It is most amazing to think that as far back as the 1600’s, many of our ancestral lines were well acquainted with each other, sometimes intermarrying, and it’s even more amazing that they remained connected for hundreds of years. As we trace one line, we will find threads from the other lines.
We look at deeds and wills as one of our main sources of information as to the locations of our ancestors, and the names of individuals on those deeds and wills give specifics not only of where a property is located, but give us the neighbors and friends and other details that make certain that we are following the right individual in our line, particularly as common names are duplicated in numerous cousins and offspring, there being countless “Johns” and “Marys” etc. to confuse us. Wills and deeds provide legal details and names and relationships.
The spelling in these documents is wayward due to the standards of the time, and this too leads to confusion. We always have to be good detectives, and that is part of the fun and intrigue of the game of genealogical research. I advise anyone not to get too attached to any one theory, as it is often contradicted by another theory and even by conflicting legal “facts!”)
Almost all the early settlement in the Virginia colony was located along one of the many rivers and creeks that fed into the Chesapeake Bay. As John B. Robb has written, the settlements in the beginning were clustered “…all hugging the coast or huddled around the inlets of several major tidewater rivers. Transportation, except what could be covered on foot or horseback via wretched roads and bridle trails, was by water. From north to south, these tidewater rivers were the Potomac, the Rappahannock, the York (which forked upstream into the Mattiponi and the Pamunkey Rivers), and the James with its north fork being the Chickahominy River. Elsewhere, settlement was sparse and scattered.”
Later, the Nottoway River, the Blackwater River, the Meherrin River, and others, with their many creeks and swamps crisscrossing the land in Southside Virginia, will be of similar importance.
So, in trying to piece together the lineage in the families, it is essential to follow them as they move and settle along the rivers and into the wilderness, long before and then after the young colony was, in 1634, divided into 8 shires, which later became counties.
As time passed, these shires/counties were subdivided again and again, so this too makes detective work of our attempts to locate and follow our ancestors. For example, someone living in Charles River County in 1635, say, might still be living in the same place in 1649, but now their same residence would be called Northumberland County, and when some researcher was in the county courthouse in present time, the county might be given the current designation.
To make matters even more confusing, inside each individual county there were often several parishes used to enumerate and identify locations of citizens. Makes for confusion now, as it did then!
So, research often involves ferreting out the locations of rivers, creeks, parishes, counties and the landholders within them in order to link together land patents, deeds, and wills. Identifying the neighbors who sign on to wills and deeds as witnesses, and seeing them show up a generation later, helps to seal the connections. Quite the adventure. But if you are a curious historian, as I am, it is a priceless endeavor.
It is important always to remember that most of the individuals coming to Virginia were “sponsored” or “transported” by other individuals already being in Virginia or being a member of the Virginia Company back in London. Some of those transported paid their own way, others were indentured for a few years and then acquired their own land. The “sponsor” (or the person “transporting” other individuals) received for each person brought over the right to claim 50 acres of land, called a headright. These claims weren’t always acted upon immediately; sometimes several years went by before they showed up in the records. Sometimes the claims were sold to other individuals.. Sometimes a person is claimed as a headright twice, or by two different individuals, etc. Keep all that in mind as we go forward.
“…As we know, merchants habitually acted as agents, partners, creditors, and brokers for one another, switching roles as circumstances required. They chartered ships together and used each other’s servants as factors in overseas trade, and much of their business abroad proceeded through fellow Bristolians resident in the principal foreign markets trading for commission on behalf of their brethren at home. Even though Merchant Venturers had reason to concern themselves with the overseas trade of artificers and shopkeepers, the actual conditions of foreign commerce limited the danger, since the Society of Merchant Venturers could readily control that trade. Only the Society’s membership commanded the necessary capital and organization to conduct such commerce on a consistently large scale. They owned the shipping; they had the foreign contacts; and they enjoyed the services of fellow merchants to help them drive the trade. The high prices of the luxury goods in which they dealt, moreover, would have kept all but the wealthiest of retailers from competition with them. In 1618 and 1639, the Merchant Venturers had relied on these truths when framing their ordinances. Since others who would attempt to trade could be barred from the services of the factors, servants, and mariners traveling abroad for the Merchant Venturers, craftsmen and shopkeepers would need to acquire their own shipping, establish their own credit network, and build their own organization in foreign markets to conduct their trade. The Merchant Venturers counted on them being unable to do so.
“Across the Atlantic, however, a new commercial world was taking shape. The inhabitants of the colonies were Englishmen with family and business ties in their home country. The social composition of the colonial communities therefore provided commercial connections between planters and traders which elsewhere required specially established resident factors, commission agents, and brokers to achieve. In a sense, the settlement of a colony already contained within itself the seeds of a mercantile organization to cultivate commerce as it was needed. Moreover, many of the colonists came from the west of England, and even from Bristol itself, which gave the city some particular advantages in the trade.The settlements were close enough together and the population was so sparse at that time that there was naturally much interaction between various lines of our ancestors.
