Robert West (b. 1834), a Slave Freed During the Time of the U.S. Civil War

[NOTE: This article was submitted to me a few years ago and it apparently got lost in my email archives.  My apologies to George L. Holder (who compiled this information) for my neglect of posting this.  Thanks George for your work on this!  Robert West is the ancestor of Vy Higginsen.  John G. West]

Robert West was a slave until freed under unknown circumstances about the time of the American Civil War.  He and Aggy Minor had a daughter Mary:

Mary West, age 6; born and resides in Caroline County, VA.; last owner,  M. Young, of Caroline Co.; residence of father, Caroline Co.; age (of father?) 32; father’s last owner Henry Young of Caroline Co.; mother Aggy Minor; no age, dead; her own last owner, Henry Young, Caroline Co.; signature of father, Robert West.   [source: Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands], Register of Children of Colored Persons in Caroline County, State of Virginia, whose Parents had ceased to cohabit on 27th February 1866, which the Father recognizes to be his (Fredericksburg, VA.: University of Mary Washington, date unknown,  Web Site title: Caroline County African-American Children list 1866: downloaded 26 Feb 2010 from: http://resources.umwhisp.org/freedmen/CarolineAf-AmChild2.htm, page 18, line 14.  Note: searching this document reveals six mentions of West” and none for “Clayton.”  There no mentions for 29 mentions for “Minor” including one for “Aggy” indicating possibilities for further inquiry.]

1860 census: Robert West, age 30, Male, Mulatto, (occupation not perfectly clear, appears to be a Twister, Tobacco, i.e. twisted tobacco leaves to make tobacco plugs in a manufacturing facility), born Virginia; Mary, age 28, Female, Mulatto, (appears to be a Stemmer, Tobacco i.e. removed stems from tobacco leaf in a manufacturing facility), born in Virginia; Robert, age 4/12, Male, Mulatto, born Virginia. [source: Robert West household, 1870 U. S. census, Hanover County, Virginia, population schedule, Lower Revenue District, Beaver Dam Depot post office,  enumerated 9 July 1870, page 31, lines 33-37, household 468, family 465, National Archives micro publication M593, roll 1651. Downloaded image 16 February from  Heritage Quest.] 

Summarized from a chart as of 27 Feb. 1866: Robert West, age 32, born in Caroline County, Virginia, currently residing in Caroline County, Virginia, a farm laborer by occupation.  His last owner was Henry Young, whose last place of residence was Caroline County, Virginia.  Robert’s wife is Mary Clayton, age 20, who was born in Caroline County, Virginia, currently residing in Caroline County, Virginia.  Mary’s last owner was Anne Toliver, whose last place of residence was Caroline County, Virginia.  Robert and Mary have two children, whose names are Maria, age 2 and Alex, age 1.  The date during which Robert West and Mary Clayton started cohabitating was about 1863.  [source: Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands in the Sub-District of Caroline County, Virginia, Register  of Colored Persons of Caroline County, State of Virginia, cohabiting together and [sic] husband and wife on 27th February, 1866, posted on a web site of the University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia, accessed 16 Feb 2010 from: http://departments.umw.edu/hipr/www/freedmen/CarolineAf-Ammarried1.htm, page 31.  [As of 10 Aug 13 this web link no longer works.]  Identical information except for the date they began cohabiting together, which is absent, can be found at: https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Virginia_Cohabitation_Records, click on “Caroline County, Freedmen’s Cohabitation Register “ at the Library of Virginia.  Of possible interest is that immediately above the entry for Robert West is “Robert Clayton, born King William County, Virginia, residing Caroline County, Va., employed as a farm laborer, last owner was Samuel Tolliver of Caroline County, Va., wife’s name and age, Julia Thomas, 43, born King William County, Va., living Caroline County, Va., last owner Ann Tolliver, of Caroline County, Va., children Mary 20, Catherine 9.”]

