Joseph PERRIN was born about 1700 in New Kent County, Virginia. He was living in 1743 in Hanover County, Virginia. He served as a witness to a sale on 5 May 1746 in Lunenberg County, Virginia. He served as an appraiser to the estate of John Young in Jun 1748 in Lunenberg County, Virginia. He on the "list of tithables" in 1749 in Lunenberg County, Virginia. He served as a witness to the will of Robert Jones on 27 Sep 1749 in Lunenberg County, Virginia. He served as surveryor of Randolph's Road on 5 May 1752 in Lunenberg County, Virginia. He was appointed a caretaker to an orphan, Samuel Wharton in Mar 1760 in Lunenberg County, Virginia. He died on 22 Oct 1772 in the Twitty's Creek area, Charlotte County, Virginia. He owned various items totalling 401 pounds at probate on 2 May 1774 in Charlotte County, Virginia. He was appointed an as a processioner of the Twittys Path precinct in Lunenberg County, Virginia.

Parents: Samuel PERRIN.

Spouse: Rebecca. Joseph PERRIN and Rebecca were married about 1726 in (probably) Saint Paul's Parish, Hanover County, Virginia.

Children were:

• William PERRIN,
• Samuel PERRIN,
• Elizabeth PERRIN,
• Sarah PERRIN,
• Nancy (Anne) PERRIN,
• Leanah PERRIN,
• Josephus PERRIN,
• George PERRIN,
• John PERRIN Sr..

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From http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~clopton/walterc.htm :

WILL OF JOSEPH PERRIN, The Elder, CHARLOTTE CO.,VIRGINIA

In the name of God Amen, I Joseph Perrin of Charlotte County, being in perfect health and sound memory do institute and appoint my last will and testament in manner and form following..that all funeral expenses and just debts be paid first. Item: That my dear beloved wife have the use of my negro woman named Amy and her son Ned during her natural life, it is further my desire that after the decease of my said wife ________Amy and Ned and the increase of them, the said Amy and Ned shall be equally divided between all of my children and each of them and their heirs forever. Item: I give and bequeath to my son George Perrin and to his heirs forever the lands and plantation I now live on lying on Twitty's brook containing two hundred acres be the same more or less. Item: I give and bequeath to my dear daughter Elizabeth Jones and to her heirs one negro girl named Palace. Item: I give and bequeath to my dear daughter Sarah Sullivant and to her heirs one negro boy named Jim. Item: I give and bequeath to my dear daughter Nancy Burton and to her heirs the boy that she now has in her possession named Peter. Item: I give and bequeath unto my dear daughter Sarah Sullivant and to her heirs one negro girl named Lucy. I do constitute and ordain Josephus Perrin and George Perrin my hole and sould executors of this my last will and testament. Witness whereof I have set my hand and seal this 22nd day of October 1772.

Forwarded by Patti Kay Gourley (9 March 2025)

I believe the story of John Perrin and Elizabeth Lee as progenitors of the Charlotte Co. VA Perrin family began in 1924 with the publication of "The Perrin Family" by Thomas Perrin Cothran. Since then it has appeared in several secondary sources. As a Chiles researcher, I'm sure you are aware of how persistent those early errors can be!

Perhaps further fueling the John Perrin/Elizabeth Lee story was the fact that Samuel Perrin (1770-1828) of SC, a son of William Perrin and grandson of Joseph Perrin, named his oldest daughter, Elizabeth Lee Perrin.

HOWEVER, Samuel had married Eunice Chiles, and this daughter was named for her mother's sister Elizabeth Lee Chiles, and her mother's grandmother, Elizabeth Lee.

I've examined the papers and notes of other researchers in my family who have searched the early Perrins, as well as spending several days at the Hanover, Lunenburg, and Charlotte Co. courthouses. I've personally gone through the Perrin collections at both Duke University and at UNC at Chapel Hill. In none of these records have I found ANYTHING to support the John Perrin/Elizabeth Lee story, nor evidence that such a couple even existed. To my knowlege no later researchers have found the so-called Perrin bible which Lucy Erwin first mentioned and which she and Gene Clopton carried forward in their books on the Cloptons.

Primary records clearly indicate that Joseph Perrin was the father of William, Samuel, Josephus and George Perrin. It is suspected that John Perrin of Bedford Co. VA who married Mary Baber MAY have been a son or nephew of Joseph Perrin, but so far, no evidence has been found to prove this.

Joseph Perrin first appears in surviving processioning records of St. Paul's Parish in Hanover Co. VA from 1731 until 1743. In 1715 and 1719 a Samuel Perrin appeared in Hanover processing records in the same neighborhood, and it is possible that Samuel was Joseph's father. On 6 March 1742/43 Joseph Perrin bought land in that part of Brunswick Co. that later became Lunenburg Co., and in 1765 became Charlotte Co.

Joseph Perrin wrote his will 22 October 1772 [Charlotte Co. WB # 1, pg. 106]in which he named two of his sons, Josephus and George, and daughters Elizabeth Jones, Sarah Sullivant, Nancy Burton,and Sarah Sullivant. The oldest son, William Perrin, who m. Mary Clopton is not named in the will, having apparently already received his share, but he was listed on tithe lists at Lunenburg Co. for the years 1749, 1749, and 1750 under the name of Joseph Perrin. Likewise, the second son, Samuel Perrin, is not named in the will, but Samuel also appears on surviving tithe lists under the name of Joseph, and there is evidence in Samuel's estate accounts that he was son of Joseph Perrin.

Rebecca [--] appears in Charlotte Co. deeds releasing her dower. It is presumed that she was the only wife of Joseph Perrin and the mother of his eight children, although no marriage record has been found, and her surname is not known [It is NOT proved that her name was Ligon]. Three of the six children of Joseph Perrin who are known to have had daughters named a daughter Rebecca.

The records of St. Peter's Parish in New Kent Co. VA do not reference the Perrin name at all. Many Clopton's christening is there, but no records of her sisters, Cassandra or Catherine Clopton.

Please feel free to e-mail me if you have further questions.

Mary Lou Perrin Bailey

References

• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=2655437&i... (dead link)
• http://www.jhowell.com/tng/getperson.php?personID=I1203&tree=1
• http://usgwarchives.net/va/charlotte.htm

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