The information for this article was taken largely from Genealogies Lewis and Kindred Families, Edited By John Meriwether McAllister and Lura Boulton Tandy, E. W. Stephens Publishing Company (1906). That information was edited and additional information was added by H. Edgar Hill (ed@hill-ky.org) who is a descendant of the Dibrell and Lee families through Elizabeth Lee and Anthony Dibrell and their daughter Leeanna who married Michael Jones.
Dr. Christopher Du Breuil
So far as is known this family was the only family of du Breuils (pronounced “du Bray”) among the Huguenot settlers. The name of du Breuil is extinct, and the name of Dibrell, which took its place, is confined to the descendants of the only son of Dr. Christopher du Brueil of France, but more recently of Manakintown, Virginia.
Of this great ancestor of the Dibrell family, very little is known. It is known, however, from the records, that he was among the Manakintown, Virginia settlers, and hence, among the Huguenot refugees. Mr. Charles Lee Dibrell in his manuscript says of Dr. du Breuil: “Among the Manakintown settlers was Christopher du Breuil, a physician, who died in the year 1729. Nothing more is known of him than that it was said that he was eminent in his profession. After the death of Dr. du Breuil his widow, Marianne, married a Huguenot named Labsiraira (pronounced Lubarier), by whom she had one or more sons and probably daughter. Nothing more is know of Dr. du Breuil’s wife.
The birth of Dr. du Breuil occurred about 1680, after three generations had passed through the storms of civil and religious strife which had shaken France. From the records of the church of the French refugees at Manakintown we learn that “Jeane Antoine du Breuil, son of Christoffe du Breuil and Marianne his wife, was born May 15, 1728, and on the first of August following, was baptized by Mr. Masons, was presented by Antoine Benin, and Elizabeth Dutoi was grandmother.” It is unclear whether Ms. Dutoi is actually Jean Antoine’s grandmother or actually his godmother. Most of the other entries of the time list godmothers and godfathers. It is likely she was actually his godmother. There is a tradition that the maiden name of Marianne du Breuil, was Le Grande, and this name has been perpetuated in some of the Dibreil families, but this is a mere tradition, without foundation.
Mr. Charles Lee Dibrell’s manuscript says that Antoine Dibrell was born a month after the death of his father, and the record says that he was born 1728, it follows that Dr. Cristopher du Breuil died in April 1728.
Manakintown Settlement
In 1690 so many Huguenots had settled on the south bank of James River, in Henrico County, Virginia, about twenty miles from where Richmond now stands (Henrico then embraced both sides of the river at that point), and which was known as Manakintown, from the tribe of Indians which had occupied that section. The assembly passed an act giving them a large tract of land along the river as their possession, exempting it from all state and county taxes for seven years, and then extending the privilege indefinitely. Here they rested for a time worshiping with an entire freedom of conscience, without restraint or dictation from any source, until such time as they grew so much in numbers that it became necessary for them to spread out and seek their fortunes in different parts of the country.
Dibrell Family
Dibrell, originally French and spelled du Breuil, was among the oldest and most prominent Huguenot families. In Virginia, however, it became thoroughly anglicized, and for more than a hundred and fifty years, and for six successive generations, it has been spelled Dibrell. This is one of the instances of the general change of names which resulted from the conditions surrounding the French Huguenots in America. The purely English rendition of the name by the first Anthony Dibrell has stripped it of all complications and made it purely American.
Dr. Christopher du Breuil was the original head of the family in America. It is generally accepted that he was born in France and with his parents fled from that country towards the close of the seventeenth century, in consequence of the relentless war which had been waged by the government and the Roman church against all Protestants.
The du Breuils like the Dupuys and the other settlers in the Manakintown settlement, did not come directly to America, but were refugees first in Holland, then in England, and afterwards in America. It is a notable fact that only one of the name Dibrell was known among the Manakintown settlers. There are no records to show that Dr. du Breuil left any child other than Anthony, who was the ancestor of the Dibrell family in America.
