William Randolph II

William Randolph II, also known as William Randolph Jr. or Councillor Randolph, was an American planter and politician. He was the Treasurer of Virginia and the oldest child of William Randolph and Mary Isham.

Early life and family

Randolph was born in November 1681 to William Randolph and wife Mary Isham on the Turkey Island Plantation along the James River in Henrico County, Virginia, and resided there his entire life. He married on June 22, 1709, Elizabeth Peyton Beverley around 1705 and the couple had seven children, five of which reached adulthood:

Beverley Randolph married Elizabeth Lightfoot and had no children.
Peter Randolph, who was appointed Justice in 1741, Clerk of the House of Burgesses and Treasurer of the Colony in 1751, Member of the Council in 1764, Surveyor-General of the Customs for Middle District of North America and Attorney-General of Virginia, married on July 20, 1738 Robert Bolling Jr. and wife Anne Mary Cocke's daughter, Lucille Bolling. They had four children, including Beverley Randolph, the eighth Governor of Virginia and Ann Bolling Randolph Fitzhugh, William Fitzhugh's wife.
William Randolph III, owner of Wilton plantation house, married Anne Harrison, the daughter of Benjamin Harrison IV, and had eight surviving children.
Mary Randolph married John Price.
Elizabeth "Betty" Randolph married Colonel John Chiswell and had at least four daughters who reached adulthood, including Susan R. Chiswell, the wife of John Robinson, the 32nd Speaker of the House of Burgesses.

Randolph was a great-uncle of United States President Thomas Jefferson.
His brother, Richard Randolph married Major John Bolling's daughter, Jane Bolling, also a lineal descendant of Pocahontas. They had six children.
His brother, John Randolph married Susanna Beverley on July 20, 1738.

Career

Randolph served as Clerk of House from 1703 to 1712. He served as Treasurer of the Colony of Virginia in 1737.

Ancestry

Westham, Virginia

The town of Westham, Virginia was established on land that had been owned by Randolph. When Randolph died, his son Beverley inherited Westham Plantation and planned to create the town of Westham on part of it to facilitate trade in the Piedmont region of Virginia. After Beverley's sudden death, Peter Randolph inherited his brother's land and completed work on the project – renaming the town "Beverley" in honor of his older brother – with help from William Cabell and Peter Jefferson. Jefferson was one of a number of important Virginians, including Carter Braxton, Joshua Fry, John Hunter, Robert Rose, and William Stith. who purchased lots in the new town. Peter Randolph eventually sold Westham Plantation to his younger brother, William, who in turn sold the property to William Byrd III.