It is important to remember this as we look at some of the interwoven threads of our ancestry in the early 1600s. It is not necessary to remember all of these details, as they will be repeated elsewhere in context. Glenda Taylor
Ni ajabu sana kufikiria kwamba hata nyuma kama 1600s, wengi wa mistari yetu ya mababu walikuwa wanajua vizuri na kila mmoja, wakati mwingine intermarrying, na ni hata zaidi ya ajabu kwamba walibaki kushikamana kwa mamia ya miaka. Tunapochora mstari mmoja, tutapata nyuzi kutoka kwa mistari mingine. "Tunaona hati na matakwa kama moja ya vyanzo vyetu kuu vya habari kuhusu maeneo ya mababu zetu, na majina ya watu binafsi kwenye hati na matakwa hayo yanatoa maelezo maalum sio tu ya mahali ambapo mali iko, lakini hutupa majirani na marafiki na maelezo mengine ambayo hufanya uhakika kwamba tunafuata mtu sahihi katika mstari wetu, haswa kama majina ya kawaida yanarudiwa katika binamu na watoto wetu, ""John"" na ""Mary"" na kadhalika." ili kutusumbua. Majaribio na hati za urithi hutoa maelezo ya kisheria na majina na mahusiano. Maandishi katika hati hizo hayana usahihi kwa sababu ya viwango vya wakati huo, na hilo pia husababisha mvurugo. Ni lazima tuwe wapelelezi wazuri, na hilo ni sehemu ya furaha na ujanja wa mchezo wa utafiti wa ukoo. "Mimi kushauri mtu yeyote si kupata sana kushikamana na nadharia yoyote moja, kama ni mara nyingi kupingana na nadharia nyingine na hata na kupingana kisheria ""hakika"" karibu wote makazi ya mapema katika Virginia koloni ilikuwa iko kando ya moja ya mito mingi na vijito kwamba kulishwa katika Chesapeake Bay." Kama John B. Robb alivyoandika, makazi hayo mwanzoni yalikuwa yamejikusanya... yote yakikumbatia pwani au yakikusanyika kuzunguka vijito vya mito kadhaa mikubwa ya maji ya mawimbi. Usafiri, isipokuwa ule uliokuwa ukiweza kufanywa kwa miguu au kwa farasi kupitia barabara mbaya na njia za kuegesha, ulifanywa kwa kutumia maji. Mto huo ulianzia kaskazini hadi kusini, uliitwa Potomac, Rappahannock, York (iliyojiunga na Mto Mattiponi na Mto Pamunkey), na James (iliyojiunga na Mto Chickahominy). Mahali pengine, makazi yalikuwa machache na yalienea. <unk> Baadaye, Mto Nottoway, Mto Blackwater, Mto Meherrin, na mengine, pamoja na vijito na mabwawa yao mengi yanayovuka ardhi katika Southside Virginia, yatakuwa na umuhimu sawa. Ili kuweza kuunganisha ukoo wa familia hizo, ni muhimu kufuata jinsi walivyohamia na kuishi kando ya mito na katika jangwa, muda mrefu kabla na baada ya koloni hiyo ndogo kugawanywa katika kaunti nane, ambazo baadaye zikawa kaunti. Wakati ulipopita, kaunti hizi ziligawanywa tena na tena, na hii pia inafanya kazi ya upelelezi ya majaribio yetu ya kupata na kufuata mababu zetu. Kwa mfano, mtu anayeishi katika Kaunti ya Charles River mnamo 1635 anaweza kuwa bado anaishi katika eneo moja mnamo 1649, lakini sasa makazi yao yataitwa Kaunti ya Northumberland, na wakati mtafiti fulani alikuwa katika mahakama ya kaunti wakati huu, kaunti inaweza kupewa jina la sasa. Ili kufanya mambo yawe yenye kuchanganyikiwa zaidi, ndani ya kila kaunti ya mtu binafsi mara nyingi kulikuwa na parokia kadhaa zilizotumiwa kuhesabu na kutambua maeneo ya raia. Inafanya kwa ajili ya machafuko sasa, kama ilivyokuwa wakati huo! Kwa hiyo, utafiti mara nyingi huhusisha kutafuta maeneo ya mito, vijito, parokia, kaunti na wamiliki wa ardhi ndani yao ili kuunganisha pamoja hati miliki za ardhi, vitendo, na matakwa. Kujua majirani ambao wanasaini hati za mapenzi na vitendo kama mashahidi, na kuwaona wakionekana kizazi baadaye, husaidia kufunga uhusiano. Ni jambo la kusisimua sana. Lakini kama wewe ni mwanahistoria mwenye udadisi, kama mimi, ni jitihada isiyo