Email to Matt M...
Matt,
There is a lot happening right now with my DNA Project. I should tell you about it. So call me some time.
Maybe you have seen some of my updates. I am also forwarding an email from Helen B. my collaborator on the Renny Belew DNA project.
We recently recruited a direct male descendant of Peter Belew. Peter Belew is the son of Giles Beloe and Judith Chastain. What is interesting here is we think that Judith may have been Renny's mother. His father may or may not have been Giles. You see Giles died in 1728. But Judith continued to have Belew children at least through 1744. I suspect with several different men. One of them probably was Thomas Pruitt. See Helen's email for the particulars but note paragraph numbers 7 and 8. I expect to get Terry Belew's DNA results back in 3 to 5 weeks that once and for all show us that Giles was or was not his father.
The DNA matches from our Renny Belew group match descendants of Thomas Pruitt, and others surname's such as Farmer and Cardwell.
Also Saturday, I was so excited when I got the email from a Wayne Pruitt. Because the Pruitt also tied into the Chastain family. They have the Pruitt line traced back to 1775 and it also sounds like they have a lot of data on the Chastain's of Amelia Co, VA. Naturally, I thought maybe one of these Pruitt folks might have data on the Chastains that will tie into our Shatteen Mitchell line. So I am very excited.
DAD
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Email from Helen B....
Ron,
Judith had court cases in both Goochland and Amelia counties. I am listing info. from James Hamlin's book dates and places: If you visit these places knowing the OB and page no. might be of some help:
1. 18 Nov. 1729, Goochland Co. VA OB 2, p8.
2. May 1731, Goochland Co.
3. 6 Nov. Deed from Judith to Peter Guerrant. (This was from "Notes and Queries" in the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 22, no. 3, July 1914, p.315)
4. 19 March 1733/34 - case of Judith vs. Thomas Dickens, Goochland Co.VA OB 3, p268, 283. (This case was dismissed).
5. 14 May 1736 - Judith having a bastard child. Amelia Co. VA OB 1, p10.
6. 20 April 1739 - Church Wardens of Raleigh Parish vs. Judith for having bastard child. Amelia Co. VA OB 1, p70. (Thomas Prewitt security for this one).
7. Nov. 1740 - Judith having bastard child. Amelia Co. VA OB 1,p132. (Paul Pigg security).
8. 15 Feb. 1744 - Judith witness for Thomas Prewitt vs. Thomas Bassett. Amelia Co. VA OB 1, p304.
I am not sure if Judith ever remarried or not. I have seen somewhere that she died in
Chesterfield Co. around 1784, but no proof on this.
A tidbit I want to pass on to you regarding Renny being a Huguenot is from an excerpt I found on the web from a book of Dr. J. O. Landrum " Migration to Spartanburg, SC. You may already have this. If Terry's DNA should match our group then we may have to start looking for Giles, and to me it seems possible that he was a Huguenot. Here is the quote:
Another minor migration group of which there are a few families that settled along the Enoree River was of Huguenot descent. These families probably came from the Charleston or the Abbeville area and not directly from France. The Buice, Burdette, DeShield are families with Huguenot ancestry. The Ballew (var. Belue, Bellew, etc.) was another Huguenot family started by Rene Balleau who settled in what is present day Cherokee Co., SC.
Maybe we can get a few days rest but I don't know if I really want that or not. I think the excitement is lots of fun.
Take care and keep in touch.
Helen
