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| Revised and updated 06 Nov 2024. Genealogy can change rapidly, as new information is found, forcing reevaluations of previous information. Check back for update before using any of this information. If you cite any of this work, please include the date of last revision. |
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William Parrott Sr. was the son of Lawrence and Mary Parrott from Northumberland county, Virginia, and the great-grandson of Lawrence Perrott who settled in Gloucester county after immigrating to the Colonies. William was born ca 1732, married Hannah Hughlett, and died in 1778. The couple gave birth to 2 daughters and 5 sons. Four sons survived, and it is their stories that are told in these pages. These four sons left Northumberland county and went their separate ways, giving rise to rise to Parrotts in central Kentucky and Virginia. George, the fifth son, is mentioned in his father's will, and then disappears from the record. Although there are other branches of this family, the branch that arose in Northumberland county is by far the largest of all. This is an attempt to start gathering records and other information after they left Northumberland county. |
 William Parrott 1754 - 1854 |
 John Parrott 1756 - 1840 |
 Rodham Parrott 1759 - 1828 |  George Parrott 1760 - |  Sarah Elizabeth Parrott 1763 - 1840 |  Mary Ann Parrott ~ 1763 - |
 Charles Hughlett Parrott 1772 - 1833 |
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aaaaa For information on the descendants of these siblings, see: version
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William Parrott Jr.Biography of William Parrott
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1 April 1976, Greene Co., VA Record submitted by Woodie B. Parrott to Eugene Powell. Minor edits in 2020 by the web master to reflect information uncovered since original was written. "Although Greene County did not become a political entity until some fifty-eight years after the close of the Revolutionary War, there were nevertheless several early county residents who were veterans of the Revolution. Among this group of early county elders was the first sheriff of Greene County, William Parrott. "William Parrott was born in Northumberland County, Virginia, on January 30, 1754, the eldest son of William Parrott Sr. and Hannah Hughlett Parrott. His paternal ancestor (probably his great, great-grandfather) is thought to have hailed from London, England, traveled through Maryland in 1662, and settled in Kingston Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia by 1678. "On February 26, 1774, William Parrott married Judith Yerby, daughter of Thomas Yerby of Northumberland. Upon the death of his father, William Sr., in 1778, William Parrott inherited his father's plantation in Northumberland, and his proportional share of the many servants. (NTLD. CO. O. B. 1776-1780, pp. 434-436) "From 1775 to October, 1781, William Parrott served on numerous tours of duty each year in the Revolutionary War as a member of the Northumberland County Militia. The primary objective of this service was to prevent the landing of the British who approached the Colony via the Chesapeake Bay. "William Parrott served with his unit in Northumberland, Lancaster, and Gloucester Counties at various intervals during the year. In October of 1781, concurrent with the siege on Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, William Parrott served with Capt. John Diggs in Gloucester County, where they fought Tarleton's forces. During this engagement, Parrott suffered a paralytic stroke. However, the Revolution was all but over at this time, and Parrott was not again called to service. (Deposition of William Parrott, Pension File No. S-10253, Department of Archives, Washington, D. C.) "The close of the Revolutionary War was followed by one of the most severe economic depressions in the history of the United States. Between the economic pressures of that day, dreaded epidemics in the coastal areas, and the lure of westward expansion, the migrations to central Virginia and beyond became more pronounced in the last quarter of the 18th century. In 1787, between the months of January and October, William Parrott moved from their plantation in Northumberland to Albemarle county. In addition to his wife and children born to date, William's household now also included his sister, Elizabeth, and his youngest brother, Charles Parrott. "About 1787, William Parrott moved from Albemarle County to the Quinque vicinity, and made his first purchase there of 417 acres from Peter Rucker in 1789. (Orange Deed Bk. 19, p. 351) William Parrott's sister, Elizabeth Parrott, married George Shearman in Albemarle County in 1787, and they also moved to Orange (Greene) at this time, purchasing a 251 acre adjoining farm. Shearman, also a veteran of the Revolution, was a native of Lancaster County, as was another of their neighbors at Quinque, George Stephens Sr. The Parrott, Shearman, and Stephens families had close ties for many years. 