We learn from the records of the church of the French refugees at Manakintown, known in English church history as Parish of King William, that Jean Antoine du Breuil, son of Christoffe du Breuil and Marianne his wife, was born May 15, 1728 and baptized first of 1 August 1728. This is none other than Anthony Dibrell, whose name has become changed from du Breuil to Dibrell, as almost all the names of the Manakintown settlers had undergone radical changes, owing to their changed condition in the colonies.
Anthony Dibrell
The father of Anthony Dibrell died one month prior to his birth. His mother married the second time and died soon thereafter. Anthony was left to be raised by strange hands. It is not known what the financial condition of Anthony Dibrell was when his parents died, but it is known, when he started out in his early manhood, he was on his own resources without money. There is one fact, however, that stands forthmost prominently and speaks for itself; whatever the early opportunities of Anthony Dibrell may have been, he not only proved himself equal to the battle of life, but from his first appearance upon the arena he was acknowledged the full peer of his fellows, and established his claim, in spite of adverse fate, to a lineage that placed him in the front rank of the best names of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Left an orphan when so young that he had no distinct recollection of either of his parents, raised by an unlettered Frenchman by the name of Benning, and turned loose upon the world penniless, he married before he was thirty years old, in one of the wealthiest and most aristocratic families of Virginia.
Charles Lee Dibrell, in his manuscript so frequently referred to, gives the following items of the early life of Anthony Dibrell: “About one month after the death of Christopher du Brueil, Anthony, his only child, was born. It is supposed that Dr. du Breuil died poor, and left his wife without the means of educating their son. After his death, how long it is not known, his widow married a Huguenot named Labairaire (pronounced Lubazier) by whom she had a son or sons, and probably daughters.
Shortly after or before the marriage of the mother of Anthony to Labairaire, he (then a small boy) was given up to a man named Benning who treated him with great cruelty and raised him in profound ignorance. Having finished his term of apprenticeship with Benning, he turned his attention to procuring an education and having equipped himself for the battle of life, started out to measure lances with others of his generation.”
Mr. Charles Lee Dibrell further says of Anthony Dibrell: “In person my grandfather was about five feet seven inches in height, weight about 140 pounds, dark complexion, dark eyes and hair, aquiline nose, and prominent forehead. My recollection of him is distinct, although I was little more than eight years old when he died.”
In 1756, at about the age of twenty-eight, Anthony Dibrell married Miss Elizabeth Lee, at the house of John Fearn, in Buckingham County, Virginia. Her sister, Leeanna, having become the wife of John Fearn twelve years previously.
Richard Lee
The first Richard Lee of American history was born in Shropshire, England, towards the end of the sixteenth century. He was member of the privy council of Charles I, and during the reign of that monarch, 1641, he emigrated to Virginia. He was the first attorney general of Virginia, he was secretary of the colony with Sir William Berkley, and was conspicuous in all colonial affairs.
After the death of Charles I, and during the Protectorate of Cromwell, Lee was conspicuous in his adherence to Charles, though sufficiently cautious to avoid a conflict. Berkley and Lee declared allegiance to Charles II, and invited the fugitive myalist to come to Virginia and live. More than a hundred of his adherents did come. Charles was ultimately invited to Virginia as its ruler. Upon the death of Cromwell, Berkley and Lee declared in favor of Charles II, as King of England, Scotland, France, Ireland and Virginia, whom they had proclaimed king two years before, in consequence of which the motto was added to the Virginia Arms, “En dat Virginia quintum.” Until after the union of England and Scotland it was changed to “En dat Virginia Quarturn,” and from this incident in colonial history Virginia became known as the “Old Dominion,” which proud distinction she still enjoys.
This Richard Lee married Anne Constable in 1637 in London, England and had six sons and two daughters; John, Richard, Francis, William, Hancock, Charles, Elizabeth and Anne. Elizabeth married Lenonard Howson and Anne married Thomas Youell. The three sons of Richard Lee, who left descendants in Virginia, Richard, Hancock and Charles, and who established families, were known respectively as the Shropshire or Stratford, Dikhley, and Cobbs Hall lines, these names having attached to their respective estates.
