MADERIAS

BRIAN MADARIS SITE 

This is link to a great site for our Sarah  Maderias line.

Let me say we can not prove this 100%, but we believe this is sarah's line. And this will be a ongoing project.

 Below is a little about what we believe is sarah's line. For more information click on Brian's link above.

    It is believed that our original ancestor in this country was a man named Domingo Medeiros or Madeiras. We suspect he was born about 1620-30 in either Portugal, on the Portuguese island of Madeira or in the new colonies of America. The circumstances of his origin in the new colonies of America are not yet known for sure.
    Did Domingo come to America as a rancher? Was he a child of a Jamestown settler? Was he the son of a Portuguese tobacco trader? Was his family here before the establishment of Jamestown? Although I doubt that we will ever know the answer to these questions; these are the questions we hope to solve.

 

    There are several possibilities that could have brought Domingo to North America. Domingo could have come here on a Dutch ship in the 1640's to be a rancher. The Dutch, having the foresight to realize they would need to grow and produce their own food, brought farmers and ranchers from areas all over the world. Among their group, cattle ranchers from Portugal. This foresight allowed these settlers to prosper and succeed much easier than the earlier English colonist. We do know that Domingo was a prosperous cattle rancher in Virginia.
    It is also possible that Domingo was born in this country in the area of recently settled Jamestown. With a treaty in place between Portugal and England, the Portuguese were traders with the new colonists. They traded furs and tobacco. In fact the production and trade of tobacco from the Portuguese settled Island of Barbados in the Indies, is what created the financial success of the new colonies. The colonies nearly failed before the importation of this "fine" tobacco, replacing the Indian (domestic) tobacco which most Englanders found to have a "bite".
    The third option and most intriguing one to me is that Domingo's family could have been here in the soon to be New England well before the establishment of Jamestown in 1600. We all learned that Columbus sailed the ocean blue and about the Mayflower but things were already happening around the New England coast well before the pilgrimage to Plymouth Rock in 1620, or the settlement of Jamestown in 1600.
    In 1500 - 1501, Portuguese explorer Gaspar Corte Real and his brother Miguel, sailed along the (soon to be) New England coast. The two ships became seperated and Gaspar's ship was never heard from again. In 1502, Miguel returned to look for his brother but he too never returned. Many years later a stone was discovered near Dighton, Massachusetts, that became known as the Dighton Rock.  This stone contained engravings of Christian Crosses and the Portuguese Coat of Arms along with the inscription "Miguel Cortereal, by the will of God here chief of the Indians."  Portuguese explorers commonly placed monoliths at newly claimed land. The story has been the subject of much debate.
    There is an old stone tower in Newport, Rhode Island which was not made by Indians and the design suggests a Portuguese origin. This stone tower is located near the Dighton Rock. Is it possible that Miguel Corte Real and his Portuguese crew members established a settlement and relationship with the Indians in the area of Massachussetts in 1511? Evidence says it is entirely possible.
    The Wampanoag Indian tribe was identified in 1643 as having light-skinned members. They also used words such as "cabbo" for cape, "pico" for peak, and "sementels" for grain. These are all Portuguese words.
    In 1566 the Spaniards built a fort and city on the site of the previous French settlement of Charlesfort. This new settlement was called Sante Elena and it's inhabitants were Spaniards and Portuguese. Sante Elena was the capital of Spanish Florida, for 21 years until it was abandoned because of a conflict with the Indians. The inhabitants escaped to Florida but some of them may have traveled northward and established more settlements. The settlements of Sante Elena and Charlesfort were located on the site of present day Charleston, South Carolina.
    In 1634 many Shephardic Jews fled persecution in Portugal and came to the new colonies of New England. In 1654, 23 Shephardic Jews fled persecution in Brazil and also came to the new colonies. They formed what they called a new Portuguese nation in New Amsterdam with other Portuguese settlers in the area. (credits 128, 129)
    When the English settlers came to the new colonies from England, they were told by the Indians of a people who lived nearby who were light skinned and simular to the new settlers. They said they called themselves "Portygees".  Were they the children of the Corte Real brothers? Or possibly the displaced Sante Elena residents?
    So we can see that the Portuguese influence in the US started very early and shortly after the voyages of Columbus. The fact that no immigration records have ever been found for our ancestors into this country lends much credence to the theory that our ancestrial presence was very early in US colonial history.