"While William Parrott continued to buy real estate in the Quinque community, he became increasingly active in the affairs of Orange County. Orange County court records contain frequent references to William Parrott. On August 24, 1795, he was one of three processioners appointed by the court to procession a tract of land near the Albemarle County line. Oct. 26 of that year, again appointed a processioner. March 28, 1796, Parrott was one of three persons elected to be Overseers of the Poor of Orange County. Sept. 26, 1796, William Parrott qualifies as an overseer of the poor in the upper district of Orange (now Greene), and on the same date, is nominated and recommended by the court to be a Justice of Orange County. On October 24, 1796, William Parrott was sworn a Justice of the Orange County court, and on the following month, qualified as a Magistrate of Orange, and assumed that position. (Ref.: Orange County Order Book 3, pp. 319, 336, 366, 404, 408, 412, and 414.) 
"William Parrott, Esq., had not only become a leading citizen in the county by the early 1820's, but had also acquired considerable wealth. He owned a plantation between Quinque and Stanardsville containing between 1,000 and 2,500 acres. As his three sons became of responsible ages, he gave each one a 200+ acre farm. "On July 10, 1819, William Parrott was appointed High Sheriff of Orange County, which then also included Greene County, constituting an area of some 500 square miles. On August 23, 1819, Parrott was bonded for $50,000 as sheriff. (Orange Deed Bk. 28, page 432) "William Parrott served two terms, each term then being one year in duration, as High Sheriff of Orange County. During his second term in that position, one of the most bizarre incidents of Orange County history occurred. "In order to grasp the course of events in 1821, the reader is reminded that, at this point in history, the sheriff's office was not only more ceremonial, but also carried responsibilities which are not today associated with that position. For example, the sheriff was then the collector of the revenue. In 1821, there was a theft of the entire Orange County revenue for that year by the two deputy sheriffs, Thomas Sorrille and Philip C. Cave. (Ref.: Orange Deed Bk. 30, pp. 60-63) Since William Parrott was the superior, it was he who would be held accountable for the infidelity of his deputies. It would then be his legal right to recover his losses from his former Deputies. "Events swiftly followed. The Commonwealth of Virginia filed suit against Sheriff Parrott in the General Court of Virginia for the full amount of the 1821 revenue. Even one of his considerable means was thus forced to succumb. In October of that year, William Parrott filed petition of his properties, and declared himself legally insolvent. The liquidation of his large estate ensued, an on Jan, 1, 1822, Parrott deeded 2,171 acres of land and 27 slaves to James M. Macon. The following year, Feb. 1823, Parrott placed an additional 417 acres, eight slaves etc. in trust. He thereby lost a personal fortune due to an act in which he had personally committed no impropriety and in which his personal veracity was apparently never called to question. Parrott continued to serve as a Justice. (References on liquidation of William Parrott's estate Orange Co. Deed Book 30, page 24 and Orange Deed Book 35, pp. 118-120) "On April 26, 1823, recorded in Orange Deed Book 30 at pages 60-63, Thomas Sorrille and Philip C. Cave. Respectively placed nearly all of their personal assets in trust to William Parrott to secure repayment of the 1821 Orange County revenue, interest, and the legal expense which Sheriff Parrott had encountered as a result of their grand larceny. Reynolds Chapman was trustee. "For nearly a decade following the aforesaid scandal, there was a long procession of court cases, suits and counter-suits, between the former High Sheriff and former deputies, and their respective bondsmen. 
