There are numerous online postings by researchers claiming that the Nancy Conway that married James Robert Mayson is the daughter of George Conway and Anne Downman of Lancaster County, VA. Both George Conway and Anne Downman are descendants of very distinguished and much heralded family histories in the Northern Neck of Virginia that includes Presidents George Washington and James Madison, and Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Given the lack of any extant document proving this claim, these researchers have either made some assumptions or they have found circumstantial clues that indicate her ancestry is from this line. I have not seen anything to lead me to believe that George and Ann had a daughter named Anne/Nancy. What I think has happened with these researchers is that they have confused the extant documents that are available for Nancy Conway, the daughter of George Conway and Elizabeth Smith, and applied them to a non-existent Nancy, a "so called" daughter of George Conway and Anne Downman. This mistake would be easy to make due to there being numerous Anne Conways, George Conways and Edwin Conways in both Conway lines of descent in Northumberland and Lancaster Counties of Virginia.
Another fact that these researchers appear to have used as evidence of her being from this line of descent is the appearance of Edwin Conway, grandson of Col. Edwin Conway (1681-1763) living along the Saluda River near the Mayson family in South Carolina in the late 1780s. This grandson Edwin would be the uncle of this Anne/Nancy, if she existed, since this Edwin would be the brother of her presumed father George. This Edwin has likely been confused with the Edwin who was the uncle of Nancy Conway, the daughter of George Conway and Elizabeth Smith.
In addition to Col. Edwin Conway's grandson living along the Saluda, we also have Rev. James Creswell, who had family ties with Col. Edwin Conway, living along the Saluda River and he even co-operated a ferry with Col. James Mayson. Rev. James Creswell's grandfather-in-law was Col. Edwin Conway.
So, we do have family connections/associations which might be a factor in explaining why/how Anne/Nancy Conway, if she existed, came to South Carolina. But again, there is no proof that she ever existed.
Due to time limitations, I cannot publish all of my research here especially since so much of it may not even apply if we find that our Nancy is descended from another Conway line altogether. Below, I have provided some of the notable information that I have found which should give an interested researcher a considerable "head start". My research includes time spent at both the Northumberland and Lancaster county historical societies. If there is proof of the existence of this Anne/Nancy, it will likely be found in an old letter or some triangulated family coincidence. I have found no proof in the currently available records for Virginia or South Carolina.
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George Conway and Anne/Nancy Downman
George Conway (1733-1777) was a Patriot Revolutionary War soldier who was with the 4th Company of the 5th Virginia Regiment [1] serving under Captain Thomas Gaskins and it appears that he died during the Philadelphia Campaign in early 1777. His wife Anne/Nancy Downman was the daughter of Travers Downman and Grace Ball. Grace Ball was the 2nd cousin of General George Washington. George's widow Anne did not remarry until 1792 when she married Spencer Carter.
As already stated, the biggest issue that we have is the lack of proof that Anne/Nancy Conway Mayson is in fact the daughter of George Conway and Anne Downman. Even the proof of their two daughters Grace and Alsey is meager. All we have is a Northumberland County record dated April 1793 where Anne Conway gave Grace Ball Conway and Alcey Travers Conway a gift. No mention of what the gift was or the amount. What is interesting is that her name is noted as Anne Conway rather than Anne Carter - She had already married Spencer Carter so her last name would have been Carter not Conway. For legal reasons (dowry?), she may have been required to sign her former name and the gift may have been property listed in her or her deceased husband's name (George Conway). Also, why is Anne/Nancy not listed? Perhaps it is because she was already married and living out of state or perhaps she did not exist.
Then we have a Lancaster County, VA record in October 1799 where Spencer Carter provided security/bond for the marriage between Severn Galle and Alcey Conway. Spencer would have been Alcey's step-father in 1799.