Cobbs Hall
This was the name of the residence located on the estate bequeathed by the first Richard Lee to his son Charles. The history of this estate is not known, nor is it known how the first Richard Lee came into possession of it. It is known that the name of Cobbs was one of the earliest of the colonial names in Virginia more than twenty years previous to the arrival of Richard Lee, and it is quite certain that this ancestral mansion was built by some one of the name and came into possession of Richard Lee, either by purchase or some matrimonial alliance, almost certainly the latter, as Lee in all probability would not have retained the name of strangers to be handed down to his descendants if it had come into the family by purchase.
Will of the First Charles Lee
Youngest son of the first Richard Lee, and grandfather of Leeanna Fearn, and Elizabeth Dibrell.
“Northumberland county, Virginia, July Ye 13, 1700. I, Charles Lee, being in perfect health and strength of memory do make this my last will and testament. First, I give and bequeath my soul to my blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ, assuredly trusting, in and by His meritorious death and passion, to receive salvation, and my body to be disposed of as my loving wife shall . . . not doubting, but at last both body and sole will be renovated and glorified.
Next, I give to my son Thomas all my land on Rappahannock riverside, had by my wife, as also five hundred acres left me by Walter Jenkins, to him and his heirs male. One featherbed, and further a child’s part of my negroes, cattle and household stuff, and in case of his death without heirs, to be divided among my other children.
Next, I give and bequeath to my son Charles the six hundred acres whereon I now am, a featherbed and furniture, a child’s part of my negroes and cattle with other household stuff, and in case of his death before age, to be equally divided among the other children.
Next, I give and bequeath to daughter Leeanna Lee, that two hundred acres of land had out of brother Hancock‘s tract, a child’s part of my negroes, with cattle and other household stuff; the sheep of her mark, which is two crops, and a slit in one ear, and in case of her death before age, to be divided amongst my other children.
Next, I give and bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth, a child’s part of my negroes and cattle, with other household stuff. The half of my white servants, and in case of her death before age to be equally divided among my other children.
Lastly. I give and bequeath to my loving wife all my bedding not set down, and an equal part of my negroes and cattle, the half of my white hands, with a child’s part of my other household stuff. My part of the mill, and all my sheep and hogs. Whom I make executrix of this, my last will and testament.
As witness my hand and seal the day and year above written.
CHARLES LEE
Die. December, 1701. Then Mr. John Tuberville, for Mrs. Elizabeth Lee, executrix of Captain Charles Lee, deceased, motioned the county court of Northumberland, for a probate to be granted of this will, and the court perused the will and were of opinion that, as well ye words of as the subscription to the said will, are his own hand, written by himself, and doe therefore grant to her, the said Elizabeth, probate of ye said will.
Test.
The Hobson, Clerk of Court.
Die. January 21, l718. The original will attested of Captain Charles Lee, was presented to ye court by Richard Lee (ye records where it was recorded, being burnt with the office).
On the said Richard Lee’s motion, it was again admitted to record.
Test.
RD. LEE, Clk. of Court.”
From the foregoing will it will be seen that Charles Lee, youngest son of the first Richard, had two daughters, Leeanna and Elizabeth. These names in connection have never before been known in the Lee family, nor is it known from whence they were derived. It is presumable, however, that Elizabeth was named for her mother, Elizabeth Medstand, but as to the combination of Leeanna, we are left to conjecture. It will be noted thatthe name is a combination of two separate and distinct names, Lee and Anna, and it is doubtless from the name of the wife of the first Richard Lee, who was named Anna, that the name was derived. Charles Lee evidently sought to perpetuate the memory of his mother in the name of his oldest daughter, which he could not do by merely calling her Anna, as she would then have been only Anna Lee, but he conceived a thought much more comprehensive and called her Leeanna, and prefixing it to his own name, made it Leeanna Lee.
It will be seen that the will of the first Charles Lee was written July 13, 1700, and that his daughters, Leeanna and Elizabeth, were born previous to that time, and from other records it is shown that they were several years old when their father died; so that it followed as a matter of necessity that they belonged to a generation preceding the Leeanna and Elizabeth for whom I was searching, as Leeanna Lee had married John Fearn, in 1744, and Elizabeth Lee had married Anthony Dibrell in 1756, and both of them had raised large families of children; therefore it become necessary to make further search.
