Royall Spain, Tabitha Harris and Harriet Wootton of Mecklenburg County

Royall Spain [1]. He was born Bet. 1788–1789 in Virginia, USA[2]. He died Bet. Nov 1870–Jul 1872 in Mecklenburg, Virginia, USA[1].

Details concerning Royall's childhood are largely unknown but he apparently did not attend school. He signed his name with an "X" during his entire lifetime and was unable to read or write. Most researchers agree that Royall was the son of Jemima Spain who remarried to Cain Coleman in 1816, but I have not researched this connection.

Royall was married to Tabitha Harris by Rev. William Richards of Bethel (formerly Bluestone) Baptist Church. They were married for over twenty-five years before Tabitha passed away. Royall was then remarried to Harriet Wootton by Rev. John B. Smith, also of Bethel Baptist Church.

Royall and Tabitha had at least five children, three girls and two boys; Lucy C. married Joshua Spain, Martha R. married Warner Brown, Louisa J. married Benjamin Thomas Lawson, James Nelson married Kitty Harris and Samuel S. Spain. Royall and Harriet had only one child, a daughter named Sarah Francis Spain.

Royall's daughter, Martha R. Spain, had an interesting life. She was the third wife of Warner Brown, a man who reportedly had twenty-six children. The Browns lived in Arkansas until Warner's death, at which time Martha moved her family to the outskirts of St. Louis. They excelled at tobacco farming and her son Paul came to own one of the largest tobacco factories in Missouri, the Paul Brown Tobacco Company. Described as a brokerage and real estate baron, Paul's estate was valued at more than thirteen million dollars when he died in 1927. He was one of the principal promoters of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis and owned thousands of acres in Florida.

Royall's life was not as embellished as that of his grandson. He owned a small farm near Bluestone and participated in some light manufacturing activities. Royall lost his eyesight in later life and thereafter wound-down his farming operation. He got rid of his livestock, disposing of most of his property to son-in-law Joshua Spain.

Tabitha Harris was the daughter of William Harris and Ann[3]. She was born Bet. 1780–1790 in Virginia, USA[4, 5]. She died Bet. Jun 1830–Dec 1838[3, 5].

Royall Spain and Tabitha Harris. They were married on 30 Sep 1812 in Mecklenburg, Virginia, USA[3].

Harriet W. Wootton[3]. She was born Bet. 1809–1810 in Virginia, USA[2]. She died Bet. May 1874–Jan 1875 in Mecklenburg, Virginia, USA[10, 11].

Royall Spain and Harriet W. Wootton. They were married Abt. 17 Dec 1838 in Mecklenburg, Virginia, USA[3].

Sources

1. Mecklenburg County, Virginia, Will Book 23, 1872-1877, Royall Spain will, 35-36.
2. Ancestry.com, 1850 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005), Database online. Regiment 22, Mecklenburg, Virginia, roll M432_960, page 124, image 247.Record for Royall Spain.
3. Vogt & Kethley, Virginia Historic Marriage Register, Mecklenburg County Marriages, 1765-1853 (Athens, Georgia: Iberian Publishing Co., 1989), 127.
4. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1880 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005), Database online. Blue Stone, Mecklenburg, Virginia, ED 142, roll T9_1377, page 76.4000, image .Record for Thomas B. Lawson.
5. Ancestry.com, 1830 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004), Database online. Part II, Mecklenburg, Virginia, roll 197, page 46, image 96.Record for Royall Spain.
6. Mecklenburg County, Virginia, Marriage Bonds & Consent Papers, 1844-1847, A-Z, Lawson-Spain bond, 1846, frame 541.
7. Lawson family cemetery, Lawson Road, near Chase City, Mecklenburg County, Virginia, B. T. and L. J. Lawson tombstone.
8. Commonwealth of Virginia certificate of death (Bureau of Vital Statistics), James Edward Lawson, 1918, 364-6094.
9. Commonwealth of Virginia certificate of death (Bureau of Vital Statistics), Mrs. Loisa Lawson, 1920, 526-13486.
10. Mecklenburg County, Virginia, Will Book 23, 1872-1877, Royall Spain a/c current, 322-323.
11. Mecklenburg County, Virginia, Will Book 23, 1872-1877, Royall Spain a/c current, 488-489.