James Chilton (born 1740)
James Chilton was born in 1740 to John and Martha Chilton. He was probably born in Prince William County, Virginia. There is a slight chance however that he may have been born in Maryland. Two years before James Chilton was born, his grandfather was a resident of Prince George's County, Maryland. There is no evidence to show whether or not James's father had gone with him. At any rate, his grandfather appears to have returned to Virginia within the next four years where he died in 1744.
His family continued their gradual movement up the south side of the Potomac River. In 1754, while a resident of Fairfax County, Virginia, his father leased 159 acres on the west side of Metockton Mountain. This area currently falls in Loudoun County, Virginia. He leased it for himself, his wife, Martha, and their son, William. James would have been about 14 years old at the time so it is only speculation as to why he was not included. He may have been working for someone else or was staying with other relatives.
It seems plausible that his father was the first family member to move to what is now Loudoun County. This is the earliest record of a Chilton mentioned in this area by Dorman. By 1760 there are records in Loudoun County for all six of the male Chiltons in his fathers family.
James moved again with his father to Frederick County, Maryland. When his father died in 1767, James signed the inventory record as next of kin.
He also probably married about this time as his first child was born the following year.
It seems likely that James was not to far away from his Chilton relatives across the river in Virginia. His mother stayed in Maryland at least a year after his father died but by 1771 had returned to Loudoun County, Virginia. When her will was filed in Loudoun County in 1772, she named James Chilton her executor. Since the two counties are ajacent, it would make more sence that he would have taken care of her estate from where he was living in Maryland than to keep moving back and forth. However, it is difficult to tell without being able to pinpoint each persons location.
The next number of years were definitely spent in Maryland. Wallace Hopper published the following information in The Virginia Genealogist:
The 1776 Maryland Census lists them and their children and in 1778 he took the Oath of Fidelity in Montgomery Co., Md.(1) There is a record of a James Chilton marrying Cath. Burns 25 July 1778 in this same county, which may be a second marriage for him.(2)
The children of James and Ann (---) Chilton are shown, with their ages in the 1776 Maryland census:(3)
1. Sary, age 8, born ca.1768.
2. John, age 7, born ca. 1769.
3. Jesse, age 4, born ca.1772.
4. James, age 1, born ca.1775.
This same census gives the ages of James as 36 and of Ann as 28. Also included were Mary Chilton, age 37, Mark Chilton, age 22, and William Chilton, age 24.
-John Frederick Dorman, The Chilton Families of Virginia and Maryland, Vol 20, # 1, 1976.
Hopper goes on to list a number of other Missouri Chiltons that he believes belong to this family. The major difficulty is that no proof of their relationships have been found. Few details have been found with gaping holes in the cronology. It is difficult to come to any conclusions under these conditions. As an example, James Chilton's brother, William, could easily have married and also had children about this same time. So there are other possibilities that haven't been eliminated.
As shown previously, Hopper stated:
James, born ca. 1740, married first Ann --- ... returned to Loudoun Co., Va. and is listed as a delinquent taxpayer of that county in 1790, having gone to the "french Broad".(4)
-Chilton Part I, Virginia & Maryland, by Wallace Hopper, p 15.
Research is needed to determine what it was that James owed taxes for. It is a remote possibility that he never cleared up his mothers estate. As executor, with land it seems he would be listed for any delinquency. The land was probably used up by this time and the family could have just left it to seek a new start in Tennessee. This may mean that James stayed in Maryland until the family move to Tennessee.
However, the greatest value of this statement is that it tells about when and where they went. Depending on when taxes were due, they could have left the year before.
Most important, the 'french Broad', is a river in eastern Tennessee. This is where his brother, Thomas Chilton, settled about the same time. It is an interesting riddle to figure out how his destination got recorded in Virginia. Was he joining relatives in Tennessee or did word trickle back after he had gotten there?
The most frustrating part is that no further records have been found. His brother, Thomas Chilton, is well known in Jefferson County, Tennessee. His son, also named James Chilton, was married in Jefferson County in 1796 and lived around there for some time. It is hoped that records will be found to finish his story.
1. Dorman, op. cit., v. 15. pp. 36.-37.