Rev William Swift 2
- Born: 1695-1696, Kent, England
- Marriage: Dianah Hodgkins on 12 Jan 1722 in Saint Dunstan's Church, Kent, England
- Died: 24 Mar 1734, Virginia at age 38
 General Notes:
Possible father's name of Thomas
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From a Caswell County history article, published in an unknown newspaper:
"... was a colateral descendant of Thomas Swift and his wife, Elizabeth Dryden, grandparents of Jonathan "Dean" Swift, the celebrated Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland, and author of Gulliver's Travels. Elizabeth Dryden was the sister of John Dryden, the first official English Poet Laureate."
"... after graduating from Cambridge University, England, in 1717 - 18, was ordained priest at St. Paul's Cathedral in London..."
"Following their marriage, the Rev. William Swift with his bride was sent to Bermuda by King George II, as clergyman for the Church of England, where he served until 1728 as rector of St. Peter's Church, St. George's Parish, the oldest Anglican Church in continuous use in the New World"
"In a letter dated 26 May, 1728, to the Royal Government in England, Royal Governor William Gooch of Virginia endorsed the Rev. William Swift, saying: 'This last week came hither Rev. William Swift from Bermuda. He is much esteemed-.' "
"In Virginia, the Rev. William Swift and family settled in St. Martin's Parish, Hanover County, where he served as the first rector of that parish which included Old Fork Church and Hallowing Creek Church."
"In a letter dated 14 January, 1735, to the Bishop of London, Governor Gooch reported that the Rev. William Swift died on March 24, 1734, leaving a widow and several small children."
"In 1731, (he) received a grant of 400 acres of land in Goochland County, Virginia, on the north side of the James River, and, in 1732, he received a grant of another 400 acres, which included what today is a suburban residential section of the city of Richmond. he sold one tract before his death, and the family occupied the other tract."
William married Dianah Hodgkins on 12 Jan 1722 in Saint Dunstan's Church, Kent, England. (Dianah Hodgkins was born in 1696 and died before 1771 in Virginia.)
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