Sarah Offley

Sarah married Adam Thoroughgood 18 Jul 1627, St Annes Church, London, England. Adam (son of Rev. William Thoroughgood and Anne Edwards) was born 15 Jul 1602, Grimston, Norfolk England; died 27 Apr 1640, Elizabeth City Co. VA. [Group Sheet]

Ann married Thomas Keeling 1630, Lynnhaven Parish, Norfolk Co. VA. Thomas was born 1613, Worcestershire, England; died 17 Oct 1664, Norfolk, Norfolk Co. VA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Adam Keeling was born prior to 1640 as Capt Adam Thorowgood remembers him in his will dated 1640... "to godson Adam Keeling one breeding goat."Adam died between 25 Apr & 17 Dec 1683; the date and prof of his will.

WILL

County of Lower Norfolk, dated 25 Apr 1683, proven
15 Dec 1683, recorded in Bk. 4-155.

"...to my loving wife Ann Keelinge that plantation I now live & Inhabit upon to possess and enjoy for & during her natural life and after her death I bequeath unto my Sone Thomas Keeling & to his heirs and assigns forever. ..with all land and marshes there unto belonging and also to have liberty to use timber from London Bridge land for his use
and for the use of my wife Ann Keeling during her natural life.

...unto my Sone Jno. Keeling that plantation of land he now liveth upon being about 1400 acres, formerly belonging unto my father in Law Jno.Martin. to my said son Jn0 Keeling when hee attains ye age of 21 years, provided (he) make over to his brother Adam Keeling, all that devident or tract of land being about 2000 acres lately pattented in the
name and to the use of my said sone Jno. Keeling being that land that now my mother lives on and called London Bridge and also adjoyning lands added thereunto. If Jno refuses the above request then the 1400 acres to go to Adam.

...unto my above mentioned Sone Thomas Keeling that prcell of land commonly known by the name of Dudlies land joyning upon that belonging to my Brother Alexander Keeling being neere 400 acres to him my sd sone Thomas Keeling.

..unto my daughter Elizabeth Keeling a parcell of land about three or foure hundred acres by mee Entered with Rights towards ye Southward neere Matchepongo, and doe desire ye Same bee surveyed and pattented in my said daughter Elizabeths name.

...unto my daughter Ann Keelinge a certaine tract of land joyning unto Rudee commonly knowne by ye name of Black Walnutt Ridge and lately bought of Anth Lawson being about 1200 acres.

...to my sone Adam Keeling...

...my above named Children.. .as they attaine Each of them to ye age twenty one years..daughters att ye age of sixteene years or day of marriage... one whole years schooling.

...wife Ann Keeling my whole and Sole Exequetrix.. . .My Brother in Law, Lt. Col. Anthony Lawson & my friend Mala. Thruston, overseers.. unto each.. .25 shillings Sterling each to buy each of them a ring to weare in rembrance of mee..."

Wit: Jno. Ferebee, Jno. Sandford Adam Keeling & Seale Francis Sayer,

Tho. Hodgis Inventory of Capt: Adam Keeling was dated 2 June
1683. Slaves are listed4 Jan 1683/4; account of cattle att that Plantation that was Mrs.Martins. "Sworn to by Mrs. Ann Richason als Keeling now ye wife of Jno: Richason Att Ye Nowe Dwelling House."


The VA Genealogist, Vol 17, pg. 287.

Adam Keeling, will 1683, m Ann Martin who m 2nd by 18 Dec 1683 John Richardson.

"Gateway to the New World," by Turner.

Thomas Keeling's will has never been found, but his son Adam's has. Adam Keeling's will was written in 1683. From it we have learned that his mother, Anne, married Robert Bray after Thoma s died, and that his wife,also Anne, had been Anne Martin, daughter of John Martin from whom
he had bought 1,400 acres. He left those 1,400 acres to his son John, "provided John makes a deed to his brother Adam for 2,000 acres, the plantation know as 'London Bridge' where his mother now lives, after her death." His eldest son (don't think this is right), Thomas, was left 400
acres and 'the home plantation.' The Keelings had the habit of naming the eldest son after his grandfather, so it was Thomas to Adam, Adam to Thomas and Thomas to Adam for generations.

