Mary Stith, left an amazing legacy for her time

Going back to the Stith tree, let's review who's on first...and so we had Major John Stith (posted on Mar 24) who lived from about 1630 to 1694.  His wife was Jane Moseby Gregory Parson Stith, who lived from 1624-1694.

I've been able to (almost certainly) confirm they had three children:

i. Capt. John Stith, 1658-1724
ii. Lt. Col. Drury Stith 1617-1741
iii. Anne Meriwether Stith Bolling 1660-1709

At this point, I pause to remember that Anne Stith Bolling and her brother Lt. Col. Drury Stith, are both listed as eight times great grandparents of mine through their various separate descendants.

But today I wanted to let you know who Mary Stith was - the one who was the daughter of a President of William and Mary College in Williamsburg, VA.

So she isn't directly in my line, but is a descendant of Capt. John Stith (the one who is just a great uncle).

Capt. John (1658-1724) had a son Rev. William Stith, 1707-1755, who became the President of Wm&Mary. (See yesterday's post).

Rev. William Stith had a daughter, Mary "Polly" Stith.

Mary Stith Shop Historical Report, Block 10 Building 21 Lot 17 Originally entitled: "Mary Stith Shop Block 10 Colonial Lot 17"

Mary A. Stephenson

1948 

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library Research Report Series - 1216
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library

Williamsburg, Virginia

1990
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According to Ancestry she was born in 1744, as I mentioned yesterday, and lived until 1816.  But further research shows a possible birth date of 1739.

"Mary Stith was the daughter of William Stith, the historian and president of William and Mary College from 1752 to 1755, and Judith Randolph of Tuckahoe. Mary Stith never married. A sister, Elizabeth Stith, married Dr. William Pasteur who was, a prominent apothecary and surgeon of Williamsburg. 

Her house still stands in Williamsburg, VA - the Mary Stith house.

"A small, reconstructed building on Duke of Gloucester Street, the Mary Stith Shop is a one-story brick structure with a bay window and three dormers, and a charming, almost dollhouse appearance. Here visitors might encounter a Colonial Williamsburg character interpreter – Martha Washington, Mary Stith herself, various ladies of the town, the gentlemen's gentlemen, etc. Interpretive programs at the Mary Stith House vary from week to week.

"Mary Stith lived to see independence and the establishment of the Republic. She wrote her will in 1813. Among its beneficiaries were her African American servants, to whom she left her shop. Her will shows her depth of feeling for them:

"All the coloured people in my family being born my slaves, but now liberated, I think it my duty not to leave them destitute nor to leave them unrecompensed for past services rendered to me. As in the cause of humanity I can do but little for so many, and that little my conscience requires me to do, therefore I subject the whole of my estate to the payment of my just debts, and to the provision which I herein make for them."

"Will left most property to freed black servants

"With the exception of few small legacies to white friends, Stith left most of her considerable estate, including three buildings and the ground on which they stood, to her freedmen. To Jenny, "the mother of the family," she left her dwelling house and lot, some furniture, clothing, and £100, as well as £5 a year for each of her two granddaughters, Jenny and Patty Gillett. These two jointly received the second building on Stith's town lot, which she described as "my house in the yard called the tin shop." Each of them also received clothing, items of furniture, and £25. The third structure Stith bequeathed to Nelly Bolling and "her two sisters Eve and Sally." This building she described as "my house on the main street called Woods shop." Each of these three women also received cash legacies, as did Peter Gillett, Benjamin White, Beverley Rowsay, Rachel White, and Fanny White.

A good link about the house, here.

Then there was about a 48 hour period when I had a married Mary Smith, who had children.  Some Mary Stith did marry twice, first to Daniel Parke Wilkinson.  They had 5 sons.  It looks like there was one set of twins.  I don't have Mr. Wilkinson's date of death, but it was while all those little boys were very young, as was Mary herself.

She remarried to Jeremiah Early 9 years later, in 1773.  He had been married previously as well, and he is known to have had 9 of his 11 children listed in his will when he died at age 49, in 1779, after just 6 years of marriage to Marty Stith Wilkinson Early.

I didn't see his will, just the list of the 9 children that he left something to.  Since Mary outlived him, I wonder what happened with her 5 sons, as she didn't leave them anything in her own will. The obvious reason (not proved at this point) is that she outlived them all.

When I started looking at all the historic documents, I discovered the Mary Stith of the house in Williamsburg, had never married.  So I've just removed the husbands and children, which means someone's ancestors are no longer on that Stith family tree...

These are cousins a few times removed.  I'll get back to my own ancestors soon...but this was an interesting story.