William Bobbitt, Sr. is the immigrant ancestor. He came to Virginia and received a parcel of land consisting of 96 acres from King Charles II of England on October 27, 1673. The land was located on the south side of the Appomattox river near Cattail Branch. This land was in present day Hopewell, Virginia, not far from Petersburg, Virginia. He is listed on a ships registry as crossing from England.

William Bobbitt and his wife were the youngest of those who applied for land grants in October 1673. They had the least amount of land of all those who were granted land in that month. Note that all of these patents were lands located south of the James river, south of the Appomattox, and were to the head of the Blackwater river. All of this land is in present day Prince George County, Virginia.

William Bobbitt and his wife are believed to have been buried in the Ferry Chapel church yard. The old railway station in present day Petersburg is standing on the ground of this cemetery. It is also believed that many other members of the Bobbitt family were buried there.

Prince George County was formed between 1702 and 1704, from Charles City County. William Bobbitt died in 1703 and the records that should show the settlement of the estate were burned in the war between the states.

In 1702 William Bobbitt, Sr. is listed in a list of tithables in Southwark Parish in Surry County, Virginia. He was taxed on his 96 acre land grant of 1673.

We know from the records that William Bobbitt Senior died between June 10, 1702 and May 12, 1703. From the records of the area, it is certain that William Bobbitt died in 1703, and probably a few weeks before his eldest son, William Bobbitt Junior, sold the home place to John Peterson.

We can find in the early records only three Bobbitt names who could possibly qualify as sons of William Bobbitt Senior from Wales. The three sons were William Bobbitt Junior, John Bobbitt of Chowan, and James Bobbitt of Hanover. There was undoubtedly a number of daughters who married into other families of the area. It is in the records that many of the Bobbitt males had cousins of other family names, and these would have to be from the married daughters of William Bobbitt Senior.

There is substantial evidence that members of the Bobbitt family fathered more daughters than sons from 1673 until after 1750.

Source of information: "The Bobbitt Family In America" by John W. Bobbitt

Burial: Believed to be Ferry Chapel Church Yard of Bristol Parish

Occupation: Planter

Religion: Church of England

Residence: Present day Hopewell, Virginia

We do not know the maiden name of the wife of William Bobbitt Senior, but believe it was Joanna Sturdivant and that she was called "Anna". The Sturdivant and Bobbitt family came to the colony at the same time and the two families were related but the records are not clear as to the exact relationship.

An extensive search to prove the name of the wife of William Bobbitt has failed. His marriage would have been recorded in Wales and the records there do not make a positive case for William. We know that the family in the colony of Virginia was related in some way to the Sturdivant family. It is somewhat significant that John Sturdivant received a land grant on October 28, 1673. The land that John received joined the land that William Bobbitt received on October 27, 1673. The first Bobbitt female mentioned in the records before the year of 1679 was Joanna Bobbitt. Since the sons of William were relatives of the Sturdivants I have concluded that the wife of our William Bobbitt was Joanna Sturdivant and from later records she was called Anna Bobbitt. John Sturdivant was a young man when he received his land grant and was likely the brother of Joanna rather than her father. The Bobbitt family and the Sturdivant family had close relationships which included subsequent marriages to the year of 1750.

One may search hundreds of pages of colonial records and find few names of females mentioned in any way. Females were not allowed to buy or sell land. Females seldom inherited land from their fathers or husbands. The maiden names of females were mentioned only in the marriage records and few of these records have been preserved. The females in the Virginia colony were not taxable, but were sometimes listed on the tax lists if they were widowed.

Our civil wars have destroyed many of the records that would prove the exactness of our genealogy and substantiate much of our family history. There are questions and answers in the records that have been preserved. Studies of the records along with the history of the people and times the records are dated will with logic and mathematics give us satisfactory answers.

It does not matter how changeable the story may be as long as the essence of the story can be substantiated by the records we are fortunate to have as our heritage from history.