According to Hayden's book (Virginia Genealogies), daughter Alcey was married three times: Galle, Nutt and Lovell; Daughter Grace married John Carter on Jan. 22, 1795 and it appears that she died in 1796 - John Carter remarried and had a large family.
The mother, Anne Downman Conway was still living in Lancaster County, Virginia as late as December 1808 when she filed for a veteran widow's pension [2]. She mentions that her husband Spencer Carter is dead but there is no mention of her children in this petition.
I found no connections to South Carolina for these daughters or the mother: No land transactions, no mentions whatsoever.
THE SOUTH CAROLINA CONNECTIONS FOR THIS CONWAY LINE OF DESCENT
Edwin Conway, grandson of Col. Edwin Conway (1681-1763)
It can easily be proven that Edwin Conway (1744-abt 1802) who was the grandson of Colonel Edwin Conway (1681-1763) and Anne Hacke of Lancaster County, VA , moved to South Carolina in the late 1780s. His Will can be found in the SC Archives and we have several other extant documents and books written by noted researchers supporting this. Grandson Edwin settled very close to our Mayson ancestors along the Saluda River thus providing some circumstantial evidence that our Nancy Conway might be related to this Conway line.
This grandson Edwin Conway was also known as Colonel Edwin Conway probably because of his Militia service. He was one of the executors of his grandfather's Will and he and his family are mentioned in numerous documents. It just so happens that Edwin the grandson migrated to South Carolina about the same time as our Nancy Conway was married to James Robert Mayson - late 1780s. Edwin appears on the 1790 census living close to Patrick Cunningham on the Saluda River. This is very close to the lands and plantations owned by Colonel James Mayson the father of James Robert Mayson. We can eliminate Edwin as the father of Nancy because of his Will which names his children (see below). Edwin married Sarah McAdam, daughter of Dr. Joseph McAdam and Sarah Ann Gaskins. Their children were Sarah Ann, Agatha and Janetta Mure.
We have the 1790 census for Laurens, SC that lists Edwin Conway (1 male 16+ with 4 females and 8 slaves) living close to Patrick Cunningham. We know that Patrick Cunningham lived on his plantation named Rosemont which was located just upstream of the James Mayson plantations (Glasgow and Peach Hill) on the Saluda River. Note that this area was the juncture of four districts: Laurens and Newberry on the north side of the Saluda River and Abbeville and Edgefield on the south side of the Saluda. Rosemont was located in the southern corner of Laurens and Peach Hill was located in the western corner of Newberry - so despite their being located in different districts, they were located fairly close together geographically.
1790 era boundary lines of Laurens, Newberry, Abbeville and Edgefield Districts(Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, The Newberry Library, Chicago, IL)
Edwin died in SC about 1802 and he left a Will dated November 1791 and a codicil dated January 1797 which provides us with some important family information:
- He was 47 years old at the time he wrote his Will (inferred birth year of about 1744)
- His wife was named Sarah C. Conway
- He had a daughter named Agatha who likely married after his Will was written - the Codicil notes her married name as McDowell.
- He had a daughter named Jenneta Mure Creswell (sic - Janetta Moore/Muir Conway Creswell) who married James Creswell, Esq. the son of Rev. James Creswell.
- He had a granddaughter named Sarah Conway Ewell.
- He owned 5000 acres of land in Washington County, GA
- He owned 1000 acres of land in Wilkes County, GA
- He obtained the two tracts of land from Peter Conway, Esq. for services rendered and debt owed by Peter
- He owned land in Virginia named Levelfield that he sold without his wife releasing her dower rights
- A codicil to his Will notes the estate of Thomas Sorrell, Esq. was Willed to Edwin
- He names 11 slaves.
