William Thornton (immigrant)

William Thornton (c. 1620 - ?) was a prominent planter and Colonist in 17th century Virginia. He was one of approximately thirty early Virginia colonists to progenerate descendants that through intermarriage would establish themselves as a political and social ‘aristocracy’ in America. Among his most notable descendants are U.S. Presidents James Madison and Zachary Taylor.

Life

William Thornton arrived in Virginia before 1646. Historical accounts and family tradition indicate he was from Yorkshire and descendants from the 17th century onward bore the arms of a powerful Yorkshire Thornton family that intermarried with other powerful landholding families of Aldborough, Bulmer, Foljambe, Plumpton, Norton, Reresby, Savage, Scrope, Stanley, Stapleton and Westby. Thornton settled in Petsworth Parish of Gloucester County, Virginia and quickly pursued in the acquisition of land. The first recorded document he appears on in the Virginia was on May 11, 1646, when he was recorded in York county court to ‘oblige himself’ to care for the cattle of John Liptrot until the Liptrot came of age. Thornton appeared some twenty years later on February 16, 1666 in Gloucester County court records having patented 164 acres within Petsworth Parish “adjoining the land where he lived, and that of Mr. Richard Barnard." In September 1673, he appointed James Kay to oversee 2,000 acres of land in Richmond County, Virginia. On July 16, 1675 he gave his sons Francis and Rowland Thornton his 2,000 acres of land he acquired in Richmond County. He served on the vestry of Petsworth Parish from 1677 to 1700. Thornton was last recorded in Stafford County, Virginia in 1708 where his son Francis had removed to sometime before 1700.

Family

He married at least once to Elizabeth, whose surname is believed to be Rowland by some genealogists. He is known to be definitively the father of at least three sons William (1649–1727), Francis (1651–1726 and Rowland (? – 1701). His son William was the father of 16 known children and his son Francis was the father of 7 known children many of whom have descendants.

Historical Places and Estates

The following historic estates are ones built by and/or associated with Thornton descendants.

Ash Lawn–Highland , Avery Island, Louisiana , Belle Grove (Port Conway, Virginia) , Bellair (Stafford County, Virginia) , Ben Lomond Manor (Manassas, Virginia) , Blandair , Blenheim (Albemarle, Virginia) , Camden (Port Royal, Virginia) , Castle Hill (Virginia) , Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park , Churchill Downs , Dodona Manor , Fall Hill , Farley (Culpeper, Virginia) , Flagler Museum , Fredericksburg, Virginia , General George Patton Museum of Leadership , General George S. Patton Memorial Museum , Gloucester County, Virginia , Kenmore (Fredericksburg, Virginia) , Locust Hill (Albemarle County, Virginia) , Montpelier (Orange, Virginia) , Montpelier (Sperryville, Virginia) , Nanzatico (King George, Virginia) , Northumberland House (Virginia) , Norwood (Powhatan County) , Orange, California , Oaken Brow (King George, Virginia) , Ormsby (Caroline County, Virginia) , Ravenwood (Blackstone, Virginia) , Rippon Lodge , Rokeby (King George, Virginia) , Smith Tower , St. Julien (Spotsylvania County, Virginia) , Thornhill (Forkland, Alabama) , Thornton Gap , University of Virginia , Woodlawn (King George, Virginia).

Notable Descendants of William Thornton

The following list is some of the more notable descendants of William Thornton. It is likely that there are a number more.

1. Meriwether Lewis Anderson
2. Howard Randolph Bayne
3. Kate Betts
4. Julien Binford
5. Theodorick Bland (judge)
6. Charles Armistead Blanton
7. William Wallace Smith Bliss
8. John A. Bridgland
9. Francis T. Brooke
10. Aline B. Carter
11. Lucian Howard Cocke
12. Holmes Conrad
13. William Clark
14. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Sr.
15. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr.
16. George Fitzhugh
17. Thomas Marsh Forman
18. Thomas Walker Gilmer
19. Presley T. Glass
20. Andrew Glassell
21. Susan Thornton Glassell
22. William T. Glassell
23. Albert Taylor Goodwyn
24. George Hancock (Virginia)
25. Lawrence W. I'Anson
26. Charles F. G. Kuyk (General)
27. Meriwether Lewis
28. John Tayloe Lomax
29. James Madison
30. George C. Marshall
31. Bijie Martin
32. Riccardo Martin
33. Bijie Martin
34. John Avery McIlhenny
35. Walter Stauffer McIlhenny
36. John A. McSparran
37. J. Collins McSparran
38. Julian R. Meade
39. George S. Patton
40. George Patton IV
41. Gabriel Slaughter
42. Adlai Stevenson II
43. Adlai Stevenson III
44. Letitia Green Stevenson
45. Lewis G. Stevenson
46. David Hunter Strother
47. Edith Taliaferro
48. Lawrence Taliaferro
49. Mabel Taliaferro
50. John Taliaferro
51. Walter R. Taliaferro
52. Joseph Hancock Taylor
53. Joseph Pannell Taylor
54. Richard Taylor (general)
55. Sarah Knox Taylor
56. Zachary Taylor
57. John T. Thompson
58. George Thornton
59. James Innes Thornton
60. Peter Presley Thornton
61. Presley Thornton (Virginia burgess)
62. William Thornton (Virginia burgess)
63. William Mynn Thornton
64. William Taylor Thornton
65. George Troup
66. Thomas Walker (explorer)
67. Meriwether Lewis Walker
68. Benjamin Franklin Washington
69. John Thornton Augustine Washington
70. Lawrence Berry Washington
71. Thornton Washington
72. Jere M. H. Willis, Jr.
73. Charles Carroll Wood
74. Herschel Taylor Wood
75. John Taylor Wood
76. John Taylor Wood II
77. Stuart Taylor Wood
78. Zachary Taylor Wood