 

    Our surname, with all of it's various spellings, is quite unique. We believe that Domingo is the one common ancestor of everyone with a surname spelled Madaris, Medearis, Medaris, McDaris, McDearis, Medaries or McDaries.
    The spelling of the Surname has taken several distinct branches in the last 300 years. Early in the 1600's - 1800's, correct spelling seemed to be what ever created the phonetics desired. Websters dictionary had not been written yet and phonetics was the most common way of recording documents, especially since many of our ancestors were illiterate. This was particularly true for those who ventured out into the unexplored new territories. When the census takers or clerks were filling out documents they would have to spell the names phonetically, as best they could, based on the pronunciation of the individual providing the information. Foreign accents, draws and other speech patterns of the time can be analyzed by reading these phonetic spellings. This is why so many of our early documents spell our ancestors names so differently from one document to another. These seven common spellings of today may have been settled on by the children of the late 1800's and early 1900's who became the first of several generations to attend school. They may have settled on these spellings themselves or on the recommendation of their teachers based on the speech pattern of a child. They may have relied on spellings from family records such as Bibles or marriage bonds. Almost every branch of our family has varied in the spelling of their surname at some time.
    Many families have stories as to why the spelling changes took place. The stories I have heard say the spelling was changed to distance ourselves from various family blacksheep from horse thieves to murderers. Records have all but disproved those stories.
    Bruce Medaris, son of General John Bruce Medaris , told me their spelling "Medaris" was taken from an old marriage record. I believe the "Mc" used in McDaris or McDearis developed from the Irish accents of the wives and mothers such as Rachel McPheeters, wife of Rice. If we look at all of the evidence it becomes evident how this change took place. All the documents based on Rachel's phonetics produce the McDaris spelling, yet none of the records produced by Rice use the "Mc" spelling. Not all of Rice's descendants use the "Mc" spelling and in fact this particular line has more varied spellings than any other. It is believed that the descendants of Rice took so many diverse spellings because of a land dispute after Rice's death. The use of "Mc" did not become common until after 1830.
    I believe simple changes such as the "Ma" from "Me" developed after the Civil War where brothers and cousins fought on opposing sides causing riffs in the family. This change is noted especially in the Tennessee, Georgia and Arkansas branches where members of the same family fought on opposing sides. Thomas P. and Jackson Madaris, who enlisted as Confederate soldiers, were captured and swore allegiance to the US and may have fought against their homeland. It appears that after the war they may have been shunned by their southern families, and moved west where they adopted the spelling "Medaries".

 

    Domingo's parents are unknown but we do believe that they either lived or immigrated from one of the areas in Portugal, possibly from the Madeira Islands. One piece of evidence that is strong is Domingo's name. During the Inquisition, when Christianity took over the Jewish Portuguese, they were forced to convert. In order to prove the dedication to their new Christian religion, the former Jews would name their first born son after the Sabbath. Domingo is Portuguese for "Sunday". It is believed that many of these persecuted Jews fled to the new colonies.
    There is a possiblity that Domingo was from Spain and there is some reasons to believe that there is a Moorish connection.
    Sometimes the correct spelling of a Surname can be determined by locating the place of origin for your original ancestor into this country. I believe the original spelling of the surname is Medeiros, Madeiras or Medearis. These spellings are all Portuguese meaning "One who came from Medeiros".
    It was common for Portuguese immigrants to drop the "i" from their surnames as they came to the English country. This would produce the spelling Mederas or Maderas. We see these spelling in our very early records. (credits 25).
    So we can see that the spellings Maderas, Madeiras, Medeiros and Medearis are interchangeable. The basic meaning of all three spellings mean Wood or Timber. The Madeira Islands were named so because it was heavily timbered.
    The spellings Maderas and Mederis are found quite frequently in pre-1800 census records. John Medearis (5) who was born in 1744, was not only an officer in the American Revolution but he was also a teacher. Several branches of his family maintained the ability to read and write throughout their generations unlike most of our branches. The family was not very mobile and except for the move to Tennessee in the very early 1800's from North Carolina, they were always close to each other. The spelling of the name Medearis is consistent in all branches of John's descendancy. I feel this is a great indicator and track for us to determine the original spelling of our Surname. It is possible that the spelling did change from Medeiros to Medearis in the time between Domingo and John, but since all spellings are interchangeable they share the same origin.
    John's brother Abraham (5), wrote a letter to his brother in 1816. He signed his name Medearis.  We have a letter written by William H. Madearis Jr. (7) (William 6, Rice 5) in 1852. William signs his name in this letter as Madearis.