- He does not name any other children
Since Edwin does not name any other daughters, it is unlikely that our Nancy Conway is his daughter; However, his Will provides us with a great amount of key information which prove that he is the grandson of Colonel Edwin Conway (1681-1763) which is extremely fascinating because of Col. Edwin Conway's first wife being Anne Ball who is related to President George Washington's mother Mary Ball. This Edwin Conway does not descend from Anne Ball however, he descends from Col. Edwin's 2nd wife Anne Hack through their son George Conway who married Anne Heath. How does this relate to our Nancy Conway? Well, another son of the George Conway and Anne Heath union was George Conway (Jr.) who married Anne Downman. Per other researchers, our Nancy Conway is the presumed daughter of George and Anne Downman. If correct, this would make Edwin Conway of Laurens the uncle of Nancy Conway Mayson. Interestingly, Anne Downman's mother was Grace Ball who also descends from the same Ball family as George Washington. So, one can easily see the desire of many researchers to claim our Nancy as a descendant of this very notable Virginia family.
Returning to the grandson Edwin Conway, the Col. Edwin Conway line of descent is very well researched and much has been published about not only the Conway family but also the allied families. The bulleted list below are a few records and references which confirm that the grandson Edwin Conway did in fact move to the Saluda River in South Carolina. Please use Hayden's Virginia Genealogies as a reference when reviewing:
- His Will mentioned land called Levelfield, Virginia. An internet search for LEVELFIELD reveals a present day Inn that is located on Mary Ball Road in Lancaster County, VA. The Mary Ball Washington Museum (mother of George Washington) /Lancaster County Historical Society is located just down the road from this property. Digging a little deeper we find Walker Conway listed in Horace Hayden's "Virginia Genealogies" who also lived at "Levelfield" and drowned in the Potomac River about 1786. This makes the Laurens, SC Edwin Conway and Walker Conway as highly likely to be closely related and in fact they were brothers.
- Walker Conway was the grandson of Colonel Edwin Conway (1681-1763). Walker's parents were also Col. Edwin's son George Conway and wife Anne Heath. In addition to Walker, George and Anne had a son named George that married Anne Downman. Thus grandsons Walker and Edwin of were brothers, making them both uncles of our Nancy Conway Mayson if the theory of Nancy being the daughter of George is correct.
- Elihu Creswell is one of the witnesses to Edwin's Will. Elihu Creswell was the son of Rev. James Creswell and Elihu married Katherine Mayson, daughter of Col. James Mayson. Rev. James Creswell lived close to our Mayson ancestors on the Saluda River and he co-operated a ferry on that same river along with Col. James Mayson.
- The James Creswell that is noted in Edwin's will to be the husband of Edwin's daughter Jeneta Mure Conway Creswell (Sic) is likely the son of Elihu Creswell and Katherine Mayson.
- Edwin's wife is named as Sarah C. Conway. Edwin's wife is known to have been Sarah Conway McAdam, daughter of Dr. Joseph McAdam and Sarah Ann Gaskins of the Northern Neck of Virginia.
- Edwin's daughter Sarah Ann (b. 1763) appears to have married Colonel James Ewell and they both likely died leaving his granddaughter Sarah Ewell an orphan and why she is named in his Will. Col. James Ewell's mother was Eve Ball daughter of James Ball and Mary Conway. Interestingly, Mary Conway appears to be the Aunt of Col. Edwin Conway.
- The "Peter Conway, Esq." noted in his Will is likely his brother.
- Edwin Conway of Laurens was the Executor of the estate of his grandfather, (Col. Edwin Conway - see "Virginia Genealogies" [3]).
- Note that the book "Virginia Genealogies" correctly states that grandson Edwin moved from Lancaster County, Virginia and that one of his known children was Sarah Anne (married Colonel James Ewell), but the book incorrectly states that Edwin "died having no wife or issue living, he left his estate to the direct heirs of his brothers and sisters."[4] It is apparent from his Will that he had surviving family members one of whom is incorrectly attributed to other Conway men. [5]
- We have a deed dated October 4, 1788 where Peter Conway purchased 320 acres of land on 23 Mile Creek in Pendleton District, SC. This land was later conveyed to Edwin Conway on February 24, 1792. Edwin then sold the land to John McKinsey in 1793. This record is only relevant because it mentions Peter and Edwin in the same land transaction. Note that 23 Mile Creek is in the area where there are many early settlers of the Presbyterian faith, which later includes our own James Miller and Adenia Mayson. Adenia was a daughter of James Robert Mayson and Nancy Conway.
