| Notes |
- William Vestall, Jr., was raised in Chester Co., Pennsylvania. His family were originally friends from the Newark Monthly Meeting in Pennsylvania. (C-836) According to Gilbert Cope in writing the will for Joseph Woodward of Goshen, he med that William was married more than once. However, only one marriage has been found for him to date, that of Elizabeth Mercer. They originally settled on Brandywine Creek, four miles from West Chester. William was listed as living in Bradford Twp., Chester Co., PA in tax lists from 1715-1726. (C-2251g) His wife, Elizabeth Mercer, was a Quaker. William had apparently become a Quaker by the 2nd Month 5th day, 1729, when he requested a certificate of removal to North Carolina from the Center Meeting House.
William moved to Baltimore Co., MD instead after conveying his farm of 174 acres on May 10, 1729 in Bradford Twp., Chester Co., Pennsylvania. The deed for this land did not have it's title confirmed until Aug. 10,1735. William is listed as a carpenter in this record. (C-959) William then purchased 150 acres of land from Patrick Ruark in 1729 which was part of the Hazard track on Swam Creek, Baltimore Co., MD. He sold this land to Joseph Hall on Dec. 27, 1736. He was listed as living in Orange Co., Virginia in the deed records of 1736. He had purchased 275 acres in Orange Co., VA on Oct. 3, 1734. This territory later became Frederick County. (C-826)
Elizabeth Vestal requested a certificate of transfer from the Concord Quarterly meeting to the Hopewell monthly meeting in Frederick Co., Virginia (now Jefferson Co., WV) on Sept 7, 1737. Most of the Quaker records for that meeting were destroyed by fire for the first 23 year period in 1759. "J.E. Norris in his HISTORY OF THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY, p.58 states, "William and John Vestal made a settlement at a very early date at Vestal's Gap on the Shenandoah River in Frederick Co., Va. (about 6 miles east of Charles Town). While they were building a stone house they were attacked by Indians and driven across the river to the mountains. When they returned one of them brought a yellowish stone from across the river, which marked the point where they left off building in consequence of the attack. This house still stands but the inscription on one end has been partly obliterated, which has given rise to a dispute as to the name being Vest, Vesta, or Vestal. The author (Norris) has found in the 'List of Surveys made by George Washington for Lord Fairfax' the name three times occurring Vestall."
Minnie Speer Boone in OUR FAMILY HERITAGE, p. 63-64, states "On May 10, 1742 a contract was entered into between Thomas Mayberry, William Vestal, John Traden, Richardson Stevenson, and Daniel Burnett for the construction of an iron bloomery for the making of bar iron on the plantation of William Vestal. This contract was recorded in 1744." Quoting Earl H. Davis, 1940, she adds, "This iron bloomery is said to have been the first one erected east of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia (one mile east of what is now Mechanicsville, West Virginia). It was located 7 miles south of Harper's Ferry. It was in operation until after the Civil War. Upon the death of William Vestal in 1745 this land and the Vestal interest in the Bloomery were apparently taken over by his son John. When the land passed out of the Vestal family is not known. One source says that it was after the French and Indian Wars when the family moved to North Carolina. (C-158) The property is now owned by Mr. Ward Funkhouser of Hagerstown, Md. The remains of the old furnace are still standing. The top of each fire place has bars of iron, plates of rusty iron are still firmly holding the stone structure-above one of the fireplaces a cedar tree of good size is growing. The district around the Bloomery is known as "The Bloomery Neighborhood." (C-176)
William Vestal did not write a will. His death probably occurred early in 1745. An inventory of his estate was filed in 1746. No property was listed, but instead tools, clothing, livestock and household furnishings. (C-811) His wife, Elizabeth, was named administratrix. She had a bond of 1000 pounds Virginia Currency. No children were listed. (C-845a, 869)
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1692 - Bef 1745 (< 52 years)
[10, 11] 