Source of information: "The Bobbitt Family In America" by John W. Bobbitt

Burial: Believed to be Ferry Chapel Church Yard of Bristol Parish

Burial: Ferry Chapel Cemetery, Hopewell, Virginia

Occupation: Tobacco Farmer

Religion: Church of England

Residence: Bristol Parish, Virginia

Burial: Ferry Chapel Cemetery, Hopewell, Virginia

Lewis Bobbitt moved from Prince Edward County, Virginia to Granville County, North Carolina about the year 1750.

He settled on a tract of 167 acres on the south side of Reedy Creek in Granville County, now Warren County. He lived there for the rest of his life.

Occupation: Tobacco Farmer

Residence: Warren County, North Carolina

Lewis Bobbitt, Jr. married Mary Person when he was 31 years old.

The 1786 census for Warren County, North Carolina, shows Lewis Bobbitt as the owner of 12 slaves.

Occupation: Planter

Residence: North Carolina and Tennessee

In the late 1700's and early 1800's few persons, especially males, were given a middle name. Some were given middle initials that had no particular meaning. In one instance John Bobbitt is recorded as having the middle initial of "P". We think that the "P" meant Person, which was his mother's maiden name... I doubt that John had a middle name and he may have used one or more middle initials that he adopted on his own. It was not uncommon for people of this time to adopt two or three middle initials or middle names. SOURCE: "The Bobbitt Family In America" by John W. Bobbitt, p. 402.

John Bobbitt and his family lived in Tennessee from 1808 until about 1817. We believe that his wife's people lived in Shelby County, Alabama and that John and his family moved back and forth between Shelby County Alabama, and Rutherford County Tennessee. John and his family were counted in the 1820 census of Alabama, and also in the 1820 census of Rutherford County, Tennessee. Three of the children of John and Nancy Bobbitt were born in Alabama.

According to the records we have these dates and places as residences for John and Nancy Bobbitt and their family.

1789 - 1808 Warren County, North Carollina

1808 - 1817 Rutherford County, Tennessee

1817 - 1823 Shelby County, Alabama

1823 - 1829 Rutherford County, Tennessee

1829 - 1863 Orange County, Indiana

Rutherford County, Tennessee was a meeting place and a settlers location for families from Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. It was here that John Bobbitt met Nancy Huse, who was born in Kentucky. Her parents were born in Virginia. All of the children of John and Nancy Bobbitt were born in Tennessee and Alabama. They were reared for the significant part of their lives in Indiana.

The children of John and Nancy married in the state of Indiana. Numerous descendants live in the state today, and many in the county of Orange. Several descendant became prominent in the fields of education and law. SOURCE: "The Bobbitt Family In America" by John W. Bobbitt, p. 398.

Census: 1820, Living in Shelby County, Alabama⁶

Occupation: Farmer

Residence: Orange County, Indiana

"History of Orange County, Indiana" published in 1884 has an article about James McDonald which states in part that James McDonald married Miss M. Babbitt, daughter of John and Nancy (Hughes) Babbitt, and to them were born eigh children......... Mourning (Bobbitt) McDonald died November 13, 1859. We have long thought that Huse was used as the name of Hughes and we think that this article confirms our belief. SOURCE: "The Bobbitt Family In America", by John W. Bobbitt, p. 400.

Burial: Valeene Cemetery

Census: 1870, Living in Orange County, Indiana

Occupation: Farmer

Residence: Southeast Township, Orange County, Indiana

Margaret Condra was 40 years old in the 1850 Orange County Census, Indiana.

John H. Bobbitt and Catherine Goble.

From "The Bobbitt Family In America" by John W. Bobbitt, published in 1985 and found on the Internet at http://www.thegenealogists.com/bobbittbookmed.htm we find the following on page 418.

"John H. Bobbitt 1817 - 1892 Son of John and Nancy Bobbitt (This would be John P. Bobbitt)

John Bobbitt was born in 1817 in Shelby County, Alabama. He was a son of John and Nancy (Huse) Bobbitt. His ancestry goes back to Warren County, North Carolina.