1870 census: Robert West, age 45, Male, Mulatto, Farmer, apparently able to read but not write (image not perfectly clear); Mary, 24 years old, Female, Mulatto, keeping house, cannot read or write; Maria, age 7, Female, Mulatto,; Aleck, age 5, Male, Mulatto,; Nancy, age 2, Female, Mulatto. All born Virginia. [source: 1870 census: Robert West, age 45, Male, Mulatto, Farmer, born in Virginia, apparently able to read but not write (image not perfectly clear); Mary, 24 years old, Female, Mulatto, keeping house, born in Virginia, cannot read or write; Maria, age 7, Female, Mulatto, born Virginia; Aleck, age 5, Male, Mulatto, born Virginia; Nancy, age 2, Female, Mulatto, born Virginia.]

1880 census: Lewis, Lemuel, [head of household], BM, 22, laborer; Catherine, BF, 22, wife; John BM 8/12 [eight months old],Son; Mattie, BF 2, Daughter; Clayton, Julia, BF 60, Mother in Law, Keeping House; Robert West, BM 65, Bro in Law, Laborer; Maria [?], BF 16, Niece; Alexander, BM 15, Nephew; George, BM 12, Nephew; Mary, BF 9, Niece; Ella BF 7, Niece; Emma, BF 6, Niece, Clayton, Robert, BM, 65, Father in Law, Laborer.  Each person and their parents are shown as being born in Virginia. [source: Lemuel Lewis household, 1880 census, Hanover County, Virginia, population schedule, Ashland District, enumeration district [ED] 62, supervisor’s district [SD] 3, sheet 28A-b, dwelling 279, family 282, line 49, National Archives micro publication T9, Roll 1370, page 28A, line 49, [continues on page 28B, lines 1-11].

Earliest Known Record About Claiborne West b. 1759

In "Claiborne Dandridge West of Buckingham County Virginia" by Louetta West Wilson and John William Johnson (published 1967) on page 1, it states the earliest known record of him is on the Personal Tax lists of 1787-88 of Buckingham County, Virginia, where he is listed as residing on John Benning estate among the white tithables over 21 years of age.   In 1789-90 he is listed by name among the tithables on the estate of Robert Jones.  It is stated that he may have been an overseer [but no sources are given for this].  The book also states that at the time of the first tax listing he was 28 years old but this might be speculation based on the date of birth on his gravestone (15 Nov 1759), which was known to the authors of the book.  Claiborne died 1 Mar 1822 (gravestone and court estate records).  

After Claiborne’s death, his wife remarried (to her third husband) and died in 1839.  After her death Claiborne's joint gravestone with his wife was created based on information from an unknown person, possibly Claiborne’s last wife’s third husband [Ambrose Davie].  No other indication of a date of birth exists for Claiborne other than  the aforementioned tax list stating he was over 21 years of age and his gravestone created by an unknown person seventeen or more years after his death.  The fact that a day and month are included on the gravestone lend it credibility. A family bible of some description did exist but has long since disappeared.  Nothing is known of its contents and nothing can be concretely attributed to it.

As an addendum: The spelling of Claiborne’s (d. 1822) first name is uncertain.  No known signature as “Claiborne West” (or variant spellings of “Claiborne”) are known to exist.  He signed his will “Clab West.”  Other documents that may be attributed to him are signed “C West,” “Cl West”, or “Cla West” (deeds, petitions, etc.).  His gravestone (and that of his son) spells it “Claibourn.”  

Further, there is absolutely no known documentary record giving the “first” Claiborne’s (d. 1822) middle name or initial    A son of the Claiborne (d. 1822) is identified as Claiborne D. West (1810-1861) in several court records but the only known record mentioning a “Claiborne Dandridge West” is in a record left in the early 1900's by a son of the second Claiborne (1810-1861) referring to his father.

Certainly there is a “Claiborne” family prominent in early colonial Virginia and later,  which has been well scrutinized without a hint being found of either of our Claiborne's (father or son).

I would be most interested in hearing from  anyone having any sources to the contrary of anything covered here.

