William Rose Jr. was born about 1655 in Surry County, Virginia. In 1677 this William Rose was listed on the mounted militia role. Only men of means were enrolled in the mounted militia. In 1689, he made a deposition that he was thirty-four years old. The deposition said, "That in April about three or four years since to ye best of your deponents remembrance, as ye deponent was riding on the Road near the Church met with Arthur Jordan and he desire ye depon't if that ye depon't did overtake a woman on the Road to direct her the way to Tho. Floods and in further discourse he the said Jordan did Informe ye depon't that he had gone to Mr. Ranndall's & had bought his maid for Charles Digby and as ye depon't did overtake Elizabeth Jones the woman which Mr. Arthur Jordan spake of and according to his request carried her to Tho. Floods and Charles Digby happening to be there, the said Digby and said Elizabeth Jones went away together over to Tho. Jaordans as ye depon't heard and further sayeth not."

In 1684 he was listed as among the tithables in Southwark Parish. He was the only Rose among the names listed for the militia. William Rose was a large land owner, having holdings between the Blackwater and Nottaway Rivers in Surry County, as well as other lands in Brunswick and the Isle of Wight Counties.

William Rose was first recorded as being appointed as a surveyor of the road in March of 1698. A surveyor of a road had to see that the road was kept in repair by the tithables in the neighborhood. Land was often located by these roads.

William Rose was married between September 4, 1688, and March 5, 1688/89 to Lucy Corker who was born in 1658. She was the widow of Thomas Jordan.

To this union four know children were born: 1. William 2. Richard 3. Henry 4. John

William Rose died in 1742 having apparently outlived his wife. He had long since deeded his lands to his sons and grandsons without her signature.

Reference:
The Roses of Surry County
Rose Family Association Magazine