Thomas (I), son of Charles, married Elizabeth Keene about 1700 and had at least eight children, one of whom was a daughter named Elizabeth. Elizabeth married Jean Antoine Du Breuil (later changed to Anthony Dibrell). Elizabeth and Anthony had several children, including a daughter named Leeanna who married Michael Jones. There is more on this branch of the family later in this article.
Will of the First Thomas Lee
Oldest son of the first Charles Lee, and grandson of the first Richard Lee, and father of Leeanna Fearn and Elizabeth Dibrell.
“In the name of God, amen, I, Thomas Lee, being in good health, mind and memory, do make and appoint this my last will and testament.
I give and bequeath my soul to God who gave it, hoping in and through the merits of my blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to receive remission of all my sins. My body to the ground, to have a Christian and decent burial.
I give my son William Lee all my land where William Rankins and Richard Weaver now live, to him, and the heirs of his body forever.
I give unto my sons; Thomas, Richard and Charles, all the tract of land whereon I now live, to be equally divided between them, to them and the heirs of their body lawfully begotten, forever.
I give and bequeath to my son John, all that tract of land on ye head of Currotomson River, which I had of my wife, where Harvey now lives, to him and his heirs forever. Provided the child my wife goes with be not a boy, which if it be, then my will is that the said land be equally divided between them and the heirs of their bodies forever.
I give and bequeath unto my wife one-fourth part of my personal estate, during her natural life or widowhood, but if she should intermarry, then to have but one child’s part, also my will is, that she have the liberty to dispose of her fourth part to such of her children as she shall think proper, at her decease, provided she lives unmarried.
My will is that my estate be kept together until my children come to lawful age or marriage.
My will is that my loving brother, Major Charles Lee, my good friend, William Nicholas Martin, and my loving wife, be executors of this, my last will and testament, and that my son, William Lee, when he arrives at the age of one and twenty, be allowed to be one of my executors.
My will is that my present estate, after my wife’s part it taken out, be equally divided between all my children.
I give and bequeath unto my son, William Lee, my Phillips’ English Dictionary.
I do ordain and appoint this my last will and testament, revoking all previous wills by me heretofore made. As witness my hand and seal, this 16th day of June, 1733.
Thomas Lee”
Will of the Second Thomas Lee
Son of the first Thomas, grandson of the first Charles, great-grandson of first Richard, and brother of Leeanna Fearn and Elizabeth Dibrell.
“In the name of God, amen, December 1, 1758. I, Thomas Lee of the colony of Virginia, in the county of Lancaster, and Parish of Christ Church, being very sick and weak in body, but a perfect mind and memory, thanks be to God for it however, calling to mind the mortality of my body, and knowing that it is appointed unto all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last will and testament, that is to say, principally and first of all, I recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it, and my body to the earth, to be decently interred, at the discretion of my executors hereafter named, not doubting but that at the general resurrection I shall revive again by the mighty power of my blessed Redeemer. And as to such worldly estate as it has pleased God to bless me with in this life, I give and dispose of the same in manner and form following:
After my just debts and funeral charges are fully paid and satisfied, then I give and bequeath to my daughter Mary Lee, one negro boy named Dick, that I had from my brother Richard Lee, to her and her heirs forever.
I give and bequeath unto my brother John Lee, one negro woman named Cate, that I: had by my brother Richard Lee, to him and his heirs forever, and its I owe Richard Bladesore money it is my will and desire, that it shall be paid out of the money that William Griggs owes me, and the remainder of the money derived from William Griggs, I give and bequeath to my brother John Lee, to him and his heirs forever.
Then I give and bequeath unto my two children, Mary Lee and George Lee, to them and the heirs of their body forever, all the rest and residue of my estate, both real and personal, of what nature or kind soever, but in case my children should die without heirs lawfully begotten of their body, then
I give and bequeath to my loving wife, Lucy Lee, all the estate I had by her and the increase, and one negro woman named Felicy, and likewise my chair, and two horses, and the explanation of the testament And in case of the death of my two children, Mary Lee and George Lee, without heirs lawfully begotten of their body, I give and bequeath to my brother, Charles Lee, all the tract of land I now live on, to him and his heirs forever.