Brian Kelly Madaris, 1996
(updated in 2003)

    I will use a numbering system to denote individuals and their lineage. Their name will be followed by their number representing their generation. Then they will be listed with their ancestry in order.
    For example: Charles Medaris (5) (John Thomas 4, Charles 3, Charles 2, Domingo 1)
    When we look at this example we know that Charles is the 5th known generation in this country (or from Domingo) and his father was John Thomas son of Charles who was the son of Charles who was the son of Domingo.
    I have adopted this method from Charles Carrow Cabiac editor of "The Med(e)aris/McDaris Miner" 1987-88.

 

Domingo Medeiras (1) b. we suspect about 1620. He lived in Essex, New Kent and Kings & Queens County, Virginia in the mid 1600's. He lived in an area known a Dragon Swamp. All of his children were born in the Dragon. Domingo's wifes name is unknown.
    Domingo shows in the following Virginia Records.

 

ESSEX COUNTY, VIRGINIA RECORDS

deed book 4, page 292 date 1660
Domingo Medaris --- cattle mark (registration) two cropps and two holes in the right ear.

(credits" 11 & 13 ) .

VIRGINIA COLONIAL ABSTRACTS

Vol. 1, pg. 186 - 9 Feb. 1658 /9 Lancaster County Records Book.
Domingo Madoras was a witness to a deed of Nicholas Cocke and Rodger Radford.

 

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    In 1668, there is a document relating to Sarah, a daughter of Domingo, being left orphaned. Although some researchers have seen this document I have neither seen it or a true transcript of it. From this document it is apparent that Domingo died in 1667 or 1668.

 

CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS PATENT BOOK NO. 6

Domingo Mederis & James Johnson, 1000 acs New Kent Co., bet. Dragon Sw. & Axells Br., 8 Apr. 1668, p. 160. 500 acs. part granted to Tho. Cleborne in 1662, who was assingned to the abovenamed, 500 acs. for trans of 10 pers: Roger Tomson, Rich Arton, Peter Grange, Ann Denew (?), Robet. Fuller, Mary Ingersten, Rice Jervis, Absolon Stringer, Morris Avery, Jno. Carter.

 

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Zachery Lewis. 20 April 1694

500 acres in King and Queen County. Adjoins Dragon Swamp. A patent granted to Thomas Clayborne now belonging to Mr. Christopher Lewis. This 500 acres formerly granted to Domingo Maderas and James Johnson 8 April 1668 and deserted. Due for importing 10 persons. Headrights include Dorcas Lewis and Sarah Lewis.

---

    Domingo received property by "Headrights". He was a cattle rancher and owned a vast amount of property in Virginia. It appears he was also a tobacco farmer. He apparently imported ranch help through indentureship.
    In the 1600's, indentured servants outnumbered slave labor in this country. Primarily from England and Germany, these servants would bind themselves by indenture, or contract, to a specified period, usually 4 to 7 years, of service in return for payment of their passage. At the end of their period of indenture, former servants were given clothing, a gun, and land. The financier would receive land as "headrights" for financing the trip of the individuals; 50 acres for each person transported. (credits 16) . Other than the land mentioned above, Domingo owned another 1500 acres in Virginia that was received through Headrights.
    Mary Medearis Metz, (credits 13) spoke of Domingo in an article she submitted to the "Med(e)aris, McDaris Miner", VII, #II, April 1988 published by Charles Carrow Cabiac (credits 18) . In this article she says:

".......It is the Massey C. genealogy, beginning with Domingo Madera . This is the correct spelling. I have known about him since I was in my teens. My grandmother Medearis knew about him from her husband Francis Massey (7)(John Wesley 6, Massey C. 5, John Thomas 4, Charles 3, Charles 2, Domingo 1). Francis Massey Med. traveled for a tobacco co. as then representative in SC, NC and Va, both before and after the Civil War. He was stationed in Smythe Co., Va., in the Quarter Master Corps under Col. Morgan, who headed a Cavalry Unit...........At sometime either as the tobacco representative or during Civil War or both, he ran into people who knew about Domingo - 1600's."
 

