Lydia Pitman

Lydia Pitman (d. bef. 1678) is now accepted by the Jamestown Society as daughter of Rebecca Gray and Thomas Gray, Ancient Planter (d. 1658).

Biography

Lydia Gray was born about 1639 in the Virginia Colony.

Lydia married Samuel Judkins, Virginia Immigrant circa 1655 in Surry, Surry County, Virginia, United States. Together they had three sons:

1. Robert Judkins;
2. Samuel Judkins, of Surry County;
3. Charles Judkins.

Lydia married Capt. Thomas Pitman, of Surry County on September 10, 1672.

She died before March 14, 1678 in Surry County, Virginia Colony.

Origins

Extracted from "Lydia Gray, daughter of Thomas Gray Sr, Jamestown immigrant, wife of Samuel Judkins Sr and later Thomas Pitman Sr, mother of Samuel Judkins Jr, Robert Judkins, Charles Judkins, and Lydia Pitman, and grandmother of Catherine Judkins, wife of Henry Jones Sr d 1739 Bertie Co, NC." (2021) < link >

It has long been believed that Lydia -- Judkins Pitman was a Gray, but no records had been found to actually prove this or to prove the identity of her father. Lydia has often been attributed to the wrong Gray father. She was NOT the daughter of William Gray Sr as suggested by Boddie and unfortunately recorded as fact in many family trees. William Gray Sr did have a daughter named Lidie as proven by the will of his son, John Gray, written and probated in 1708. John Gray (son of William Gray Sr) left household goods to his sister Lidie who was obviously still living in 1708. Lydia Gray, who married Samuel Judkins Sr and later Thomas Pitman Sr, had died by March of 1678/9, about 30 years prior to John Gray's 1708 will that named his living sister Lydia. Therefore Lydia Gray Judkins Pitman could not possibly be the the same as William Gray Sr's daughter Lidie Gray who was living in 1708 as suggested by Boddie.
Lydia Gray Judkins Pitman was in fact a previously unknown and unproven daughter of Thomas Gray Sr the immigrant by his third wife Rebecca. You will not find Lydia mentioned in any of the old research concerning Thomas Gray Sr's descendents. The records to prove Lydia as another daughter have long been available, but their significance was not recognized until recently. These records were examined by the genealogists at the Jamestown Society in 2014, who were, of course, skeptical because none of the previous research mentioned a daughter Lydia, and previous research by Boddie and Purse & Person seemed to discount this possibility. Records were submitted to the Jamestown Society that disproved this old research, more records were submitted to prove that Thomas Gray Sr left a will leaving land to his children which must have included Lydia and her husband Samuel Judkins Sr, and still more records were submitted to prove that Lydia's share in this land was passed down to her descendants, James Judkins (Lydia's grandson through son Charles Judkins) and William Dennis (Lydia's great-grandson throuh son Samuel Judkins Jr), who sold their right to this inherited Gray land to William Gray Jr who had inherited another share of the same tract. Still more records were submitted to prove that the wife of Henry Jones Sr d 1739 Bertie Co was Catherine Judkins, daughter of Samuel Judkins Jr and wife Elizabeth Petway. After examining these records, the Jamestown Society was satisfied that the proof was solid in both cases.
Lydia Gray is now recognized as a previously unknown daughter of Thomas Gray Sr and wife Rebecca, and Colonel Buck Jones was accepted as a member of the Jamestown Society based on his descent from Thomas Gray Sr through Henry Jones Sr and wife Catherine Judkins, granddaughter of Samuel Judkins Sr and Lydia Gray.

References

1. "Lydia Gray, daughter of Thomas Gray Sr, Jamestown immigrant, wife of Samuel Judkins Sr and later Thomas Pitman Sr, mother of Samuel Judkins Jr, Robert Judkins, Charles Judkins, and Lydia Pitman, and grandmother of Catherine Judkins, wife of Henry Jones Sr d 1739 Bertie Co, NC." (2021) < link >. Also see document attached.
2. The Newsom Family (Concluded).” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 48, no. 4, 1940, pp.358 -362. www.jstor.org/stable/4245047. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4245047?read-now=1&seq=3#page_scan_tab...
3. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L6J5-JND
4. http://sites.rootsweb.com/~vaschsm/PitmanT.rtf
5. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69719989 has her as daughter of Rebecca.
6. Boddie, John Bennett. (1954) .Virginia Historical Genealogies [database on-line]. Gray, page 309-310. < Ancestry.com >. "Thomas1 Gray married twice. The name of his second wife was Rebecca. The name of his first wife, who was probably the mother of his five children, was listed as "Margaret," but this may have been an error on the part of the recorder, as in land patents by her husband, her name appears to have been "Avis" or "Anis" or possibly "Annis." Thomas Gray had five children, in the following order ... "
7. Boddie, John Bennett. (1954) .Virginia Historical Genealogies [database on-line]. Page 310-311 < Ancestry.com > "William Gray (1622-1714) m. Mary__ and had four children: (1) Lydia Gray. She was probably the Lydia who m. 1st. Samuel Judkins (d.1672) and m. 2nd. Capt. Thomas Pitman. ... [Sic: disproved parents.]
8. Grant, Robert N. (Robert Noel), 1945-. 1672 Samuel Judkins of Surry County, Virginia, his wife Lydia (Gray) (Judkins) Pittman, and his descendants (Kindle Locations 952-960). Menlo Park, CA : Robert N. Grant.
9. "Descendants of Thomas Pitman (1614-abt 1686) of Surry County, Virginia" (document attached)