I give and bequeath unto my brother John Lee, all of the land I have in White Chapel Parish, to him and his heirs forever, in case my two children, Mary Lee and George Lee should die without heirs lawfully begotten of their body.
I give and bequeath unto my brother Charles Lee, one negro fellow named Aaron, in case my children should die without heirs, lawfully begotten of their bodies, to him and his heirs forever.
I give and bequeath unto my loving wife, Lucy Lee, one-half my stock, and household furniture, in the case of the death of my children without heirs lawfully begotten of their bodies, and in the case of the death of my two children, Mary Lee and George Lee, without heirs lawfully begotten of their bodies, I give and bequeath all the rest of my negroes not before mentioned, to my brother John Lee, to him and the heirs of his body forever, and my will and desire is that my brother John Lee may work the negroes he now has upon the land I now live on, as long as he lives single, and have the profits of the land I now live on and the negroes, as long as he lives single, and in case of the death of two children Mary Lee and George Lee, without heirs lawfully begotten of their bodies, my will and desire is, that my estate be kept together until forty pounds current money of Virginia be raised, and that money I give and bequeath to my sister Elizabeth Dibrell’s eldest son to him and his heirs lawfully begotten of his body forever, and in case he dies without such heirs, then the forty pounds, current money to be equally divided between my two brothers, Charles Lee and John Lee.
I do hereby nominate, constitute and appoint my caring wife, Lucy Lee, executrix, as long as she lives a widow and no longer, also Charles Lee, Eppa Lawson, and George Currell, executors of this my last will and testament, revoking and disannuhg all other will or wills, by me heretofore made.
In witness whereof I: have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year first above written.
Thomas Lee
Signed, sealed and delivered, in presence of Benj. Kelly, James Sarasty, Charles Lee, G. Currell.
At a court held for Lancaster county, on the 16th day of March, 1759, this will was proved in open court, by the oaths of Charles Lee, George Currell, and Benj. Kelly, witnesses thereto, and ordered to be recorded.
Teste.
THOMAS EDWARDS, Jr., C. Clk.”
A train of ideas may be traced from the foregoing wills. For the first time in the history of the Lee family, the names of Leeanna and Elizabeth appear in combination in the will of the first Charles Lee. These were the names of his only daughters, and from that fact it was almost a matter of necessity that the names should be traced in this line.
The will of the second Charles Lee has not been published in these pages, as there was nothing in it, or in any of the records growing out of it that could possibly shed light upon the names that we were in search of the will of the first Thomas Lee, however, opened up new thought for reflection, He names his five sons and provides for them specifically but makes no mention of his daughters. It is clear, however, that he had daughters, as he mentions in a general way, that his personal estate shall be divided equally among “all my children.” Had there been no daughters this provision would have been unnecessary, as his personal estate, as well as his real estate, would have been divided among his sons.
It is a well-known fact that testators at this period of the country’s history, gave their lands to their sons as also an equal proportion of their personal estate, and hence the names of the daughters were rarely ever mentioned; but in this will of the first Thomas Lee we have proof conclusive that he had at least one daughter and almost certainly several others.
The second Thomas Lee, son of the first Thomas, aforesaid, mentions his sister Elizabeth Dibrell in his will, and Mr. Charles Lee Dibrell in his Mss. which are the highest record authority, mentions Leeanna who married John Fearn, and still another sister who married a gentleman by the name of Bates, whose descendants are not known.
A singular coincidence occurs in connection with the will of the first Thomas Lee written July 16, 1733. At that time he refers to an unborn child, whose name; of course is not mentioned in the will but about twenty-two years thereafter, Elizabeth Lee married Anthony Dibrell, and the second Thomas Lee refers t o her as his sister, Elizabeth Dibrell. Taking all the foregoing circumstances into connection, together with names and dates, there can be no doubt that the unborn child mentioned by the first Thomas Lee in his will, was Elizabeth Lee who married Anthony Dibrell in 1756.
