| Home Surname List Name Index Sources Email Us | Fourth Generation6. WILLIAM CLOPTON1,2,3 was born in 1655 in County Essex, England.4 He died before 1733 at the age of 78 in New Kent County, Virginia.4 5,6,7 Gateway Ancestor for Don Haden's royal ancestry. William Clopton is a "gateway" immigrant ancestor. He is of royal and aristocratic ancestry, having descent from at least 10 of the Magna Carta Sureties. And, through them, many different lines back to Charlemagne which can trace back to the Merovingian Kings. He also has many English, French, Spanish and other Kings and royal ancestors intertwined in his ancestry. His lineage traced back to the Merovingian Kings is the earliest possible lineage that can be proven with existing documentation. William Clopton's ancestry has been proven through (or is eligible for) the lineage societies below: *Colonial Dames, The Royal Descents of 500 Immigrants, by Gary Boyd Roberts, Genealogical Publishing Co, Baltimore, 1993, has William Clopton's descend from Edward I, King of England, who died in 1307. Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, by Douglas Richardson, Genealogical Publishing Co, Baltimore, 2004, lists his descent from Henry II, King of England The Brookfield Ancestor Project - Immigrant Ancestor Pages, William Clopton of Paglesham, Essex, born 1655, was apprenticed in London to Joshua White. Perhaps he immigrated to escape his apprenticeship. CAVALIERS & PIONEERS contains the name William Clopton as a person transported two different times. On 5 Nov 1673, Allexander Robbins claimed the transport of Wm Clopton as well as 12 other persons for 650 acres in Rappahannock Co on branches of Gilson's Creek. In Feb of the same year Thos. Hall & Jno. Pigg claimed Wm. Clopton among 77 persons transported for 3831 acres on the NE side of the Mattopony River in New Kent County. People were often claimed more than one time; ship masters sold their passenger lists to be used for these headrights; they could be claimed at any time, even years later - abuses of the system were tolerated as the King could expect revenue from patented land. [See the Introduction to Vol II] Deed of gift dated 23 Jan 1683 to daughters Anne and Elizabeth, York Co. Mr. William Clopton was a constable of Hampton Parish, York Co in 1685. In a deposition of 24 April 1685, William states his age as about 30 years. Found on Quit Rent roll in 1704; New Kent Co, 454 acres. At a meeting of the York Co Court in Feb of 1688 there was a suit pending between John Williams, plaintiff, and William Clopton, defendant, which was passed over to the next meeting of the court. William Clopton was an important personage, who owned considerable property, both in York and New Kent County and the presence of litigation in the courts initiated against him by John Williams indicates they were probably of about equal standing in the Colony at that period. p. 234 of COLONIAL GRANVILLE AND ITS PEOPLE, Worth S. Ray, 1945. William Clopton's first appearance in the St. Peters Parish Vestry records is on 1 May 1695 when he was elected vestryman in place of Cornelius Dabney, deceased. His first presence in that capacity was on 10 Oct 1695. On 10 Apr 1696, William Clopton and Gideon Macon were elected Churchwardens to serve for two years. One of their first orders of business was to obtain a new Minister. Charles Turner, the Clerk of the Vestry died and on 18 Dec 1697, William was chosen to take his place and be paid the same as Turner had been; Capt Thomas Bray was elected to take William's place on the Vestry. He continued as Clerk, faithfully recording the business of the Parish for some years. In 1700, he was paid 2,289 lbs of tobacco for his services - all payments of the Parish at this time were made in tobacco. On 1 Jun 1704, William Clopton was again elected a Vestryman but was to continue as Clerk until the 1st of January next. In May of 1705, William Clopton is named as one of the Surveyors of the county. In Dec of 1705, William Norris was elected Clerk, relieving Clopton of his duties as scribe, but he continued as Vestryman. In May of 1707, he was again elected Church Warden - his term was up in 1709, but he was still a Vestryman faithfully attending almost every meeting. In June of 1718, he was again elected Church Warden, serving for two years. In May of 1721, his name was recorded William Clopton, Senr, indicating his son William was now an upstanding member of the community. At the December 1722 meeting of the Vestry, son Walter took his place as a vestryman and father and son serve together. On 23 April 1728, Mr. Wm Clopton being very aged and not of ability to attend on Vestry's, declined the office of Vestryman - he was in his seventies and had served continuously for over 30 years. William and Ann are interred in old St. Peter's church yard, New Kent County, Virginia Here Lyeth The Body Of
Wm. Clopton had left a sister, Margaret, in England. She married Henry Hammond and had Wm. Hammond of Ratcliffe. Wm. Hammond's will of July, 1732, bequeathed a sizeable estate of three farms, his freehold farm at thundersley and his two copyhold farms in the Parish of Eastwood in Exxes, to his uncle, "William Clopton of Virginia". (Ancestry of Wm. Clopton of York Co., VA by Lucy Lane Erwin, p. 133-143) for his lifetime and thence to his uncle's children to be divided as tennants in common. Certain other residue of the estate was left to Wm. Clopton and his children then living. In 1733 the children of Wm. Clopton empowered Micajah Perry, a London merchant, to gain possession of the estate (William and Mary Quarterly, First Series, Vol. 10, pg. 68). English Records of 1744 indicate litigation against this estate. Later, a power of attorney (Hanover Co. Records, Deed Book B, 1783-92, p. 164, July 6, 1786) gave authority to William Anderson of America Square in London to receive payment of 2643 pounds, 11 shillings and 10 1/2 d for the farm known as Eastwood Manor. This money was to distributed among Thomas Jackson (husband of Ann Mills), Nicholas Mills, David Anderson and his wife Elizabeth, Ann and William Diuguid, William Hogan and his wife Mary and Ann Mills - all descendants of William Clopton. As late as 1794 a reference to the Clopton property is found in the will of Thomas Jackson. The considerable wealth of Thomas Jackson may have resulted in part from his wife's inheritance of part of the Clopton estate. WILLIAM CLOPTON and ANN BOOTH were married about 1675 in York County, Virginia.4 ANN BOOTH, daughter of ROBERT BOOTH and FRANCES [BOOTH], was born in 1647.4 She died on 4 March 1716 at the age of 69 in New Kent County, Virginia.4,8,9 Thomas Dennett's Will proved 25 Aug 1673. They had four children - Anne, John, Sarah, and Ellinor. His brother-in-law Robert Booth was one of the "overseers" of the Will. The other was John Baskervyle who was married to Thomas Dennett's half-sister Mary. "Old Tombstones in New Kent County"; WILLIAM & MARY HISTORICAL MAGAZINE, Vol. V, Oct 1896. St Peter's Church: Robert and Frances Booth were the parents of Ann: Robert Booth was a clerk of the York County Court, 1640-1657 and represented York Co in the House of Burgesses in 1653-54. He is often referred to as "physician" but at least one researcher believes this to be an error - he possibly attended the bedside of someone in his duties as clerk of the Court and was assumed to be a physician. No primary document has been found that refers to him as "Dr.". York Co Records: 25 Oct 1658 ...An order concerning debt due Mrs. Frances Booth, widow of Robert Booth, deceased. WILLIAM CLOPTON and ANN BOOTH had the following children:
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