I am going to take you on a flight of fancy. Imagine - me- who proclaims loudly for documentation, documentation, documentation. Just bear with me and go along on this flight of fancy. There will be nothing gained and nothing lost. Consider: Virginia Historical magazine Donald Robertson's School Donald Robertson was master of a then famous school in King and Queen County, VA from about 1758-1769. The school was in Drysdale Parish on the eastern branch of the Mattapony about four miles above Dunkirk. Robertson's account book has been donated to the Virginia Historical Society: Account of scholars for 1767 Alex. Younger to English paid 1.0.0 Who was this Alexander? We know who he is not. He was not the scandalous Alexander who immigrated some time in the 1660s (estimated because I did not look it up and spoke from memory). He would have been dead since the time span we are considering is about one hundred years. It is also not the Alexander Younger who married Rebecca Mills because we know he died in 1727 and the tuition was paid forty years later. Woe is me! We have an Alexander Younger living in King and Queen County we knew nothing about. An Alexander Younger was living in King and Queen County in 1716. Could it have been Rebecca's husband? or not? King and Queen County, VA Deed 1716 Casper Colton to Robert Farish, land in King and Queen County adjoining Alexander Younger's house. What else do we know about King and Queen County? It immediately adjoins Essex County and was created from New Kent in 1691. The will of Rebecca's husband, Alexander was probated 18 Jul. 1727. He had three sons; Thomas, apparently the oldest, John and James . It isn't clear whether or not Thomas was of legal age. In the will Alexander provides that his sons "be on their own" at age seventeen. He also makes it clear that none of them had, at present, any issue. John died between the writing of the will and the probate date. Subsequently Thomas is made guardian of the remaining brother and Jannett, Susan, Mary and Ann. He is their guardian in 1732. Only Elizabeth appears not to have a guardian. Perhaps it is because she married John Dillard at a very early age. It is probably well here to mention that there are no firm documented dates for the marriage and births of the mother or children. The birth of Thomas has been estimated at ca 1720. If that were true, he would have been only seven years old when his father died. Not likely. If I were guessing, I would guess he might have been between seventeen and twenty one at his father's death. That would make it 1710-1714. This has no more validity than the 1720 guess. It is based on pure conjecture. I want to make that clear. So with this tremendous responsibility for such a young man, what did he do. His father had bequeathed to him "that piece of land that I bought of Mr. Hill and Richard Jones". Where was that land? See below: Essex County, VA Deeds and Wills, 1714-1717, p 359 Leonard Hill, gent of Southfarnum Parish in the county of Essex Va, Attorney General for George Cappell, merchant in the City of London and Richard Jones, planter of the same sell Alexander Younger, planter of the same parish, for 3,250 pounds of tobacco, 100 acres of land adjoining that of Francis Browne, Sr, the land of Thomas Wood, the land of Maj. Aylett, land formerly belonging to George Kephill, land of Nicholas Newton. Signed Richard Jones Leo Hill Witnesses: James Boughan, Henry (X) Browne So what did Thomas do? Move onto his 100 acres in Southfarnum Parish? By 1733 his brother John is dead and his mother has remarried to Timothy Driscoll At some unknown point before before Dec 1740 Thomas has moved to St. Stephen's Parish in King and Queen County abandoning his legacy. Why? What was the attraction? Family? Essex County Deed Book 22 , 1738-1742, p. 215 3 Dec 1740 Thomas Younger of St. Stephen's Parish, King and Queen County, VA to Timothy Driscoll of Southfarnum Parish, Essex County for 5,000 pounds of tobacco and cash, all interest now or hereafter in 100 acres in Essex adjoining John Farish, Capt. William Aylett and John Croxton it being all that tract purchased by his father, Alexander Younger, dec'd of Richard Jones and Leonard Hill. Witnesses: Thomas Backer, John Croxton, Henry Brown He was still living in King and Queen County as late as 1751/52 Queen Merchants Ledger 1751-1752. Accession # 25110, Virginia State Library, p 49 Thomas Younger March 1751 Thomas Younger July 1752 Thomas had a daughter Mary Fretwell, who is named in his documents. A relative of her husband bought back the land which had been sold to Rebecca and Timothy Driscoll. Essex County VA Deed Book 24, p 354 and Virginia Colonial Abstracts, p 353 10 Aug. 1749 William Fretwell of Southfarnum Parish, Essex County VA to Thomas Younger of Drisdale Parish in County of King and Queen County for 30 pounds, all interest now or hereafter in 100 acres in Essex, purchased of Thomas Younger by Timothy Driscoll and by him conveyed to William Fretwell Witnesses: Thomas Backer, Richard Hodges What was the attraction in King and Queen County? Marcus Younger and Thomas Younger appeared to have a reasonably close relationship though we do not know what that relationship is. We know they were not brothers. Were they cousins? If so, who was the uncle? The will of Thomas Younger was witnessed by Marcus Younger and his son John Younger Marcus and William Younger, son of Thomas, both bought land from Meador Anderson. The point of this entire adventure has been to demonstrate that we do not have all of the pieces and King and Queen County (or New Kent) may hold the key. There were two separate and distinct William Youngers; one the son of Thomas and the William who stands quite alone. What was the relationship of Thomas and Marcus? Was William (of Patience) related at a different level. The deaths of the three men (William, Thomas and Marcus) seem to indicate they are contemporary to each other. I think we will have to do a lot more research before we can solve the puzzle of William (of Patience). As for William, the son of Thomas, I think the picture is quite clear and documented. Now that I have finished this I'm not sure it was worth the effort. We come away with the same problem we started with? Thanks for taking this adventure with me.