Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

CHAIN OF TITLE TO TAZEWELL HALL TRACT
September 19, 1931.

Jan. 27, 1848.

Randolph to Randolph

This tract of Land, on which are situated the buildings, was originally the property of Peyton Randolph, and was then estimated to contain ninety acres. By his deed dated the 8th of July 1758, and recorded in James City County on the 10th of July 1758, he conveyed it to his brother John Randolph, by the following description, viz: "All that tract of land lying in James City County, containing, by estimation, 90 acres, more or less, bounded as follows, "on the North by a street called _______ in the City of Williamsburg, East by the line of Philip Johnson Esq. West by the bottom running from Mr Powers' spring, including the whole bottom, and on the South by Mrs. Custis's Mill Pond."

Randolph to Syme & al. Trustee
Randolph to Blair & al. Trustees

By deed dated the 9th May 1771, recorded in James City County on the 11th November 1771, on order to secure a legacy of £1700 stg. given by the will of Edmond Jennings Esq. of Maryland to Edmond Randolph, son of John and Ariana Randolph, and to indemnify the Exor. of said Jennings for paying over the said legacy to the said John Randolph, he the said John Randolph, conveyed the said tract of land in trust, to John Syme, Bernard Moore, Burwell Bassett and William Fitzhugh, Trustees, describing it thus, "All that Messuage or tenement standing and being in Williamsburg aforesaid, and the lands thereunto belonging, containing by estimation 100 acres more or less, and now in the possession of the said John Randolph." By a subsequent deed dated 25th August 1775, and recorded in the James City County Court on the 11th August 1777, in order to secure the payment of his debts, the said John Randolph conveyed the said land &c. to John Blair, Peyton Randolph and James Cocke, Trustees, by the following description, viz: "The house wherein the said John Randolph now dwelleth, in the City of Williamsburg, together with one tract of land adjoining the said House, part of it lying in the City of Williamsburg, and the remaining part in the County of James City, containing, by estimation, 100 acres, more or less, which land was granted to the said John Randolph by the said Peyton Randolph &c.

Blair & al. Trustees to John Tazewell

By deed dated the 15th October 1778, and recorded in James City County on the 9th Novr. following, the surviving trustees in the two trust deeds above mentioned, viz. John Blair and James Cocke, in the latter, and John Symes, Burwell Bassett and William Fitzhugh in the former deed, united in 2 conveying the said land &c to John Tazewell, of Williamsburg, by the following boundaries and description, viz. "all that aforesaid tract of land lying in the County of James City and part thereof in the City of Williamsburg, containing by estimation 100 acres, more or less, and bounded as follows, to wit: on the North by the street which divides the said land from the lots of William Hunter & Elizabeth Dawson, East by the lands of John Hatley Norton, on the South and West by the lands of John Greenhow, including in the land hereby granted the whole meadow land on the west side thereof, and the bricked spring on the East side thereof" &c.

Beale to Jno. Tazewell

By deed date the 1st September 1779, and entered in James City County on the 10th January 1780, Samuel Beale conveyed to John Tazewell, a small piece of land on the East of the land aforesaid, and described in the deed as follows, "all that piece, parcel or slip of land in the County of James City, containing by estimation seven acres more or less, and bounded as follows — "Beginning on the north side of the said Beale's land, at a ditch dividing the same from the lot of William Holt, now occupied by Agatha Custis, running thence Southerly along a fence of posts and railing lately put up for a dividing fence between the said Beale and Tazewell, to the land of John Saunder, then westerly along the said Tazewell's meadow land, thence northerly along the run which divides the said land from the land of the said John Tazewell purchased of the trustees of John Randolph to the ditch aforementioned, thence along the said ditch to the beginning".

John Tazewell's Will

John Tazewell, by his will dated the 27th December 1780, and proved and recorded in James City County Court on the 9th April 1781, devised to his wife, during her natural life, the use of the said land &c. describing it by these words, viz. "my houses and land in and adjoining the City of Williamsburg, and at her death devised the same to his son JamesTazewell, but empowered his Exors. or the survivors of them, in case of the death of his wife before his son James came to age, or sooner if his wife desired it, to sell the said land and houses and purchase other property for the benefit of his said wife and son, according to the interest devised to them respectively. The records do not show any sale or conveyance of this land by the executors, so far as I can see.

From the will aforesaid it appears that the testator John Tazewell, at the date thereof, had five children, viz. Littleton, Elizabeth, William, Sarah, and James, all of whom, it is presumed, survived him. From all that I can learn both Sarah and James must have died at an early age, unmarried and intestate. No will of either, or conveyance from either 3 appears on record. Elizabeth Tazewell intermarried with Samuel Griffin, of Williamsburg, and died in giving birth to her first child. Whether the child survived her I am not informed, but if so, it must have died soon after the mother. Samuel Griffin, the husband, has himself been dead many years. If these be the facts, then (of which I have no doubt) the title of the said land devised to James Tazewell by the will of his father, passed by descent to the two surviving brothers Littleton and William. The deed from the said William Tazewell in his own right and as surviving Excr. of Littleton Tazewell to Dickie Galt, hereinafter mentioned, fortifies the presumption that the whole title to the said land was in the said Littleton and William. The former Little Tazewell, for many years and at the time of his death held and occupied this land and buildings.

[Here follows the chain of title to five additional tracts which in 1848 were part of the Tazewell tract. This is some thirty-four pages long, but the summary of these, as given by George Southall, follows:]

The result is that I think Mr. Galt's title sufficient as follows, to wit.

The title to the residence of Saunders undivided tract it is proposed to secure & indemnify, by getting a deed from Saunders in his own right & as Exor. of his father for the interest supposed to be still remaining in him, supposed to be and by bond with good security as to the 100 acres conveyed by William Tazewell to Dickie Galt.

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