Genealogy Richard Remmé, The Hague, Netherlands » Col. William Randolph (< 1650-1711)

Personal data Col. William Randolph 

• Alternative name: William Randolph
• He was born before November 7, 1650 in MORTON HALL, WARWICKSHIRE, ENGLAND.Sources 2, 4
• He was christened on November 7, 1650 in Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire, England.Source 2
• Immigrated about 1660.Source 3
• Occupations:
• Colonel.
• Merchant.Source 2
• Planter.Source 2
• between 1670 and 1671 Attorney General Virginia, USA.Source 3
• between 1683 and 1711 Clerk of Henrico County.Sources 2, 3
• in the year 1685 Burgess.Source 3
• in the year 1690 Speaker of House of Burgesses.Sources 2, 3
• (Alt. Birth) October 1650: Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire, England.Sources 3, 5
• He died on April 21, 1711 in Turkey Island, Chesterfield Co, Virginia, Verenigde Staten.Sources 2, 3, 4

  Henrico Co,

• He is buried on April 21, 1711 in Turkey Island Cemetery, Chesterfield Co, Virginia, Verenigde Staten.Sources 2, 6

  Henrico Co,

• A child of Richard Randolph and Elizabeth Ryland
• This information was last updated on December 4, 2022.

Household of Col. William Randolph

He is married to Mary Isham.

They got married about 1680 at Warwickshire, England, Great Britain.Source 7

Child(ren):

1. Elizabeth Randolph  1685-1719 
2. William Randolph  1681-1741 
3. Thomas Randolph  1682-1729 
4. ISHAM Randolph  1685-1742 
5. HENRY Randolph  ± 1687-????
6. Edward Randolph  ± 1689-???? 
7. Richard Randolph  1690-1748 
8. MARY Randolph  1692-????
9. JOHN Randolph  1693-1737 

Notes about Col. William Randolph

[Kellie Crnkovich.ged]

He resided in "Turkey Island', Henrico Co., Virginia. ; He was a member of the House of Burgesses in VA.  He was a member of Coucil in Virginia.  He was County Clerk in Henrico Co., Virginia.  He immigrated circa 1660 to "Turkey Island", Henrico Co., Virginia.  He was Attorney-General between 1670 and 1671 in VA.
(Randolph Family Genealogy)

From _Virginia: Guide to the Old Dominion_, 1940, p.629:
Brick gateposts about 2 miles past Curles Neck are at the entrance to Turkey Island, ancestral seat of the Randolph family.  The present house, near the James, is relatively modern.  Within a walled enclosure are ironstone table tombs, that of the immigrant bearing the Randolph arms.  The plantation, so named for an island near by where the first explorers of the river found many wild turkeys, was owned in 1676 by Colonel James Crews, who was hanged for participating with his neighbor, Bacon, in the rebellion.  In 1684 the land was sold to William Randolph (1657-1711).

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[Kellie Crnkovich.ged]

Of "Turkey Island," on James River, Henrico Co., Virginia, having arrived there in 1674.  Clerk of Henrico 1683 to 1711 while also serving as Burgess beginning in 1685, Speaker 1690, Clerk of House 1702, Attorney General 1696, and a member of the Royal council.  His tombstone there read "Col. William Randolph of Warwickshire, but late of Virginia, Gent., died April 11, 1711.  Mrs. Mary Randolph, his only wife.  She was the daughter of Mr. Henry Isham by Catherine his wife. He was of Northamptonshire, but late of Virginia, Gent."

