William Randolph II (November 1, 1681—October 19, 1741), also known as William Randolph Jr. or Councillor Randolph, was an American planter and politician. He was the Treasurer of Virginia and the oldest child of William Randolph and Mary Isham.[1][2][3]

William Randolph II
Treasurer of Virginia
In office
1737
Personal details
BornNovember 1, 1681
Turkey Island Plantation, Henrico County, Colony of Virginia, British America
DiedOctober 19, 1741(1741-10-19) (aged 59)
Resting placeTurkey Island, Virginia
SpouseElizabeth Beverley
Children7
Parent
RelativesRichard Randolph (brother)
John Randolph (brother)
Beverley Randolph (grandson)
Thomas Jefferson (great-nephew)

Early life and family

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Randolph was born in November 1681[1] to William Randolph and Mary Isham on the Turkey Island Plantation along the James River in Henrico County, Virginia, and resided there his entire life.[2] He married Elizabeth Beverley (the daughter of Peter Beverley, a Speaker of the House of Burgesses and Treasurer of Virginia) around 1705 and the couple had seven children, five of which reached adulthood:[1][2][4][nb 1]

Randolph was a great-uncle of United States President Thomas Jefferson.

His brother, Richard Randolph married Major John Bolling's daughter, Jane Bolling, also a lineal descendant of Pocahontas. They had six children.

His brother, John Randolph married Susanna Beverley (daughter of Peter Beverley, Speaker of the House of Burgesses and Treasurer of Colony of Virginia) on July 20, 1738.

Career

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Randolph served as Clerk of House from 1703 to 1712. He served as Treasurer of the Colony of Virginia in 1737.[7]

Ancestry

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Westham, Virginia

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The town of Westham, Virginia was established on land that had been owned by Randolph.[8] When Randolph died, his son Beverley inherited Westham Plantation and planned to create the town of Westham on part of it to facilitate trade in the Piedmont region of Virginia.[8] After Beverley's sudden death, Peter Randolph inherited his brother's land and completed work on the project – renaming the town "Beverley" in honor of his older brother – with help from William Cabell and Peter Jefferson.[8] Jefferson was one of a number of important Virginians, including Carter Braxton, Joshua Fry, John Hunter, Robert Rose, and William Stith. who purchased lots in the new town.[8] Peter Randolph eventually sold Westham Plantation to his younger brother, William, who in turn sold the property to William Byrd III.[8]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ William Randolph II had seven children. Two of his earliest children, Beverely and William, died very young and their names were given to older children.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Page, Richard Channing Moore (1893). "Randolph Family". Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia (2 ed.). New York: Press of the Publishers Printing Co. pp. 249–272.
  2. ^ a b c Glenn, Thomas Allen, ed. (1898). "The Randolphs: Randolph Genealogy". Some Colonial Mansions: And Those Who Lived In Them : With Genealogies Of The Various Families Mentioned. Vol. 1. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Henry T. Coates & Company. pp. 430–459.
  3. ^ Byrd, William (1942). Woodfin, Maude Howlett (ed.). Another Secret Diary of William Byrd of Westover, 1739–1741: With Letters & Literary Exercises, 1696–1726. Richmond, Virginia: The Dietz Press. p. 57.
  4. ^ Standard, W.G. (1895). "Major Robert Beverley and His Descendants". In Bruce, Philip A. (ed.). The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. III. Richmond, Virginia: The Virginia Historical Society. pp. 169–170.
  5. ^ a b Randolph, Wassell (1949). William Randolph I of Turkey Island, Henrico County, Virginia: And His Immediate Descendants. Seebode Mimeo Service; distributed by Cossitt Library. p. 39.
  6. ^ a b c Randolph, Robert Isham (1936). The Randolphs of Virginia: A Compilation of the Descendants of William Randolph of Turkey Island and His Wife Mary Isham Of Bermuda Hundred (PDF).
  7. ^ "William Randolph II (Jr.)". history.house.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  8. ^ a b c d e Hendricks, Christopher E. (2006). "The Piedmont". The Backcountry Towns of Colonial Virginia. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press. pp. 40–44. ISBN 9781572335431.
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