Updated November 25, 2022
Overview
On 27 Nov 1767, John Wilkinson agreed to purchase 10 acres of land “whereon John GILLIAM now lives” supposing there was iron ore. John GILLIAM of Saint Ann’s Parish & wife, Elizabeth, sell to John Wilkinson, Nathaniel Giles & John D. Webster 10 acres for 20 pounds. The deed was witnessed by Charles Lambert, Jacob Moon, Chas. Martin, Jas. Turner, Wm Watson. John Wilkinson, in partnership with John Old, an emigrant from Lancaster County, PA, soon built a forge and began to manufacture iron.
It should be noted that Richard Gilliam and Authur Gilliam witnessed on 20 Feb 1769 a deed between Benjamin White of Parish of St. Anne county of Albemarle and Colony and Dominion of Virginia, Planter, of one part and John Old of Province of Pensyslvania [sic] and John Wilkinson of county aforesaid.
This places Richard Gilliam (and wife Mary) and Authur Gilliam in relation to John Gilliam and wife Elizabeth. It has long been held that this John Gilliam and Elizabeth are the John Gilliam and Elizabeth Murrell who married in Goochland on 27 Sep 1764. However, this John Gilliam and Elizabeth could be yet another John GIlliam.
The mine is named "Bettie Martin Iron Mine." Could John's wife be Elizabeth "Bettie" Martin? It should be noted a Charles MARTIN is among the witnesses. A Martin Gilliam born abt 1777 may be found in neighboring Buckingham. In Louisa William Gilliam married on 23 Dec 1790 Elizabeth Martin Barclay. More research is needed.
The Bettie Martin iron mine is located on the northeast slope of Cook Mountain, about 0.5 mile northwest of the Southern Railway crossing over State Road 712 (Plank Road) at North Garden in Albemarle County. About 10 acres of land were purchased in November 1767 from John Gillum by three men from Baltimore County, Maryland: Nathaniel Giles, John Lee Webster, and John Wilkinson. Giles and Webster shortly gave up their shares to John Old of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. More land was purchased in 1770 on what is now Dudley Mountain and along the Hardware River, where supposedly there were rich deposits of iron ore. The Bettie Martin iron mine was opened when the Albemarle Iron Works Company was organized on December 28, 1770 “for construction and operation of sawmill and an iron furnace for producing pig iron and also common and flat castings”.
Sources
- Sweet, Palmer C. Bettie Martin Iron Mine and Old's Furnace North Garden, Virginia [A similar article by Palmer Sweet was published in The Magazine of Albemarle County History, 2003, volume sixty-one, pages 56-66.]