The Keeling house, know as 'Ye Dudlies', on Great Neck Point, is a large two-story brick house and has many interesting features. The bricks are laid in the Flemish bond pattern, and there is an unusual design of blue headers in the north wall. There are cupboards on the inside of that wall on each side of the fireplace, and there is a small window in each. To the left of the eight-foot-wide hall there is another large room with a huge fireplace. That was the kitchen, dining hall and
general family living room. In the 17th century, there was no outside kitchen building for summer cooking, and food was cooked over an open fire or in a pit.The two bedrooms upstairs seem inadequate for a man of Keeling's means with four children, but people were indifferent in those
rough times as to where they slept, and in winter, the choice spot was near the kitchen fire. Children were bedded down three, four or more to a bed.


From 'A history of Virginia Beach, Virginia

In 1635 Captain Thoroughgood (he held a commission in the county militia) earned a land grant of 5,350 acres in colonial Virginia Beach for having persuaded 105 people to settle in Virginia. Interestingly, included in these 105 immigrants was Augustine Warner, progenitor of
George Washington, and generations later Robert E. Lee. During the following year, 1636, Thourough good built a modest but substantial brick home for his family on the western branch of the Lynnhaven River. This house, still standing and fully restored, is believed to be the oldest surviving brick home in America. Thoroughgood died suddenly
at the age of 36, but his character and ideals had been embedded in the land and people of Lynnhaven. During the ensuing years the Lynnhaven area began to flourish under the leadership of prominent families such as the Keeling, Cornicks, Woodhouses and Strattons.

Because of the abundance of fish in the Chesapeake Bay area, seine hauling was one of the early profitable vocations taken up by the residents along the shores of the Lynnhaven. At this stage in history the only entrance into the Lynnhaven River from the Chesapeake Bay was by way of Little Creek and was reported to be a tedious journey of three miles. It did not take the fishermen long to realize that a shorter, faster route to the bay would greatly enhance the profits of those associated with the fishing industry. Adam Keeling, whose plantation, "Ye Dudlies," was situated right at the mouth of the Lynnhaven River, organized a group of people to work out a solution for this situation.

At the mouth of the Lynnhaven there was a huge sandbar about a half-mile wide, separating the River and Bay. Keeling's group dug a trench across the sandbar wide enough to permit the passage of a canoe. Almost immediately after this feat was accomplished, a severe storm out of the
northeast caused unusually high tides in the Chesapeake to rush through the ditch into the Lynnhaven River. The force of the tides enlarged the ditch to the size of an inlet, and today this inlet is known as the famous Lynnhaven Inlet.

WITCHCRAFT IN VIRGINIA

Lower Att a Court held the 15 January 1678/9, Norfolk Capt Wm Robinson, Mr Adam Keeling, Mr Henry Spratt, Justices
Capt Anthony Lawson,

"Upon the pett and Complaint of Jno Samon agt Alice the wife of Thomas Cartwrite Concerning the death of a Child of the sd Samons who It is Suposed was bewitched, It is orderd that the Shrife doe forthwth Summonds an able Jury of women to attend the Court to morrow and Serch the s+ Alice according to the derection of the Court.

"16th. In the diffl betweane Jno Salmon plaintif agt Alice the wife of Thomas Cartwrite defendt a Jury of women (Mrs Mary Chichester forewoman) being Impaneled did in open Court upon their oathes declare that they haveing delegently Searched the body of the sd Alice Cann find noe
Suspitious marks whereby they Can Judg her to bee a witch; buttonely what may and Is usuall on other women. It is therefore the Judgmt of the Court and ordered that Shee bee acquitted & her husbands bond given for her apearance to bee given up."

Birth:
Family Data Collection - Individual Records
Name: Adam Keeling
Spouse: Anne Martin
Parents: Thomas Keeling Ann
Birth Place: Lower Norfolk, VA
Birth Date: 1644
Marriage Place: Lower Norfolk Co, VA
Marriage Date: 1668
Death Place: Norfolk Co, Princess Ann, VA
Death Date: 25 Apr 1683

Adam married Ann Martin 1668, Norfolk, Norfolk Co. VA. Ann was born 1640, Norfolk, Norfolk Co. VA; died 1683, Norfolk, Norfolk Co. VA. [Group Sheet]

Thomas married Elizabeth Lovett 25 Oct 1700, Virginia. Elizabeth was born 1678, Princess Anne Co. VA; died 1769, Prince William Co. VA. [Group Sheet]