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[Craig Sharrow.ged]

William Randolph (1650 - April 11, 1711) was a colonist and land owner who played an important role in the history and politics of the what became the U.S. state of Virginia.  He was born in Warwickshire, England to Richard Randolph (1627-1671) and Elizabeth Ryland (1625-1670).  Randolph was also the nephew of English poet Thomas Randolph.  He moved to Virginia in 1674 and married Mary Isham later that year.  He was the second member of the Randolph family to settle in North America, the first being Henry Randolph.  Shortly after arriving, he built his home at Turkey Island, Henrico County.  He was one of the founders of the College of William and Mary.  He was also the patriarch of the Randolph family of Virginia which married with members of the Lee, Washington, and Harrison families, and included notable members such as President Thomas Jefferson, United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, First Continental Congress president Peyton Randolph, and Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

His children with Mary Isham were:

Elizabeth Randolph (Bland) (1680 - 1719)
William Randolph Jr. (1681 - 1742) of Turkey Island.
Thomas Randolph (1683 - 1729) of Tuckahoe, Goochland County (different from the nearby town of Tuckahoe, Virginia)
Isham Randolph (1685 - 1742) of Dungeness, Goochland County
Henry Randolph (1687 - ?) of Chatsworth
Richard Randolph (1691 - 1748) of Curles Neck Plantation
Mary Randolph (Stith) (1692 - ?)
Sir John Randolph (1693 - 1737) of Tazewell Hall.
Edward Randolph (1695-?) of Breno (resided in England) ; The number of children the couple had is not certain because of deaths in infancy and the naming children after their deceased siblings.  At least nine children survived adulthood.

In 1972, North Carolina author Jonathan Worth Daniels (grandson of North Carolina governor Jonathan Worth), released a book through Doubleday on William Randolph's descendants, The Randolphs of Virginia.-------------- William came to Virginia around 1672, at Turkey Island.  He was the start of the William line.  William emigrated to Jamestown, Virginia, in 1672 and soon established a large plantation called 'Turkey Island.'  He died there 11 April 1711, aged 60, so his birth was 1650 or maybe 1651. ; William Randolph of 'Turkey Island' is a key figure in Virginia history and genealogy.  He was a founder of the College of William and Mary and a leader in the young colony.  He also has thousands of descendants.  Two of his great-grandsons were President Thomas Jefferson and Chief Justice John Marshall.  "Ryland" is a recurring given name among his descendants.

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Some information about this family came from:
SOURCES:- 'Plantagenet Ancestry of 17th Century Colonists'; David Faris;Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, 1996;J.H. Garner; 1st ed, pp
235-237 "Randolph"
Emigrated to VA abt . 1673.
of Turkey Island, Henrico Co, VA.
Planter, merchant, Clerk of Henrico County.
Speaker of the House of Burgesses.
A founder of the College of William & Mary.

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NOTE: WEBSITE: RootsWEB: U.S. Presidential Ancestor Tables;
Contact: Gary Boyd Roberts ((XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)),
New England Historic Geneological Society;
from 'Ancestors of American Presidents', a 456-page book
http://www. rootsweb.com/~rwguide/presidents/prez3.htm

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[Norvan L. Johnson.ged]

Turkey Island, Henrico County, Virginia
Succeeded Henry Randolph as Clerk of Henrico
Justice Henrico
Speaker House of Burgesses, Founder of William & Mary College
Name Suffix: Colonel
Buried in Turkey Island Cemetery, Henrico Co., Virginia.  The grave markers for William and Mary read as follows- COL. Wm. RANDOLPHOF WARWICKSHIRE, BUT LATE OF VIRGINNIA GEN'.
DIED APRIL 11, 1711 (crest) (on same stone beneath the crest)
Mrs. Mary Randolph his only wife died She was Daughter of M Hen: Isham by Katherine his wife, he was of Northamptonshire but late of Virginia Gent.  (There is a marker for each put down by the Va. ConservationCom.)  One at the head: HERE LIES COL WILLIAM RANDOLPH FOUNDER OF RANDOLPH FAMILY 1651-1711 VIRGINIA CONSERVATION COM 1946. One at the foot: HERE LIES MARY ISHAM RANDOLPH WIFE OF COL. WILLIAM RANDOLPH 1659-1735 VIRGINIA CONSERVATION COM. 1946

