Frank (Francis) and Rebecca Spilman
DESCENDANTS OF FRANCIS (FRANK) SPILMAN
FRANCIS (FRANK) SPILMAN
b. 1756/7 in King George County Va;
d. 1828 at Alexandria, Ky., testate; buried in the Spilman Cemetery now known as
the Old Baptist Cemetery; m. Rebecca Erskine in Virginia ca 1786; Issue: 8
children.
1 Sarah SPILMAN b-1 Jan 1787 d-6 Mar 1855
2 Martha Frances SPILMAN b-1789 bet 1860-70
3 Henry Erskine SPILMAN b-13 Mar 1792 d-8 Mar 1849
4 Thomas Frank SPILMAN b-11 May 1794 d-8 Apr 1869
5 James SPILMAN b-26 Oct 1796 d-19 Sep 1872
6 Lettice SPILMAN b-1800
7 Mariam SPILMAN b-11 July 1804 d-19 Feb 1874
8 Margaret SPILMAN b-1 Apr 1815
Francis Spilman or Frank as he was usually known is presumed to be the second son of Thomas Spilman of King George County and his first wife whose name we do not know. This assumption has no documentary proof, but is supported by statements of his Kentucky descendants. The reason he was not mentioned in his father's will, we believe, is that he had already received his part of the estate while his father was living and had left the family hearth and struck out on his own. It was not uncommon to omit such a person from a will since he had already received his patrimony. He was mentioned by his descendants as the older brother of James Spilman and therefore must have been born ca 1756/7.
Since the Pinkard deposition identifies William as Thomas's eldest child, Frank must come between William and James. He first appears in the records on the land tax list of King George County in 1782 as "F Spilman". (The Researcher; First Census of Kentucky, by Charles B Heineman)
His Kentucky descendants state that he enlisted at the age of 19 (1775) and that he was at Valley Forge with George Washington but no documentary proof of this has been offered. He served in the expedition under General George Rogers Clark in the Illinois campaign toward the end of the Revolutionary War along with his brother James, in the company of Capt. John Rogers.
The date of his marriage is not known by his wife was Rebecca Erskine and it seems likely his marriage took place ca 1786 since Sarah, his oldest was born Jan 1, 1787. There is an interesting tradition in the family about Frank's romantic courtship. It seems that Frank was wounded at Valley Forge and his best friend whose name was Mumford died there. On his death bed he asked Frank to take care of his young wife, so Frank did so by marrying her.
By 1799 Francis Spilman was appointed to mark out a new road from Grant Salt Works to Newport in Campbell County. He and Rebecca lived in Campbell County until he died in September 1828. In Frank's will he left his whole estate to Rebecca.
More information on the Spilman Family is available in the book Spilman Papers compiled by Malcolm L Melville, printed in May 1865. A copy of this book is at the Campbell County Historical Society in Alexandria, Kentucky.