wayles), all died before 1784. There was a John Skelton who witnessed her will, but his connection to the family is unknown.

Given the wealth and social prominence of James Skelton, MD, and because there is no prior evidence of any records before 1723, it is likely that he arrived in the Colony sometime before 1723. In 1730, he obtained another 393 acres in Hanover Co., VA and the following year swore an oath of allegiance to King George I.

Our direct line: (the full chart will be later)

1) James Skelton, MD born in England before the turn of the century and came to America as a bachelor not long before 1723. He married Jane Meriwether, the daughter of Capt. Francis Meriwether and his wife, Mary Bathurst. (See Bathurst and Meriwether lines). The date of the marriage is unknown, but reference was made to the relationship in the will of Jane’s brother, Thomas Meriwether in 1730. In it she is cited as the wife of James Skelton. A lawsuit in 1740, between Thomas Wright Belfield, and his wife Mary, and James Skelton, and his wife, Jane (Meriwether), also proved the marriage.

James was appointed a member of a special court to try a Negro for murder in 1733; awarded payment for valuing a house in Point Comfort in 1737; appointed Sheriff of Hanover Co., VA on 14 Jun 1739; made Justice of Peace there on 10 Jun 1741; and reappointed Sheriff on 11 Jun 1742. James and his wife had 2 daughters and 3 sons. (See Skelton chart) Their daughter:

2) Sally Jane Skelton, who was probably born 1730-1735 in Hanover Co., VA; married Col. Thomas Jones, born 25 Dec 1726, died 1785-1786. Sally and her husband moved to “Spring Garden”, Hanover Co., VA after the death of her brother, Meriwether Skelton. They had 10 children. (See Jones chart).

2. Thomas Jones, Col., b. London, England, d. 21 May 1757, Bruton Parish, VA, m. Elizabeth Catesby Cocke b. 29 Aug 1701, d. 11 Mar 1762, Northumberland Co., VA, (daughter of William and Elizabeth (Catesby) Cocke, MD).

3. Thomas Jones, II b. 25 Dec 1726, Northumberland Co., VA d. 1785/86, Spring Garden, Hanover Co., VA, m. Sally Skelton b. ca. 1730, Hanover Co., VA, (daughter of James and Jane (Meriwether) Skelton, MD).

4. Mary Bathurst Jones m. Lancelot Lee b. 19 Jan 1756, Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland Co., VA, d. 1 Jul 1812, Fairfax Co., VA, (son of Col. George and Anne (Fairfax) Lee).

5. Thomas William Lee b. 1796, The Hermitage, Fairfax Co., VA, d. Oct 1841, Fairfax Co., VA, m. 1818, Fairfax Co., VA, Harriet Hutchison b. 31 Oct 1799, Pleasant Valley, Fairfax Co., VA, d. 1860, Fairfax Co., VA, (daughter of Samuel and Martha (Moss) Hutchison).

6. Mary Elizabeth Jones Lee b. 3 Apr 1819, The Hermitage, Fairfax Co., VA, m. 23 Nov 1840, in Fairfax, VA, George Washington Millan, b. 19 Nov 1820, Locust Grove, Fairfax Co., VA, (son of George Millan, Sr. Capt. and Ann DeBell) occupation Chief Justice, d. 1876, Fairfax Co., VA. Mary died 29 Mar 1844, Fairfax Co., VA.

7. Mary Jones Millan b. 19 Mar 1844, The Hermitage, Fairfax, VA, m. 27 Nov 1866, in The Hermitage, William David McWhorter, MD, b. 27 Dec 1838, Pontotoc, Mississippi, (son of William McWhorter, Rev. and Margaret McElroy Kyle) occupation surgeon, d. 20 Feb 1895, Washington, DC. Mary died 5 Mar 1895, Washington, DC. Married at the residence of Mrs. Thomas Lee, William D. McWhorter, physician, 27, born in MS and resident of SC, son of William and Margaret McWhorter; to Mary J. Millan, 22, born in Fairfax Co., daughter of George W. and Mary J. Millan. Married on 27 Nov 1866. (Marriage registers). Born on 27 Dec 1838, he was a physician in the 1st SC Rifles during the war. Met Mary Jones Millan of The Hermitage after the Battle of Ox Hill. (Henriques: 72, 76) William: He received his medical degree from Medical College of South Carolina in 1860 (diploma was signed by Jefferson Davis). In 1861 he enlisted in the SC CSA as a surgeon to Company A, first South Carolina Rifles, commanded by Capt. William Livingston. Soon after, at Sandy springs (Anderson Co., SC) he was detailed by Col. James L. Orr to the medical staff of his regiment ("Orr's rifles") for the duration of the war. He founded the Fairfax County Medical Society and became its first President.

8. Pinckney Lee McWhorter b. 14 Jun 1875, Fairfax, VA, occupation Stone mason, m. 1 Jan 1903, in SC, Harriotte "Hattie" Lee Turberville, b. 4 Jul 1881, Leeton, Chantilly, VA, (daughter of George Richard Lee Turberville II and Adeline Stuart Thornton) d. 29 Dec 1962, Arlington, VA, buried: Leeton Turberville Cemetery. Pinckney died 19 Aug 1949, Garfield Hospital, Fairfax, VA, buried: Leeton Turberville Cemetery.

9. George Turberville McWhorter, Sr, b. 11 Aug 1906, Fairfax Co., VA, d. 28 Dec 1975, Washington, DC, m. May 1930, Rockville, MD, Mary Nell Dismukes, b. 20 Mar 1908, Cumberland Furnace, TN, d. 28 Dec 1976, Inverness, FL, (daughter of Grover Cleveland and Mary Madeline (Bowers) Dismukes).

10. Mary Madeline McWhorter b. Washington, DC, m. 25 Aug 1951, in Washington, DC William Raymond Brown, Jr., b. Lignum, VA, (son of Willie Raymond and Clara Maude (Johnson) Brown, Sr.).