William came to the Colony of Virginia in 1673 or 1674, and settled at Turkey Island below what is now Richmond, Virginia.  On Oct 1, 1674 William Randolph purchased land in Henrico Co., Virginia located on the upper James River just north of present day Petersburg and about 15 miles south of Richmond.  He soon became known as William Randolph of Turkey Island and carried the name throughout his life and is nearly always referred to by this name even in present day writings. He soon began to take an active part in colonial affairs.  He rose to the rank of Colonel in the Militia and was elected a member of The House of Assembly for the colonly of Virginia in 1684.  He was one of the founders and trustees of William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia.  He married Mary Isham of Bermuda Hundred.  His family consisted of 7 sons and 3 daughters who founded many of the present day families of the name in Virginia and throughout the United States. -------------------------
From the files of David A. Blocher: Col. William Randolph (1651-1711), North American planter and Colonial Official, born in Warwickshire, England, first of a notable family, bought Turkey Island on the James River in 1684, and acquired other vast tracts and imported many slaves.  File submitted for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Shelley J. Armstrong

Here lieth the Honourable WILLIAM RANDOLPH Esq. Eldest Son of Col. WILLIAM RANDOLPH of this Place And of MARY his wife who was of the Ancient & Eminent Family of the ISHAMS of Northamptonshire.  Having been Introduced early into Business And praised through many of the (interior) Offices of Government with great Reputation and Eminent Capacity.  He was at left By his Majesty happy here and the universal Approbation of his Country Advanced to the Council.  His Experience in men and business the native Gravity and Dignity of his Person and behaviour his Attachment to the Interests of his Country Knowledge of the Laws in general and of the Laws & Constitution of his Colony in particular his Integrity above all calumny or Suspicion.  The Acuteness of his parts and the Extensiveness of his Genius together with that Solidity of Sense & Judgement which was ever predominant in all he said or did Rendred him not only equal, but an Ornament to the high Office he bore and have made him Universally lamented.  As a most able & Impartial Judge and as an upright and useful Magistrate in all other Respects.  Neither was he lefs consicuous for a certain Majestic plainness of Sense and honour which carried him through all parts of private life with an equal Dignity & Reputation And deservedly obtained in the character of a just good man in all the several dutys & Relations of life. ----------- William Randolph came to Virginia about 1673.  William Randolph (1651-1711) the first of the "Turkey Island Randolphs" was the son of Richard Randolph (1621-1671) of Morton Hall, Warwickshire; grandson of William Randolph (1572-1650) of Little Haughton, Northampton-shire; great grandson of Richard Randolph, of Hams, Sussex, Gentleman.  Henry Randolph (1623-1673), an uncle of William Randolph, also settled in Henrico County(3). (3) Ibid., Vol. III, p. 261 and WILLIAM AND MARY QUARTERLY, Vol. IV, p. 125.  Thomas Randolph (1605-1639)

Attorney General Speaker of the House of Burgesses
House of Burgesses from Henrico County, Virginia and was Speaker of the House of Burgesses in 1698.  William Randolph came to Virginia in 1674 an energetic and ambitious youth, well suited to start a career in the Colonies where opportunities abounded.  William initially followed an uncle, Henry Randolph, who had patented a 1,000 acres land tract along James River.  It is unclear whether William inherited some of this property when Henry Randolph died.

William Randolph soon engaged into business, building tobacco barns and bringing the requested amounts of settlers to Virginia, to be granted a plantation in 1674 by Governor Berkeley.  This land was part of Turkey Island, a fertile plantation which originally belonged to Nathaniel Bacon and was confiscated following his rebellion against the Crown and the colonial governor.  Whereas the original grant was for 581 acres, William Randolph added by constant purchases until he owned all of Turkey Island plantation.  William Randolph was also active in politics as a member of the House of Burgesses, Attorney General of Virginia and County Clerk of Henrico County.

In 1678, William Randolph consolidated his position in Virginia by his marriage to Mary Isham, the nineteen year old daughter of Henry Isham, owner of the Bermuda Hundred plantation and neighbor of Turkey Island.  Mary Isham's brother, another Henry Isham died unmarried on a sea passage from England, thus ending the Isham line of Bermuda Hundred.

