LowCountry Africana : Ann Drayton, Wife of Thomas Drayton, Jr. aka Thomas the Immigrant

Ann Drayton, d. ca. 1741

Name: Ann (Maiden Name Unknown) Drayton

Married: Thomas Drayton, aka Thomas the Immigrant

Died: ca. 1742

Place of Death: Charleston District, SC

Family Group Sheet

1 Thomas Drayton d: ca. 1724 [1]

+ Ann Unknown d: ca. 1742 [2]

2 Mary Drayton [Fuller] b: ca. 1700-1704 [3] d: ca. 1751 [4]

2 Thomas Drayton b: ca. 1710 [5] d: 11 Nov 1760 [6]

2 Stephen Fox Drayton b: ca. 1713 [7] d: January 1733 [8]

2 John Drayton b: before 1716 [9] d: 1779 [10]

Ann Drayton: Biographical Information

Little is known about Ann Drayton's family origins or her life prior to her marriage to Thomas Drayton, Jr. She emerges as an historical figure only after her husband's death.

Surviving records indicate that she built upon the estate left to her care by her husband Thomas Drayton, Jr. By the time of her death she had added considerably to the family's landholdings.

Inheritance, Acquisitions, Bequests

Inherited:

From husband Thomas Drayton:

£500 in lieu of Dower

From son Stephen Fox Drayton:

house and land on Stono River, to pass to brother John Drayton after Ann Drayton's death
"Four Negro men named Old Seaboy, Jack, Kitt and Joe and Three negro women named Tisse Siss and Moll"

Bequests:

To Executor Thomas Elliott in trust for daughter Mary Drayton Fuller, to pass to Mary's children and their heirs after Mary's death:

Riner and her five children Bette, Sarey, Riner, Else, and Ross
Hager and her two children Sue and Ishmael
Hercules and Prince “two young men and a pair of Sawyers”
Executer
Simon
“and all their Increase of those Negroes from the date of this my Will”
“the work of my Negro Carpenter Kitt for four years after my death”

To Granddaughter Ann Booth Fuller:

“A Negro Girl named Biner …now in her possession”

To Executor Thomas Elliott with Special Terms:

Old Seboy: to pay ten shillings per year to Thomas Elliott and to have “his Liberty to go where he pleases in this Province”
Shoemaker Jack: “to Serve three Years after my death to my son Thomas Drayton and then Jack Shall serve my Son John Drayton Three Years more and Jack shall serve my Daur Mary Fuller one year and after Jack has served the Seven years to my Children he shall have his Liberty to go where he pleases in this province that is paying to each of my children ten shillings yearly”

Remainder of enslaved people to be divided equally between sons Thomas and John:

Thomas to place the lot that falls to him “on the Horse Savanna Land and there to be kept to work and my Son Thomas to have all the income of what they make,” all of Thomas’ lot and their increase to pass to grandson Stephen Drayton after his father Thomas Drayton’s death.
John to place all of the lot that falls to him on the “Land at Caw Caw Swamp and my son John to have all of the Income of what they make,” then to pass to John’s children at his death.

Codicil to the Will of Ann Drayton, 1741:

Revokes provision that Shoemaker Jack to have liberty after serving seven years, Jack to be placed in lot of others to be divided equally between sons Thomas and John.