    There is a court dispute in 1668 over Domingo's land, and documents relating to his daughter Sarah being left orphaned. Some speculate this sudden departure of Domingo is likely evidence that he may have been killed in an Indian attack. Of course there is no proof of such an incident.
    Although there is no will or hard document to tie this family group together the circumstantial evidence leaves little doubt. The circumstantial ties by time line and geography are quite strong. These individuals do fall in place by their Middlesex, New Kent and Essex County connections and their ties with Dragon Swamp in other documents. The grandchildren of Charles (2) were born in Dragon Swamp. The same land area we know was owned by Domingo. The other branch's span out from this one central location and into the surrounding counties. All of these lines point directly back to Dragon Swamp and Domingo Medeiras.
    It is believed that Domingo had the following children:

 

1. Bolivar (2) See information under Jonas.
2. Jonas (2) I have not personally seen any documents with either Jonas or Bolivar listed, however, several early researchers apparently did. These names show on several family group sheets including the ones created by William Clinton Madaris and Floyd McKinley Medaris both very avid and reliable researchers. If anyone has any info on these two individuals please let me know.)
3. Charles (2) married Mary Beamon.
    
4. Sarah (2).  This is the only child of Domingo with a hard solid connection. She is listed in a 1668 document as being orphaned after Domingo's apparent sudden death.
5. James (2) married Sarah ????.  James and Sarah are the originators of the line of Maderra or Madara. Most researchers in their line believe they are not connected to our line, but James shows in New Kent Couny, Virginia about the same time as everyone else appears. I have included him here in this spot to aid in rearch purposes. Although there is no hard evidence to place James here, the locality and dates may be strong indicators. Naming trends in this branch however differ considerably from those in the line Charles (2).

(credits 00, 14, 15, 16, 17, 84)

Charles Maderas (2) (Domingo 1 ) married Mary Beamon. She was the daughter of John and Mary Beamon. Very little is known about this family. It is believed that they had the following children:
 

1. John Maderas (3) d. 01 Aug. 1722, married ???? Toseley.
2. Charles Maderas (3) married Mary Toseley.

    This family was based on the research of William Clinton Madaris (credits 62) .  His work is the basis of many charts seen throughout our first three generations. William felt Charles and Mary Beamon were generation 3, and Charles and Mary Toseley were generation 2.  However the discovery of more documents and the knowledge of the Toseley family support just the opposite. In some of our older charts, there are additional children; Bowler, Thomas and Rachel added here under Charles (2) and Mary.  However it appears that these additions came from the will of Bowler Madieros and it would be incorrect to do so.  The will of Bowler was written 16 April 1781 as Bowler entered the Continental Army for the Revolution.  It is very unlikely that he would have been born in the time period to be a brother to John and Charles listed above. He would have been around 80 years old in 1781. A little to old for battle field use! Bowler and his siblings would have to be in generation 5.
 
 

Middlesex County, Virginia. Wills and Inventories, 1637 - 1812 and Other Court Papers.
Will Book E. 1760 - 1772

Elizabeth Beamon, 23 Jun 1770 Aug 1770. Brother John Beamon and his daughter Ann Beamon, Goddaughter Ann Madaris.
Exors. John Brim and Ann Madaris.
Wit. Henry Street, James McHan and Mary (Madaris) McHan.
 

    The only Ann Madaris we know of is the wife of Benjamine (5) son of Charles (4) . This is the family listed in the Christ Church Parish Register. This Ann would fit the time requirement of being of age to be executor of the will of Elizabeth Beamon.

 

 Va. Co. Court Records Deed Abstracts of Middlesex Co., Va. 1694 - 1703. Deed Book 2,
 

Part III by Ruth & Sam Sparacio. Pages 355 - 356.

