Event: Land 17 Mar 1735 Orange Co, VA
Note:
Orange Co Deed BK 1 pp 13-19 - Mar 17, 1735 - Rice Curtis conveys to John Cleveland 100 acres and on Mar 18, 1735, 600 acres. His sister Grace Cleveland was a witness.
Orange Co Order Bk 1 pp 12-13 - May 20, 1735, Rice Curtis Sr Gent. acknowledged his Deeds of Lease and Release to John Cleveland

Event: Land 1735
Note:
from Nell Lewis - Notes from FTM File 3683, Vol 1:
John Cleveland of Spotsylvania Co, VA, planter, bought 100 acres of a 1600 acre patent on Blue Run, adjoining Thomas Chew, Alexander Cleveland, Jr. and Hancock Lee on 18 Mar 1735. (Alexander, Jr., bought 100 acres at the same time.)

Event: Land 1735
Note:
from Nell Lewis - Notes from FTM File 3683, Vol 1: On 17 Feb 1735, he became overseer of road from Piney Mountain Run to the ridge between Blue Run and Pettys Creek. Alexander Cleveland was to assist. (John Doman, Orange County, VA. Deed Books 1 and 1, 1735-1738. Judgments 1735. Washington: 1961, Ann Miller, Orange County Road Orders, '734-174?, Charlotesville: 1984, page 14) On 12 Sept 1736, John's road was ordered cleared per his petition, William Bryan overseer. [Orange County, VA, Copunt Court Order Book I, page 109, 125] John became overseer 22 Mar 1749.

Event: Military Service Cir 1776
Note: Col. in S.C. Revolutionary Army - See McAllister's " VA Militia in the Rev." Sec.210 p.161. 5
Probate: 1 Nov 1778 Note: The children of John Cleveland and his wife Martha Coffee recorded in his will made Nov 1, 1778 and recorded on page 1, book 3, Will Book of Va. or Orange Co. Will Book: Mary, Benjamin, John, Robt, Reubin, Jeremiah, Larkin, Martha or Patty Abstract of Will from Grace Green's website: Daughter Mary Franklin, one shilling, Son Benjamin, one sshilling, Son John, one shilling, Son Reuben, dec'd, one shilling. Son Jeremiah, one shilling; Daughter Patty Smith, the land whereon I now live. If she dies or moves away my Executors are to see the land and the money to be equally divided between Betty Smith and Austin Smith, my Grandchildren. Bartlett Bennett, Executor. Witnesses: Bartlett Bennett John (his X mark) Cleveland Sarah Smith Mary Smith Husband of Elizabeth Coffee dec'd from Nell Lewis - Notes from FTM File 3683, Vol. 1: His 1 Nov 1778 will proved 26 Nov 1778 named sons, Benjamin, John, Robert, Reuben and Jeremiah and daughters Mary Beth Patty, but omitted son Larkin. After Patty Smith's life estate, proceeds from sale of home place were to go to grandchildren Betty Smith and Austin. from Nell Lewis - From Cleveland folder in Orange County Historical Society via Barbara Vines Little: Will of John Cleveland of Orange county, executed Nov 1, 1778 and admitted to probate Nov. 26, 1778 (Will Book No. 3, p1) in which there were the following provisions: To his children Mary Franklin, Benjamin Cleveland, John Cleveland, Betty Clapsey, Robert Cleveland, Reuben Cleveland, dec. and Jeremiah Cleveland, one shilling sterling each; to his daughter Patty Smith, land on which he lived for her life or as long as she should continue to live on land and upon her death or removal, land to be sold and proceeds divided between Betty Smith and Austin Smith, his two grandchildren; to his daughter Patty Smith the stock and corn and fodder on his plantation; remainder of movable property to be sold and proceeds divided between grandchildren Betty Smith and Austin Smith; to William Goodall, one colt....