na thamani. Ni muhimu daima kukumbuka kwamba wengi wa watu kuja Virginia walikuwa <unk>sponsored<unk> au <unk>transported<unk> na watu wengine tayari kuwa katika Virginia au kuwa mwanachama wa Virginia Company nyuma katika London. Baadhi ya wale waliopelekwa walilipa njia yao wenyewe, wengine walifungwa kwa mkataba kwa miaka michache na kisha kupata ardhi yao wenyewe. "Mfadhili" (au mtu anayebeba watu wengine) alipokea kwa kila mtu aliyeleta haki ya kudai ekari 50 za ardhi, inayoitwa haki ya kichwa. Madai haya hayakufanywa mara moja; wakati mwingine miaka kadhaa ilipita kabla ya kuonekana katika rekodi. Nyakati nyingine mashamba hayo yaliuzwa kwa watu wengine.. Wakati mwingine mtu anadai kama headright mara mbili, au na watu wawili tofauti, nk. Kumbuka hayo yote tunapoendelea. <unk>...Kama tunavyojua, wafanyabiashara kwa kawaida walitenda kama mawakala, washirika, wakopeshaji, na wawakilishi kwa kila mmoja, wakibadilishana majukumu kulingana na hali zilizohitajiwa. Walikuwa wakisafiri kwa meli pamoja na kutumia watumishi wa kila mmoja kama wafanya biashara katika biashara ya nje ya nchi, na biashara yao nyingi nje ya nchi ilifanywa kupitia wakazi wa Bristol katika masoko makuu ya kigeni wakifanya biashara kwa ajili ya makomishna kwa niaba ya ndugu zao nyumbani. Ingawa wafanyabiashara wa biashara walikuwa na sababu ya kujishughulisha na biashara ya nje ya nchi ya wafanyabiashara na wamiliki wa maduka, hali halisi ya biashara ya kigeni ilipunguza hatari, kwa kuwa Jumuiya ya wafanyabiashara wa biashara iliweza kudhibiti biashara hiyo kwa urahisi. Ni washiriki wa Sosaiti tu walio na mtaji na tengenezo linalohitajika ili kufanya biashara hiyo kwa kiwango kikubwa. Walikuwa na usafirishaji; walikuwa na mawasiliano ya kigeni; na walifurahia huduma za wafanyabiashara wenzao kuwasaidia kuendesha biashara. Kwa kuongezea, bei ya juu ya bidhaa za anasa ambazo walifanya biashara nazo, ingekuwa imewazuia wauzaji wote isipokuwa matajiri zaidi wasishindane nao. Katika 1618 na 1639, Merchant Venturers walikuwa wametegemea ukweli huu wakati wa kuunda maagizo yao. Kwa kuwa wengine ambao wangejaribu kufanya biashara wangeweza kuzuiliwa kutoka kwa huduma za wauzaji, watumishi, na mabaharia wanaosafiri nje ya nchi kwa ajili ya wafanyabiashara wa biashara, mafundi na wamiliki wa maduka wangehitaji kupata usafirishaji wao wenyewe, kuanzisha mtandao wao wa mkopo, na kujenga shirika lao wenyewe katika masoko ya kigeni ili kufanya biashara yao. Wafanyabiashara wa Biashara walitegemea kwamba hawangeweza kufanya hivyo. Lakini, ng'ambo ya Atlantiki, ulimwengu mpya wa kibiashara ulikuwa ukianza kuonekana. Wakaaji wa makoloni hayo walikuwa Waingereza waliokuwa na uhusiano wa familia na wa kibiashara katika nchi yao. Kwa hiyo, muundo wa kijamii wa jamii za kikoloni ulitoa uhusiano wa kibiashara kati ya wakulima na wafanyabiashara ambao mahali pengine ulihitaji wafanyabiashara wa makazi waliowekwa maalum, mawakala wa tume, na wawakilishi ili kufikia. Kwa maana fulani, makazi ya wakoloni tayari yalikuwa na mbegu za shirika la kibiashara ili kukuza biashara kama ilivyokuwa inahitajika. Zaidi ya hayo, wakoloni wengi walitoka magharibi mwa Uingereza, na hata kutoka Bristol yenyewe, ambayo ilitoa mji faida fulani maalum katika biashara. makazi yalikuwa karibu vya kutosha pamoja na idadi ya watu ilikuwa ni sparse sana wakati huo kwamba kulikuwa na asili ya mwingiliano mkubwa kati ya mistari mbalimbali ya mababu zetu. Ni muhimu kukumbuka hili tunapoangalia baadhi ya nyuzi zilizovunjika za ukoo wetu mapema miaka ya 1600. Si lazima kukumbuka mambo hayo yote, kwa kuwa yataelezwa tena katika sehemu nyingine za muktadha. Glenda Taylor