Lindsay

Joshua Lindsay, husband of Mildred Vernon, died in Rockingham County, North Carolina in 1813. According to the biography of his son Reuben Lindsay, Joshua and family moved there around 1800. Reuben’s bio says the family moved to North Carolina from Maryland, but all of Joshua’s siblings are identified in chancery cases in Orange County, Virginia, where most were living in the early 1800’s. It seems likely that Joshua moved to North Carolina from Virginia, perhaps having originated in Maryland as per the family tradition.

Joshua was survived by wife Milley (nee Vernon) and children Taylor Lindsay, John Lindsay, Reuben Lindsay, Fanny (Frances) Lindsay Stubblefield (wife of Hugh Stubblefield), Joshua Lindsay, and Milley Lindsay.

The twelve slaves he owned at his death were divvied out among his children in an 1813 probate proceeding:

State of North Carolina
Rockingham County

Pursuant to an order of the worshipful court of Rockingham County aforesaid, bearing date February session 1813, the undersigned Nathaniel Scales, Alexander Sneed, Robert Galloway, Thomas Williams and Henry Scales, commissioners appointed to divide and appropriate the negro slaves of Joshua Lindsay, deceased, among his several representatives to wit, Milley Lindsay, widow and relic of the said Joshua Lindsay, dec’d, Taylor Lindsay, John Lindsay, Reuben Lindsay, Fanny Stubblefield (wife of Hugh Stubblefield), Joshua Lindsay and Milley Lindsay–sons and daughters of the said deceased. Being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God–have proceeded to divide, equalize and appropriate the said Negro slaves in the manner and form following. That is to say, into lots or shares No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

The lot no. 1 drawn by Milley Lindsay consisting of one negro man named Jerry, valued to $350
The lot no. 2 drawn by Taylor Lindsay consisting of one negro woman named Fanny, valued to $325
The lot no. 3 drawn by Reuben Lindsay consisting of one negro woman named Daphney, valued to $325
The lot no. 4 drawn by Joshua Lindsay consisting of two negroes to wit Netty and Minerva, valued to $250
The lot no. 5 drawn by Fanny Stubblefield (wife of Hugh Stubblefield) consisting of two negroes to wit Jimmy and __, valued to $275
The lot no. 6 drawn by John Lindsay consisting of two negroes to wit Jimmy Junior and Eliza, valued to $200
The lot no. 7 given by the consent of the legatees, generally, to Milley Lindsay, widow and relic of the said Joshua Lindsay, dec’d, consisting of three negroes to wit Gabriel, Phyllis and her child Permelia valued to $500

which several sums and valuations, as above stated, make an aggregate amount or sum total of $2,225 and when divided by the number of shares make a dividend or distributive share to each legatee of $317.85 which we have equalized and appropriated as follows… (proceeds to describe how the shares are equalized)

Joshua’s daughter Frances (Fanny) married Hugh Challis Stubblefield in Rockingham County on November 29, 1809, and their story continues in the Stubblefield post.

Joshua Lindsay’s parents have not been proven, although all of his siblings have. He was likely the son of Joshua Lindsay, who died in Essex County Virginia in 1794. Joshua Sr. is believed to have been the son of Caleb Lindsay, who at his death was living on the Rappahannock River in Essex County (now Caroline County), Virginia on a 300 acre tract he bought in 1716. It seems likely that Caleb was the son of Scottish immigrant James Lindsay, who appears in the records of Gloucester County as early as 1635.

More research is needed to confirm these lines but the name “Caleb” was carried forward in Joshua Lindsay’s family and in the families of some of his siblings.

Note that the name is frequently given as “Lindsey” and both spellings were often used.