Richard Oglesby (~1688–1732)

Richard is the earliest known ancestor of a large number of Oglesby families in America. Other than a land deed (1730) and estate inventory (1732), no other documents directly related to Richard have survived to the present.

Family lore claims he immigrated to Virginia from Scotland and established a plantation in Goochland County. He married Susannah Ware, daughter of Rev. Jacob Ware and Susannah Adams, probably in Henrico County about 1708. Richard and Susannah were the parents of four known children: Jacob, Elizabeth Coraby, Alice and Mourning Oglesby. Only Jacob is known to have married and had issue..

The family resided in Goochland County, Virginia, in the late 1720s and Richard died there in late 1731 or early 1732.

Richard was probably a planter, which in those days meant raising tobacco as a cash crop and other items for consumption.

Richard died intestate about Jan 1731/2 in Goochland County; his wife Susannah was appointed executrix of the estate. The actual settlement of the estate took 13 years, with it finally concluding about Jan 1744.

PARENTS
Richard’s parents are simply not known. Two couples are sometimes suggested:

Jacob & Janet?
One source claims them to be Jacob Ogilvy/Oglesby and Janet Balfour and that Jacob was the son of Sir Knight James Ogilvy and his first wife, Lady Anne Montgomerie. However, references state that James and Anne had four children: Walter (died in infancy), James, Patrick and Anna. No Jacob. This link is now (2026) on Richard’s Findagrave Memorial but seems to be a fabrication with no supporting evidence. Edzell, the birth location listed for Richard and birth, death and burial location for his alleged mother Janet, did not exist until the early 1830s.

William & Isobell?
Historical documents place a William Ogilvie/Oglesby in Virginia in 1704 and he and his wife, Isobell Fleming, had an unnamed son baptized in 1688 in Angus, Scotland. Absolutely no evidence that he is connected to Richard, however, but William and Isobell are (perhaps) better candidates than Jacob and Janet.

Naming patterns of the day can sometimes suggest parents and grandparents. Typically the first male son was named for the paternal grandfather, the second male named for the maternal grandfather. Richard had one son named Jacob; he was most likely named for his maternal grandfather, Rev. Jacob Ware. If so, this suggests that an earlier son, named after the paternal grandfather, may have died in infancy. Or that both of Jacob’s grandparents were named Jacob.

Also, Jacob himself had three known sons; the oldest named William, possibly after his paternal grandfather?

Alas, neither Richard nor Jacob had known daughters named Janet or Isobell. Or even Susannah, for that matter. No help there.

Bottom line is that we just do not know the parents of Richard and any proposed couples are pure speculation without any supporting evidence (as of 2026. Hope springs eternal that new information will surface!).

BIRTH
Richard’s date of birth has not been determined. The Ancestry reference for Scottish births and baptisms does not contain a Richard Ogilvie/Oglesby born in the late 1600s. Suggested dates range from 1685 to 1695. I have used the date of 1688, as it somewhat matches Susannah’s birth year and seems likely given the ages of his children and probable marriage year around 1708. This is SPECULATIVE and should not be linked to the birth 1688 baptism year of the unknown child of William and Isobel and used as validation for making them his parents!

Family stories claim Richard was from the Ogilvie clan area of Forfarshire (now Angus), Scotland, but no supporting documentation has been identified.

EMIGRATION/IMMIGRATION
It is not known when Richard left Scotland. A number of Oglesbys are recorded as having first gone to the West Indies before arriving in Virginia.

It is not known when Richard came to Virginia. The earliest actual evidence we have of Richard is the recording of a grant of land to him in Goochland County, dated 9 Sep 1730. However, since it is almost certain he married Susannah in Virginia, we can place his arrival in Virginia as happening before 1708.

Records from May 1706 name a Richard OGLEBY as having been transported by Dudley Diggs to New Kent County; this seems like a reasonable candidate for our Richard. Records for that month also name a Charles and Thomas OGLEBY, though they were sponsored by other folks in other counties.

There may be a tax roll entry for a Richard Oglesby in 1704 in King & Queen County that needs investigation. There is also a transportation record for a Richard OGLESBE in 1713, but this is five years after (probable) date of his marriage to Susanna.

MARRIAGE
Richard was married to Susannah Ware, daughter of Rev. Jacob Ware, probably in Henrico County. A date of about 1708 has been proposed based on the claim that their son and oldest child, Jacob, was born about 1709. The Ware family was living in Henrico County when Rev. Ware died in 1709, so it seems probable that Susannah and Richard married there and then later moved to Goochland.

It must be emphasized that the birth date of Jacob is not known; it could be later than 1709 and therefor the marriage is later.

DEATH
Richard died before 4 Feb 1731/2 when an inventory of his estate was taken by his wife, Susannah. The final inventory was recorded on 15 Feb 1731/2. Some sources claim he died in Dec 1731, which seems reasonable, though Jan 1732 seems more likely. He was probably in his mid to late 40s at the time of his death.

He was most likely buried on his home place, as was the custom. The 2022 Findagrave Memorial claims that Richard and others were buried on the “Richard Oglesby Plantation Cemetery” and even gives a geographical location. Unverified at this time.

RESOURCES
Much of the information recorded here about Richard is speculation, guesses or outright fabrication.

“My Father’s Family” by Edith Attkisson Rudder is the best work I have encountered on Richard. Also several articles by Dr. Oglesby Paul are well researched.