"In 1826, William Parrott requested Chapman's foreclosure on the 1823 bond of Thomas Sorrille for nonpayment. Accordingly, all that property which Sorrille had placed in trust was sold in front of James G. Blakey's Tavern in Stanardsville. William Parrott purchased all of Sorrille's property through his attorney-in-fact at the sale, Woodson Parrott. William Parrott thus acquired a tract of 9,675 acres of mountain land, being one half of a tract owned jointly with Thomas Barbour, lots in Stanardsville, and four shares in the Turnpike Company. As for the other deputy, Philip C. Cave, he was indicted for murder, but later acquitted, in Greene County court in June, 1842. "On June 30, 1832, William Parrott filed for his pension for having served in the Revolutionary War, for which service he had never been paid. On Feb. 28, 1833, William's brother, Charles Parrott, died at his Quinque home, leaving three large farms in Albemarle and Greene and a staff of forty-eight servants. (Orange Co. Will Bk. 8, appr. of Charles Parrott Estate.) "The formation of Greene County in 1838 was achieved only after a prolonged struggle and heated debate. On May 21, 1838, according to Greene public records, a commission from the Governor of Virginia appointed William Parrott to be the first sheriff of Greene County. On June 14, 1838, William Parrott, James Beadles, William Sims, Elijah K. Davis, and Thurman Davis signed the $30,000 performance bond. William Parrott, 84 years old, thus became the first High Sheriff of Greene County, and apparently served his term with less tumult than typified his second term in Orange County. "William Parrott continued to serve as a Greene County Justice until he was at least 96 years old, and perhaps longer. The Revolutionary War soldier, "Planter High Sheriff of Orange, High Sheriff of Greene, Justice, and magistrate - William Parrott - died in Greene County in 1855 at the age of 100 years." |
John ParrottBiography of John Parrott
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The following is based on one from Northumberland Genealogical Society notes, but updated and corrected with more recent information. The original is error-riddled: 
Ensign John Parrott (Pension S8932) of Virginia was born 27 Apr 1756 in Northumberland Co., Va. John and his older brother joined the Minutemen militia of Northumberland county in 1776. John was assigned to guard the salt works in Chesapeake Bay for a year under Captain Heath. He was discharged, married, and moved to the neighboring county of Lancaster by April of 1777. There he was called upon to join the militia again, and served, rising to the rank of ensign, until the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. He received the family grist mill from his father as his heir-in-law, and sold a half-interest in in 1781. Overall, John was rather litigious, and the lawsuit records reveal much about his life. For example, while in Lancaster county, he was renting out the services of his slaves. As the map below shows, John left his home in Northumberland, and moved across the county line to Lancaster county during the Revolutionary War. He moved north to Louden county, and then to Louisa county, where he was at least by 1816. He was there for a while before moving to Kentucky ca 1836, dying on 27 November, 1840, which was his final move (Map is from Mapgeeks). white spacer |
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He was married to 1) Franky, 2) Frances Yerby Peede, and 3) Christina Hardesty. That much is proven a pair of lawsuits whereby his son-in-law sues him over the use of a slave, and then John turns around and sues his son-in-law in return. His children were: from his 1st wife: William R. Parrott of Green (became Taylor) county, Ky. and Frances Parrott Williams, who moved to Hancock Co., Ky. From his 2nd wife: a child who died young, and Margaret Taylor Parrott, who m Benjamin Linton and was dead by 1802. The children from his 3rd wife were Clarissa Parrott Penn (moved to Randolf Co., Mo.); George W Parrott of Orange Co., Va.; Harriett Parrott, married Wm. Groom, Louisa Co., Va.; Samuel H. Parrott of Louisa Co., Va. (Ended up moving to St. Louis, Mo.); Mary Parrott Locker and Juliet Parrott, both of Louisa Co., Va.; Melvina Parrrott, married James Ranson and moved to Kansas. Only this set of children were named in John's pension application. John moved to Loudoun Co., Va., then to Louisa County where he resided. According to family historian Woodie Brown Parrott: "In the early 1830's, John divided his estate between his children of this 3rd marriage..." Cir 1836, John went to Kentucky to move with in his son William R., and died there, 27 Nov 1840.
One of John's grandchildren, William J. (1825 - 1894), established the Central Hotel by 1873 in Charlottesville, within site of Monticello and a mile from the University of Virginia. A decade later, he owned the Parrott Hotel in the city center. He sold it in 1893, shortly before his death. William's son was Robert Blanks Parrott, who was one of Mosby's Rangers and later the first person to serve as King Cotton. |
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Rhodam ParrottBiography of Rhodam Parrott
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Rodham was the third child of William and Hannah Hughlett Parrott, and was born in 1759 in Wicomico Parish, Northumberland county, Virginia. On or about 1776, he married Elizabeth Shelton, becoming the first of the brothers to marry, and the couple's first son, Thomas, was born a year later. Rodham would have been about 17 when he married, and thus would have required his parents' consent. Just two years later, his father wrote his will in July and died by October 1778. William Jr. inherited the family land; his brother John was later declared heir-in-law and received the grist mill. The other possessions were divided among William, John, his two sisters, and his youngest brother Charles. Whatever remained of the estate after debts were settled was split five ways between Rodham, his two sisters, and his younger brothers George and Charles. Furthermore, although Rodham and George were still under 21 years of age, their father made no guardianship provisions for either of them. Why did the will give short shrift to Rodham and George's inheritance? The most plausible explanation may be that the two brothers were no longer living in Northumberland county. That means that Rodham would have left when he was about 16 years old. That gave Rodham about a year to meet his bride-to-be and get married. If George left with him, he would have been about 15 years old. Alternatively, if Rodham married in Northumberland and did not leave while still a minor, then he did so shortly after his father's death, as soon as he turned 21. Regardless, Rodham was the first of the brothers to leave the Tidewater area, and George might have gone with him. George is lost to history, but Rodham ended up in Halifax county. Why he ended up in that part of the state remains a matter of speculation. Perhaps he started with a visit to his aunt, Mary Ann Parrott. After the death of her first husband, Richard Haynie, she married Elisha Betts, and a few years later moved to Lunenburg county ca 1760. If Rodham spent time with the Betts, he only needed to move some 50 miles southwest to end up where he did in Halifax county. What is known is that he was in Halifax by the 21 December 1780, when Rodham Parrit [sic] is listed as the purchaser of a cow and calf in the account of sales of the estate of Mr. James Whitehead, deceased
Such a purchase implies he had land for the cow and calf. However, he no longer had this livestock two years later, when the tax records show he had 5 slaves and 5 horses, but no cows. Besides taxes on his property, the 1782 tax record for Halifax county shows that he was also overseeing the Glass property, and with it, 20 slaves, 4 horses, and 20 cows.
