Thomas Bryan Martin of Greenway Court in VA

Male, #38698, (before 11 Apr 1731 - before 1 Oct 1798)

Father*Denny Martin of Salts in Loose, Kent, Esq. (s 1700 - )
Mother*Frances Fairfax (b 19 Nov 1703 - 13 Dec 1791)
Thomas Bryan Martin of Greenway Court in VA|b. before 11 Apr 1731\nd. before 1 Oct 1798|p38698.htm|Denny Martin of Salts in Loose, Kent, Esq.|b. say 1700|p37818.htm|Frances Fairfax|b. before 19 Nov 1703\nd. 13 Dec 1791|p37817.htm|||||||Thomas Fairfax Fifth Lord Fairfax of Cameron|b. 1657\nd. 6 Jan 1710|p8949.htm|Catherine Culpeper|b. 1670\nd. May 1719|p8948.htm|

Birth*before 11 Apr 1731 Thomas was born before 11 Apr 1731. 
Baptism11 Apr 1731 He was baptized at Loose, co. Kent, England, on 11 Apr 1731.  
 He was the son of Denny Martin of Salts in Loose, Kent, Esq. and Frances Fairfax. 
Probate*1 Oct 1798 Thomas's will was probated at Winchester (city), Virginia, on 1 Oct 1798. 
Death*before 1 Oct 1798 He died at Frederick Co., Virginia, before 1 Oct 1798. O.s.p.. 
Biography* He was baptised in Loose, April 11, 1731, as 'Thomas Brian the son of Denny Martin, gent. and Frances his wife.' In 1751 when he was 20 he went out to Virginia on the invitation of his, uncle, the sixth Lord Fairfax, and was established at 'his lordship's quarter' in Frederick (now Clarke) ; where his uncle soon joined him in residence. When he came of age he was vested by a grant dated May 21, 1752 (N. N., H: 179), with the 'quarter' and 8,840 acres of surrounding limestone lands, lying on the west bank of the Shenandoah across from Leeds Manor (Cf. Hening, x, 124). This tract was then designated in the grant, 'Greenway Court,' in memory of the Culpeper manor in Kent.
     He was thereupon at once included in the commission and the vestry for Frederick. When the Northern Neck land office was removed from Belvoir in 1762 it was established at Greenway Court and thenceforth he was in charge of it (See William Allason's Letter Book, MS. Virginia State Library).
     In 1755 he was County Lieutenant for Hampshire while his uncle served that office for Frederick (Journals H. B., 1752-58, p. 374; Dinwiddie Papers), and sat in the Assembly of 1756-58 as burgess for Hampshire; but in the Assembly of 1758-61 he was George Washington's colleague for Frederick (Stanard, Colonial Register). In 1758 and 1776 he was an original trustee for the towns of Winchester and Bath (Hening, viii, 326; ix, 247); but when the Revolution came he withdrew from the Frederick Court (Cartmel, p. 93) and all participation in public business, and thenceforth lived in retirement at Greenway Court.
     His monument is the town of Martinsburg (now in W. Va.) which was named in his honour when it was laid out in 1778 by Col. Adam Stephen (Hening, ix, 569; Kercheval, p. 182). He died unmarried, leaving the Greenway Court house and demesne land to his house keeper (for whose descendants see Kercheval, p. 159; Cartmel, p. 275) under the following will:
Winchester District Court W. B., Will dated July 24, 1794, Codicil dated June 22, 1797, Proved October 1, 1798.
I Thomas Bryan Martin of Greenway Court in the County of Frederick and Commonwealth of Virginia.
     To my present housekeeper Betsy Powers 1,000 acres where I now live [i.e., Greenway Court] with all houses thereon, household goods (except plate and watch), one half of stock of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs and choice of ten slaves. To sisters Frances, Sybilla, and Anna Susanna Martin, plate and watch, all moneys, and remainder of personal property not bequeathed to Betsy Powers. To each of my executors 10 guineas.
     I give and devise all the rest of my real estate in possession, reversion or remainder, within the Commonwealth of Virginia and also the aforesaid one thousand acres of land if Betsy Powers aforesaid does not survive me, unto Gabriel Jones of the County of Rockingham Esq., Robert Mackey of the Borough of Winchester and County of Frederick, and John Sherman Woodcock of the said County of Frederick, gentlemen, to be sold by them or the survivors or survivor of them at such time and in such parcels and in such manner as they or the survivors or survivor of them shall judge most advantageous; and the money arising from such sales [See Commonwealth v. Martin's executors, 5 Munford (Va), 117] and the rents and profits of the said lands which may accrue before the sale I give and bequeath to my Sisters hereinbefore named that is to say Frances, Sybilla, and Anna Susanna to be equally divided between them or such of them as shall survive me; or if neither of them survive me, then to my Brothers Denny Fairfax and Philip to be equally divided between them if alive at the time of my death, and if either of them dead to the survivor then alive; subject however to the payment of my just Debts and of the legacies bequeathed to my executors as aforesaid.'
     Executors, Gabriel Jones, Robert Mackey and John Sherman Woodcock. Witnesses, Charles Lee, John Brownley, A. Brownley.
     Codicil: To Betsy Powers chariot and harness and 160 acres 'near the town of Falmouth in the County of Stafford' purchased since execution of will. Witnesses, M. Page, Charles McGill, Philip Bush.
     Proved by John Sherman Woodcock and Robert Mackey who each gave bond $66,500. current money.1 

Charts The Culpepers of Hollingbourne, from 1539 to present? (Possibly extinct)
Last Edited 25 Jan 2005

Citations

  1. Fairfax Harrison, The Proprietors of the Northern Neck.