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Catherine Crumley's name was originally McGilkey or MacGilkey and her family dropped the 'Mac'. It is believed that Samuel, William or Henry is the father of John Clark Crumly.


The reproduction below a 1936 letter that pretty much summarizes what is known about David Gilkey. It includes a little background information about the events that Mr. Baker speculates may have gotten James Crumley into trouble with the law. Also, it indicates that Catherine Gilkey much have been much older than her siblings and that Barbara Gilkey may not have been David's first wife and the mother of Catherine.




Letter from J.W. Baker, Frederick County, Virginia, genealogist to Mrs. J.H. Franklin of Atlanta, Georgia, dated 8 December 1936:


My dear Mrs. Franklin:The first mention I can find in our county records of David Gilkey is the deed to him from John Cheadle of Caroline County, Virginia for 219 acres, being the same land sold Cheadle by James Wright and John Littler, who held it by a grant from George II dated November 19th, 1735. The deed to Gilkey bears date October 1st, 1745, and this same year his name first appears on the tax lists of Frederick County. This land is situated about seven miles north-west of Winchester on Apple Pie Ridge, and lies in the heart of what was the original settlement of British Quakers who came to Frederick County from Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1731-2. David Gilkey sold this land April 5th, 1748 to James Cromley, from whom, I understand you are descended.I find no more mention of David Gilkey until March 2nd, 1754 when he purchased 16 acres from Mary Littler (widow of John Littler and daughter of Alexander Ross) lying six miles north of Winchester near what is now the Village of Clearbrook. There appears to have been a grist mill on this land.David Gilkey died some time shortly before March 3rd, 1756 when letters of administration were granted to Barbara Gilkey his widow, who gave bond with David Ranklin, Jr. and Joseph Edwards Jr. as her securities. The appraisement of the estate was made the following August.I find no further mention of the Gilkey name until December 5th, 1758, when at a court held for Frederick County on that date, David Ranklin Jr. and Joseph Edwards Jr. came before the Court and stated that they were in danger of suffering loss as sureties on the bond of the Administratix of David Gilkey, and petitioned the Court that the Administratix be required to give them security. From this minute it will be seen that Barbara Gilkey the widow of David Gilkey had married James Hagan. It would also appear that a family row was in progress, as the minute immediately preceding the motion of Ranklins and Edwards acted at his request, he being the son-in-law of Barbara (Gilkey) Hagan.The next mention of the name I find is October 7th, 1760 when William Ranklin is appointed guardian of the minor orphans of David Gilkey. At the next Court (November) this William Ranklin asks that James Hagan and Barbara his wife be required to render an accounting of the estate of David Gilkey. I cannot find that this accounting was ever made. Neither the Will Books nor Order Books contain any sales account, estate account, or distribution of the estate of David Gilkey, nor is there and guardianship account rendered by William Ranklin.I find nothing more until 1769, when David Gilkey (the son) conveys to William Jolliffe the 16 acres purchased by his father from Mary Littler and which descended to him (under the law of primo geniter then in force in Virginia) as eldest son and heir-at-law of his father. This deed also conveys to William Jolliffe 200 acres of land adjoining the 16 acres which was granted to David Gilkey Jr. and by Thomas, Lord Fairfax, Lord Proprietor of the Northern Neck of Virginia by patent dated February 20th, 1760. This patent is recorded, of course, among the Fairfax grants in the State Land Office at Richmond, and the only reference to it in the Frederick County records is the aforementioned conveyance to Jolliffe. I looked over Mr. Griffith's papers carefully, and find he has the original deed from Cheadle and Gilkey and from Gilkey to Cromley, but found no other papers from which information relative to David Gilkey could be obtained, except a manuscript history of the Griffith family written by Mr. Griffith's grandfather Aaron Hackney Griffith 1872. Since our marriage record does not commence until 1784, I have no way of checking the accuracy of the statements made therein. However, it would appear that Catherine Cromley must have been considerably older than the other children of David Gilkey by a former wife. It will be noted that Aaron H. Griffith does not mention Barbara Gilkey, and Perhaps she was a second or third wife; certainly she was young enough to marry again after David Gilkey's death.I cannot find in the Frederick County records and mention of David Gilkey holding civil or military office, nor of any civil or military service. In the deed aforementioned both David and Barbara Gilkey sin by "mark"I had expected to find record of some suit brought by William Rankin or David Rankin Jr. and Joseph Edwards against Barbara (Gilkey) Hagan, but was unable to do so, nor could I find and suits brought against David Gilkey.

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