Sixth Generation  

10. James Sturgill ^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7} was born from 1725 in Essex County, Virginia, United States of America,^2,3,4,5,6,7 died from 1803 in Alleghany County, North Carolina, United States of America^2,3,4,6 at age 78, and was buried in Piney Creek, Alleghany, North Carolina, United States of America.² Another name for James was James Stodghill.

General Notes: Narrative
James and Ann migrated to present Alleghany Co. NC where they lived out their lives and are buried in a family cemetery on their original homestead. -p. 30
JAMES STODGILL-STURGILL and his wife Ann Calloway made their first home in present Green Co. VA (then Orange Co) on a farm on Swift Run Creek near the town of Stanardsville. All of their children were born on this farm. In 1771 James disposed of the last of his property in that area, including his share of his fathers estate. He did acknowlege a deed there in 1774 but other public records indicate that he moved his family to present Alleghany Co. NC not later than 1771 and he may have visited the area before this to claim land. As he settled on the north side of New River James thought that he was still in VA and all of the earliest records of him are found in VA. In the Montgomery and later in the Grayson Co. records the name of James and other members of his family was often spelled STURGEON but this spelling was never used in the NC records even though some of the family pronounced the name as Sturgin.
The early Jefferson-Frye survey of the VA-NC state line was very inaccurate through the mountains and the early settlers along New River were very inaccurate just where the state line was. Another survey through the area was made in 1799 and still another in 1824. The second survey of the state line proved the original homestead of James was in NC and this farm is now a part of the NC New River State Park. James and Ann were buried in a small family cemetery on this New River farm.
Although some of those listed following can not be proven children of James and Ann by public documents known family relationships and private records leave no doubt that they were. This family also became widely scattered and a historical note on a following page shows where they went. -p. 32
All who spell the name Sturgill, Sturgell, or Stargil are direct descendants of James Sturgill and Ann Calloway. Where this spelling of the name was first used by his uncle John in Greenbrier Co. VA non of that branch of the family continued to spell the name that way and reverted to the older spelling of Stodghill or a similar variation. It is also possible that some of the decendants of Lewis still spell the name Sturgeon. -p. 32
Source References
ntbl1.A Branch of the Sturgill Family: Vol 1 Descendants of Francis Sturgill Sr & Rebecca Hash <../../../src/L/5/L5186NUCMKTCU2YYNR.html> Page: pg 30,32 Confidence: Normalntbl 2.A Branch of the Sturgill Family: Vol 1 Descendants of Francis Sturgill Sr & Rebecca Hash <../../../src/L/5/L5186NUCMKTCU2YYNR.html> Page: pg 30-32 Confidence: Normal




James Sturgill and Ann Calloway had a farm on Swift Run Creek in whatwas Orange Co., Virginia and now Greene Co., Virginia. It is locatedabout 7 miles west of Stanardsville, Virginia. Records show that James Sturgill then moved from Orange Co., Virginia to the New River Farm in Ashe Co., North Carolina which is now a part of Alleghany Co., North Carolina. James Sturgill and Ann Calloway lived on this farm for their remaining years. This land is now a part of the New River State Park. James Sturgill apparently did not have a legal Title to the land in which he claimed and occupied. The site was granted to his son Francis Sturgill in 1798, and other nearby tracts which James Sturgill claimed were divided up among his other children. The spelling of the name Sturgill changed from Stodgill.