Roger Tolle of MD & VA

ROGER TOLLE

Of Fauquier County, Virginia

Compiled by Thoren Tolle Meyers


Generation Three

ROGER TOLLE3 (Tobias2; Roger1)

In the will of the immigrant ancestor of this family, the first Roger Tolle, he left to his son Thomas Tolle the 100 acres of land called Towles Last Shift. If Thomas Tolle died without issue, then this land was to go to his grandson Roger, son of Tobias. The younger Roger was also to receive a heifer called Pretty and her increase. In this way, it has been established that Roger was born before November 1708, but the exact date of birth is unknown. And we know that he was the son of Tobias Tolle.

Roger can be found in a few of the St Mary's County, Maryland records over the years. In 1733 he acted as surety for Tobias Hackett. He was administer of the estate of his Uncle John Tole (2 Dec 1746-8 Apr 1747) with William Harrison and Darby Morris acting as his surety. He also served over the years as the administrator of the estate of John Horn in 1750, and for the estate of Permanus Griffin in 1752, as surety to Robert Hendley in 1753, and on 4 Mar 1754 Roger Tolle, William Taylor and George Leigh were witnesses to the will of John Baker. There was some kind of litigation between Roger and his wife vs William Hall in 1756.

A Lease was made on 25 Dec 1746 for 143 acres in Snow Hill Manor on the names of his three oldest sons, Jonathan Tolle, John Tolle, and Roger Tolle, and in January 1768 those sons are listed as ages 33, 31, and 26.

In 1972, more than three hundred years after Roger was gone from St Mary's, an archaeological crew excavated a house on a site at the edge of what is now part of the St Mary'College campus. It had been called Pope's Freehold in the 1600s. Roger Tolle, a proprietary tenant began to build it sometime after 1746, and sold it to Reverend Moses Tabbs in 1764. The house was described in 1765 as a good dwelling with brick chimneys and measured 28 by 16 feet. It was one story high, and had brick footings for two chimneys, one at each end. According to its literature, Roger Tolle and his family had only two rooms downstairs, and two chambers in the attic. Their meals were cooked in a separate kitchen nearby, where the family's servant or slave also lived. A 20 by 30 tobacco barn completed the farmstead. After Roger sold it, it was enlarged and included a cellar in the new addition. This site was visited several different times in the 1970s and at that time it was listed as a historical site on Old St Mary's City. There were signs marking the site, and descriptive literature available. By 1996 the signs were gone, and when I visited the site in November 1997 I found that the site was crumbling. It almost appeared that it was being vandalized. These brick ruins of the foundation of the house that our Roger Tolle built are now sitting on the on the same property as a soccor field.

Roger Tolle probably left Maryland about the time he sold this house. There was a Roger Tolle on the list of tithables of Loudoun County, Virginia in 1767. However, this may have been a reference to his son.

On 21 March 1767, he bought 180 acres of land in Fauquier County, Virginia from Burgess Smith and his wife Alice. This deed was signed and sealed by Burgess Smith and Alice Smith, and delivered in the presence of James Murray, Robt. Munday and Wm. Pearnil.

On 26 May 1776 Roger and his wife, Sarah sold one hundred acres of their land to Thomas Owsley. This sale left them with only eight acres of the original purchase.

The last dozen years of Roger Tolle's life were spent in Fauquier County, Virginia. He was an elderly man when he went there, and we don't have any data to show what the effects of the Revolutionary War might have had on his life, or how active he might have been in his new community. He was dead before 22 May 1780, and would have been at least past the age of seventy-two years at his death.

His will was written on 2 February 1778, signed and sealed in the presence of Edward Turner, Mary Turner and Elizabeth Grogans. It was entered into probate 22 May 1780, and the inventory of his estate is dated 23 October 1780.

The best estimate of a marriage date for Roger is probably before 1734, based on the ages of his sons. When he died, his wife was called Sarry (Sarah), and it is assumed , but not proven, that she was the mother of all of his children. Sarah's name was on the land tax rolls of Fauquier County for 80 acres for the years 1783-1787, and on the personal tax roll for 1782 & 1783. She must have died during the year of 1787 because on 24 September 1787 the heirs sold the remaining 80 acres of land. All of the children who had been named in Roger's will were also listed on this deed, except for the son John Tolle. The deed was sealed and delivered in the presence of Jonathan Tolle, John Piles (his mark), Ann Piles, Roger Tolle, George Tolle, Susanna Tolle, and Stephen Tolle.

September Court 1787:

"Indenture of Lease & Release between Jonathan Tolle, John Piles and Ann his wife, Roger Tolle, George Tolle and Susanna his wife, and and Stephen Tolle of the one part and Thomas Phillips of the other part and a receipt theron endorsed were acknowledged by the said Jonathan Tolle, John Piles and Ann his wife, Roger Tolle, George Tolle and Susanna his wife and Stephen Tolle (The said Ann and Susanna being first privately examined as the law directs) to be their act and deed and ordered to be recorded.

The children of Roger Tolle were:

  • JONATHAN TOLLE4 born ca 1735; wife's name Catherine in 1787
  • JOHN TOLLE4 born ca 1737; may have died before 1787
  • ANN/NANCY TOLLE4 born ca 1740; married 1st Thomas Squires; married 2nd John Piles
  • ROGER TOLLE Jr4 born 4 Feb 1742; married 1st Sally Simms; married 2nd Dinah Fowler
  • STEPHEN TOLLE4 born probably between 1745-1754; married Ann Crosby
  • GEORGE TOLLE4 born ca 1748; wife's name was Susannah
  • JAMES TOLLE4 estimate his birth at about 1750; wife's name was Catherine in 1787


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Ancestors of Roger Tolle

Generation Four