John lived for a time in Tennessee and then moved with the family to Indiana where he was counted in the 1830 census of Orange County.

On May 21, 1835, John married Catharine Goble a daughter of Alex Goble, in Orange County, Indiana. The family was counted in the 1840 census as living in the Greenfield Township.

John H. Bobbitt was a minister of the Gospel who preached in the rural areas of this section of Indiana."

More information about John H. Bobbitt and his family is found on pages 419 and 420.

John and Catherine's children were...

William Bobbitt, Nancy Bobbitt (died in infancy), Absolom Bobbitt, John Bobbitt, Elizabeth Bobbitt, Harrison Bobbitt, Sarah Bobbitt, Irvin Bobbitt, Henry Bobbitt (my great grandfather), James Bobbitt, Catharine Bobbitt, Nancy Caroline Bobbitt, and Mary Elizabeth Bobbitt.

Burial: Williams Cemetery, Crawford County, Indiana

Census: 1840, Greenfield Township

Occupation: Minister of the Gospel

John H. Bobbitt and Catherine Gobble were married by Reverand Kinsey Veach.

Burial: Williams Cemetery, Crawford County, Indiana

Occupation: Farmer and Minister - Christian Church

Residence: Orange County, Indiana - Southeast Township

The 1910 Federal Census of Crawford County, Indiana shows Irvin as living in this county.

Burial: Eckerty Cemetery

Census: 1870, Living in Orange County, Indiana

Occupation: Miller

Residence: Eckerty, Crawford County, Indiana

Burial: Valeene Cemetery

Henry's second marriage was performed by Judge J.J. Rice, Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., Kentucky. I have a copy of the Marriage Certificate of Henry's second marriage.

Commonwealth of Kentucky Certificate of Death shows the following information: County of Muhlenberg, Town of Bevier, Registration District No. 1094, Primary Registration No. 6840, File No. 18091, Registered No. 243, Full Name - Henry Bobbitt, Male, White, Widowed, Date of Birth - January 12, 1852, Age 78 years, 5 months, 22 days, Trade - Coal Miner, Birthplace - Indiana, Name of Father - John Bobbitt, Birthplace of Father - West Virginia, Maiden name of mother - Kattie Bobbitt, Birthplace of Mother - West Virginia, Informant - Virgil Bobbitt, Cleaton, Kentucky, Filed June 30, 1930 by Vannie Thomas. Date of Death - June 30, 1930, Cause of Death - pollagra, Duration - 3 months, 15 days. Signed by LeRoy Crullis, M.D., Cleaton, Kentucky, Place of Burial - Miller Graveyard, Date of Burial - July 1, 1930, Undertaker - J.L. Thomas, Cleaton, Kentucky. My copy dated 29th day of July, 1999. Signed by Barbara F. White, State Registrar.

I really don't think the birthplace of Henry's mother and father listed above is West Virginia. I think maybe Virgil made a mistake about this information. Henry's father, John H. Bobbitt, by all other accounts, was born in Shelby County, Alabama. Henry's mother, Catherine Goble, was born in North Carolina.

Burial: July 01, 1930, Cleaton, Kentucky, Miller Cemetery¹⁶

Census: 1900, Henry's family is located in McLean County, Kentucky¹⁷

Occupation: Coal Miner, last occupation.¹⁸

Residence: Muhlenberg County, Kentucky

Another spelling for Abbie = Aby E. Vandovener

Yet another spelling = Vander

Abbie's Certificate of Death has the following information as given by Henry Bobbitt her still living husband. Commonwealth of Kentucky, Muhlenberg County, Town of Bevier. Registration District No. 7135, File No. 28444, Registered No. 147. Full Name - Abbie Bobbitt, Sex - Female, Color or Race - White, Married, Date of Birth - March 12, 1854, Housewife, Birthplace - Indiana, Name of Father - John Vandiver, Birthplace of Father - Indiana, Maiden Name Of Mother - Mary Vandiver (maiden name unknown at this time), Date of Death - October 1, 1919, Cause of Death - Tuberculosis of bowel, Signed by C.D. Almon, M.D. October 2, 1919, Place of Burial - Miller's Graveyard, Date of Burial - October 2, 1919, Undertaker - J.L. Thomas, Address - Cleaton, Ky. My copy signed by Barbara F. White on 29th day of July, 1999.