- Edwin's daughter Janetta Moore/Muir/Mure appears to have been married twice: Her first husband was James Creswell, Jr. and her second husband was Richard Watts.[6] In her Will, Janetta mentions a niece named Agatha McDowell who presumably is the namesake of her mother Agatha Conway McDowell, sister of Janetta.
We also have the Newberry County record dated 1793 where Peter Conway of the Parish of Christ Church and County of Lancaster, Virginia sold 43 slaves to Edwin Conway also of Christ Church Parish for 3000 pounds in 1783. The 1733 record was witnessed by John Heath and Richard Selden and recorded by James Mayson in 1793. 3000 British pounds in 1783 is about $550,000 today. This record provides us with several important points:
- Edwin Conway was in Lancaster County, VA in 1783.
- Edwin and Peter are likely brothers, sons of George Conway and Anne Heath.
- Richard Selden is probably the Richard who married Mary Ball whose parents were James Ball and Mary Conway. Mary Conway was the sister of Edwin Conway (1681-1763) and thus the daughter of Edwin Conway and Sarah Walker. (Richard Selden is the husband of Peter & Edwin's 1st cousin Mary Ball.)
- John Heath is probably the distinguished soldier and Justice of the Peace (Northumberland County, VA) that died in late 1783. The town of Heathsville is named for him and he was the founder of the Phi Beta Kappa. He was the 1st cousin of Edwin and Peter. (William and Mary Quarterly Vol. 24, No. 2 (Oct., 1915), pp. 109-115) Note: In this same issue of William and Mary Quarterly, there is a referenced record dated 1762 between John Heath and Travers Downman. After her husband George Conway died in 1753, Ann Heath married Travers Downman. Anne was the mother of Edwin and Peter Conway.
In summary, my conclusion regarding the Edwin Conway that is shown on the 1790 census for Laurens, SC is that he is positively the son of George Conway and Anne Heath, and the grandson of Col. Edwin Conway (1681-1763) of Lancaster County, VA. If our Nancy Anne Conway Mayson turns out to be the daughter of George Conway and Anne Downman, then Edwin Conway is her uncle and Colonel Edwin Conway is her great-grandfather. As noted, we have no proof of George and Anne Downman having a daughter named Nancy and I have not found any VA or SC record connecting Edwin with Nancy.
It is a fact, as exhibited by Edwin's Will, that several members of this influential colonial family made their way to South Carolina and lived along the Saluda River in old Ninety Six District - and they lived very close to our Mayson ancestors. We are fortunate to have an extensive amount of information available on these families due to their influence and wealth in the Upper Neck of Virginia. We also have a few records for these families once they arrived in South Carolina. However, at this time I am unable to confirm or deny our Nancy Conway Mayson is a part of this family.
Rev. James Creswell
As I have previously noted, Rev. James Creswell lived very close to Col. James Mayson and he and his sons co-operated a ferry across the Saluda River with Col. Mayson. Rev. Creswell is said to have had 4 children before he died young in 1778. His wife was Mary Elizabeth Garlington (discussed above).
In addition to marrying a Conway descendant, Rev. Creswell is noted to have been a prominent Presbyterian minister in Virginia and South Carolina.
James Creswell's son Col. James Creswell, whose name can be found in numerous records, married Janetta Muir (Moore?) Conway, the daughter of Edwin Conway and Sarah C. McAdam who are discussed above. He died about 1801 and his estate documents list many familiar names: Richard Watts, Elihu Creswell, James Robert Mayson, Archie Mayson, the estate of James Mayson, James Gouedy, Dr. James Moore, Littleberry and Toliver Bostick, Nimrod Chiles and Col. Edwin Conway.
