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Tully Choice, Sr. |
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Tully Choice, Sr., Surveyor of Virginia
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Sons
of Zerelda Alice (Flood) and William Franklin
Choice
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Robert
Herschel Choice
Born 21 May 1888
Collins, Missouri |
Samuel
Franklin Choice
Born 23 Apr 1877
Humansville, Missouri |
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ABIGAIL (TULLY) AND JOHN CHOICE, OF MANBY(?), PRINCESS
COUNTY AND ACCOMACK COUNTY
This chapter probably should have been named
after John Choice, who is the earliest known progenitor
for this family. However, John is rather a common
name in the Choice family, and there is comparatively
little information available concerning him. I do
not know whether John was the immigrant ancestor
for this family. The earliest American record available
concerning John refers to his marriage in Accomack
County, Virginia, discovered by Hattie (Choice)
Schroder (HCS). This was included in Hattie's genealogical
notes which were forwarded to me by her daughter,
Harriet Choice (Schroder) Earle (CSE) of Greenville,
South Carolina, who uses her middle name Choice.
Choice also forwarded information concerning her
immediate family which appears later in this chapter
and on her Family Chart:
The first record is in Accomac, Va., where it is
recorded that John Choice married Abigail Tully
in 1702, (Wills, Vol.1, Oct. 1972). John Tully came
to Virginia about 1646, and the Will of Francis
Tully of Princess Ann, Lower Norfolk, Va., is dated
March 26th, 1698. It is assumed that the Choices
and Tullys came over at the same time.
The wills to which Hattie refers were probably for
the State of Virginia. It is my understanding that
Accomack County was formed from Northampton County,
Virginia. Perhaps further records concerning John's
family could be found in Northampton County's Archives.
Both Accomack and Northampton Counties are isolated
on the southern tip of a peninsula of land which
is bordered on the west by Chesapeake Bay, and on
the east by the Atlantic Ocean. It is the type of
area in which a seafaring man might locate his home.
But, I do not know John's occupation. According
to the book, NAMES ON THE LAND (see bibliography),
"Accamack shifted to Northampton in 1643, but
a section of it was returned as Accomack twenty
years later." Spelling is as it appears in
the book.
I assume that the family of John Choice originated
in England; some family members think they originated
in Wales; others think the family may have belonged
to the Quaker religion. The Quakers are an avenue
I have never pursued.
Abigail Tully, was the "daughter of Francis
Tully of Princess Ann, Lower Norfolk, Virginia."
Her date of birth is estimated to be about 1682
(HCS).
If John Choice traveled south from Accomack County,
overland through Northampton County, he then would
have had to cross about twenty miles of Chesapeake
Bay to reach Norfolk, Virginia.
If John took the water route from Accomack County
to Norfolk, he would have had to cover about 30
miles of Chesapeake Bay, or the Atlantic Ocean.
It does sound as if John may have had a boat under
him during either trip. This could lend some strength
to the "seafaring man" speculation. There
was no feasible land route alternative. Accomack
County is quite isolated from the mainland.
One of the greatest contributions that Abigail (Tully)
Choice made to this family's genealogy, was giving
her surname as a first name to her son, Tully Choice,
Sr. Because it is unique, it has been relatively
easy to isolate his records.
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