Ancestry of Mary Virginia and Charles Lemuel Williamson
The following pedigree illustrates what we know to date from primary source documents
on the ancestry of Mary and Charles Williamson with the exception of ‘Joel Peed/Pead’. See the website
Http://68.33.114.238/williamson.html for other detailed information/references on information on John and
Susan Williamson and Http://68.33.114.238/peed.html for Lemuel Peed and Susan Mears. Parents of Susan
Johnson Williamson as Lemuel and Susan was obtained on Susan’s death certificate at the library of VA and
their marriage compiled by Elizabeth Wingo in ‘Early Marriages of Norfolk County’. In the later reference,
Susan is referred to as ‘Sukey’. A posting by Jennifer Oast of Portsmouth on Genforum
[http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?susan,johnson::peed::91.html] on 7 July 2000 as
apparently conveyed by one Claudia Pope (deceased) of port Norfolk via a Herbert Daniel states “James Peed
was the son of Lemuel Peed b.1766 d.1835 who married 30 April 1788 in Norfolk co., Virginia Susan (Sukey)
Johnson Mears b.1771 d. 1825”. Note the similar or perhaps identical name to Susan Johnson Peed
Williamson. The obituaries compiled by Bernard Henley and archived at the Library of VA
[http://eagle.vsla.edu/Henley] at Richmond confirm the dates of a Lemuel and a Susan, undoubtedly the same
people.
Examination of the early wills of Norfolk Co. at the Lib of VA, specifically that of Elijah “Meers” (WP
1790) and his wife Elizabeth (WP 1795) specifically mentions their daughter, Susanna “Peade” and
granddaughter Elizabeth “Peade” in addition to sons, Bartholomew and Arthur Meers and other daughters,
Sarah Fisher and Ann Mears. This was just two years following the marriage of Lemuel and Susan.
At Chicago’s Newberry Genealogical
Library, a book “Ames, Mears and Allied
lines of Accomack Co, VA” authored by
‘Lucy Ames Edwards’ in 1967 and a second
earlier book and supplement “Hacks Neck
and its People, Past and Present” by ‘James
Egbert Mears’ in 1937 were viewed and
copied. While both publications include
personal and relative recollections of life in
Accomack Co., the former one remains much
more professionally written and documented
with the later quite speculative. It is unclear whether James’ lineage (Richard d. 1682 and Mary) is the same
referenced Richard and Margaret briefly referred by Lucy and son of Bartholomew. Both lineages are likely to
share some, perhaps obscure, relationship as they lived very near each other. Lucy describes the lineages of
John and Margaret Mears and William and Mary Mears, two sons of Bartholomew (D. 1682) while the lineage
of a third son, Richard with wife Margaret is untouched (see pedigree at appendix). The individuals referred
to by Lucy plus others have been compiled and indexed by Robert Mears on the Eastern Shore Public Library
site in Accomac (Http://www.espl.org) with clues to vital statistic dates being supplied by LDS
(Http://www.familysearch.org). Our interest in Lucy’s pedigree (appendix), lies with the third generation
from William and Mary, that of an Elijah and Elizabeth with no other information and or dates supplied.
While the proximity to generational age appears close to our Elijah (d. 1790), it is of concern he may be one
generation early. The indexed mears family names on the ESPL site (Left pedigree) reveals names of the
children of Elijah Sr. and Elizabeth with ‘Clues’ to their dates supplied by LDS. One can easily see here and if
correct that Elijah Sr. is not Susanna’s father. However, it is their child Elijah Mears, Jr (b. ca 1752), if
associated with our Elijah (d.1790), may be better suited based on age, a brother and grandfather,
Bartholomew.
Additional clues from the Accomack records maybe the existence of and close interactions of the ‘Fisher’
family who intermarried extensively with the ‘Mears’ family at least in the early 1800’s if not earlier. Note
here the marriage of Susan’s sister Sarah to a William Fisher.
James’ lineage is intriquing and and once again and possibly coincidental. In an excerpt below, he refers
to a John Elijah Mears with possible aunts, Anne and Susan, the later who married a _______ Wilson and
lived in Norfolk. Note, these are just coarse recollections of john’s wife years after he died in 1852? Further
on he addresses confusion with another Susan F. Mears d/o Richard who in 1833 married a William Garrison.
Nevertheless, the reference to Aunts Ann and Susan, Norfolk and Wilson might provide clues at least to an
origination from Accomac Co.
The eastern shore public library web site lists many more references to this extremely elaborate family on the
lower eastern shore of VA. It is unclear how many of these may be at the Library of VA. An established/
confirmed connection of Susan Mears to Accomac most certainly resides in the records of Norfolk Co. at the
time of her fathers’ death in 1790 to a decade earlier. Records including old Planter’s newspapers and the
William and Mary Quarterly for this time period may be helpful in addition to the examination of other
surnames such as ‘Fisher’ and ‘Giddens’ and specific emphasis to Susan’s brothers, Arthur and Bartholomew
in the decades following 1790.