The author's proven ancestor, Mary Starke, who married Stephen Staples, appears to be the daughter of Thomas Starke of Virginia, son of Colonel John Starke and Anne Wyatt.
Many researchers have traced a portion of this Starke family ancestry to early Jamestown Colony (like the Staples family) and the Minister Haute Wyatt [1] whose brother Francis was the Governor of Virginia (early 1600s). This Wyatt line includes family ties to the modern day Queen Elizabeth of England. The author has not proven any of this if in fact any of it is possible to prove. The author did find information indicating that Mary's grandfather was John Starke (1715-1782) who was a Colonel in the Virginia Militia during the American Revolution and a member of the Virginia Assembly. [2] He was born in Scotland. He married Anne Wyatt whose ancestry includes the famous Wyatt/Wiatt family previously mentioned. See more on the Wyatt family HERE. There is therefore a strong likelihood of this heritage being correct.
Colonel John Starke
John was born about 1715 and he died after 1782 in Virginia. Hurts claims that John was the son of James Starke and Elizabeth Thornton. In 1735 John married Anne Wyatt who was born about 1715 and died before 1790. After Anne's death, John married Elizabeth Greyer.
According to Michael Farmer, the children of John and Anne are:
- Elizabeth- married Barrett White
- Anna
- Thomas - married Elizabeth (lnu)
- Captain John (Jr.) - married Elizabeth Shepherd (Note that Hurts claims John Jr. married his cousin Elizabeth Wyatt)
- Wyatt (died age 4)
- Lucy
- Wyatt - married Molly Bradford
- Fanny
- Mary - married Hugh Brafford
- Joseph - married Sarilda Guthrie
- Sally - married Wyatt Mills
- Jane - married James Dillard
- Annie
The author has only researched his own line which is through his son Thomas.
Thomas Starke
Thomas Starke (1740-1794) married Elizabeth (Turner and Dozier?). Thomas probably arrived in Wilkes County, Georgia in the mid to late 1780s. A newspaper article dated 1788 was found where he was offering a reward for a horse which had gone missing. A court record indicates that Thomas Starke died before 1798 in Wilkes County. According to the research of Ruth Stark Turner [4], Elizabeth's maiden name was Turner and they had children named Thomas Jr. and Turner. Ruth Stark Turner believes that Thomas married a 2nd time to Elizabeth Dozier and they had Philip Jones Starke, William Starke, Mary Starke, Sarah Starke and Elizabeth Starke.
His wife Elizabeth died about 1810. The executor of her estate was her son-in-law, Alexander Cummings. He apparently lived very close to the town of Washington, Georgia. A record exists from 1786 where Sanders Walker sold Thomas 476 acres of land that was part of a tract of 1050 acres granted to Sanders in 1784 that was "..near Washington Town, where said Stark now lives..". This tract of land is shown in Daniel Nathan Crumpton's book [3] and it encompasses a lot of the present day town of Washington. Crumpton shows Pinkston and Combs lands nearby - also family names of the author.
He also owned land along the Little River which is to the south. (600 acres) and Shoulderbone Creek (200 acres). His Will also listed 475 acres on Beaverdam and Rocky Creek "..near the town of Washington..". This might be the 476 acres noted above that he purchased from Sanders Walker. With the reference to the two creeks, this places the land SW of present day Washington near Highway 44 and Spring Street.
There are several court cases for Thomas Stark at the Georgia Archives. In one case, he and Elijah Clarke were co-defendants. In another case, he and Absalom Jackson were co-defendants. Both of these men were Revolutionary War soldiers - Elijah Clarke was of course the famous Georgia soldier. The author found no record for Thomas' service in the American Revolution; However, given his age and his father's record of service, and the fact that his son-in-law (Stephen Staples) served, it is quite likely that Thomas was also a soldier, possibly under Elijah Clarke. There is a mention of a Col. Thomas Starke in a few of the pension files of Revolutionary War soldiers. Francis Weeks' file, for example, lists a Col. Thomas Starke under General Sumter in South Carolina. Also, in the pension file of Samuel Jackson a Col. Starke is mentioned under the Georgia Line. Whether these mentions are the same man and if this is our Thomas Starke is not known but worthy of further research.
Absalom Jackson and Thomas Stark defendants against George Shepherd in 1793(GA Archives)
According to Michael Farmer, the children of Thomas and Elizabeth are:
- Mary - married 1st Stephen Staples; 2nd William Dodson
- William - married Nancy (lnu)
- Sarah - married Richard Hilliard
- Thomas - married Nancy Watts d/o Richard Watts
- Elizabeth - married Alexander Cummings
- Philip Jones - married Anna/Anne Evans. the daughter of Lt. William Evans, RS. Philip died about 1818.
- John - married Nancy (lnu)
There is a court case from 1794 in Wilkes County [4] for a John Stark who assaulted 2 men, possibly causing one to die. There is also an 1804 newspaper article for a John Stark who killed a man in Greene County. It is not known if this is the same John Starke who is a son of Thomas or if even these are the same John Stark. There is very little info other than the court records and the newspaper article. If he was found guilty of the murder, he likely would have been hung but the author did not find any record for that occurring. Coincidentally, in his Will, his father (Thomas) gifted his son John land in Greene County. Note the name of John Milledge in the newspaper clipping. He served as Governor and Attorney General of Georgia, US Senator and Congressman and the town of Milledgeville was named for him. Milledgeville was the capital of Georgia from 1804 until 1868.
Philip Jones Starke was sued by his brother-in-law Stephen Staples in 1796.
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[1] As with a lot of genealogy, the various spellings of names can be confusing; Among the various spellings I found his first name as Hawte or Haute and his last name as Wiatt or Wyatt.
[2] Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers in Georgia; McCall. Note that Mrs. McCall states that Mary was the daughter of Col. John Starke but it is more likely that John was her grandfather and her father was Thomas.
[3] Wilkes County, Georgia Land Records Volume 1
[4] Georgia Archives
This page was created on 2-24-2025