This Indenture made the fourth day of M( ) Between John Beamon and Mary his wife of County of Middlesex of one part and Charles Madorions of other part Wittnesseth that the said John and Mary his wife for and in consideration that the (missing) shall from time to time and all times during (missing) Life be decently and well maintained in meat drink....lodging of the payment of charges of the said Charles ....orion that if he good living Clothing, Linning, Shoes, Stockings hatt and all necessary fitting and convenient for...with all such as may be reasonably adjudged sufficient for such a person hath granted and sold unto the said Charles Madorions for and during the natural life One hundred acres of land in said Couty the said one hundred acres of land formerly by Thomas Tosoley to the said Jno. Beamans by deed dated the first day of June 1691 accordcing to the said deed and the said John Beamons and Mary his wife for them selves their heirs granted that he the said Charles Madorions assigned forever all their personall Estate whatsoever only Excepting one Bedd and covering to it one great chest...cattle, hoggs... In Presence of John Madorions,
Thomas Gambel
John Beaman
Mary Beaman
Att a Court for the County of Middlesex the 6th day of may 1700 then personally appeared Edwin Thacker and by vertue of a Power of Attorney from John Beamon acknowledged the above Deed to be his act & deed.

 

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John Beamon purchased this land originally from Thomas Toseley in 1691.
PP. 357 - 178

Known all men by these presents that I Charles Madorions am indebted to John Beamon of the County of Middlesex in the sum of one thousand pounds of good swt. Tobacco and Caske the ( ) of ( ) 1700.
The condition of this obligation is such that the above named John Beamon hath (missing) said Charles Maderion his Plantation One hundred acres of land during his (missing) excepting a bedd a chest for the (missing) of him said John Beamon and Mary his Wife natural life in consideration of Washing and Lodging (missing) to lodge and dwell in dureing his natural life then his obligation to be voyd else to stand.
In presence of John Madorions
Charles Madereons
Thomas Gamble

Att a Court held for County of Middlesex the 6th day of May 1700 This bond was acknowledged and admitted to record.

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    Obviously from these documents it can be concluded that John Beamon and his wife Mary are elderly. Some have concluded that John and Mary had no children to leave their land to and therefore gave it to Charles Maderion, his neighbor, in exchange for the Beamons being able to live there and be taken care of by Charles and his wife. However the will of Elizabeth Beamon above demonstrates that the Beamons did have children. The more probable conclusion was made by William Clinton Madaris (credits 62) . He concluded that Charles married their daughter Mary Beamon and thus the reason for the transaction. It is not the kind of agreement you would likely carry out between mere neighbors or friends. This is likely a contract between Charles and the parents of his wife.

 

James Maddera (2) (Domingo 1 connection is assumed for research purpose) married Sarah ????. Had the following children:

1. Zachariah (3)

John Murray sells James Maddera 100 acres in U.P. adj. Thomas Took. Eliz. Murray also signs.  20 Jan.1681. Sam. Cook.
 

(credits 00, 17, 99)

 

Charles Maderas (3) (Charles 2 , Domingo 1 ) was likely born around 1680 in Virginia. Charles married Mary Toseley, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Toseley.
    Charles and Mary had the following children listed in the Christ Church Parish Register of Middlesex County, Virginia.

 

1. Charles Madaris (4) b. 10 of February 1702
2. John Thomas Medearis (4) b. 1704
3. Mary Maderas (4) b. 24 Apr 1707 married John Gore Sr.

