SPECIAL NOTE: Beginning with William Wray Sr., John Wray Sr., Nathaniel Ray Sr, Nathaniel Ray Jr., Hix Jones Ray,
James Carroll Ray, James Buchanan Ray, Lew Wade Ray and my father Robert Ray, you'll be able to trace many Ray families as they travelled through time
and from one location to another. Corrections are encouraged. I believe that my Ray / Wray
family desended from Brunswick County Virginia. Ray / WRay can be found in the 1700's in this area
and are pretty well documented. And it seems that many Ray's may have crossed the border into North
Carolina. And as you can see the spelling went both ways - Ray and Wray. In one instance I saw great great great grandpa's name spelled Hix Jones Rhea.
wife: Mary Whitson, d/o John Whitson and Anne Spencer Whitson.
Anne Spencer Whitson was the daughter of Captain Robert Spencer who came to Virginia and lived in
Surry County, Virginia at the head of Crouches Creek. He was married twice and Anne was by his second
wife Jane, last name unknown. John Whitson was a Baconian who was hanged for participating in
rebellion of 1676. He was hung as a traitor to the King by the Royalist Governor William Berkley. John
Whitson with Bacon and his men were fighting for many of the same ideals as Thomas Jefferson wrote in
the Declaration of Independence one hundred years later. John Whitson aquired land in Surry Co, Va Oct.
23, 1690 & was a Colonial soldier, Surry Co, Va. Nov 1701.
William Wray's will was filed in Surry County, VA on October 20, 1731. The will book is badly
damaged and a copy of the will and this information was provided to me by another researcher, Arline McGuire. (Arline's common ancestor is John Wray, who left a will in
Brunswick Co, Va, 1774 and his son James.)
Likely children of William WRAY and Mary WHITSON:
Some guess work is involved connecting William to John Wray / Ray. But the ties from John Wray down to me are pretty
concrete. John, William and Frances each received adjoining land patents in Brunswick County, VA. The will of
William Wray Sr. lists William Clary as a witness along with Richard Parker. Wm. Pittman, his brother-in-law, was
appointed executor since his three sons were not living in Surry - it would have been diffcult for them to be
administrators of the will. Again, please check with Arline McGuire.
Take me to:
John Ray / Wray's Will
/ More information about John and his family /
Starting Page
Send e-mail to the author: ps53630@navix.net
Other Researchers:
Dorothy Thomas, 1336 Sandy Hill Drive, West Covina, CA 91791
Other Web Sites to search:The Ancestors of John Wray / Ray, Brunswick Co, VA
Other Names: WHITSON / CLARY / PARKER / PITTMANThe Whitson Connection - a rebellous American
William WRay, Sr. b: ca 1650 transported to Va. May 23, 1671 ( or before)
John WRay, Sr. b. ca 1695 d: 1774, Brunswick Co, Va
William WRay, Jr. b. ca 1700 m: Anne
Frances Wray
Arline McGuire, 4107 Poplar Grove Ct. Midlothian, VA 23112-4743
Surry Co, Virginia / Brunswick Co, Virginia / Virginia State Library