Edward Watts

Name

Edward Watts

Alternate Names

Attorney General Watts
E. Watts
Gen. Watts

Race

White

Record(s) Seen In

Inventory, Appraisements, and Sales Book 2

Inventory, Appraisements, and Sales Book 3

Inventory, Appraisements, and Sales Book 4

Birth Register - 1853-1885 - pp. 1-66

Death Register - 1853-1881

Common Law Orders - A - May 1838 - May 1840​

Common Law Orders - E - June 1856 - November 1864 - pgs. 1-353

Common Law Orders - E - June 1856 - November 1864 - pgs. 354-749

Common Law Orders - F - December 1864 - September 1868

Page and Line Number

IAS 2: PP. 331-335
IAS 3: PP. 338-341, 549
IAS 4: PP. 9-34
BR: PP. 17, L. 208; PP. 22, L. 181-187; PP. 13, L. U1-U8; PP. 13, L. 2, 11; PP. 28, L. 226-236; PP. 48, L. 19
DR: PP. 8, L. U1-U6; PP. 9, L. 7; PP. 15, L. 63; PP. 12, L. 75
CLA: PP. 18
CLE: PP. 299, 574, 591, 633
CLF: PP. 123

Date(s) Seen in Records

IAS 3: 1858-1860
IAS 4: January 17, 1863
BR: 1855; May 1856; January 1857; May 1857; July 1857; August 1857; September 1857; December 1857; April-June 1858; Sept-October 1858; December 1858; 1862
DR: 1855; July 1856; 1858; October 1857

People Enslaved

Robert

Louisa

Fanny

Winny

Jim

Ann

Julia

Rhody

Louisa

Lucy

Rachel

Mary

Horace

Peyton

Jincinth

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Edmund Rideout

Nannie Rideout

Tom M. Comb

Maurice

Tom Jr.

Jim Whale

George Booker

Louisa

Harriet

Henry

Louis

Amy

Unrecorded Named Man

Ishmael

Mary Sims

Ben

Jimmy

Laura

Baldwin

Lewis

Mary

Edward

Janetta

Hal

Rideout

Nancy

Dolly Ann

Green

Bowyer

John

Polly

Mat

Sarah Jane

Jesse

Patterson

Rose

Unrecorded Named Child

Nancy

Booker

Jeff

Laura

Priscilla

Jim

Anthony

Sarah

Phillis

Patsy

Jerry Burwell

Magdalen

Unrecorded Named Child

Julia

Joshua

Betsy

Daniel

Winny

Katy

Unrecorded Named Child

Judy

Unrecorded Named Child

Richard

Lucy Sims

Burwell

Unrecorded Named Individual

Unrecorded Named Individual

Unrecorded Named Individual

Unrecorded Named Individual

Unrecorded Named Individual

Unrecorded Named Individual

Unrecorded Named Individual

Unrecorded Named Individual

Patience

Unrecorded Named Child

Bob Larellen

Anica

Serena

Matilda

Cyrus

Edward

Griffin

Bob Johnston

Nancy

Unrecorded Named Child

Maria

Lizzy

David

Jerry (Little)

