Mary Meriwether

Mary is believed to have been born about 1714 in St. Paul's Parish, New Kent County, the last of the children born to Nicholas and Elizabeth. She grew up in a stable, relatively wealthy household. She is known to have married John Aylett, a gentleman of Hanover County. He predeceased her, though she also had died, without issue, by about 1745.

BIRTH
Nicholas and Elizabeth were living in Saint Paul's Parish, New Kent County, at the time that Mary was born. No parish records or family Bible entries recording her birth or christening have been located.

MARRIAGES
In addition to the known and proven marriage to John Aylett, some researchers have her also married to a Samuel Cobbs. One researcher states she married Samuel Cobbs in 1727 and he died shortly afterwards, with the marriage to John Aylett occuring about 1732. No evidence has been found of such a marriage, however, so The Meriwether Society does not currently list it. Other researchers state she married Samuel Cobbs after the death of John Aylett, though she appears to have died within two years of John's death. Note that Mary Lewis, daughter of Jane Meriwether and Robert Lewis, did in fact marry a Samuel Cobbs. Perhaps there is the confusion.

Some researchers also state that Mary married a James Lasley and had issue, but this is not supported by the evidence that she died without issue.

DEATH
While an exact date and place of death are not known, two facts establish the probable date range:

First, Mary is apparently living in 1743 when her husband John died. Although no will has been found for John, in 1744 the land that he had inherited reverted to his brother Phillip and sister Jane and her husband Phillip Buckner, as was stipulated if he died without issue.

Second, the land (Allens Creek Quarter) that John and Mary had been given by Nicholas II in 1734 also had the stipulation that it would revert to her brothers William and David if she died without issue. Between 1745 and 1747, documents show that William and David had obtained the land.

Supporting this, George Wood Meriwether wrote: "Mary Meriwether married Mr. John Aylett. She died without issue, 1745, and the farm of 1,140 acres, with certain slaves deeded to her by her father Nicholas, was, in the event of her death without issue, to be equally divided between her brother, David, my great grandfather, and her brother William, which was effected the following year." 23

So it seems probable that Mary died about 1744 or early 1745 in King William County, where she had lived with John Aylett.

She is the last named child in the Will of Francis Clements, reinforcing the belief that she was the last born.

John Aylett

John Aylett was born on the Fairfield Plantation of his father, Col. William Aylett and his wife Ann.
John inherited a portion of Fairfield in 1733.

DEATH
Major Aylett died by 1744. His inherited King William property at Fairfield being entailed did not go to Mary, but it is said he left, “his widow with some legal provisions made for her.” He apparently had a will, which has been lost. Phillip Buckner (who married John’s sister, Jane Aylett) and Phillip Aylett (John’s brother, died in 1655), probably his executors, advertised in the Virginia Gazette: several thousand acres of land in Orange and Louisa Counties formerly belonging to Captain John Aylett. Later in 1767, a Jane Buckner of Orange County sold land in Louisa County, formerly belonging to Mr. John Aylett of King William County and by him left to said Jane Buckner. While it seems certain, because of the demonstrated close relationship between her husband, John, and her father, Nicholas II, that John amply provided for his wife, Mary, in his will, we have no evidence of that.

Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Volume 24, Number 1; February 1986, p. 16

John Aylett of King WIlliam Co., Gent., 2400a, NL, Hanover Co., on the brs of golden Mine Cr.; col. Meriwethers & John Poindexters c.; to Col. Symes c. in meriwethers line; (p. 274) 21 Aug 1734.

Virginia Land Patent Book 15
Pages 162-319 (1733-1374)
Abstrcted by William Lindsay Hopkins

Prentiss Price Papers - AYLETT -
3. Capt. John Aylett b. __ d. bef 29 Mar 1744 H.B. 1738 St. Margarets Parisg King William
m. 1799–34 Mary Meriwether a1696 -1745 s.p.
[dau of Col. Nicholas Meriwether 1667–1744 at New Kent m. 1687 Elizabeth Crawford __ - 1762

2 May 1734: John Aylett witness to deed of Nicholas Meriwether in Hanover.
14 Mar 1734/5: Nicho Meriwether of St. Martins Parish, Hanover, to John Aylett of St. Margarets Parish, King William, 623 acres in St. Martins Parish. (Hanover records in 21W&M48-63), also Gwathmey’s 12 Virginia counties, p 112.)
13 July 1735: John Ayletts of St. Margaret Parish, King William, to John Markland of Blissland Parish, New Kent (21W&M)

It is not known when or where Mary and John Aylett married, but it likely was in Hanover County where her parents lived and her father was a vestryman in St. Paul’s Parish. Accepting that Mary was around age eighteen when she married, it can be postulated that they were married around 1725, plus or minus a couple of years.

In 173_, Nicholas II deeded land known as "Allen Creek Quarter" to John and Mary. He also signed an indenture with John Aylett "husband of my daughter". These prove the marriage of John Aylett and Mary Meriwether.

The couple appeared to have lived their life together in King William County. In 1733, John’s father, William, devised a portion, about 700 acres, of the large Fairfield plantation to John and his heirs. The property was entailed and upon John’s death, before 1744, he and Mary not having children, the property reverted to John’s brother, William. While their home initially may have been at Fairfield in the Pumunkey Neck of King William County, St. John’s Parish, by 1734/5 they were living in that part of the St. John’s Parish that became St. Margaret’s Parish in 1721.

J White has married in 1743, but may have been mentioned as “husband of my daughter Mary” in a 15 Mar 1734/5 deed, indicating they were married by then. DB changed to reflect this on 6 Jan 2010.