Durham, Mary May Dorothy

* Name: Mary May Dorothy Durham
* Given Name: Mary May Dorothy
* Surname: Durham
* Name: Mary Dodson Durham
* Given Name: Mary Dodson
* Surname: Durham
* Sex: F
* Birth: 15 Jun 1686 in North Farnham Richmond County Virginia
* Death: After Jan 1745 in North Farnham Richmond County
Virginia
* Burial: After Jan 1745 North Farnham Richmond County Virginia
* Change Date: 12 Feb 2002 at 09:26
* Note: Mary Durham Dodson''s father died in 1715 and left her
five thousand pounds of tobacco; fifteen hundred pounds of the
same to be paid by my son Thomas Durham within nine months after
the decease of my wife and five hundred of the rest of the said
tobacco to be paid by my son John Durham at the decease of my
wife. Thomas Durham also made provision that if either of his
sons produced no heirs, land and tobacco were to be paid to his
"grandson Thomas Dodson and his heirs". Thomas and Mary Durham
Dodson farmed tobacco and inherited land from both sides of
their family. In 1723, Mary''s brother Thomas Durham and his wife
Mary sold or assigned them property in Richmond County, 100
acres for the "payment of one year from date of deed of rent of
one ears of Indian Corn on the feast Day of the birth of our
Lord God". Raising tobacco is labor-intensive work and at some
point Thomas Dodson felt the need to purchase slaves to help on
the farm. His will, marked and sealed on February 17, 1739, made
provision for numerous slaves, including women and boys. The
other disbursements of Thomas Dodson''s possessions was
interesting. Son Greenham was named the executor and he, George
and Elisha all received tracts of land. Abraham and Joshua, who
would have been teenagers though older than Elisha, each
received a negro woman and a negro boy plus one feather bed and
furniture. Son David must have proceeded Thomas Dodson in death,
for his will gives "my granddaughter, the daughter of David
Dodson, 20 shillings". At her husband''s death, Mary Durham
Dodson inherited the plantation they lived on, all the negroes
belonging there and all moveable estate for the length of her
life. Three and a half years later on September 29, 1743, Mary
wed Robert Galbreath. There are references in The Dodson Family
of North Farnsham Parish to a lawsuit brought by executor
Greenham Dodson the next year. At the chancery court in 1745 it
was decided that the complainant (Greenham) take possession of
the estate for the use of his mother, Mary Galbreath, during her
coverture according to the intention of the Testators Will, the
sd Robert Galbreath in open court refusing to give security.
It''s not clear exactly what was happening here, though the
Oxford English Dictionary defines coverture as "the condition or
position of a woman during her married life, when she is by law
under the authority and protection of her husband". This would
suggest Galbreath perhaps wasn''t taking very good care of Mary
Durham Dodson Galbreath, who would have been 58 years old at the
time. Greenham thus took over the running of the Dodson estate.
We don''t know when Mary died.