|
|
ECHOLS The earliest record of any member of this group who appears to have had descendants is that of John Eckholls (Eckhold), who is shown as having received a large grant of land in 1688. This land was northeast of Richmond, Va., in the present King and Queen County, and was granted for the purpose of colonization. This obligation he is shown by public record to have fulfilled, and also to have received other large grants of land for the same purpose, as late as 1703. The conclusion as to John Eckholls having been the earliest settler of this group resulted from searching public records at Richmond and at seats of government of the earliest counties of Virginia. Families of the first and second generations after 1688 are shown to have spread into counties west and south of Richmond, as far as Halifax County. Nothing definite was found as to where John Echolls came from to the new land. The reliability of family tradition of today on this point is rendered somewhat doubtful by conflicting statements. Names of early business associates of John Eckholls and of the colonists he transported are all English, and the first grant of land to him was made by Baron Of Effingham of England. |
| It is of interest to note the
peculiarity in the early spelling and evolution of the form of the
surname as found in public records. This concerns to some extent several
groups originating in Virginia, though their line of descent from John
Eckolls is not clearly evident in any case. During the early generations
the Eckholls form of the surname persisted in public records, but this
does not indicate for certain the family custom, due to carelessness of
those in immediate charge of making such records. Experienced
genealogists early become disillusioned and astounded at the abundant
proof of such carelessness. Laws in the old countries required
continuation of the original spelling of the surname in public records.
This would tend here for a time to perpetuate an early error. After two
generations the spelling of this surname began to appear changed in
public records. The evolution of the later surnames from that of
Eckholls is clearly shown by records of witnesses to many land
transactions and will of persons of other surnames. In some of these
records more than one form of the surname is shown for witnesses to the
same document, and after the third generation the earliest form became
unknown. Public records of all the families thereafter show the last 1
changed to a or omitted. Some show h and o omitted to make the Eckles
form so widely used in this country and in the old world. A few records
show k and 1 omitted to make Echols. Perhaps the public records of one
early prominent Echols family influenced later families living in the
southeastern part of this country to adopt this form permanently, which
is unknown elsewhere in the world. For these reasons records of these
families are not included herein. Occasional families are shown widely
until today with the Echold form. Evidence of the piety of the early
families of this group is indicated by the persistent practice of giving
biblical names to children. Among these are Abraham, Sarah, Isaac,
Rebecca, Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim, Moses, Joshua, Jeremiah, Joel, Samuel,
Elkanah, James, John, Elizabeth, Mary, Martha, Susanna and Tabitha. Joel
persisted long and like Moses is almost unknown in other groups.
Some miscellaneous records which could not be given subsequently in connection with any particular family are noted here without the surname, which is always close to the Eckholls form. Abraham, with a wife Sarah, owned land in Raleigh Parish, Amelia County in 1735 and 1744. He died in Lunenburg County in 1749 and left a will showing a son Joseph, Sr. Joseph Sr. had land in Raleigh Parish in Amelia County in 1756, and died there in 1749. Isaac, with a wife Polly, had land in Halifax County in 1744 and 1758. John, apparently with no wife, sold land in Amelia County in 1749. Joseph, Sr., had land in Halifax County in 1746, 1762, and 1790. Joseph, Jr., had land in Lunenburg County in 1746, and Joseph had land in Amelia County in 1760. Richard, who was the first sheriff in Amelia County, in 1735, had land there in 1741, and with a wife Katherine sold land there in 1748. Richard had land in Lunenburg County in 1750, and sold land in Halifax County in 1766. William had a patent on 400 acres of land in 1736, and was there in 1747. William, with a wife Sarah, sold land in Lunenburg County in 1751. William Jr., with a wife Rachel sold land in Lunenburg County in 1751. William, Sr., had land in Halifax. County in 1771. Bounty land in Georgia, given for military service in the Revolutionary war to a soldier or member of his family, was acquired by Joseph and John. Some names given there are doubtless those of persons belonging to the second Virginia Group. James and Thomas furnished supplies to the Army in Amelia County and Robert in Dinwiddie County. James, Jr., was postmaster at Morgansville in Nettoway County in 1813, and James was proprietor of the Union Hotel at Petersburg in 1822. In the Virginia census of 1785 the names of James and Thomas are given as heads of families in Amelia County, and Jeremiah in Pittsylvania County. In the 1790 census report James, John, Joseph, [Sr., Joseph and Obadiah are shown as heads of families in Halifax County, and Jeremiah, Joseph and Moses are shown as heads of families in Pittsylvania County. Moses is shown by early eastern Georgia records to have married a daughter of Anna L. Daniel of Pittsylvania County. Some marriages in Amelia County were Elkanah to Elizabeth, a daughter of Richard Anderson, August 20, 1783; Thomas W. to Ann W. Alfriend, March 28, 1822. Elizabeth married James Prince in Norfolk County in 1806. (William and Marry College Quarterly, Vol. 16, p. 88, Vol.-17, p. 40 and Vol. 9 p. 136] Known records do not show definite relationship of the above named persons other than in marriage as shown. Only the proximity of dates and geographical locations, and similarity of surnames indicates their probable descent from the early John Eckholls. Elsewhere there is given information concerning Virginia Eckles families of which records, usually wills, show definitely their relationship and descent. But the earliest known ancestors of these families are not shown by records to have been related to any persons mentioned above. None of the Virginia families mentioned elsewhere used other than the Eckles form of the surname, except in a few very recent departures. (Early Virginia Group, pages 305306. Eckles and Eckols Families in the United States by Barry Edward Eckles, B. N. 1946.) [cc Evagroup] Our decent of Echols goes from John, who came to America about the end of the 16th century or beginning of the 17th century and settled in Caroline County, Virginia. Abraham Echols was John’s second son. He married Sarah Hubbard, by 1730. They had three sons and three daughters. The third son: Joshua Echols, married Margaret Brown before 1778 and had six sons. The fourth son: Joshua Echols, Jr. married Nancy Brown in 1793 and had a big family. Their son: Lewis Barton
Echols married Emily Jane Weems in 1855 and had sons; |
|