Event: Alt. Death 1788 Residence: Orange Co, VA 5 7

Event: Church Note: from Nell Lewis - Notes from FTM File 3683, Vol 1: Baptists, probably Blue Run Church [W.W. Scott, a History of Orange County, VA., Baltimore 1974, page 184. 3 Change Date: 23 Jan 2001 at 21:03 Note: "A beauty of the time of Charles the First--so runs the story--named Elizabeth Cleveland, a daughter of an officer of the palace of Hampton Court, attracted the attention of her sovereign, and an amour was the result. When Oliver Cromwell became the rising star of the empire, the same charms won his simpathies, and a son was born unto them. The mother retired from the public gaze, and subsequently married a Mr. Bridge. When this wild colt of a son grew up, he took his mother's name and was the reputed author of a book-- 'The Life and Adventures of Mr. Cromwell, Natural Son of Oliver Cromwell'.... "The perusal of this work, more than thirty years ago, left on the mind of the writer the strong conviction that it was a romance, and a recent re-examination of it confirms that opinion. Noble, in his learned production on the Cromwell Family, published nearly a century since, declares that these pretended 'Adventures' are 'too marvelous to be true;' and a writer in 'Notes and Queries', in 1856, states that from 'the extraordinary adventures related in it,' he considers it a fictious narrative.; Whether or not this work is a romance, or records a series of facts more wonderful than fiction, it is nevertheless true, that Colonel Benjamin Cleveland had a copy of it, to which he used to point with no little pride, claiming his descent through this 'Mr. Cleveland', from the illustrious Oliver Cromwell. Others of the Cleveland connection made the same claim.

"History informs us, that the Clevelands were an ancient family, deriving their name from a tract of country in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England, still called Cleveland. Tradition designates Alexander Cleveland, Sr. and Jr.; and that John Cleveland, with his father, the younger Alexander Cleveland, early migrated to Virginia, and married a Miss Martha Coffee. He settled on the since famous Bull Run, in Prince William County, where he engaged in the employment of a house-joiner. His son, Benjamin Cleveland was born there May twenty-sixth, 1738; and while yet very young, his father removed some sixty miles to the south-west, locating in a border settlement on Blue Run, some six or eight miles above its junction with the Rapidan, in Orange County, near the line of Albemarle. Not only young Cleveland's parents, but his grandfather Cleveland and wife also settled on Blue Run; the latter couple dying there, about 1770, within three days of each other, when about 100 years old; and here his parents lived and died at a good old age. "If Alexander Cleveland, the younger, who died about 1770, was a hundred years old, he must have been born about 1670--only seventeen years after Cromwell became Protector. This would seem to spoil the story of descent from Oliver Cromwell through the pretended 'Mr. Cromwell'; and that he must have descended from Alexander Cleveland, Sr., whose birth evidently was considerably anterior to the time of the Protectorate. (Draper, p.425-427)

The 1899 Cleveland genealogy, published in 3 volumes, states that John (3) Cleveland (Alexander 2, Alexander 1) d. on his estate on Blue Run, 6 or 8 miles above the junction with the Rapidan, VA, at a good old age, m. prob in VA, Miss Martha Coffee, she d. at her home on Blue Run, quite aged. John (3) Cleveland, with his father, Alexander (2), were early settlers of Prince William Co, but it is probable that John (3) was born and reared there. He and his paretns removed, prior to 1734 or 1738, to Orange County, and located on Blue Run, where they lived and died; house joiner or builder. Large real estate owner. Records of County Court Office, Orange Co. Deeds: - (About the beginning of the records) 1734, Rice Curtis conveys to John Cleveland about 600 acres of land. Mrs. Sarah C. Abbott writtes: "My father gave me this information, that my grandfather's father (John 3) crossed the ocean from England and settled in VA; in first settling of S.C., he came to SC and made tthat his home." Some of his descendants think that he removed to N.C. with his children. (Cleveland, 1899, p.2056) .