Third Generation  

5. John Langhorne [23775] was born in 1695 in Warwick County, Virginia and died in 1767 in Warwick County, Virginia at age 72.

General Notes: John's parent died when he was about three years old. He was sent to live with his maternal grandparents, Henry and Judith Cary in the "Forest".

When in his early twenties however, John Langhorne III had become anxious for his own personal success. Thus in 1719, he took over Gambell and married Mary Beverley of Middlesex County. Mary Beverley was a granddaughter of Capt. John Langhorne's old friend and contemporary Maj. Robert Beverley. Throughout his long career, Hon. John Langhorne served as a Justice of the Peace, a member of the House of Burgesses, Sheriff of Warwick County, and Presiding Justice of Warwick County from 1749-1762. In addition to his numerous political duties, John Langhorne III continued to expand his land holdings by purchasing new plantations in Chesterfield County, and was also a highly successful merchant, continuing the tradition laid out by his fortune-founding grandfather some fifty years before. John Langhorne and Mary Beverley had three children who left issue. Their only daughter Lockey (named after Judith Lockey, the wife of Capt. Henry Cary and mother of Anne Cary) was successfully courted by Thomas Tabb. Lockey's considerable dowry helped to establish the Tabb family as members of the Tidewater elite. The elder son, Maj. Maurice Langhorne II (1719-1790) removed to Cumberland County to live near his cousin Col. Archibald Cary of "Ampthill" and his lovely wife, the former Mary Randolph of "Curles". This Maurice Langhorne bought thousands of acres in Cumberland and established himself as a great success in his own right.

SRC: Litten article on the history of the Langhornes.

Noted events in his life were:

• Residence:of Gambell.

John married Mary Beverley [13038] [MRIN: 8065], daughter of Maj. Robert Beverley Sr. [10384] and Mary (Keeble) Boyd [13031], about 1718. Mary was born about 1678 in Middlesex County, Virginia.

General Notes: There is great controversy over the identity of John Langhorne's wife. Most agree that she is a "Mary" but the agreement ends there.

1. Support for the name, "Mary Rice":

During October 1736 in a case before the court in Warwick County (?), Virginia (Sir John Randolph's reports, Vol 1, 1725-1745, case R109 by Randolph, B53 by Barrandall (whatever all of that means)) John Langhorne was a defendant in Jones vs Langhorne. The action was to recover the possession of slaves belonging to the estate of Mary Rice. Mary Rice was married to a Myers with four children and the suggestion is that Myers died and she remarried to John Langhorne.

Circumstantially, the Rice family have a history in Warwick County, Virginia, apparently close to the Langhornes living at "Gambell".

2. Support for the name "Mary Beverley".

The first son of Maurice Langhorne 1719 was William Beverley Langhorne born about 1790, suggesting a relationship with the Beverley family. According to David Hackett Fischer in his book on the sociology of colonial America, "Albion's Seeds", he says naming practices were such that the first born son would often (but not always) be named after a grandfather (either one), provided he was reputable, and the first son would also carry the maiden name of his mother as a middle name, considered an honor to her. Note that William Beverley Langhorne is the name of Maurice Langhorne's first born son. A clue, not evidence. (Second or third son gets dad's name). The second son was named Maurice Cary Langhorne. This would seem to indicate that this family followed the rules more often than not.

Thomas Litten in his article on the Langhorne family claims that Mary Beverley is the name of John's spouse. (see notes under John Langhorne - this family)

Children from this marriage were:

+ 6 M    i. Col. Maurice Langhorne [10385] was born in 1719 in Warwick County, Virginia and died in 1791 in Cumberland County, Virginia at age 72.

+ 7 M    ii. William Langhorne [10379] was born in 1721 and died in 1797 at age 76.

+ 8 F    iii. Lockey Langhorne [10386] was born about 1723 in Warwick County, Virginia and died before 1781 in Cumberland County, Virginia.

   9 F    iv. Mary Langhorne [35589] .