Tenth Generation

563. Matriarch of the family ASH was born (date unknown). Heinegg in his book "Free African-Americans of North Carolina and Virginia" shows that the majority of the free people of color originated in peninsular Virginia, being the children of white servant women and black men. Much of the rest were descended from freed slaves. Most of these families took refuge on the "frontier" which then was the south-side counties of Virginia and the northeast counties of North Carolina. This was presumably the case with the Ash family which he traces to seven free persons of color named Ash, who he judges to "probably" be siblings. All were born in the mid-1700s in Virginia. Therefore they are identified here as children of this hypothesized matriarch, with only those who are known to have lived in North Carolina carried to the next generation. The family surname was often spelled Ashe.

Children were:

	i.	Thomas ASH was born about 1730 in Virginia. He died in Granville County, NC. He appears to have lived in Granville County, VA his entire life. His son Charles (born c1755) moved to Halifax County, NC before 1786 and is found their in the 1790, 1800, and 1810 US Census. Levi Ash is believed by Heinegg to be Charles' son. He is found in the Halifax County US Census of 1820 and 1830. His 10-person 1830 household did include two males less than 10 years of age, so it is possible that he is the father of our John Ash. Unfortunately, no other information is available on him.
	ii.	Rachel ASH was born about 1735 in Virginia. She died in Virginia.
	iii.	Nancy "Nann" ASH was born about 1739 in Virginia. She died in Virginia.
281	iv.	Sarah ASH.
	v.	Moses ASH was born about 1745 in Virginia. He died in Virginia. He and his children appear to have spent their entire lives in south-side Virginia.
	vi.	Catherine ASH was born about 1749 in Virginia. She died in Virginia.
	vii.	Nancy ASH was born about 1758 in Virginia. She died in Virginia.

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