Nevertheless, he seems to have been planning ahead and bought a Virginia Treasury Warrant for 1183 acres in Kentucky, for which he paid £1803, but there is no sign he ever took possession of the land. It does indicate that Rodham was considering a move to Kentucky as early as 1782. Instead of moving, Rodham purchased 140 acres on 15 May 1783 on the Banister River & Brush Creek in Halifax county from John and William Glass family, for £140. This may be same land he was overseeing the previous year. As the Revolutionary War progressed, he paid revolutionary taxes in the form of supplies furnished to the Militia. This much is evident from a public service claim he filed in Halifax county on 6 September 1783, for
Having made this payment, Rodham's descendants qualify for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution. Nevertheless, the Revolution clearly took its toll. As a sign of the times, Rodham was one of the 256 residents of Halifax county who signed a petition on 10 Nov 1785 against any motion and proposal for emancipating slaves. Then, as seen in the 1789 tax list, Rodham's inventory was down to just 6 slaves, 2 horses/mules, 7 head of cattle, despite having bought the Glass property just 4 years earlier.
Thus, migration west was again looking promising. On 13 March 1787- he bought a ½ interest in a Treasury land warrant for 200 acres of land in Lincoln Co., Kentucky, adjacent to that of William Whitley, via Jacob Swope, who then made the warrant void. Rodham's deed for the Glass property states it was on Brush creek and the Bannister river. In 1791, Rodam [sic] Parrott was tithed to work on the road from the Dudley Glass plantation to Hickeys Road (Book 15, Halifax Court Records, 1752 - 1810, p 120), which further helps locate his vicinity within Halifax county:
Then, he finally moved to Kentucky. He sold his Halifax farm on July 28, 1794, for £100, which is £10 less than he had paid for it a decade earlier. He packed up his wife and the 5 sons he had at the time, and his nephew William, son of his brother John. Presumably they went through the Cumberland Gap and up the Wilderness Trace to Washington county, Kentucky, a distance of some 500 miles. The road was not upgraded to accommodate carts until 1796, so the pioneers would have walked or ridden horses. Once in Kentucky, he started spelling his name as Rhodam rather than Rodham. By 1795, he is on the tax list for Washington Co. (page 17). All his sons were still under 16 and thus not enumerated, though his son Thomas would have been 18 years old at the time. There were 9 blacks, of which 7 were under 16. Rhodam had 7 horses/mares and 3 head of cattle. Again, having livestock in his possession implies he had land for them. However, there is no record of actually buying land until 4 April, 1797, when he bought a 119-acre farm on Cartwright Creek on route 150 east of Springfield for £48, as shown below:
Besides farming, Rhodam was appointed a deputy sheriff in 1798 after paying his share of a $3000 bond. Deputized with him were Mordecai Lincoln (Abraham's uncle) and Benjamin Pile, Rhodam's daughter-in-law's father. Then, in 1800, Rhodam was appointed overseer of the river road from Cartrights Creek to Springfield. In Kentucky, Rhodam and Elizabeth had three more children, bringing the total to eight. Interestingly, the children's names recapitulate those of Rhodam's siblings with the name Richard traded for Rodham. The exception is Thomas, his firstborn. In addition, an Abraham Parrott appears in the 1815 tax record, apparently having just turned 21, and thus born ca 1794, probably once the family had arrived in Kentucky. Abraham then disappears from the record, but given the place and time when he appears, he must have been a son of Rhodam and Elizabeth. Rhodam kept adding to his original purchase of 119 acres. He bought 110 acres in 1810, and a final 150 acres in 1813. The following year, he sold 90 acres on Cartright Creek to his son, William. As evidenced from the tax lists, his net worth peaked in 1820, being valued at $7777, including 12 horses/mares. Also listed are 20 Blacks. He died on 16 Apr 1828, at age 69. He and his wife are buried in the Parrott-McElroy Cemetery off Jimtown Road, which is off Route 150, south of Springfield, Washington Co., Kentucky, meaning Rhodam is the