Burial: October 02, 1919, Cleaton, Kentucky, Miller Cemetery¹⁹

Cause of Death (Facts Pg): Tuberculosis of the bowels¹⁹

Residence: Muhlenberg County, Kentucky

This is the person that Wanda Bobbitt Powell calls Aunt Rosie.

Rosella passed away of peritinitis following a miscarriage in 1917.

Burial: Crockett, Texas

The 1910 Census shows LH Bobbitt, age 26, married 1 time for 2 years, was born in Indiana as were his parents. His wife, Ida Bobbitt, age 26, also married 1 time. She and her parents were born in Kentucky. She is listed as a mother of 1 child with 0 living in 1910. (Check the year of the flu outbreak). This information emailed to me by Tamara Kincaide - tamara1k@evansville.net Consider Tamara an expert genealogist.

Commonwealth of Kentucky, Certificate of Death, Registration District No. 350, File No. 116 61 13975, Registrar's No. 336, Primary Regristration District No. 4751, Place of Death - Christian County, Town of Hopkinsville, Length of Stay - Three months. 27 Days, Hospital - Western State Hospital, Usual Residence - McLean County, Kentucky, Town of Livermore, Name of Deceased - Logan Bobbitt, Date of Death - June 24, 1961, Sex - Male, Race - White, Married, Date of Birth - June 10, 1883, Age - 78, Usual Occupation - Highway Employee, Birthplace - Unknown, Citizen of USA, Father's Name - Henry Bobbitt, Mother's Maiden Name - Abbie Vanover (note the spelling), Informant - Western State Hospital, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Cause of Death - Cerebral Hemorrhage (sudden), Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (years), Time of Death - 5:20 P.M., Date Signed - June 24, 1961, Address - Western State Hospital, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Signature - (looks like) A. Lilnin, M.D., Burial Date - June 26, 1961, Rose Hill Cemetery, Central City, Kentucky, (hand written reads Livermore, Ky), Date Recorded - July 10, 1961, Registrar's Signature - Fannie G. Myers, Funeral Director - Muster Funeral Home, My Copy Signed - July 29, 1999 by Barbara F. White, State Registrar. (Note: there are hand written numbers and dates on the form that lead me to think that someone has copied this before or have given their approval to what is written on the certificate.)

Burial: June 26, 1961, Rose Hill Cemetery, Central City, Kentucky²⁵

Census: 1910, Living in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky²⁶

Occupation: Highway Emplyee²⁷

Roy L. Bobbitt is buried at Island Methodist Church Cemetery, Island, Kentucky.

Buried by his side is his wife Mary Cassandra Byers.

Also buried there by his side are Chester Leon Bobbitt, Leyburn Kenneth Bobbitt, Hazel Bruce Bobbitt, Hubert Eugene Bobbitt, and Hubert's wife Louise.

Roy L. Bobbitt was killed by a lightening strike while plowing a field with a team of horses. He had retreated under a tree in the field to protect himself from the rain. This was told to me by my Father, Leyburn Kenneth Bobbitt.