(credits 00, 14, 17, 20, 18, 62 )

(For more information on the Toseley 's and the Gores, please click here to visit Joyce Gore Locke's home page )

 

"Piscataway Creek, in Rappahannock Co., VA is a navigable creek with many streams flowing into it. A large branch that flows  into Piscataway from the southeast was considered by many to be Piscataway. It took a ruling of the court to fix the same Piscataway as that of the west branch. The other large branch became known as the southeast branch of Piscataway or King's Swamp. On this swamp were five water grist mills, most of which were built before 1692. The south swamp was also called Green Swamp, Beeby's Swamp, Webb's Mill Swamp, Covington's Mill Swamp, Dunn's Mill Swamp, and then Essex Mill swamp. Landowners on or near this swamp were ALEXANDER MacKENNY, JOHN LACY, ROSCOE OVERTON, Capt. JOSIAS PICKENS, THOS BOWLER (Bowler's Quarter), PETER TREBLE (TRIBLE), HENRY WOODNUT, EDWARD HUDSON, JAMES WEBB, HENRY SMITH, JOHN HARPER, WM. EDWARDS, JOHN JONES, JOHN GIBBS, RICHARD BUSH, THOMAS BROUGHTON, RALEIGH TRAVERS, THOS. TOSELEY, HENRY WILLIAMS, RALPH PAIN and SAM. PARRY."
(Boulware Family Website)

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Zachariah Maddera (3) (James 2 , Domingo 1 connection is assumed for research purpose) (what's in a name? Zacarias) Listed as a gaoler in Urbanna, Virginia. (A gaoler is the British term for jailer). Zachariah witnessed many documents such as wills, and land deeds. Zachariah died around Jan 1752, his WILL was recorded on 12 Feb. 1752.
    Zachariah was married twice, 1) Prescilla Deberry in 1712. She was the daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Deberry. He married 2) Johanna Hurdle.
    Zachariah had the following children:

 

1. Joel Maddera (4) lived in Surry County. He bought 200 acres of property from Nathaniel Thompson in Surry Co., on the 26th day of Oct. 1779 which he resold in 1782 to Jacob Faullcon.  Jacob Faullcon being the court clerk who recorded many of the will's of the Maddera family. Joel married 1) Lucy Warren 02 Feb. 1774 2) Ann Cocke Thompson, 02 Sept 1779 in Surry Co.,VA.
2. James Maddera (4) married Mary Wombell, daughter of Thomas Wombell in 1784 in Isle of Wright Co., VA.
3. Joseph Maddera (4) married Margaret Wombell, daughter of Thomas Wombell in 1784 in Isle of Wright Co., VA.
4. Priscilla Maddera (4)
5. John Maddera (4) lived in Surry County.
6. William Maddera (4)
7. Lucy Maddera (4)
8. Martha Maddera (4)
9. Ann Maddera (4)

Portion of Will of Peter Deberry, father of Priscilla Deberry

{{Deberry, Peter:  Leg. Daughter Priscilla, wife of Zacharias Maddera ; son John land adjoining William Thomas; daughter Sarah the wife of John Warren, part of Piland's patent; son John the bed on which I now lie at the house of James Sampson; wife Elizabeth.  Exs., wife and brother John Brantley.
D(ied).  December 30, 1712.   R(ecorded). March 28, 1712
Wit. Nathaniel Ridley, James Sampson, James Madera, Mary Sampson. Page 554.}}
 

       
(Credits 00,17, 27, 38, 84, 99 )

Charles Madaris (4) (Charles  3 , Charles 2 , Domingo 1 ) b. 20 Feb. 1702 in Middlesex County, Virginia. Charles married Mary Elles (Ellis) 04 February 1732 in Middlesex Virginia at Christ Church.
    Charles was one of the originators of the Baptist Church in the new colonies. There are several documents in the "William and Mary Quarterly" about Charles and his neighbors who were imprisoned for 46 days in 1771 for preaching without a license in the home of his neighbor and son-in-law, James McHan, and for not preaching in line with the Church of England.
Click here to read more about it.
    Charles died abt. Oct. 1774 in Middlesex, County, Virginia. His will was probated on 24 Oct. 1774 at the Urbanna Courthouse. Charles name is listed in his will as Charles Madaris, but signs it as Carlos or Carles Madris. From statements made in Charles' will, he was ill for some time and was 72 years old. Click here to read the Will .
(what's in a name? Carlos )

    Charles and Mary had six children all documented in the Christ Church Parish Register of Middlesex County, Virginia.:

 

1. John Maderas (5) b. 19 May 1734, Middlesex County, Virginia, d. abt 1806. Middlesex County, Virginia, Married Lucy ????.
2. Charles Maderas (5) 9 May 1737,
3. Mary Maderas (5) b. 7 Dec 1739, married James McHan on 5 Jan 1762.
4. Elizabeth Maderas (5) b. 17 Oct. 1742
5. Benjamine Medearis (5) 4 Sept. 1745
6. Johanne Maderas (5) b. 26 May 1748