only one of his siblings with a known burial location. This pioneer cemetery is located on Rhodam's original land in Washington county. Robert Goodman described the cemetery as: "The farm on which this cemetery is located was owned by Rhodam and Elizabeth Shelton Parrott and after their deaths the farm was inherited by his fifth son, George Parrott. George then sold it to his brother John Hughlett Parrott and his wife Elizabeth Pile. Family history says that John Hughlett Parrott, b. 1785, d. 1829 is buried here, also Rhodam and Elizabeth Parrott's first child, Thomas Hughlett Parrott, b. Abt. 1777, d. August 1815 and Thomas's wife who is unknown and died before him are buried here. Elizabeth Hughlett Parrott McElroy 1802-1836 buried here is the eighth child of Rhodam and Elizabeth Parrott."
Today, Rhodam and Elizabeth's descendants are still found in Washington and surrounding counties. Below is a map showing a section of Washington county in 1877. It shows the locations of Rhodam's descendants that were still in the area (faintly underlined in green). They may be found south and northeast of Springfield, and northeast of Mackville.
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Charles ParrottCharles Parrott of Virginia
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By Woodie Brown Parrott I applaud the emphasis given the Parrott family in Virginia and Barbados in the November issue of Parrott Talk. However the dates on my family (Charles Parrott-Sarah Brown, pp. 31, 32) were quite erroneous. Accordingly, I respectfully submit the following account which is proven through county and family Bible records. Charles Hughlett Parrott was born in Northumberland County, Virginia, on January 29, 1772 to William, Sr. and Hannah Hughlett Parrott. With the death of his father and mother by his sixth year, he was reared by his eldest brother, William Parrott, Jr., who was eighteen years his senior. In either 1786 or 1787, the Parrotts left the old family homestead in Northumberland County, and relocated to Albemarle County before October 1787. On the latter date, Charles's sister, Elizabeth Parrott, married George Shearman who also came from the "Northern Neck." In 1789, the Parrotts and the Shearmans relocated in Orange County, but in that section which became Greeene County in 1838. Charles Parrott married Sarah Brown on October 15, 1806 in Albemarle County. Sarah Brown was the daughter of Capt. Bezaleel and Mary "Polly" Thompson Brown of "Mount Fair" in Brown's Cove, Albemarle County, Virginia. The Browns were of Welch descent, and a family of prominence in their own right. Charles Parrott was frequently appointed executor to wills, and often appointed by the courts to appraise estates. His name is found in association with prominent families, such as Early, Stephens, etc. in Albermarle and Orange Counties. Charles and Sarah Brown Parrott owned more than 1000 acres in Greene and Albemarle Counties. Charles staffed his large farms with 48 slaves and other hired hands. Sarah Brown Parrott subsequently inherited two servants from the estate of her father, Capt. Brown. By 1820, William Parrott, Jr., brother of Charles, had aspired to be the high sheriff of Orange County, a position which he held the following year also. Sheriff Parrott, in 1821, is known to have owned a 2,587 acre plantation in the Quinque area of Greene County (then in the County of Orange), and had 35 slaves. In 1838, with the formation of the County of Greene from Orange, William Parrott Jr., was appointed the first sheriff. William was still a magistrate of Greene County when in his 90's and lived to be 101 years of age. Charles Hughlett Parrott died testate in Greene County at his home near Quinque on February 28, 1833. Sarah Brown Parrott survived her husband by nearly 33 years, and managed their considerable estate with tact. In 1845, her slaves built the lovely antebellum on the present Rt. 629 in Greene County, which incidentally, has not left the Parrott family after three generations. Sarah Brown Parrott died at her Quinque home on January 20, 1865, having been born in Brown's Cove on November 21, 1787. For an updated history of Sarah's homestead, see the Rural Retreat history reprinted from the Greene County Record, 1981.
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