Recent information published on Findagrave seems suspicious and I would caution using it without further validation, Yet, I am providing it with the hope that others find it useful in guiding their research.

Richard died intestate and his wife was appointed executrix of the estate. She submitted an inventory which was recorded on 15 Feb 1731/2. The estate itself was not settled for another 13 years on 15 Jan 1744/5.

Inventory of Estate of Richard Oglesby 8

Inventory of estate taken 4 Feb 1731/2 and recorded 15 Feb 1731/2.

Inventory of Richard Ogelbe 4 Feb. 1731/2, value £80/6/2, by Thomas Baly, John Prier, Thomas Christian.

Sus’a Oglesby presented inventory and recorded 15 Fe. 1731/2.

Goochland records state that on 15 Jan 1744/5, the “Account of the debitors and creditors of the estate of Richard Oglesby dec'd presented, approved by the court and ordered recorded.”

The estate was not settled until about Jan 1744, 13 years after Richard’s death.

AF has birth 1693 in Scotland, death 1730/1731 in Goochland Co., Va. Marriage is abt 1707 “of Henrico Co.”

Jane Quinley has b. 1688, d. 1731 or 1735 in Virginia.

Robert Attkisson has same as AF.

DO NOT TRUST THE AF DATA!!!!

Need WILL!
**May be in Book 1 page 306 Goocland Co, 1731 (see DR p400).

Name: Richard Oglesbe 9
Year: 1713
Place: Virginia
Source Publication Code: 6223
Primary Immigrant: Oglesbe, Richard
Annotation: Abstracts of Virginia Land Office patent books 9 through 14, covering the early decades of the eighteenth century. Includes numerous references to land patented by "French refugees," the Protestants (Huguenots) who fled France after Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685. The index is on pages 430-578.

Source Bibliography:
 
NUGENT, NELL MARION, abstractor. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants. Vol. 3: 1695-1732. Richmond [VA]: Virginia State Library, 1979. 578p. Indexed.
Page: 129

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=pili...amp;indiv=1&fh=0

VSLA record: Charles Evans, of Chas. Citty Co., 200 acs. (N.L.) Henrico Co. N. side of James Riv., 2 May 1713, p. 74 [of Patent Book 10]. Adj. Col. William Byrd, on the Gr. Br. Of Ufnum broke, Mr. Beverly & Capt. Webb, & crossing Pickonockey Path. Imp. Of 4 pers: RICHARD OGLESBE, John Darby, Hector Mackler, Benj. Hobkins. (p. 87)

OGLESBY: Documentation of early Oglesbys in America:

Importation of JAMES OGLEVY is noted in a land grant to Stephen Cock of Henrico Co. 29 Apr 1693, Patent Book 8, p. 300;

transportation of CHA. OGLEBY is noted in grant to John Anderson & Robert Mumford of Prince George Co. 1 May 1706, PB 9, p. 716;

transportation of THOMAS OGLEBY [??] in a grant to Francis Clements of Surry Co. 2 May 1706, PB 9, pp. 725-726;

transportation of RICHARD OGLEBY in a grant to Dudley Diggs of New Kent Co. 2 May 1706, PB 9, p. 726; (there may be a tax roll entry for a Richard Oglesby in 1704 in King & Queen County?)

importation of RICHARD OGLESBE is found in grant to Charles Evans in Charles City Co. 2 May 1713, PB 10, p. 74;

importation of CHARLES OGLEBEY is noted in grant to John Woodson in Henrico Co. 16 Aug 1715, PB 10, p. 237. [Source: online images at Virginia State Library Assn website]

(from Vic Oglesby)

Notes for RICHARD OGLESBY:

Richard lived in Goochland Co., VA around Beaver Dam. He received a land grant in 1730 for 600 acres of land. (Land Book XIV, page 148, 9 Sep 1730, Goochland Co., VA. (Source: Brenda Webster & Jo Brown.)

Richard Oglesby, rent rolls 1704 King & Queen Co., VA.

Goochland Co., VA Order Book B, 1731-1732, pg. 104: Susannah Oglesby granted administrator of Richard Oglesby, deceased.

From Land Records in Albemarle Land Records:
340 Thomas Ogilsby VPB 25 p462-463 12 Jan 1746/47 200a Goochland County on the N Fork of Totier Cr
908 Jacob Oglesby Ass'ee of CGB 23 p342-343 18 Dec 1791 152.75a ABCo. on the N side of the Rivanna Riv.
593 Richard Oglesby VPB 37 p312 20 Jul 1768 200a Albemarle Co. on the S side of Little Eppes

From K. Monticue:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~monticue/oglesby_line.htm

Children:
The known children of Richard and Susanna are Jacob, Elizabeth Coraby, Alice and Mourning, as they are named in the Will of their grandmother, Susanna (Adams) Ware in 1735:

“To Jacob Oglesby, an Indian Fellow named Roger and one horse called Cydder & one Bridle & Sadle.

To my grandaughter Elizbth. Coraby Oglesby, an Indian girl named Sarah when she comes of age or is married, except the two first children this Indian shall bring which I give unto Alice and Mourning Oglesby but her mother to have the use of the said Sarah.“

Researchers also usually include a Thomas Oglesby (~1712–<1787). This seems unlikely as he was not mentioned in Susanna Ware’s Will. Others include sons Richard and William, but again only the four named in the Will are proven.