Another son of Rev. Creswell's was Elihu that married Col. James Mayson's daughter Katherine. Elihu's name can be found on many documents.
And another son of Rev. Creswell was Col. David Creswell who married Phoebe Talbot the daughter of John Williston Talbot who was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and one of the nine men that drew up the first Declaration of Independence at the old Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg in 1774. John W. Talbot moved to Wilkes County, Georgia. His son Thomas married Elizabeth Creswell, the daughter of Rev. James Creswell. Interestingly, the Mayson family is my maternal ancestry; John Williston Talbot is my paternal 6th great-granduncle.
Some select records:
- On 22 & 23 September 1794, Robert Creswell sold 100 acres of land to his brother James, as his portion of his father's land and noted in his father's 1778 Will. Witnesses were R. Watts and E. Creswell (Richard Watts & Elihu Creswell); Newberry Deed Abstracts, Vol. II, Brent Holcomb.
- On 20 & 22 August 1792, Daniel Criswell (sic - David Creswell) and Pheby his wife of Wilkes County, Georgia sold land in Newberry County to James Creswell. Robert Cunningham is noted. Witnesses were Patrick McDowell, William Mayson, and Thomas Talbot. Newberry Deed Abstracts, Vol. I, Brent Holcomb.
Garlington Family
Edwin Garlington who died in Laurens County, SC about 1824 is the grandson of Col. Edwin Conway (1681-1763) by his 1st wife Anne Ball. Their daughter Elizabeth married Christopher Garlington. Edwin Garlington's sister Mary Elizabeth married Rev. James Creswell. This makes Edwin and his sister Elizabeth the grandchildren of Col. Edwin Conway. Interestingly, a William Ball was the executor of Edwin Garlington's Will. (See Hayden's book and the Will of Edwin Garlington.) This provides another piece of the puzzle regarding the the Conway, Ball, Creswell and Mayson connection of Lancaster, VA to Laurens District, SC. [7]
As I have noted elsewhere, Rev. James Creswell and his son James Jr. lived close to the Mayson family in South Carolina; They co-operated a ferry across the Saluda River.
Ball Family
I am hesitant to put any Ball family history here because the family is so large and widespread that any connection found between the Lancaster/Northumberland families and those living in South Carolina would need to be expressly proven for any credence to be placed on any family connection. I present this information here only because of a few Ball family members living close to our Nancy Conway Mayson on the 1810 census for Laurens District.
- Lewis Ball appears to be the son of William Ball of Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Thus far, I have been unable to connect this Ball family to the Ball family of Lancaster County, Virginia. The SC Archives has Wills for several of these Ball individuals and it would appear that the HITT family that is shown on the same 1810 census living near them is related to these Balls.
- The 1816 Will of Elizabeth Ball of Abbeville notes her sons Jonathan and William Swift and daughters Catherine and Charlotte Davenport. This Elizabeth Ball is the daughter of Col. James Mayson by his 2nd wife Anne. She married William Swift and then she married a Davenport. I do not know which Ball man she married as her 3rd husband (Swift-> Davenport-> Ball). She may have married James Ball - see 1800 census, Laurens District. This census shows James living fairly close to several HITT men and Elihu Creswell. Elihu is her brother-in-law and she named him as her executor. Note that Col. James Mayson mentions his grandson Jonathan Swift in his Will. Jonathan and William were witnesses to the 1813 Will of John Chiles.
- Lewis Ball's 1816 Will names his nephew John Bostick. John is likely related to Nancy Bostick who married John C. Mayson, son of Colonel James Mayson by his 3rd wife Henrietta Hart.