These names form a separate chapter in “Lee history.” There is no doubt that the genealogists of the Lee family had lost sight of these two ladies, but Leeanna and Elizabeth had not lost sight of the Lees, nor did the country lose sight of them or their descendants.
When Napoleon Bonaparte was inquired of in regard to his ancestry, he replied that he himself was the head of his own ancestral line, and the ancestry of the Bonaparte’s dated from his advent upon the stage of history. The same may be said of Leeanna and Elizabeth Lee. They were not heroines in the common acceptation of the term, but they were heroic mothers, who, like the Spartan mothers, bid their sons go forth and fight the battles of life and make a history for themselves.
As has been seen, Leeanna Lee married John Fearn, and Elizabeth married Anthony Dibrell, and for four generations these names have left their impress upon the history of the times. As jurists, diplomats, scholars, masters of the various professions, or in whatever capacity they have been called to act they have proven themselves equal to the occasion, and at all times the peers of their fellows.
That Elizabeth was the daughter of the first Thomas Lee, referred to in his will as then unborn, is conclusively proven. That she married Anthony Dibrell about 1756, is also proven by the reference made to her in the will of her brother Thomas in 1758, and that she was married to Anthony Dibrell at: the house of John Fearn, in Buckingham County, Virginia, in 1756, is proven by the Mss. of Mr. Charles Lee Dibrell.
That Leeanna Lee was a sister of Elizabeth Lee, and consequently a daughter of the first Thomas Lee is proven by the manuscript. of Mr. Charles Lee Dibrell, the concurrent history of both the Fearn and Dibrell families, and the generally accepted and unbroken traditions for four generations.
The records of Middlesex County, Virginia, show that Leeanna Lee was married to John Fearn, December 31, 1744. The manuscripts of Mr. Charles Lee Dibrell shows that John Fearn his wife, Leeanna, removed to Buckingham County prior to 1756, and that Elizabeth and another sister accompanied them, and that Elizabeth was married to Anthony Dibrell at the home of John Fearn, in the above named year. So that nothing can
be more conclusively proven than that these ladies were sisters and that they were the daughters of the 1st Thomas Lee, granddaughters of Charles Lee of Cobbs Hall, and great-granddaughters, of Richard Lee, secretary of the colony, and first attorney general of Virginia.
Anthony Dibrell
We now return to Anthony Dibrell, the first of the name in America, and so far as is known, in the world; indeed, it is believed to be a fact that he was the author of the name as well as its first possessor, the general change of names on the part of the Huguenot exiles having given rise to almost every conceivable variety, resulting from translation, similarity of sound or peculiar fancy.
Having already laid the foundation of his fortune which was added to by his marriage, he became a large land holder, in Buckingham, where he continued to live and raise his family, his home being on what is known as Walton’s fork of Slate river.
Four children were born to Anthony Dibrell and Elizabeth Lee, two sons and two daughters; Charles, Leeanna, Judith and Anthony. In 1770, Mrs. Elizabeth Dibrell, first wife of Anthony Dibrell died at the age of 36, having been married only 14 years. After the death of his first wife, Anthony Dibrell married the second time, Miss Magdaline Burton.. There were no children by this marriage. Anthony Dibrell died in 1800, aged 73 years. His second wife survived him, having died in 1806.
Charles Dibrell
Charles Dibrell was the oldest son of Anthony Dibrell and Elizabeth Lee. He was born in Buckingham County, October 24, 1757. He married first Miss Burton of Buckingham, and second, Miss Patterson of the same county. He had eight children by the first wife; John, Elizabeth, Polly, Leeanna, Anthony, Judith, Charles and Joseph. By the second marriage he had four children; Patterson, Panthea, Elvira, and Agnes. This Charles Dibrell born 1757, is the “oldest son of my sister Elizabeth Dibrell,” referred to in the will of her brother, Thomas Lee, written 1758. This son, Charles Dibrell, oldest son of Anthony Dibrell and Elizabeth Lee removed to Madison County, Kentucky, in 1782, where all of his first wife’s children were born, except John and Elizabeth, who were born previous to his removal. Mr. Charles Lee Dibrell says of him: “After his first wife’s death he moved to Wayne County, Kentucky, and settled on the Cumberland River, ten miles from Monticello, where I visited him in 1810, when on my way to Nashville. His first wife was amiable and affectionate, and breathed her last in his arms.”
