A note from cousin Shannon (a descendant of Larkin Wilson, g-g-grandson of James Sr.) reminded me that I should continue to look at North Carolina as a possible previous residence of James Sr. and his family. The Brashears clan (which one of James’ daughters married into) moved there in the mid-1740’s and became quite established there and in nearby Guilford County. Since we don’t have a date for the marriage of Ann Wilson and Philip Brashears, it is possible that the Wilsons and Brashears met after the latter moved to NC, instead of before in Virginia. I had previously found records of Robert Samuel Brashear (possibly the brother or cousin of the aforementioned Philip) in Orange County, NC, which is quite near the border south of Henry County, VA. Philip’s father Robert Cager Brashears was listed as well in an early Orange County census in 1755. There are also records of a James Willson mentioned in the Register of Deeds in 1763 (see below), probably as a witness on the same page with Robert Samuel Brashear. Thomas Bailey is also shown on this page, and I believe a Thomas Bailey married James’ daughter Martha (although all we know for sure that he was a Bailey). But these are the only solid clues we have to James Sr. being in Orange County, NC.
There are more records of a Thomas Willson, as well as a William Wilson with brother James and John. The latter two were witnesses to William’s will in 1780, so it isn’t possible that one of them is James Sr. However, they could be sons or other relatives (even possibly James Sr.’s grandson, who might have traveled the relatively short distance to Orange County). Some Ancestry.com trees have this James as being born in Orange County in 1755 and dying there in 1825. One of the court records of Thomas Willson is intriguing since it names him guardian of an orphan names Joice Goodrum, age 9 years, in 1765. Thomas son of James Sr. supposedly married Mary Gooding (or Goodwin, according to some trees), but I can find no documentation of this. But the name Goodrum might be close enough. Unfortunately, I can find no further records for Joice Goodrum anywhere, much less NC or VA, nor can I find any real information on his deceased father Thomas Goodrum. This must therefore remain an open possibility.
A Thomas Wilson was in the 1755 Census, but no James, and Thomas (and Philip Wilson) received land grants there in 1761.
Below are the records in the Orange County Register of Deeds 1752-1768 referencing Thomas or James Wil(l)son (note that the dates are of court proceedings to prove, or acknowledge, deed each quarter – thus, the deed could have been granted up to 3 months previously):
Feb. 8, 1763: James Willson witness to deed from Placker Saylor to Philip Hartzon (Thomas Bailey also deeded land on this page)
Feb 13, 1761: James Wilson witness to deed from William Lacy to Plice Paler
Feb. 14, 1764: Thomas Willson, Sr. deeds 250 acres to James Willson
Nov. 13, 1764: Hosea Tapley deeds 195 acres to Thomas Willson, Jr.
Aug. 11, 1767: James Wilson witness to deed from Robert Watson to John Brackman
Jul. 26, 1768: Thomas Willson deeds 195 acres to John Willson
Now we know that James Sr. was in Halifax County as early as July, 1766. The James that witnessed a deed in the summer of 1767 therefore could not have been our James. Also, the Thomas Willson, Jr. that was deeded land of the fall of 1764 could not have been the grandson of James (son of Thomas, Sr.) since he could not have been of age (21) at that time. Thus, it seems highly unlikely that Thomas, Sr. was our Thomas, Sr. son of James Sr. and that the James Willson that was granted a deed from him in 1763/4 was our Thomas’ father. It is also worth noting that if these gentlemen were our Wilson clan that moved to Halifax County before 1766, you might expect them to have sold any land that they might have acquired in Orange County before moving.
I conclude from all of this that these Wilsons are most likely not our ancestors in question.