Gordon Family
According to researcher Edmund A. Bator [8], our Nancy Conway was an orphan and her guardian was John Gordon. Mr. Bator may be correct; However, there is no proof that the Nancy Conway who had John Gordon as her guardian is our Nancy Conway. The Nancy Conway he refers to is the Nancy Conway who was the daughter of George Conway and Elizabeth Smith. Mr. Bator has also confused this George Conway with the George Conway who was the grandson of Col. Edwin Conway (1681-1763).
We do have a letter from a James Gordon to Edwin Conway in South Carolina where he mentions Peter Conway and the Creswell family; However, this James Gordon is the son of the James Gordon that married Millicent Conway, the daughter of Edwin Conway and Anne Hacke thus making James Gordon (the letter writer) the cousin of Edwin Conway - the man to whom the letter was addressed. I am fairly certain that the John Gordon that was the guardian of the Nancy Conway noted above is not a close relative of this Gordon family. However, as I noted on the George Conway and Elizabeth Smith page, he does appear to be related to the same Hack family. Note that James does not inquire about any Maysons while he does inquire about the Creswells.
Mount Vernon Ladies Association
Interestingly, "The Mount Vernon Ladies Association" was founded by Ann Pamela Cunningham, who was a descendant of Patrick Cunningham and she was born on Rosemont Plantation, Patrick's estate that was located along the Saluda River in Laurens District South Carolina. The 1790 census for Laurens District indicates that Edwin Conway lived very close to Patrick Cunningham, possibly his immediate neighbor. Another interesting fact is that James Louis Petigru (a noted Charleston lawyer with roots to Abbeville District) came to the aid of the Association drafting a new charter for the organization. James Louis Petigru also happens to be my maternal 1st cousin.
According to the Association's website, Ms. Cunningham became interested in saving Mt. Vernon when she saw firsthand how it had fallen into disrepair: However, one has to wonder how a young lady from rural South Carolina could almost single handedly take on a project of this magnitude especially when she doesn't not appear to have any familial roots to the Washington family. Might there be some connection other than simple one young ladies interest in our country's history? Patrick Cunningham was not even a Patriot soldier - he was a devout Loyalist. This makes the picture even more curious.
(This page was created on 3/19/204; Modified on 3/22/2024)
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[1] For more on the this military unit, see The Bulletin of the Northumberland County Historical Society, Vol. XXIX, 1992.
[2] Her petition was rejected (no reason given). The petition can be found online through the Library of Virginia. Newspapers.com also has the newspaper article noting that her pension was rejected.
[3] Virginia Genealogies, A genealogy of the Glassell Family of Scotland and Virginia, Rev. Horace Edwin Hayden, M.A., 1891.
[4] Ibid, page 261-262
[5] Jenetta Moore Conway is incorrectly attributed to Peter Conway son of Peter Conway and Elizabeth Spann. The Virginia Genealogies book by Hayden has been proven to contain many errors - not just the ones pointed out here. Use other reference sources to confirm the information found in Hayden's book.
[6] Richard Watts was shown to be the Sheriff of Newberry County in 1798. Newberry Deed Abstracts, Vol. II, Brent Holcomb.
[7] No one has been able to connect the Ball family that settled in Laurens SC to the Ball family of Lancaster County, VA; However, it seems very likely that they are connected in some fashion. Col. Edwin Conway's 1st wife was Anne Ball, the daughter of Joseph M. Ball and Elizabeth Romney. It is likely that the Ball family of SC descends from either Joseph and Elizabeth or Joseph's parents Col. William Ball and Hannah Atherold. This is going back quite a long way (early 1600s) so it would be quite a task to research this line to determine the correct lineage.
[8] Edmund Alexander Bator wrote a letter dated June 7, 1993 to the Old Newberry Chapter of the South Carolina Genealogical Society - see the letter here link. He provides a reference to SCHM Vol 21 page 25 but that reference only shows the date of James Robert Mayson's marriage. He does not reference where he learned of Nancy being an orphan under the guardianship of John Gordon. Edmund's father-in-law was James L. Mayson (1905-1993).