Unrecorded Named Woman

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Woman

Carey

Priscilla

Henry

Willie

Peggy

William Brown

Martha Ann

John

Mary

Mary

London

Georgiana

Godfrey

Burwell

Charles

Joshua

Sam

Lucy

Unrecorded Named Child

Fanny

Howard

Daniel

Winny

Norvill

Alice

James Fleming

Absolom

Hester

George Henry

Charlotte

Jim Crack

Carter

Hannah

Sally Ann

Cicily

Catherine

Unrecorded Named Child

Ellen

Julius

Missouri

Granville

Hester

Unrecorded Named Child

Martha

George Bluehead

William Anthony

Unrecorded Named Child

Mary Fanny

Grace

Isabel

William

Letitia

Ailsey

Wilson

Sally

Jim Edwards

Unrecorded Named Child

Rhoda

Ann

Lydia

Lavinia

Jimmy

Laura

Phebe

Parmelin

Mary

Lucy

Unrecorded Named Child

Louisa

Louisa

Winny

Unrecorded Named Child

Lucy

Jinny

John

Eliza

Sukey

Annett

Charlotte

George Hawkins

Harrison

Henrietta

Darly

Ned

Matilda

Jim Polk

Absolom

Jerry Werty

Wilson

George

Unrecorded Named Individual

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Boy

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Unrecorded Named Girl

Allen

Sam

Bock

Jim

Patty

Virginia

Martha

Additional Information

Husband of Elizabeth Breckinridge Watts. Father of William Watts, Ann W. Holcombe, Letitia W. Rives, Alice Watts Morris, Henrietta Carter Watts, James Breckinridge Watts, Mary Scott Watts, Edward Watts Jr., and Emma Gilmer Watts.

Elizabeth Breckinridge Watts

William Watts

Ann Watts Holcombe

Letitia W. Rives (Mrs. Rives)

Alice Watts Morris

Henrietta Carter Watts

Inventory, Appraisements, and Sales Book 2 lists a complaint against Edward Watts filed by William L. Morris. This complaint was filed on behalf of Martha Watts, Edward's sister. Upon the death of their father, Edward and Martha inherited land from him. Martha owned twenty enslaved people, but when she was sent to live with her mother, Edward took it upon himself to manage her affairs. He then hired more enslaved people than Martha initially owned, and the court decided that by hiring more enslaved people he was living above his means. While Martha was away, Edward controlled the land that Martha's enslaved people occupied. During the time he was in control of the land, he increased the amount of enslaved people from 23 to 43. The value of the enslaved people increased from $3,500.00 to $23,000.00. In this same record, the first division of enslaved people was split between Mrs. Saunders and Edward’s daughter, Alice Morris.

Martha Watts

William L. Morris

Mrs. Saunders

Edward Watts made hire agreements with the following individuals:

William Feather

C. L. Cocke

Bradley

John M. Ferguson

Fitzgerald

Henry Houty

John Houty

H. Garst

Benjamin Keagy

Mrs. France

In Inventory, Appraisements, and Sales Books 3 and 4, Edward Watts bequeathed Fanny to Henrietta Carter Watts and Henry to William Watts, respectively.

Fanny

Henry

In Inventory, Appraisements, and Sales Book 4, the partition of the lands and other property of Edward Watts states that the people he enslaved would be split among five of Edward Watts's children. A value of $160,850.00 was placed on all of these enslaved individuals.

In Inventory, Appraisements, and Sales Book 4, Edward Watts is associated with a girl named Virginia who was confined in the Roanoke County jail for being "insane." The document says that, "having once committed an act of violence, it is not thought safe to let her go at large." The document also reads that one of the five heirs of Edward Watts would pay the executor one fifth part of the expense of Virginia's clothing and "maintenance" while she remained in jail. In Common Law Book E, “Virgin” murdered Martha, who was also enslaved by Watts. Virgin was deemed to have been a lunatic, and was ordered to be kept in one of the "lunatic asylums.” Edward Watts was ordered to pay the fees of the trial.

Virginia

In Common Law Book A, a motion was made by Edward Watts to be exempt from paying taxes and other fees on the people he enslaved: Rose, Patty, Lydia, Phillis, Jim, and Bock. In Common Law Book E, it was ordered by William Watts, executor of Edward Watt’s estate, that the land, enslaved people, and personal property were to be split amongst Edward Watts' heirs. In doing so, they were able to avoid the separation of enslaved couples and families with children under 12 years of age. This was to "avoid the sundering of family ties among them."

Throughout the multiple documents associated with Edward Watts and his family, there are multiple enslaved individuals named with similar names. There are also instances where an individual’s name was not recorded in a census but was named in another document, but there may not have been enough information to confirm whether or not those individuals are the same. This means that there could be repeated entries under certain names, but there was no way to distinguish these individuals from one another based on the records.