Mr. Charles Lee Dibrell does not state it as a fact that this Charles Dibrell came back from Kentucky to Virginia in after life, but the trend of his article is such that the conclusion is inevitable. He says he married first Miss Burton of Buckingham, and removed to Kentucky; that all of his first wife’s children except two, were born in Kentucky. He certainly came back to Buckingham to marry the second time, and his return to Kentucky is not noted. Besides Mr. C. L. Dibrell’s wife, who was never in Kentucky, knew him well, and loved him very much, and her acquaintance with him was necessarily in Virginia. There is no doubt, however, that he returned to Kentucky, where some of his older children resided, and ultimately to Tennessee, as we find him in 1832 at Sparta, Tennessee, the home of his son Anthony.
Like his brother, Anthony, he was a Revolutionary soldier, as shown by the records in the war office at Washington, by the Pension records, and numerous affidavits.
A partial history only of the descendants of this Charles Dibrell has been obtained, as we have found it next to impossible to secure information in regard to them. I have found them in almost all of the Southern States and some of them scattered North, and their lives have invariably proven their superiority, but strange to say, nothing like a complete line of them has ever been obtained by anyone so far as is known. Charles Dibrell had five sons and seven daughters, and doubtless there are hundreds of his descendants scattered through the country who have been lost to genealogists, and know nothing of their antecedents, and are almost unknown to each other. Of course, there are exceptions to this general statement.
Leeanna Dibrell
Leeanna Dibrell was the oldest daughter of Anthony Dibrell and Elizabeth Lee, She was born 1759 in Buckingham County, Virginia, and previous to 1780, she married Michael Jones of that county, and had ten children; Elizabeth (married Henry Brown), Anthony (married Martha Woodson), Mary (married William Flood), Michael (no record of a marriage), Judith (married Obadiah Woodsonn, Charles, Sarah (married David Glover), Martha (married James Jones),Margaret (no record of a marriage) and Katy (no record of a marriage.)
William Dibrell Jones of Buckingham, one of the children of Michael and Leeanna (Dibrell) Jones whose home was at the historic yet unpretentious village of the New Store, left a number of descendants. One of his daughters, Mary, married a cousin, Richard Dibrell of Richmond, Virginia, of whom more will be said under another head, and a son, Mr. Monroe Jones, was for a long time associated with Mr. Dibrell in business under the firm name of Dibrell & Jones.
Mary Jones, daughter of Michael and Leeanna (Dibrell) Jones married William Flood (son of John Flood and Agnes Payne). They had eight children: Thomas Anthony, William Dibrell, Joseph Lee (the great grand father of H. Edgar Hill), Leeanna Dibrell, Elizabeth Ann, Louise, George William and James Monroe.
Judith Dibrell
Judith Dibrell, second daughter of Anthony Dibrell and Elizabeth Lee, was born in Buckingham County, 1760, married David Patterson of that county, about 1780. David Patterson and Judith Dibrell had twelve children; Samuel, Thomas, Peter, John, David, Charles, James, William, Agapes, Elizabeth or Bets, Sarah or Sally, and Judith.
David Patterson and his wife, Judith Dibrell, both lived to a very old age, their married life having run through a period of more than sixty years. There was very little difference in the dates of their deaths.
As in the case of Leeanna who married Michael Jones, very little is definitely known of the marriages or descendants of this large number of children, but as there were eight sons it can be readily seen that the name of Patterson who have descended from
this marriage are very numerous. In this as in every other instance, I have employed every effort and exhausted every means of obtaining information, but for the reasons suggested in the case of Michael Jones and Leeanna Dibrell, I have been unable to follow the different lines.
I have, however, obtained through the assistance of Mrs. Abraham, whose first husband was Dr. Lafayette Dibrell, and who married secondly Mr. John Abraham of Buckingham County, Virginia, and who now resides in Richmond, the descendants of Elizabeth Lee Patterson, daughter of David Patterson and Judith Dibrell.
