A brown and white image of the word belle & james.

Viewing again the pedigree chart for Martha Frances Ford, wife of John Madison Cook, we find that her paternal grandmother was Elizabeth Leavell and on this page we will look in more detail at the Leavell and Hayden families.

A picture of the family tree with all the names.

Again, with the assistance of genealogist extraordinaire, Therese Fisher, we learned a little about the Leavell family:

A letter from the judge to the court of appeals.
A letter from the president of virginia to his constituents.

Here is the Family Group Sheet for Edward Leavell who was born before 1666:

A sheet of paper with many different types of papers.
A court document is shown with the words " virginia."

From the book Virginia County Records, Volume 1, Spotsylvania County 1721-1800 on page 145, we find that Edward Leavell purchased 200 acres in Spotsylvania County, Virginia on April 6, 1738:

A yellow line is shown on the side of a book.

Here is a transcription from the Spotsylvania County, Virginia Will Book reflecting the 1746 will of Edward Leavell:

A letter from the episcopal diocese of st. George

Here is an old record that suggests that Edward Leavell could have come to Virginia in 1681 as part of the headright claim of Thomas Fenwick. We don't have conclusive proof that this is our Edward Leavell but there is a strong likelihood based on timing, name, and location.

A book cover with two columns of text.
A newspaper clipping with the names of some people.

Here is the Family Group Sheet for Benjamin Leavell, son of Edward Leavell:

A page of lists with many different names.
A court document is shown with the names of two marriages.

From the book Virginia County Records, Volume 1, Spotsylvania County 1721-1800 on page 234, we find that on September 6, 1763, Benjamin Leavell and his wife Mildred sold part of the land purchased by Edward Leavell in Spotsylvania County, Virginia back on April 6, 1738, which purchase is cited above:

A green and white page with the words leavell of spts.

From the Madison County, Virginia Deed Book 4, part 2, pages 335-337, we find this 1807 indenture in favor of Benjamin Leavell:

A page of an old letter written in black ink.
A page of an old document with handwriting.
A page of an old letter written in black ink.
A page of an old document with the date and location.
A handwritten letter from the 1 8 th century.

Here is the Family Group Sheet for Thomas Hayden (sometimes spelled Haydon), maternal grandfather of Elizabeth Leavell whose husband was Benjamin Ford:

A sheet of paper with many lines on it
A sheet of paper with many lines on it
A close up of the baltimore records page

From the text below we learn that Thomas Haydon was an active voter in
Spotsylvania County in 1758:

A book cover with the title of the first settlers of spotsylvania court and fredericksburgh town.
A list of the 1 0 0 people who have been named.

From the book Virginia County Records, Volume 1, Spotsylvania County 1721-1800 on page 38, we find these property transfers upon the death of Thomas Haydon on June 27, 1782:

A page of the family tree with names and dates.

From the same text at page 239 we find Thomas Haydon giving a Negro girl to Benjamin and Mildred Leavell, Mildred being Thomas Haydon's daughter:

A close up of the word " haydon " in an english dictionary.