The First Generation

Family history holds that the marriage between Wilmore and Mary yielded nine children; six boys and three girls. The activities of five (William, Wilmore, James, Richard and George) are relatively well known. Two more (Mary and Elizabeth) are less known, but documentation does exist. The last two (John and Sarah) are far less known; their birth is attributed to have occurred in America, but no records of any offspring have ever been located. This could be easily explained for Sarah, as a marriage would have changed her last name; however, no records exist for any of John's children, though records can be traced for all the other male siblings. Family history indicate that John migrated west for parts unknown, and this could very well be true. There is an 1805 marriage record for a John Male and Anne Odle in Kanawha County, which would indeed indicate a movement westward. However, no records have been found to trace this individual any further or to definitively place him in this family. The 1782 census lists Wilmore Male having 11 individuals in his household, which lends credence to the idea of more children existing. Even so, with Elizabeth having passed away in 1774 back in England, at least one individual in that census number remains unidentified.

It is important to note that Wilmore and Mary had two other children that existing family histories often do not identify. Both of these children (Susanna and William) died young before the family's arrival to America, which makes the omission quite understandable. Therefore, the finally tally of children born to Wilmore and Mary may be 11; seven boys and four girls.

Wilmore Male and Mary Cocket are known or believed to have had the following children:

1.       Mary Male Born April 1750. Christened April 29, 1750 at St. Mary the Virgin in Dover, Kent, England. Nothing more is known about Mary. Perhaps she married in Virginia, or, based on what we know about Elizabeth, she may have remained in England with her sister.

2.       Susanna Male Born December 1751. Christened December 8, 1751 at St. Mary the Virgin in Dover, Kent, England. Died in June 1752 and was buried on June 2, 1752 at St. James the Apostle, Dover, Kent, England.

3.       William Male Born in May 1753. Christened on May 20, 1753 at St. James the Apostle, Dover, Kent, England. Died in June 1756 and was buried on June 2, 1756 at St. James the Apostle, Dover, Kent, England.

Note: Family histories often list this William Male as the husband of Nancy Jones and the father of a line of children in America. In actuality, there were two Williams born to Wilmore and Mary; the second was born in 1760 and survived. He is the correct father to that line of descendants.

4.       Wilmore Male, Jr. Born in June 1755. Christened on June 22, 1755 at St. James the Apostle, Dover, Kent, England. Died sometime after 1840 in Hampshire County, Virginia.

5.       Elizabeth Male Born in June 1757. Baptized on June 19, 1757 at St. James the Apostle, Dover, Kent, England. Elizabeth does not appear to have traveled with the family to America; she died in June 1774 and was buried on June 26, 1774 at the age of 17 at St. James the Apostle, Dover, Kent, England.

6.       William Male Born February 1760. Baptized on February 3^rd, 1760 at St. James the Apostle, Dover, Kent, England. Died in March 1848 in Barbour County, Virginia.

7.       James Male Born sometime around 1761 in Virginia. Died sometime after 1830 in Virginia.

8.       Richard Male Born sometime around 1762 in Virginia. Died in July 1845 in Barbour County, Virginia.

9.       George Male Born sometime around 1763 in Virginia. Died in 1847 in Taylor County, Virginia.

10.   John Male Unconfirmed. May be the John Male that married Anne Odle.

11.   Sarah Male Unconfirmed.

Remains of St James the Apostle Church, where a number of events in the first generation's history were recorded or took place.