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William Skinker was an African American and a blacksmith by trade.  He lived in Stafford County, Virginia though the location of his home is unknown.  In 1821-1822 he was paid for making staples to repair a house on Aquia Creek.  He was the son of Martin Skinker (died before 1826).

Samuel Hampson Skinker (1785-1856) was the son of William Skinker (1738-1812) and Mary (Sells) Powlett (c.1745-1798) and the nephew of Thomas Skinker (1722-1802).  Around 1776 Thomas Skinker purchased 1,021 acres in Stafford from Charles Carter (1738-1796).  Part of this tract became known as Oakley and passed to Samuel H. Skinker.  The fine old frame house,…

John Howard Skinker (1814-1867) was the son of Samuel Hampson (1785-1856) and Margaret Wilson Julian (c.1784-1863).  Samuel devised his Stafford plantation, Oakley, to John Howard and to Samuel’s unmarried daughters, Louisa Virginia Knox Skinker (1828-1886) and Lucy E. Scott Skinker (1807-1896).  Early in his life, John studied law, medicine, and divinity, though he never practiced…

Rodham P. Shelkett (1822-1899) was the son of John Shelkett (1793-1857) and Nancy Stark (1786-1834) of Stafford County, Virginia.  The Shelketts lived in northern Stafford on a farm called Locust Grove.  This is now part of the Quantico Marine Corps reservation.  While the Shelkett family had a grist mill near their home, they supported themselves…

Thomas Seddon (1779-1831) was the son of John Seddon (c.1735-c.1812) of Stafford County, Virginia.  Early in his life, Thomas was a merchant in Falmouth.  His home there stood on the north side of Washington Street very near the bridge over Falls Run.  Later, he moved to Fredericksburg where he became the cashier of the Farmers…

John Seddon (1826-1863) was the son of Thomas Seddon (1779-1831) of Stafford County, Virginia.  John lived at Snowden on the Rappahannock River east of Fredericksburg, having purchased the property in 1847 from the Morson family.  During the War Between the States, Union troops sailing up the Rappahannock may have thought the farm belonged to John’s…

Thomas Cropper Scott (1791-1857) was the only son of Ann Taylor (died c.1838) and an unknown Scott.  Ann married secondly Joseph Browne (died 1806).  Thomas was a merchant in Falmouth and resided at Clearview.  He operated a store on the corner of Washington and Cambridge Streets and had another store on White Ridge road, which…

John P. Schooler (1812-1875) was the son of Abner Schooler (1774-after 1870) of Stafford.  His middle name may have been Peyton.  John lived at Orchard Field on the south side of Aquia Creek and conducted the Gourds Fishery nearby.  He married Laurinda Jones (1815-1874) of Stafford.

John Savage (1706-c.1743) was one of the surveyors chosen in 1736 to ascertain the boundaries of the Northern Neck Proprietary.  My mid-October of that year, then party of surveyors and their assistants were deep inside the Virginia wilderness and were short of food.  Col. William Byrd wrote that the party was “almost reduced to the…

Kenaz Ralls (1763-1845) was the son of Edward Ralls (1725-1785) and Mary Rawleigh (died c.1804) of Stafford County, Virginia.  Most of the Ralls family lived in the northern part of Stafford on land that’s now part of the Quantico Marine Corps base.  During the American Revolution, Kenaz served as a substitute in Capt. Warren’s company…

Thomas Porter (c.1673-c.1740) came to Stafford County, Virginia from Maryland.  He married Anne Howson Calvert (c.1691-after 1742).  Their sons cut freestone from the quarries on Aquia Creek for many years.  Thomas and his family lived near their quarry on Rock Rimmon on the north side of Aquia Creek.  Some of this area is now occupied…

Mason Pilcher (1742-1790) was the son of Moses Pilcher of Stafford County, Virginia.  Mason was a tobacco inspector at the Falmouth tobacco warehouse from at least 1778 to 1781.  He was mentioned in the British Mercantile Claims (May 1801 – May 1802) as owing £41.18.21 to a Fredericksburg store.  The notation in the claim read, “He…