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CHAVIS FAMILY

The Chavis family probably originated in Virginia before 1650 since there were free, mixed-raced members of the family in Amelia, Brunswick, Charles City, Henrico, James City, Prince George, and Surry counties, Virginia, as well as Edgecombe, Granville and Bladen counties, North Carolina, before 1750. And there were several Chavis households in South Carolina in the 1750s. The earliest recorded mixed-race ancestor was probably Elizabeth Chavis who petitioned the General Court of Virginia on 28 March 1672 to release her son Gibson Gibson from an unlawful indenture. No race is indicated in the court record, but Gibson's descendants were mixed-race