Uriah Edwards of Spotsylvania: Who Were His Parents?

I have run into a lot of Uriah Edwards descendants over the past couple of years. He is universally everyone's "brick wall" ancestor. As far back as 1901, this led Edwards Fortune scammers to sweep him into their genealogical dumpster fire, as I pointed out in a previous post.

The truth is, I don't know who his parents were, but I thought I'd try to shed some light on what we do know about him and hopefully lead genealogists in the right direction.

What do we know about Uriah Edwards?

He first appears in the order books of Spotsylvania County, Virginia in the 1750s. 

In an old typed genealogy of unknown origin titled "The Family: From Virginia to the Pacific", dated 1974, Uriah's parents are identified as "John Edwards II and unknown wife." It notes Uriah can be placed in Spotsylvania County, Virginia via public records as early as 1753, when he appears "as a party to an apprenticeship." The author states that Uriah was by trade a blacksmith, so we can safely assume it was a blacksmith apprenticeship.

I also found a reference online that Uriah was named in Spotsylvania County road orders in 1755. So its clear he was in the county that far back. He doesn't appear in the deed books until the 1760s.

He was supposedly born in 1714.

The author further states that a family bible in his possession corroborates the theory that Uriah died Aug. 16, 1781 aged 67 years, and prior to his marriage lived on the estate of a relative called James Edwards (no source known for this claim). This could all be speculative, of course. No "family bible" has been referenced anywhere else that I've ever found. According to Uriah's estate probate, his will was dated April 16, 1781 and probated August 17, 1781.

Will abstract:

EDWARDS, URIAH, Berkeley Parish, Spotsylvania Co., d. Apr. 16, 1781, Executors Bond dated Aug. 17, 1781. Wit. Charles Pemberton, Edward Brasfield, Bennet Pemberton. Ex. Edward Herndon, Joseph Herndon and my son John Edwards. Leg. wife Milley Edwards; son John Edwards; my four youngest children, Benjamin, Moses, Milley and Mary Edwards; my seven children, Uriah, Benjamin, Moses, Milley and Mary Edwards, Rebecca, the wife of Reuben Hawkins, and Elizabeth, the wife of Elisha Hawkins. (Page 404) 

However, the supposed "family bible" that produced this information may be another work of fiction. The earliest mention of this 1714 birth is from the Edwards Heirs Association newsletter in 1925. The information evidently came from Susie Robertson Mann (1874-1940) of Covington, KY. As the letter says: "Mrs. Mann states that her great-great grandfather was Uriah Edwards who was born in 1714 and died in 1782: and that he married Milly Head." Always take anything that has its origin in "Edwards Heirs" with a grain of salt.

If he was 67 at his death, that means he didn't appear in public records of Spotsylvania County until he was in his late 30s at the youngest. This suggests that either he was somewhere else prior to then, or that he may in fact be younger, born as late as 1730.

He met his wife in Spotsylvania County.

Mildred Head, daughter of Henry Head, formerly of Lancaster County, was born in King George County, where her father appears in deed books in the 1720s. He bought land in Spotsylvania County in 1743, at which time he is believed by Head genealogists to have moved his family there. She is named as "my daughter Mildred Edwards" in his will, so the connection is firm. Since Mildred was in Spotsylvania a full eight years before their first child was born, there is virtually no chance they met in some other county. This places Uriah in Spotsylvania even further back, as early as 1750.

He had eight children.

According to family accounts given in the aforementioned genealogy, Uriah was the father of eight children, all born in Spotsylvania County:

John b. Aug. 31, 1751
Uriah b. Mar. 21, 1754
Elizabeth b. Aug. 3, 1756
Rebecca b. May 28, 1762
Mildred b. May 28, 1762
Benjamin b. 1769
Moses b. 1775
Mary b. unknown

He has no known relations.

The aforementioned genealogy gives his siblings as John, Robert and James, and as stated, his father as John Edwards II. No mother is listed. It further states that prior to striking out on his own, he lived with his brother, James Edwards. No source for this information is stated, and it remains possible that this is mere speculation based on a cursory look at public records. He is associated with no one else named Edwards in deed books besides his children.

There are two possible fathers for Uriah in Spotsylvania County records.

Dr. John Edwards (c.1685-1743) first appears in public records in Westmoreland County, Virginia in 1707 and was likely married a year or two prior. He first bought land in Spotsylvania County in the 1720s, along with his brother, Thomas Edwards (c.1690-aft.1745). John Edwards is known to have held this property, along with a town home in Fredericksburg, until his death in 1743.

The name "Uriah" does not appear anywhere else in the Westmoreland County Edwards family. The family does include names like John, Benjamin, Elizabeth and Mary, names of Uriah's children, but these names are so common in colonial America its hard to get too excited about them. Uriah shows zero connection with the Westmoreland Edwards family or their in-laws in deed books of Spotsylvania or neighboring counties, and his property was not near John Edwards, being much further west into the county.

There is also a James Edwards Sr. (c.1682-aft.1756) of King William County who bought land in Spotsylvania County in 1734 and gifted it to his son, James Edwards Jr (c.1720-1788) in 1756. James Edwards Jr. later moved there and his estate was probated in Spotsylvania County in 1788. This family also shows no evident relation to Uriah Edwards.

Uriah Edwards does show some familiarity with the Settle family of Richmond County in Spotsylvania deed books; a Settle was named as an heir in the will of William Edwards of Westmoreland County (c.1700-1755, no known relation to the Edwards family of Westmoreland). Some of this William Edwards's descendants migrated north into King George County shortly after the American Revolution, and it remains possible that Uriah is related to this family.

Of course, we cannot rule out that Uriah Edwards was himself an immigrant from Wales or England. This is the best explanation for his absence from public records in King George and Stafford, where the children of Dr. John Edwards are named repeatedly; or of King William, where the James Edwards family appears. 

The way forward.

With an ancestor this far back, I doubt DNA research will be much help. For genealogists from this line, I would search through the order books of Spotsylvania County, Virginia for additional clues about Uriah Edwards, particularly from his early life in the 1750s. You might also check the British National Archives and other online resources for any clues about him in England or Wales. Best of luck!