Robert Lilly

Robert Lilly II was born in December 1720 in Fluvanna County, Virginia and died 1828 in Logan County, Virginia. He is buried at Flat Top, Mercer County, WV.

Although the information I have found goes either way, I am of the opinion that there were two Robert Lillys: one born in 1696 and his son born in 1720. There is a lot of documentation about Judith "Juda's" Lilly (born 1764), the sister of our Robert Lilly II. Some say Juda’s mother was Mary Frances, which would make Robert Lilly Sr. and Mary Frances both 68 years old when she had Juda. It would make more sense that this couple was Juda’s grandparents. However when looking at the Family Data Collection - Births [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001 by Edmund West, comp., it lists Frances Fanny Moody as her mother. (???)

The original Robert Lilly, the son of John Lilly, married Frances Moody and settled in Albemarle County, Virginia, formerly a part of Goochland County.

Robert Lilly first lived on a farm of Charles Dameron and purchased it in 1776. The deed dated October 22, of that year, is recorded in Albemarle County and conveys to Robert Lilly 200 acres of land situated in that portion of Albemarle County which became part of Fluvanna County in 1777. Robert paid 32 pounds and 10 shillings for this tract of land, and sold it four years later for 3,000 pounds, or $9,000 dollars at that time. This deed is dated September 7, 1780, is recorded in Fluvanna County, Virginia, and signed Robert and Frances Lilly.

Robert was considered wealthy for his day. In 1781, he moved to a farm in Bedford County, Virginia, purchasing it three years later. The deed is dated August 23, 1784, from Richard and Susanna Watts to Robert Lilly, conveying 460 acres of land situated on Prathers Run, the southside of Staunton (Roanoke) River, in that portion of Bedford County which became a part of Franklin County, Virginia, in 1785.

A deed exists in Botetourt County, Virginia, dated January 7, 1783, in which one Arthur Cooper conveyed to Robert Lilly 100 acres of land situated on the south side of Back Creek, "the place where on Josiah Meadows, deceased, lived", and on a line with the said Lilly's line. The witnesses to this deed were Josiah Meadows, Jacob Meadows, and Robert Richardson. The deed shows that Robert Lilly and the Meadows family lived on adjoining farms and in adjoining counties for several years. The Josiah Meadows, deceased, mentioned in this deed was the father of Jacob Meadows and Reverend Josiah Meadows, who were two of the witnessed to this transaction. The Reverend Josiah Meadows married Juda (Judith) Lilly, a daughter of Robert and Frances Lilly. Also note that Rev. Josiah was the brother of Rosanna Edith Meador who married Thomas Edmond Lilly, parents of Pleasant Lilly.

Robert Lilly and Reverend Josiah Meadows moved west of the Allegheny Mountains, and lived a few years at the mouth of East River with John Toney and Jacob Meadows. They later moved near the mouth of Little Bluestone River in what is now Summers County, West Virginia, thenMontgomery County, Virginia.

In Montgomery County there is a deed dated August 10, 1802, from Thomas Copley (who was married to Mary Day and in the McKinney line of the Hammack family) to Robert Lilly and Josiah Meadows, conveying 231 acres of land situated at the mouth of Little Bluestone. A plat has been made from the calls given in a copy of this deed which shows that this tractof land extended from the foot of Ellison Ridge crossing Little Bluestone, thence down the north side of Big Bluestone River two miles. This tract was divided into three parts: Reverend Josiah Meadows located on the upper part at the mouth of Little Bluestone; the elder Robert Lilly located about one-half mile below Meadows and the lower portion was occupied by two of his sons, Thomas Lilly and Edmond Lilly.

According to Mr. Miller's "History of Summers County, West Virginia", the first Robert Lilly died in 1810 at the ripe old age of 114 years; and his wife died in 1807, at the the age of 111 years. But the following deeds show that the original Robert and Fanny Lilly were stillliving in 1817. So it is all VERY confusing!

In Giles County, Virginia, there is a deed dated February 28, 1817, from Robert Lilly, Sr., conveying his personal property to his son, William Lilly, for the "maintenance of the said Robert Lilly and Fanny Lilly during life."(Signed:) Robert Lilly.

On March 1, 1817, Robert Lilly, Sr., of Giles County, Virginia, made a deed to his son, William Lilly, conveying 50 acres of land situated on the north side of Big Bluestone River for the "personal maintenance of himself, the said Robert Lilly, Sr., and his wife, Fanny Lilly during life.”
Also in Giles, Co there is a deed dated March 13, 1817, from Robert Lilly, to two of his sons, Thomas and Edmund Lilly, conveying the lower portion of his land situated on the north side of Big Bluestone River.

Ancient papers of the original Robert Lilly and Josiah Meadows families of Bluestone River were found December, 1948, by Mr. Garland Snuffer and his wife, of Glen White, WV. The batch of old papers were found lying in the yard of an old farm homestead near the Bluestone Dam. According to Mr. Snuffer, the papers were evidently thrown from the old house during the period when workmen at the Bluestone Dam were razing old dwellings to make way for the backwater from the structure. Many of the papers in Snuffer's collection, which number approximately 100 different items, date back as far as 1749. One letter was from the Territory of Upper Louisiana in the District of St. Louis. It was dated February 2, 1812, and was from William S. Lilly to his father Robert Lilly, Sr. of Giles Co, Va., now Summers Co, WV. Evidently William S. Lilly traveled a great deal, because on July 18, 1809, three years before, he was in Kanawha County (spelled Canawha). At this time he wrote to Josiah Meador, his brother-in-law.

Robert & Fannie were married about 1762. The Lilly family has been one of the most outstanding families in Southern West Virginia, many of them doctors, lawyers, bankers, merchants, businessmen, ministers, educators and farmers.

A historical marker overlooking the Bluestone Lake, says - Lilly - The historic village of Lilly was located at the confluence of the Little Bluestone and Bluestone Rivers three miles Northwest of this point. It was settled by Robert and Fanny Lilly who migrated here in the late 1700's from the Dublin-Pulaski area of the Botetourt County. The village was razed with the construction of Bluestone Dam in 1949. Remains from 149 graves were exhumed from Lilly Cemetery with most reinterred in Crews Cemetery on Sand Knob. Robert and Fanny Lilly were reinterred at the Lilly Reunion Grounds at Flat Top.

http://lillyreunion.org/id18.html