Section 5: JOHN FLOOD,
Father of Mary (Flood) Long
This section on John Flood is included because he was the father of Mary Flood, wife of Philip Long, and he
was a substantial land owner whose will dividing such property among heirs had considerable impact on the
heirs of his son-in-law, Philip Long.
John Flood was not in the 1782 or 1784 State of Virginia Enumerations, but a John Flood from Chesterfield
County, Virginia (which is near Richmond) is in the 1783 Tax List, page 51. He is not in the first Federal
census of 1790. Since the 1800 and 1810 Virginia censuses do not exist, it is difficult to determine when he
first came to Hampshire County, but it was probably around 1792.
The name John Flood first appears in the 1810 Federal census of Hampshire County, Virginia. The family
was comprised of two males and seven females. He also appears in the 1810 Tax List for Hampshire County,
page 31. In 1820, the John Flood family was comprised of six males (?) and five females.
His wife is listed as Barbara. If she was his “wife,” how is this entry in the Common Law Order Book,
#2, p.7 of Hampshire County, Virginia interpreted: “15 Oct 1816; Commonwealth against John Flood on
information filed against him for living in fornication with Barbara Williams.” In his will he refers to Barbara
not as his wife, but as “the mother of these children.” This information can be interpreted to mean that
John Flood and Barbara Williams were never legally married, at least during one period when they had children.
What did “legally married” mean in the early 1800’s in Hampshire County, Virginia?
Sons:
• Charles was born around 1788 and had two sons, Washington and John.
• John was born about 1790 and married Catherine Rice. They had eight sons and one daughter. Catherine
appears to have died prior to 1850.
Daughters:
• Eleanor was born about 1791 and married John Rankin.
• Mary was born on 28 Feb 1793 and married Philip Long.
• Elizabeth was born about 1797.
• Sarah was born about 1801.
• Rachel was born about 1803 and married Michael Herrity.
• Ann was born about 1805 and married Thomas Long.
• Phoebe was born about 1810, married Thomas Riley, and died on 04 Oct 1845 at age 35.
Land:
17 April 1792: received Commonwealth of Virginia patent (grant) for 136 acres.
13 Nov 1800: received patent for 400 acres.
15 May 1821: received patent for 99 acres.
12 April 1819: received patent for 57 acres.
Bought from William Linton: 200 acres.
Bought from William Linton: 50 acres.
Total land owned: 942 acres
To cultivate this sizable acreage, he owned several slaves which were willed to children and then eventually
set free.
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Will: John Flood signed his will on 14 January 1820. It was proved in the Hampshire County Court on 18
August 1828. In that will, Mary Flood Long was to inherit “1 cow & an equal part of the land & other
property.”
An inventory of the personal estate of John Flood, dec’d. was done with date of inventory as 25 August 1828.
Included were:
Among his possessions were 6 slaves: Value
1 Negro boy Sandy $200
1 Negro girl named Harriitt (sic.) $200
1 girl Hannah $75
1 girl Mariah $75
1 girl Mary Jane & Mother $300
1 Negro man named Hernery (sic.) $350
All slaves except Charity (?) were to be hired out for five years from his death. After that time the Negroes
were to be divided among his daughters and grandsons. The Negroes were not to be sold, and if
any attempt was made to sell them then that would make them free. The fate of the slaves is not known.
An interesting note is that on 21 July 1820 John Flood attached a codicil to his will as follows:
“On reflection and due consideration I hereby revoke whatever may be devised to my daughter Pheba in the
former part of my will, during the lifetime of her husband Thos Riley, but in case of his decease, then she, the
said Pheba is to inherit the same, as if this codicil had not been made”. It would appear that John Flood had
an issue with his son-in-law Thomas Riley. Pheba/Phoebe (Flood) Riley died at the early age of 35 and her
inherited share of the Flood Plantation went to her children. The land was subsequently sold at public auction
on 1 April 1877 by court decree as the result of the suit by Charles Riley, plaintiff, against the heirs of
Phoeba Riley.
In the same codicil, John Flood included a provision, to wit: “And further I alter my will to my daughters and
grandsons Washington & John that the Land devised to them is to them and their heirs forever without any
power whatever to sell.” This provision was to later cause a serious problem in the settlement of Philip
Long’s estate.
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