Submitted by George L. Holder  [glholder AT cableone.net]

Claiborne Dandridge West of Buckingham County, Virginia

Claiborne West b.1759 of Virginia

No known contemporary record gives the middle name or initial of Claiborne WEST, although a grandson left a statement written about 1921 that his middle initial was "C".

Although long standing family legends claim that Claiborne West (1759-1822) descends from one of the four sons of Sir Thomas West (1555 - 24 March 1601/2), second Baron De La Warr, of Wherwell, Southampton, England, no proof of that connection is known to exist in spite of intensive professional and amateur research beginning in 1924 or earlier.

Details of several generations of Sir Thomas West’s (1555 - 24 March 1601/2) descendants can be found in John Frederick Dorman, compiler and editor, "Adventures of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5", 4th edition, three  volumes (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 2007), vol. 3, pp. 486-508.

The information which follows is based almost entirely on the book: Louetta West Wilson and John William Johnson, "Claiborne Dandridge West of Buckingham County, Virginia" (Dallas, Texas: Southern Methodist University Printing Department, 1967).  This book contains much information not available here.  The book has been microfilmed and is available through the Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on FHL US/CAN Film 1036177 Item 6.

- Submitted by George Holder,   glholder AT cableone.net

1 Claiborne Dandridge WEST, b 1759, d 1822 Christian Co KY

  + (Given Name Unknown) TINDALL, d 1800 VA

  2 Thomas WEST, b 1797 Buckingham Co VA, d 1870 Hood Co TX

    + Nancy Ann WOODSON, d 1850 Lafayette Co AR

  2 Benjamin WEST, b 1799 Buckingham Co VA, d 1885 Christian Co KY

    + Eliazbeth R. COSART, b 1811 NC, d 1841 Christian Co KY

* Second wife of Claiborne Dandridge WEST

  + (Given Name Unknown) SANDERS, d 1807 VA

  2 Edward WEST, b 1802 Campbell Co VA, d 1868 Red River Co TX

    + Susan T. JONES, b 1809 VA, d 1882 Red River Co TX

  2 Drury Amelius WEST, b 1804 Buckingham Co VA, d 1850 Shelby Co TX

    + Evalina P. RADFORD, b 1808 VA, d 1837 Christian Co KY

* Third wife of Claiborne Dandridge WEST

  + Elizabeth (Betsy) Ann WOODSON, b 1784 VA, d 1839 Christian Co KY

  2 Hector Rowan WEST, b 1808 Buckingham Co VA, d 1854 Vicksburg MS

    + VA OVERTON, b 1820 TN, m 1835

  2 Claiborne Dandridge WEST, b 1810 Buckingham Co VA, d 1861 Christian Co KY

    + Pauline N. RADFORD, m 1829, d 1830 Christian Co KY

    (Second wife of Claiborne Dandridge WEST, b 1810)

    + Serena HICKS, b 1831, m 1850

  2 William Henry Harrison WEST, b 1812 Buckingham Co VA, d 1854 Christian Co KY

    + Susan Stubblefield LONG, b 1818 Christian Co KY, d 1897 McCracken Co KY

  2 VA Louise WEST, b 1814 Buckingham Co VA, d 1849 Warren Co MS

    + Thomas Augustin COCKE, b 1809 VA, d 1836 Christian Co KY

    + Col. Josiah NEWMAN, m 1841

  2 Elvira Ann WEST, b 1816 Buckingham Co VA (or Christian Co KY), d 1896 Shelby Co, TN

    + Erasmus Stribling CRAWFORD, b 1815 Augusta Co VA, d 1865 Shelby Co TN

  2 John Jones WEST, b 1819 Christian Co KY, d 1854 Christian Co KY

    + Susan Jameson (or Jane) GLASS, b 1826 Christian Co KY, d 1888 Christian Co KY

  2 Elizabeth (Bettie) Claiborne WEST, b 1822 Christian Co KY, d 1892 Rankin Co MS

    + General Patrick HENRY, b 1802 Scott Co KY, d 1864 Rankin Co MS

[There is additional listing of generations 3 & 4 for the above that can be accessed here: http://web.utk.edu/~corn/westdna/w62.htm - JGW]