William Randolph and Mary Isham had nine children, seven sons and two daughters, all of whom grew to adulthood. ; This offspring, of whom many were successful in their own right, along with the combined Randolph and Isham fortunes, were the foundation of the Randolph dynasty of Virginia.  The upbringing of the Randolph children, as planter aristocrats, was decidedly different from the education of the landed gentry of New York.  William Randolph established all of his sons as plantation owners and also provided generous dowries for his two daughters, when they got married.  Two sons, Henry and Edward Randolph, decided to return to England and live there.  The other five Randolph sons were the archetypes of Virginian planter aristocrats, comfortably settled on large estates, prominently married to Southern Belles and more than one actively engaged in colonial politics. William was the U.S. Attorney General from 1670 to 1671.  Also a speaker of the House of Burgesses in 1698.  He was a loyalist who came to America in 1672 (PER VIRGINIA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY VOL ILV - DEC. 1937)  He was the King's Colony council in Virginia and Colonial Attorney General. ; He was a founder of William and Mary College and one of the Trustees.  He was known as a tobacco planter, merchant, and colonial official.  Turkey Island home site is on the north side of the James river about 15 miles from the falls.  Once a peninsula connected by land at the South end, ships were required to travel all the way around the 1329 acre property in a time consuming horseshoe shaped loop.  In 1934, a 3/4 mile ship channel was cut out by the Army corps of engineers to facilitate water shipping from Newport News to Richmond.  The 2 1/ 2 mile by 1/2 mile wide island is now a National wildlife refuge, called "Presque Isle" or "Presquile", which means peninsula in French.  The name was coined after the visiting report of French emigre', Duc de la Rochefoucault Liancort. The island has been well cared for by the Department of the Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service.  William and his brother built a 2 story frame home approximately 34 feet by 60 feet on the four-room plan with a symmetrical three-bay front elevation, brick "noggings", three-run openwell stairs, deck-on-hip roof, two interior brick chimneys, and a raised full basement of Flemish-bond brick, situated on the extreme Southeast corner upon a sharp rising bluff.  Old family letters refer to a front porch.  Some histori cal records suggest that cousin Richard Randolph II of Curles may have been the actual builder-contractor of the house.  Conflicting historical records indicate the house was: "an imposing imported English brick mansion with a high cupola.  The home site, built on a rise in the Southwest corner of the island was expertly nestled among stately buckeye, pecan, holly, and oak trees, and must have been a wonderful place to live.  A tiny cemetery is located at the edge of the terraced groves with the remaining gravestones.  The Virginia Historical Society revealed the fact that many of the Randolphs were buried on the island, but storms must have obliterated the Randolph sites and headstones.  The original William Randolph "The Immigrant" was buried on Turkey Island in 1711.  Mary Isham Randolph was buried there in 1742.  Also buried on the island in 1742 were William "Councilor" Randolph and Colonel Isham Randolph.  Ryland Randolph was buried there about 1803.  William and Mary Randolph had 3 children who died as infants, William, Elizabeth, and Joseph who should also be buried on Turkey Island. ; There is speculation as to whether the current four non-Randolph gravesites are in the proper location or not. ; There were two brick 2-room outbuildings with gable roofs to the rear of the main house which are reported to have been slave quarters and a kitchen. In 1801, David Meade Randolph, Federal Marshall of Virginia, sold the farm. ; In 1952, the property was willed to the Virginia Commission of Game, and subsequently transferred to the U. S. Department of the Interior.  According to historical records, Lafayette used the house as headquarters before the siege of Yorktown.  And, during the Civil War, the house was said to have been bombarded and occupied by Federal soldiers.  The house was used by General Pickett and was reportedly dismantled, piece by piece and carried to Appomattox to be used in the building of a war hospital.  After the war, it was rebuilt in the original location. ; Damaged by fire at a later date, the house was rebuilt again.
COAT OF ARMS IS A "GU UPON A CROSS OR, F MULLETS GU" ; TWO MOTTOS "NIL ADMIRARI' ABOVE, AND "FARI QUAE SENTIAT" BELOW.  Meaning - "Never fear to speak the truth you feel".  William Randolph, founder of the family in America was the son of a Warwickshire country gentleman who came to Virginia about 1672.  He established the pattern by which his descendants prospered:  vast land ownership combined with the holding of vital and lucrative public offices.  William Randolph became king's attorney and clerk and speaker of the House of Burgesses.  He acquired 15,000 acres of land, which became the nucleus of the family holdings.  He had seven sons, five of whom founded notable lines that became associated with great plantations stretching along the James River from Williamsburg beyond Richmond: William Randolph II of Wilton, Thomas Randolph of Tazewell Hall.  The Randolphs became allied by marriage with the Beverleys, Blands, Bollings, Carters, Carys, Harrisons, Lees, Pages, and other aristocratic families of Virginia and intermarried until their own numerous lines were tangled "like fishhooks."  It is suggested that confederate General JEB Stuart and Lady Astor are also descendants.
Colonel William arrived in the year 1674 in Virginia, and became owner of large plantations on James river.  He fixed his abode on Turkey island (not now an island), about twenty miles below the city of Richmond, where as yet there was no settlement.  He built, with bricks imported on his ship which plied regularly between Bristol, England and Turkey Island, Virginia, a mansion with lofty dome, whose picturesque ruin remains.  Colonel William Byrd's letters written at the time show Randolph to have been a man of high character as well as of much influence.  He was a member of the House of Burgesses in 1684, and either he or his eldest son was the William Randolph mentioned as clerk of the house in 1705.  Tradition says that he was a member of Governor's Council.  He was active in the work of civilizing the Indians, was a founder and trustee of William and Mary College, and on its first board of visitors appears "William Randolph, Gentleman," as he is also described in the college charter.  He married Mary Isham, by whom he had ten children.  The family and family names so multiplied that the seven sons of William were conveniently distinguished by the estates he bequeathed them:  William of Turkey Island, Thomas of Tuckahoe, Isham of Dungeness, Richard of Curles, Henry of Chatsworth, Sir John of Taze-well Hall, and Edward of Bremo. Six of these sons begin the list of forty graduates of the Randolph name to be gathered from the catalogues of William and Mary College. The sons all appear to have entered with energy on the work of colonial civilization, save Edward, who married and resided in England.  On March 12, 1701/2 the Governor and Council of Virginia made an address of loyalty to the King.

