This article provides proof that James Philemon Holcombe is a qualifying ancestor for the Society of Colonial Wars and the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution and proof of his lineage to the Mullins family.
Qualifying Military Service
- Served as deputy sheriff [1] of Prince Edward County from 1760 to 1763.
- Served as Captain [2] in the Prince Edward Militia in 1756.
Support Of The American Revolution
There are 2 records of James Philomene Holcombe’s support of the American Revolution:
- At the November 1775 Court, Prince Edward County, Philomene Holcombe was one of 21 men elected to the Committee of Safety [3].
- On July 15, 1776, Philomene took an oath of loyalty to the new Commonwealth of Virginia, and by so doing, continued in the office of the magistrate of Prince Edward County [4]. The Commonwealth of Virginia had been established 2 months earlier in Williamsburg on May 6, 1776.
Father Of John Holcombe
Philomene Holcombe and Ann Walthall had a son, Captain John Holcombe.
Philomene Holcombe is documented in records of Amelia/Prince Edward County during his entire adult life. He first appears in records in a land patent [5] of September 20, 1748, in Amelia County on the Bryer River.
Prince Edward County was formed from Amelia County in 1754. Philomene is documented on another patent [6] in about the same location, on the Bryer River, on May 29, 1760, now in Prince Edward County.
Philomene served as a deputy sheriff [6] in Prince Edward County during the sheriff terms of John Nash Sr. (1760-1761) and Joel Watkins (1762-1763).
Bradshaw states that John Holcomb was sworn “undersheriff” during the sheriff term of Peter LeGrand for the specific purpose of collecting the arrears of taxes that were uncollected by his father, Philomene Holcomb [8].
The original document from the Prince Edward Order Book was obtained from the Library of Virginia [9] states:
“John Halcomb is sworn under Sheriff to Collect his Father’s arrears.”
John’s father Philomene was a Justice of the Court at the time and was noted on the record as being present at the session.
This entry is the first mention of John Holcomb in the Prince Edward County records, consistent with his being a young man at the time. The second mention of John Holcombe in the records is his commission as Captain in the County militia in 1773 [10].
Documentation Of John Holcombe’s Mother, And Dates Of Birth/Death
Eggleston [11] names John Holcombe’s parents as Philomene Holcombe and Ann Walthall. No evidence has been uncovered for the birth or death years for Ann Walthall.
Philomene patented land [12] in Amelia County in 1748. Assuming that he was at least 21 to patent land in 1748, his birth year would be before 1728. As late as January 15, 1798, his son Philomene [13] was referred to in Prince Edward County records with the suffix “Jr.”
In colonial records, continued use of the suffix “Jr.” generally implied that the father was still living, placing Philomene’s death in 1798 or later. This supposition is not firm proof. The 1787 Census of Virginia [14] lists both “Philimon Holcombe” and “Phillimon Holcombe Sr.” on the Prince Edward County Tax List A. This is the last mention of Philomene Holcombe Sr. in known records, indicating his place of residence in 1787 in Prince Edward County, and his death after 1787.
© 2013 W. Mullins