(credits 00, 17)

John Thomas Medearis (4) (Charles  3 , Charles  2 , Domingo 1 ) was born in 1704 in Middlesex County, Virginia. John married Rachael Davis who was b. 20 Nov. 1715.
    John first appears in an August Court in 1744. In this case in Essex County, Virginia Records, Court Order Book No. 14. p. 38, Philoman Bird and als against Ann Smith and als, Petition for a Road. John appears on the side of Ann Smith petitioning against a bridge to be built over the Dragon Swamp. Their fear is that a charge would be placed on those wishing to travel over the bridge to take their tobacco to "Boulware's Warehouse". The importance of this court document is that it not only gives us the location of John's residence (Dragon Swamp for a tie to Domingo), but also tells us his occupation (Tobacco Farmer). The court document also gives us the name of a neighbor John Massey. This may be who his son Massey was named after.
    Philoman Bird, by the way, won the court case and the bridge over Dragon Swamp was built.
    John and Rachel lived across the river from George Washington.  Rachel Davis Medearis and George Washington were 2nd cousins / 1 x removed.  This makes the children of Rachel and George Washington 3rd cousins.  This explains why the name Washington is passed down to John and Rachel's children and grandchildren.  (see lineage below)
 

Indenture MADE the 20th day of June, 1761, between Moses VINCENT and Sarah VINCENT, his wife, parties of the first part, and John MEDEARIS, for 37 pounds, conveying 90 acres on South side of Fountains Creek. Signed by Moses VINSON and Sarah VINSON. Witnesses were John MEDARIS Junr. and Wm. BUFORD. Indenture acknowledged in Court on June 22, 1761, by Moses VINCENT. Deed Book 6, page 683.
 

    John and Rachael had the following children, that make up most of our family branch's.

 

1. Abraham Medearis (5) born in Essex County, Virginia, likely in the early 1740's, Abraham lived in Caswell County, Morgan District at the time of the 1790 Census. Abraham wrote a letter to his brother John on 11 Nov. 1816 and addresses him as "Dear Honorable Brother". He apparently never married and his line ended there. In the letter he referred to himself as "monastic".  Abraham spent 3 years in service for his country in the American Revolution .

North Carolina Person County November 1th, 1816.

Dear Honorable Brother I have kind embraced this opportunity of righting to let you kno that I and mine is in reasonable state of helth at present. Thanks be to god for it and hoaping these lines will ifind you and yours in the like and I should be glad to see sum of you to have some chat with you about the country. I have the soryst crop that I ever had in my life and the drouth has been so severe that corn sels now at fore do form the stack rotten and all together, pork at 12-2/3 pr hundred. Cows between 20 and 30 doler by reaon of destemper and nomore at present. But stil remane your loving brother til deth and hope that if we neveer may see each other in this life that we may meat ....there to remane. But stil wish to se you and all your in life. I am dear Brother with esteam your dear loving brother until death and I stil remain in the monastick way.

Abraham Madeares

To Mr. John Madeares
Bedford County
Tinnessee State
From Abraham Meadeares

(what's in a name? Abraham )
(credits 00, 01, 28)

2. Charles Medaris (5) born abt. 1745, in Essex County, Virginia in the area known as Dragon Swamp. He married Elizabeth "Betsy" Gregory in 1765.
3. John Medearis (5) born 22 February 1744, in Essex County, Virginia, between the Rappahanock and the Dragon Run, married Sarah Hicks Bell.
4. Rice Medaris (5) about 1745-50 in Middlesex County, Virginia. Rice married Rachael McPheeters.
5. Massey Chrisman Medearis (5) born in Essex County, Virginia around 1752, married Celia Bell.
6. Oliver Medearis (5) born about 1759 in Middlesex County, Virginia in the area known as Dragon Swamp. He married Wilmuth Redmond.
7. Sarah Medaris (5) born abt. 1745 in Virginia. Sarah married Henry Mitchell.