George "The Elder" Foster

George Foster, sixth son of Robert and Elizabeth Garnett Foster was born about 1695 in Essex County, Virginia. There he was educated and grew to manhood. It was also there that he probably first met Mary Singleton, daughter of Robert and Sarah Elizabeth Crow Singleton, who was later to become his wife; she was born in Gloucester County. They were married on November 29, 1722 in either Essex or Stafford County. George and Mary began their married life on land that they inherited from her father. In his will probated in 1725, Robert Singleton bequeathed to his son-in- law and daughter, George and Mary Foster, land in Stafford (now Fairfax) Co VA, north of the Occoquan River. “....and the other three hundred acres belonging to that patent I give to my two daughters, Susannah, the wife of Thomas Smithers, and Mary, the wife of George Foster."

 This land was in Stafford County, which was later broken into an additional County called Prince William. Apparently, George and Mary lived on land give them in the will, since their children were listed as born in Amelia (Caroline) County not Prince George County as reported by some Foster researchers. Prince William was not established until in 1752 from Amelia County and all of George and Mary’s children were born prior to this date.

Sometime in the early 1700’s George and his family moved to the new Lunenburg County-Charlotte County area of southern Virginia. It could be that he was following some of his older children who moved there. We know that his sons Josiah and George, Jr and daughter, Elizabeth Dabbs were there early. There is evidence that most of their families located in Charlotte, Lunenburg, or Amelia Counties.

They were living in Caroline County in 1734 in that part of Essex County that was cut off when Caroline County was established in 1727-1728. George can be found associated with a variety of political activities in Caroline County until 1750. We know that George Foster bought land in Lunenburg County for on June 1, 1750 he received a grant of nine hundred and eighty-five acres on both sides of Spring Creek Fork of Little Roanoke adjoining land of Joseph Morton, Clement Reed, and a Mr. Womack. On August 10, 1756 he received a grant of four hundred acres in Lunenburg (Charlotte) County on Cock’s and Laton’s creek. George Foster was granted several additional land patents on Ash Camp Creek, near what is now the town of Keysville.

Most of George Foster’s nine children moved with him, with the exception of his eldest son, Robert Foster who had leased an additional 100 acres of land on Broad Run in Prince William County, Virginia south of Occoquan River on 22 May 1749.  Robert Foster is believed to have remained in Prince William County Virginia, where he died in c1755. On August 23, 1756 his father George Foster was appointed guardian to George, Elizabeth, Mary, and Francis, orphans of Robert Foster. These children were apparently brought up in Charlotte County, Virginia by their grandfather, for in 1765 George Foster gave deeds of gift of Robert Foster’s children George and Mary Foster who had come of age by them.

It was there on February 17, 1789 that George made his will and it was in that year that he died as his will was probated on June 1, 1789.