William Dameron, Jr

William married Elizabeth Williams and had at least five sons and two daughters; George, Roger, William, Luke, Christopher, Elizabeth "Betty" (married Leroy Oldham) and Molly (married George Lewis).

At a meeting of the Wicomico Parish Vestry on November 18th, 1756 a payment of five shillings was recorded in the minutes from William Dameron Junr for a "judegement." Half a dozen other men paid a fine in the same amount. William was likely living in St. Stephens Parish, so this may not be a match.³

In Febraury 1758 William purchased 50 acres of land from William Mahanes for 59 pounds current money of Virginia. The bounds of the property were described as being in St. Stephens Parish and "beginning at a corner marked post in the fork of a branch running into Matoponic River thence running NE along a line of marked trees to the head of pond thence running by water courses from the head of the pond down Garners Mill Creek to the end of Auhoken (sp?) point so running up Matoponic River to the marked post."⁴ The following October William and Elizabeth sold the parcel of land to John Hardige of Richmond County for 59 pounds. William signed his name and Elizabeth signed by making a mark.⁵ Garners Mill Creek may now be known as Garners Creek and Matoponic River may have been a corruption of Potomac River.

In 1758 William Dameron's name appeared on the tax list for St. Stephens Parish.⁶

In 1760 William sold land to Pemberton Claughton for 50 pounds. The property was described as lying on Garners Mill Creek and being the "tract of land whereon the said Wm. Dameron now lives." Additional wording names the document as deed of mortgage and gives the term as 500 years. This appears to have been Pemberton Claughton, Jr, the deed was witnessed by his son and also by Thomas Bell.⁷ If Garners Mill Creek is the same as the current Garners Creek than this homeplace would have been less than two miles from the area once known as "Mattapony Neck," owned by William's grandfather, Lawrence Dameron, Jr.

The 1767 Will of Roger Williams mentioned the name of his daughter, Elizabeth Dameron.⁸

In April of 1774 William sold 150 acres in St. Stephens Parish, Northumberland to Archibald Ritchie of Essex County for 46 pounds 15 shillings and four pence current money of Virginia. The parcel was described as being the land where William lived and adjoined the lands of John Douglas, John Butter, Leroy Oldham, and William Folks. Also included in the sale was a slave woman named Sarah, livestock including horses and cattle, and household furniture including three feather beds.⁹ With his father's will being probated less than a year earlier this may have been his father's estate, or he may have inherited his father's estate and sold his own.

In September 1777 William bought 30 acres of land from George Lewis (likely his son-in-law) for 75 pounds. The property lines were mainly described using red oak tree stumps, persimmon trees, a place known as the horse pond, and the land of Matthais Self.¹⁰

On July 18th, 1780 William Dameron and his wife Elizabeth along with William Folks and his wife Nanny sold 7 acres of land to Stephen Hall Sr, Richard Neil, Richard Clayton, John Rust and Robert Carter of the Baptist Church of Christ on Morattico Creek in Richmond County for only 5 shillings.¹¹ This land was on present day Route 617 between Village and Hyacinth. In November of that same year Morattico Baptist Church held a meeting there at Lunsford's Meeting House.¹² The property appears to have been associated with Yeocomico Baptist and Wicomico Baptist (which was renamed to Coan Baptist in 1847).

In 1782 William Dameron was listed in the Continental Census (i.e., first tax list after the Revolution) as the head of a family in Northumberland County. The number of family members was given as 7 and the number of slaves given as 4. The personal property record listed 5 tithables, 9 cattle and 2 horses.¹³ In 1784 he was recorded as paying personal property taxes for 1 tithable, 2 slaves under 16, 4 cattle and 1 horse.¹⁴

William Dameron wrote a will on January 17th, 1785.¹⁵ On February 14th, 1785 William and Elizabeth signed a document agreeing to sell the same 30 acres of land purchased in 1777 to David Straughan for fifty pounds. The bounds of the property were described in the same way except the bordering property owner was now Matthew Self.¹⁶

William died sometime in the months following. His will was probated on June 13th, 1785. William left to his wife Elizabeth the plantation that they lived on, a slave named Sarah, all of their furniture and all of the livestock. He left to his son Roger the plantation that Roger currently lived on. He left to his son Luke land that he had purchased in Westmoreland county and a slave named Watts. He left to his son Christopher a gray mare. To his son George he left the best bed and furniture after Elizabeth's death. The second best bed and furniture he left to his grandson, Edward Dameron Lewis. William also instructed that after the death of his wife all of his estate and "movables of every kind and nature," be sold and divided equally among his sons Christopher and George as well as his grandson Edward.¹⁵

Willam's estate was administered by his son Roger. An inventory was taken in July and in August of 1785 the estate sale was held. Most items were purchased by the family. Items listed included; two guns, a Bible, a pair of tongs, a fish gig, a pair of oxen, and a plow with chain. Livestock also included cattle, swine and geese.¹⁷

William Dameron is our ancestor along two different lines. Richard Christopher Dameron was a great-grandson of William Dameron from his son Christopher. Mildred Cleopatra Fallin was a 2nd great-granddaughter of William Dameron through his son Luke. When they married, Richard Christopher and Minnie were 3rd cousins once removed.