Commonwealth of Kentucky Certificate of Death: County - McLean, Voting Pct. - Sacramento, Registration District No. 961, Primary Registration District No. 6508, File No. 15372, Registered No. 9, Full Name - Roy Lee Bobbitt, Sex - Male, Race - White, Married, Age 45 years, 5 months, 2? days, Occupation - farmer, Birthplace - Indiana, Name of Father - Henry Bobbitt, Birthplace of Father - Indiana, Maiden Name of Mother - Abbie Vandiver, Birthplace of Mother - Indiana, Informant - Virgil Bobbitt, Address - Cleaton, Kentucky, Filed - July 3 1931, by Mrs. A. R. Plain. Date of Death - June 22, 1931, Cause of Death - Struck by lightning, Signed - E.M Watkins, M.D., June 22, 1931, Sacramento, Kentucky, Place of Burial - Island, Kentucky, Date of Burial - June 24, 1931, Undertaker - J.B. Tucker, Breman, Kentucky. My copy signed the 29th day of July, 1999, by Barbara F. White, State Registrar.

Burial: June 24, 1931, Island Methodist Church Cemetery, Island, KY

Occupation: Farmer

Mary Cassandra (Byers) Bobbitt passed away while a resident at Shady Rest Home in Chandler, IN, Warrick County, Indiana.

Her Record Of Death Certificate shows the following:

Warrick County Department Of Health

No. 14262

Boonville, Indiana

Name: Mary Bobbitt

Died on August 22, 1968 at Shady Rest Nursing Home

Age at death: 75

Sex: Female

Race: White

Marital Status: Widowed

Primary cause of death: Uremia

Place of burial: Island Methodist Church Cemetery, Island, Kentucky

Funeral Director: Browning Funeral Home

Date of burial: August 25, 1968

Book No. H-26

Page No. 130

Date Filed: August 26, 1968

Deceased Address: 2608 N. Kentucky Avenue, Evansville, Indiana

Place of birth: Kentucky

Time of death: 5:30 AM

Cause of death: Uremia

Manner of death: Natural

SS Number: 404-26-1580

Occupation: Housewife

Date of birth: January 24, 1893

Age at death: 75

Spouse's Name: Not given

Father's Name: William Byers

Mother's Name: Dora Bratcher

City of death: Chandler, Indiana

Burial: August 25, 1968, Island Methodist Church Cemetery, Island, KY³³

This is the person Karen Milliff refers to as John A. Bobbitt

Leyburn Kenneth Bobbitt referred to him as Uncle Arthur

Cheryl Powell told me she remembers watching Arthur's house burn down in Central City, no date given.

Commonwealth of Kentucky, Certificate of Death, Registration District No. 1085, File No. 116 70 32642, Registrar's No. 272, Primary Registration District No. 2436, Deceased Name - John Arthur Bobbitt, Sex - Male, Date of Death - December 16, 1970, County of Death - Muhlenberg, Town - Greenville, Inside city limits, Hospital - Muhlenberg Communtiy Hospital, State of Birth - Kentucky, Citizen of USA, Married, Surviving Spouse - Elvie Graham, Social Security Number - 407-03-3669, Usual Occupation - Retired Deputy Sheriff, State of Residence - Kentucky, County - Muhlenberg, Town - Central City, outside city limits, Street and Number - Rural, Father's Name - Henry Bobbitt, Mother's Maiden Name - Abbie ?, Informant - Mrs. Elvie Bobbitt, Mailing Address - Central City, KY, 42330, Cause of Death - Pulmonary Edema, HCVD, Arterial Sclerosis, Date of Date - December 16, 1970 at 4:30 P.M., Certifier - Hylan H. Woodson, Jr., M.D., Date Signed - January 21, 1971, Box 230, Greenville, Kentucky, 42345, Burial at Fairmount Cemetery, Central City, Kentucky on December 19, 1970, Funeral Director - Joe ???, Central City, Kentucky, 42330, Name of Embalmer - Larry Mercer, Registrar Signature - Ruby L. Ellis, Date Received By Local Registrar - January, 25, 1971, My Copy Dated - July 29, 1999, and Signed by Barbara F. White - State Registrar.

Burial: December 19, 1970, Fairmont Cemetery, Central City, Kentucky³⁷

Occupation: Retired Deputy Sheriff³⁷

Elvie listed as John Arthur Bobbitt's wife on Arthur's Death Certificate.

Burial: May 14, 1976, Fairmont Cemetery, Central City, Kentucky