The Original Homestead

In The Weddells of Old Westmoreland is the following: "[George], having had undisputed possession of his land during his lifetime, did not take the trouble to get a legal title to it but left that to his sons to whom he left it, John and James and Daniel." That may not be accurate because in Virginia State Land Office records ⁽¹⁾ this claim can be found "Weddle, George, settlement 400 acres". Where were those 400 acres and what became of them?

On June 26 1789, John took out a warrant for 431 acres, including part of his father's location, it was surveyed March 29, 1789, and the patent was issued June 29, 1789 to Joseph Bedsworth. The dates indicate that John obtained the warrant to make the sale. Daniel Weddell bought 130 acres of this tract in 1794. That 130 acres was acquired by Daniel's son George, who bought out the inherited interests of his siblings in 1824. George subsequently lost the land on October 21,1828 in a Sheriff's Sale to John Weaver.

Daniel inherited the homestead and 123.5 acres, applied for a warrant on December 17, 1784 and a patent was issued February 18, 1792. Daniel kept the land only until 1794 when he sold it to Alexander Irwin and bought the adjoining 130 acres from Joseph Bedsworth.

James inherited 124 acres of the eastern part of his father's claim and waited until January 6, 1810 to take out a warrant. The patent was not issued until February 8, 1816, after James' death and in the names of his wife Susanna and son Joseph as trustees of his estate. The land was inherited by his son Joseph B. Weddell. In 1857, Joseph's son Thomas, as his executor, sold the land to Nelson Weddell Sr., the grandson on Daniel.

The Weddells of Old Westmoreland says that Nelson Sr. acquired various parcels of land until he had about 200 acres. But other than James patent, it is not clear exactly what his holdings included. He did build a large stone house that is no longer standing and he put the iron fence around the Weddell Cemetery. His obituary says that he bought the "Greer Farm"; which might have been Daniel's original patent. Part of this passed on to his son, Nelson Weddle Jr. Apparently Nelson Sr. sold some of his land in 1865 and moved to Rilton and in 1881 to West Newton. These dates seem confused because Nelson Sr. purchased farms for each of his son and 1865 was when his son George returned home from the Union Army.

1. LDS Film# 0,007,811 item 2, , List of Land Claimed by the Settlers and Preemptioners in the Districts of Kentucky, Monogalia, Yohogania and Ohio, Augusta, Botetourt and Greenbrier Also a Schedule for Washington and Montgomery Counties in September 1781,