A Similar Loyal Address was received from: HENRICO COUNTY Militia Officers William Byrd - William Randolph - Peter Field - Francis Epes- Will iam Farrar -Thomas Cocke -John Worsham - Giles Webb - Joseph Royall - John Bolling - Seth Ward - George Worsham - Philip Jones - William Cocke - John Cox - Richard Cocke, Jr. -Thomas Jefferson - Thomas Branch - John Worsham, Jr. - A. Childers - Francis Epes, Jr. - Abraham Womack - William Blackman

Justices of the Peace Richard Cocke - William Randolph - Francis Epes - William Farrar - Thomas Cocke - John Worsham - Giles Webb - Joseph Royall - John Bolling, October 30, 1706:  William Randolph of Henry County, Gent., to William Randolph the younger, son to said William Randolph, of same county, for love and affection, tract lately purchased of Samuel Woodward of New England, mariner, 167 acres joining lands said William Randolph the younger and Mr. John Pleasants, lying on Turkey Island Creek.
Wit:  William Henshaw
Signed :  William Randolph, Henry Randolph
Dated: November 1, 1706:  William Randolph, of Parish and County of Henrico, to Henry Randolph, son of said William, for love and affection, a tract known as "Curles", with Field and all marshes and swamps, being all that the land at "Curles", lately belong to Bacon, Esq., and was found to esheat to his majesty.
Wit:  William Randolph, Recorded:  1 Nov 1706

Name Prefix: Col.

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