Seventh Generation

59. Walter CLOPTON was born on 26 December 1756 in Goochland County, Virginia.^46,47 He died about January 1835 at the age of 78 in Wilson County, Tennessee.⁵²

Walter was Baptized St. Northam Parish 20 Mar 1756/7

Goochland DB 14
p.339 16 Oct 1786 Benjamin Clopton & Agnes his wife to Walter Clopton. 300£. tract of 220 acres. Land of John Thelpole Ballows; Thos. Bolling, Thos. Randolph, and Wm. Lewis. Signed Benj. Clopton
Acknowledged 16 Oct 1786 by Benj. Clopton

Goochland DB 15
p.206 Collections for Stephen Sampson Shff. By Wm Sampson. For year 1786
March Court 1789
Includes Wm Brill/Britt, Jno Brill/Britt, Jno Clements, Walter Clopton, Thos. Meriwther, Arthur Slayden

Goochland DB 16
20 Feb 1792 Nathl. Holland & David Hudson ordered that Thos. Miller, Wm. R. Fleming, Archd. Bryce, John Perkins & George Richardson or any three appraise the accounts of John Barnerd & Walter Clopton as admin of Benjamin Clopton, dec'd.
Included
Payment to Agness Clopton, 18 Jul, 1790
1792 Payment to Agness Clopton on 16 Apr
Report signed by Tho. Miller, George Richardson, Jno Perkins 10 Apr 1792
Rec. 21 Aug 1792

1830 Census. Wilson Co, TN
Walter Clopton: 3m 20-30, 1m 30-40, 1m 70-80 [born bet 1750-1760]. 1f under age 5. 1f 30-40, 1f 40-50, 1f 60-70 [born bet 1760-1770]
adjacent
Walter Clopton Jr: 2m under 5, 1m 40-50 [born bet 1780-1790]. 1f age 20-30.

26 Oct 1833. Wilson Co, TN
Application for Rev War pension under the Act of June 7, 1832. S3165.
Walter Clopton, Senior, a resident of Wilson Co age 76 years and 9 months (unable to ride to court - his affidavit taken at his residence) stated he was drafted a private soldier in Goochland Co, VA in 1775 but not mustered into service until 1779 and was attached to the Company under ommand of Capt. Joseph Leake. They were marched to Albamarl Barracks and stationed there as guards over the prisoners taken at Saratoga. They were in service three months and discharged. He was again drafted in 1780 and ensconced at Richmond, then marched to Isle of wight, Cabbin Point, and Petersburgh. Discharged at Petersburgh Dec 1780. Again drafted in Jan 1781 under Captain Leake. He was subsequently discharged & drafted several other times. He was born in Goochland in the Rockcastle neighborhood on James River on 25 Dec 1756 and lived there until after the restoration of peace when he moved to Sumner Co TN, Nov 1803 and thence to Wilson Co TN and settled on Fall Creek, 16 miles from Lebanon where he now resides in Jan of 1805. He is old and infirm. He was in service for eleven months & eleven days as best he now recollects. signed: Walter Clopton
He was subscibed on the pension Roll of West Tennesse in the amount of $38 per annum beginning 4 Mar 1831.

Walter may have left a Will, Wilson Co, TN. Children have been seen as Walter Jr., Jess B., Martha H., Eleanor B., William A. and John A. Clopton.

Walter CLOPTON and Eleanor RANDOLPH were married before 1785 in Goochland County, Virginia.⁵² Eleanor RANDOLPH died about November 1835.⁵²

The closest guess I can come up regarding Eleanor's birth is about 1765-1770, from the 1830 census. Also son Walter Jr. was age 40-50, or born between 1780-1790.

I have seen Eleanor Randolph's father as Thomas C., Thomas E., and as Thomas Isham Randolph, son of Isham Randolph and Jane Rogers. The wife and mother always shown as Jane Cary. I believe this to be an error and Eleanor has been misplaced - a confusion with so many similar names. I even doubt that she was a Randolph - perhaps her mother had been a Randolph, but I see no real reason to suspect that either.

A Thomas C. Randolph in this time period simply does not seem to exist.

The last one - Thomas Isham Randolph - was born circa 1728 at Dungeness and he is the Thomas Randolph who married Jane Cary, daughter of Archibald Cary and Mary Randolph, about 1768. Nowhere in Randolph genealogies is this Thomas and Jane Cary shown with a daughter named Eleanor, although their children appear to be about the same age as Eleanor. They had Archibald Cary Randolph, b. 1769, who married Lucy Burwell; twins Isham & Thomas, b. 27 Mar 1771 - Isham married Nancy Coupland and Thomas married Mary Skipwith and was killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe at age 40; and a daughter Mary, b. 1 Feb 1773 who married Randolph Harrison.
Note: Mary Randolph was a descendant of Richard, brother of Isham Randolph who married Jane Rogers.

Then there was a Thomas Eston Randolph, born 11 Apr 1767, still in England. That date alone would seem to indicate he was more of a contemporary of Eleanor Randolph. He was a grandson of Isham & Jane Rogers through their son William who married Elizabeth Little, 31 Jun 1761. Thomas Eston Randolph married Jane Cary Randolph, daughter of Thomas Mann Randolph Sr. and Anne "Nancy Cary, in 1797. This Jane Cary was nee Randolph and married a Randolph. Thomas Eston & Jane Cary Randolph had two known sons, Thomas Mann and James Henry, b. 3 Jul 1809.
Note: Thomas Mann Randolph was a descendant of William Randolph, another brother of Isham Randolph who married Jane Rogers.

But there is a deed:
Thomas Eston Randolph and Jane Cary Randolph, his wife, of Goochland Co., deed to Walter Clopton of same County. 30 3/4 acres in Goochland Co... being part of Dungenness. 2-7-1799
[Goochland Co., VA, Deed books number not shown....p. 371.)
THe Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers,III, p. 1356.
Found in Post-em Note WorldConnect file of Becky Vaught

Now the problem with Thomas Eston Randolph remains that the 1830 Census shows the wife of Walter Clopton to be age 60-70, or born between 1760 and 1770. And son Walter Jr. was also said to be 40-50 and she would have been at least 15-20 years older than her eldest child. Thomas Eston is shown to have been born in 1767 - he would have been approximately the same age as the wife of Walter Clopton and could not have been her father is this is true.

Could Eleanor have been a sister to Thomas Eston Randolph? Randolph databases list at least 11 siblings for Thomas Eston, but none were Eleanor, or Ellen. In fact this given name seems not to have used by the Randolphs at all.

Walter CLOPTON and Eleanor RANDOLPH had the following children: