William James Seymour

William married Christina See about 1779 in West Virginia. Christina (daughter of Michael Adam See and Barbara Rebecca Harness) was born on 12 Sep 1761 in Hardy County, WV. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Military Service: Between 26 May 1776 and 8 Feb 1780, Moorefield, Hardy County, WV; under Captain Casewell in the Fifth Company of North Carolina troops

Notes:

From a writing of Dudley S. Seymour, Chicago, Illinois, May 30, 1903:
Colonel Felix Seymour was born in the North of Ireland in 1725. At the age of 12, he accompanied his father to America on an expedition to "spy" out the land. The father left Felix with a Virginia gentleman named Renick, ancestor of the late Sciota Valley (House of that name), while he returned to Ireland for the rest of the family. He was never heard from again, and was presumed lost at sea. Felix settled near Moorfield, Virginia, (now W. Virginia) and married the eldest Renick daughter. They had eleven children. He served with distinction in the Continental Army and was rewarded with the commission of Colonel.

(From a Able Seymour biography) SEYMOUR FAMILY
The origins of the Seymour family lie deep in history, dating from about 710, in the French village of Saint-Maur-Sur-Loire in Touraine, France. One Wido St. Maur accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066, when the Normans took the island. He was the progenitor of the Seymour family in England. The Seymour line continued to the accession of Lady Jane Seymour as wife of King Henry VIll. Thereafter, the Seymours were major nobility, continuing today to the Dukes of Somerset at Berry Pomeroy and the Marquess of Hertford at Ragley Hall near Stratford upon Avon.

On the American side the Seymours were early settlers in Hampshire County, Virginia, a frontier region in the 18th century. They worked large and fertile acreages, fought the indians, served as county officials, and with large families, helped populate the county. They were active in both the French and Indian and the Revolutionary Wars.

Felix, the first of the Virginia Seymours, was born in Coleraine County, northern Ireland in 1725. He was the son of Sir George Seymour, the second son of the sixth Earl of Hertford, according to family records. Sir George brought Felix to Virginia in 1737 to consider settlement. Having decided favorably Sir George left Felix with William Renick, an old friend, also from North Ireiand. His return to Ireland was tragic. He was presumed lost at sea.

Felix lived with the Renicks and eventually married Margaret, daughter of William Renick in 1753. They had eleven children. Felix accumulated a sizeable estate in what is now Grant and Hardy counties. His home site was Seymoursville, now Grant County, where he built one of the first grist mills in the area. Felix's original log home, covered by siding, was inhabited until a few years ago when it was torn down and the logs used to construct a store in Petersburg. A brick home now stands on the original site. near Route 42.

At some point, prior to 1760. the family moved near Moorefield and built an house now destroyed, close to the currently known home site, on the South Branch of the Potomac River, called Mill Island, formerly named Locust Grove.

Felix was a successful farmer and served in various county offices, such as that of sheriff. In that capacity, and as colonel of militia Felix wrote to Virginia Governor Botetourt in 1768, warning of possible war with the Indians. He then called out the Hampshire Militia. (it was not until 1786 that Hardy County was carved out of Hampshire.) Felix was also appointed Justice of the Peace, and served as assessor for the Lunice Creek area as well as the west side of the Potomac River.

In 1776, at age 51, he enlisted in the 5th Company of North Carolina troops and served until 1780, He died in 1798.

Felix married Margaret Renick in 1754 in Moorefield, Hardy, West Virginia, USA. Margaret (daughter of Thomas Renick and Mary Ann Hamilton) was born in 1733 in Paxtang, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA; died in Feb 1798 in Moorefield, Hardy, West Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Thomas married Mary Ann Hamilton about 1732 in Paxtang, Dauphin County, PA. Mary was born about 1705. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

George married Margaret. Margaret was born about 1682 in Germany; died in 1747 in Paxtang, Dauphin County, PA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]