William Devin, Sr.

1724 - Bef 1802  (< 78 years)

• Name	William Devin  [1]
  Suffix	Sr.
  Born	1724
  Gender	Male
  Died	Bef 19 Apr 1802	Pittsylvania County, Virginia U.S.A.
  Notes	William Devin, Senior is considered to be the Progenitor of the protestant Devin family in the United States of America. William Devin, Senior of Virginia was born in Dublin, Ireland and came to America in 1745 or 1746. In 1750, he married Sarah Smith and settled in what is now Pittsylvania County, Virginia. --The Devin Family, page 1. CJR says William Devin (father of William Jr. and Alexander) came from Alsace Lorraine, France. --Email 25 February 1998. A William Davin along with son James Davin is listed in the 1767 list of Tithables for Pittsylvania County, Virginia Colony. Like many landowners of the era and region, William Devin Senior owned slaves. His will states that he owned at least one male slave, named Alleck, which he bequeathed to his daughter Sarah Devin. -The Devin Family, page 2. William Sr. served as Sergeant of Infantry, Virginia Continental Line. He "received a certificate for balance of full pay, according to act passed November session 1781". [more likely this was his son William Jr.] -The Devin Family, page 3. Children listed in will: James Devin, Mary Biggar, William Devin, Jr. Robert Devin, Joseph Devin, heirs of Margaret Reynolds, decd. References: (1) War Records No.4 Page 166 (2) Will of William Devin Senior recorded April 19, 1802 in deed and Will Book 11, page 243, of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Will was signed 25 Nov 1800. (3) 1787 Pittsylvania Co VA for William Devin, Sr. 1787 Pittsylvania Co VA for William Devin, Sr. Personal Property Tax List: 2 white males 16-21 1 black over 16 0 blacks under 16 8 horses, mules, etc. 12 cattle Comments: Dessa's booklet mentions a letter to Alfred Harrison Devin written by Rev. Robert Ira Devin son of James, son of William Jr, son of William Sr. The letter is said to make the following statements: 'William Devin born 1724.'" These statements may be accurate, but Dessa's booklet, as written, seems to relate that these records have Irish origins. There is a Camden Parish in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. If the referenced records are from the Virginia parish, why do they mention the marriage of William and Martha Devin? Is the Sarah Devin mentioned in the records actually William Sr.'s spouse rather than his sister? Another theory is that the William and Martha Devin mentioned in the parish of Camden records is William Devin and Martha Mitchell and the 2 in 1720 is actually an eight.
  Person ID	I0048	Devin Timber | Richard Swart Pedigree, David Devin Pedigree, William Devin Progeny, Mary Eggleston Pedigree
  Last Modified	23 Apr 2010

  
  

  DNA Tests	1 DNA test is associated with William Devin, Sr.
  	Test Type	Taken by	Haplogroup	Test Information
  	Y-DNA-37	Private	R-L513	Most distant ancestor: William Devin, Sr.,   b. 1724,   d. Bef 19 Apr 1802, Pittsylvania County, Virginia U.S.A. Most recent common ancestor: William Devin, Sr.,   b. 1724,   d. Bef 19 Apr 1802, Pittsylvania County, Virginia U.S.A. 37 Marker values: 13,23,14,10,10-14,12,12,11,13,13,28,16,9-10,11,11,26,15,19,30,15-15-17-17,11,12,19-23,16,15,20,16,35-43,12,12

  
  

  Family	Sarah Smith,   b. 20 Mar 1727/28,   d. Bef 22 Nov 1800  (Age < 72 years)
  Married	1750
  Notes	Possibly married in Virginia Colony or Pennsylvania Colony.(speculation) After Sarah and William were married, they settled in the area now known as Pittsylvania County, Virginia. William and Sarah were members of the Presbyterian Church and accumulated some wealth. They had eleven children; some dying in childhood. Their four oldest sons fought in and survived the Revolutionary War. (Hofstetter, Dessa; The Devin Family; page1) The Devin property in Pittsylvania County, Virginia is shown by deeds and records to be near the Bannister River in the southwest corner of Pittsylvania County, northwest of Danville and east of Martinville, Virginia. In February 17, 1794, William Sr. deeded property to William Jr. as recorded in Pittsylvania County, Virginia Courthouse records. William Sr. bequeathed his house to his daughter, Sarah Devin.
  Children	1. James Devin,   b. Abt 1748   2. John Devin,   b. 1750, Virginia + 3. William Devin, Jr.,   b. c.1752,   d. 27 Apr 1810  (Age 58 years) + 4. Mary Devin,   b. Abt 1757,   d. Aft 1802  (Age > 46 years) + 5. Margaret Devin,   b. Abt 1759,   d. Abt 1798, Pittsylvania County, Virginia U.S.A.  (Age 39 years) + 6. Robert Devin,   b. 06 Apr 1759, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania ,   d. 10 Apr 1834, Pittsylvania County, Virginia U.S.A.  (Age 75 years) + 7. Joseph Devin,   b. 17 Sep 1760,   d. 26 May 1804, Pittsylvania County, Virginia U.S.A.  (Age 43 years)   8. Sarah Devin,   b. Abt 1761,   d. Bef 16 Oct 1848, Pittsylvania County, Virginia U.S.A.  (Age < 87 years) + 9. Rev. Alexander Devin,   b. 22 Mar 1769, Pittsylvania County, Virginia ,   d. 05 Jan 1827, Gibson County, Indiana U.S.A.  (Age 57 years)
  Last Modified	23 Apr 2010
  Family ID	F0006	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Speculation

  Jumping to Conclusions About Parents of William Devin (d:1802) A discussion about why the parents of William Devin (d:1802) may not be a William and Martha Devin as commonly thought.

  
  

• Sources

  [S04009] The Devin Family (manuscript), Hofstetter, Dessa, (circa 1962), page 1.