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It is through the Diuguid line that our family can establish connections
to the British and European monarchies.
Our ancestor William Diuguid (Sr.) married Jean Henry, the seventh great-granddaughter
of James "Fiery
Face" Stewart
II, King of Scotland. His son, William Diuguid (Jr.) married Ann
Moss, descended from the Cloptons and Edward I,
King of England. There is some support for the belief that the Diuguids
were French Huguenots,
while the name has been found in English records since
1304 AD.
As I have received
information from many sources, I have not always been perfect at giving
due credit to individuals for their assistance.
Eleanor MacRae of Virginia
Beach, Virginia, was an inspiration to me in my research. She wrote William
Diuguid of Buckingham County, Virginia, which contained information
on the marriage of William Diuguid to Jean Henry, establishing a royal
connection. This prompted me to contract with a family historian in Scotland
to verify the Diuguid/Henry marriage and to pursue other lines of investigation.
 William
Diuguid (Sr.). was born 23 October 1687
1 in Aberdeen, Scotland. He married Jean Henry (sometimes Hendrie
or Henrie), aunt to Patrick Henry the American statesman, on 27 October
1716
2 in Aberdeen, Scotland. William and Jean Diuguid had two sons,
George and William, and no information can be found on George. William
(Jr.) left Scotland and arrived in the American Colonies before 1745.
He settled in Goochland County, Virginia. There he met Ann Moss, the
only child of Alexander Moss and his wife, Elizabeth Clopton (Walker).
Elizabeth Clopton was the widow of William Walker and a daughter of William
Clopton Gent. who was born in 1655 in County Essex, England. The
Clopton line has been traced back to Edward I, King of England. Sir Walter
Clopton signed the Magna
Carta on 15 June 1215. In this document King John, forced by his
rebellious barons, conceded the rights of the subjects to be respected
and circumscribed by law. These basic rights formed the foundation for
most modern democracies today.
William and Ann Moss Diuguid settled
in Goochland County. Without moving, the family
home was eventually located in four counties. Part of Goochland County
later became part of Albermarle County; in 1761, three years before
the death of William Diuguid, part of Buckingham County; and in 1845,
Appomattox County. During the Civil War and at the time of Lee's
surrender, the village of Appomattox Courthouse (now known as Old Appomattox
Courthouse), was the Appomattox County seat. At midnight on February
26, 1869, the courthouse, a Greek style wooden building, and all the
records within were burned in a large fire. The county seat was moved
afterwards three miles south on the railroad from Richmond to Lynchburg
to Appomattox Station. The old courthouse, never more than a small village,
today contains about dozen ante-bellum buildings. The loss of these records
made early Diuguid research difficult. Diuguid research can also be difficult
because the name is easily and regularly misspelled, especially in census
records.
William and Ann's great-grandson, William Henry Diuguid Sr. and his
wife Catherine Malinda Churchill, had nine
children.
According to Eleanor MacRae, a few Diuguids who
were descendants of Capt. George E. Diuguid still lived in Buckingham
County until a few years ago. Today there are no Diuguids living there.
A few hundred Diuguids remain today and are spread across the United
States.
In Salem, Virginia, it is said Diuguid
Lane  was
the home of Harriett and William Diuguid. There is a deed
on file in Salem, Va., Roanoke County Court House (Book F, page 273),
dated 21 July 1858, stating that William Diuguid bought from William
Deaton and wife, Mary K., lot 53, Salem, Va. "being fronted
on Main
Street
,
sixteen poles deep" to back on Clay Street. William paid a portion
of the price and gave William Deaton a lein of $400.00, due on 1 July
1858, for the balance.
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