THE HOWELL FAMILY OF ISLE OF WIGHT AND NANSEMOND COUNTIES, VIRGINIA- Generation Two

by Jim Farmer/ jims-email@hotmail.com

GENERATION TWO

A register of men and women sailing to English colonies from Bristol, England, was maintained from 1654-1686. Three names are found in 1661 who were bound for Virginia. Their place of origin is not listed, suggesting that they had come from Virginia and were returning. Their term of service or indenturement to pay for the voyage was given as 4 years, but their contract for service could no doubt be bought out once they landed in Virginia once they received their headright of 50 acres of land. What is not clear is, were these three men the same as the original three Howells that went to Virginia or were these their sons.[1] <1>

Name                                    Date/ Term of Indenturement        Agent

=====                                    =====                                                    =====                   

Hopkin Howell                  July 12, 1661/ 4 years                       William Rodney, Merchant of Bristol

Walter Howell                    July 22, 1661 / 4 years                      David Warren, Mariner of Bristol

Owen Howell                     Sept 6, 1661/ 4 years                         John W---sell

Of the three early Howell men to come to Southside Virginia, only Hopkins—sometimes spelled “Hopkin”—has any clear references to show us his children. However, even for Hopkins, in Nansemond County where they first settled no early records remain to help explain any relationships. Nansemond County has lost its records over the centuries. It is the Virginia land patent records and records of Isle of Wight that give us the most insight into the family. From these we know the elder Hopkins Howell had the following children all born about 1650 sometime after he arrived at Chuckatuck.

C.1.   JOHN HOWELL (born c1650; died bef. 22 Jul 1680) is identified as the son of Hopkins when his own son re-patented part of Hopkins’ original patent in 1694. The younger John Howell, son of John Howell, re-patented 100 acres, it being the part of the land that John, his father, and Hopkins Howell “who made a division thereof in their life tyme & 100 acs being the lott of sd dec'd John.”[2] <2> In 1673 a neighbor’s patent describes John’s location in Nansemond County as “at the head of Chuckatuck Creek” A patent belonging to Mathew Strickland suggests that John had gone to England returning sometime before 26 Sep 1678.[3] <3> His name is not on a 1677 Isle of Wight petition probably because he was in England at that time. [4] <4> John died before his inventory was taken 22 Jul 1680 in Isle of Wight Co VA. [5] <5>  

The child of John Howell according to patent records is:

C.1.1 John Howell

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C.2.   HOPKINS HOWELL (born c1650; died bef. 02 May 1687) signed a petition in 1677 in Isle of Wight County asking the government to pardon William West for taking part in Bacon’s Rebellion against the colonial government. <4> A deed reinforces Hopkins’ connection to his father. It states that Hopkins Howell, son of Hopkins Howell, of Cuckatuck with the consent of Mary his wife, sells to Thomas Giles 50 acres of land in Isle of Wight granted to Ambrose Bennett, dec’d.[6] <6> Sometime before 23 April 1681 Hopkins went to England and returned back. Thomas Holder was the one who purchased Hopkins’ headright when he returned.[7] <26> On 29 May 1683, Hopkins (lit. Hoptkin) patented 110 acres in the Lower Parish of Isle of Wight, on the branches of Chuckatuck near the beaver dams, Mr. Rutter’s land, and Thomas Jordan’s land, which may have been a re-patenting of his father’s land.[8] <7> Hopkins died and left a will dated 09 Mar 1686/87 and then recorded 02 May 1687 in Isle of Wight County. It mentions his son Hopkins and daughter Mary. It also mentions his wife Mary, his brother Thomas, and Thomas’ eldest son Thomas.[9]<8> After his death, in 1708, his wife Mary, called Mary Burdnett, releases her right of dower to her son Hopkins.[10] <9>

 The children of Hopkins Howell according to his will:

C.2.1. Hopkins Howell

C.2.2. Mary Howell

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C.3.   THOMAS HOWELL (born c1650; died bef. 24 August 1719 ) signed a petition along with his brother Hopkins in 1677 in Isle of Wight County. <4> He was referred to as Hopkin Howell’s brother in Hopkin’s will. <8> The will refers to Thomas’ “eldest” son Thomas so he had more than one son.  In the 1704 Quit Rent Roll for Isle of Wight County Thomas is listed with one hundred acres.[11] <10> Thomas wrote and dated his will 16 March 1718, listing his son Thomas to have land on Blunt’s Creek which he had bought from Samuel Godwin, Jr. He also mentions son William, daughter Sarah, and wife Rebecca. Witnesses to his will were John Dawson, Joseph Bradshaw, and John Lucas. He died before 24 August 1719 when his will was entered into the court records.[12] <11> After his death, on 5 September 1723, his widow Rebecca patented 100 acres lying south of the main Blackwater Swamp and east of Wilkerson’s Branch.[13] <12>

The children of Thomas and Rebecca according to Thomas’ will:

C.3.1. Thomas Howell

C.3.2. William Howell

C.3.3. Sarah Howell

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C.4   WILLIAM HOWELL (born c1650; died bef. 1704) is not clearly identified as a son of the first Hopkins Howell. However, since each of the above sons received 100 acres out of the 400 acres from their father, this only accounts for only three hundred acres and suggests there was fourth son. Like John Howell, William Howell made a voyage to England and returned before 21 September 1674. His headright was acquired by Mr. Giles Driver in Isle of Wight who used it to patent land next to Ambrose Bennett’s heirs on Cypress Creek.[14] <13> By 1687 William Howell, himself, had 300 acres of land in one patent and 550 acres in another, both in the Upper Parish of Nansemond Co on Summerton Creek.[15] <14> He did not keep this land but reassigned it to John Rogers, Sr. the very next year. Rogers’ son John then conveyed it and additional land to Mr. Thomas Godwin.[16] <15> William still lived in Nansemond County. He is mentioned in Samuel Watson’s patent of 1698 as a neighbor at Somerton Swamp[17] <16> and presumably died or moved from there before the 1704 Quit Rents Roll was taken. <10>

The children of William Howell according to patent records and locations:

C.4.1. William Howell

C.4.2. Mathew Howell

C.4.3. John Howell

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Two other Howells were part of the same community at this time as Hopkin’s sons. It is assumed they were related to Owen or Walter:

_.1   WALTER HOWELL (born c1650; died after 1689) is found listed in the 1664 patents (lit. as “Walter Hoel”) being transported along with 26 others to Virginia by Francis England who received land in Isle of Wight County.[18] <17> Later, in 1689, Walter Howell was a witness to an Isle of Wight deed for William and Elizabeth Bodie selling land to John Duke.[19] <18> 

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_. 2  JOHN  HOLE (born c1650; died bef. 9 August 1688) was identified as “John Hole” in the probate records. He died intestate and his “relict” Mary requested administration 9 August 1688. His inventory was appraised by 26 November 1688.[20] <19> The only reason to connect him to the following John, is they both used the “Hole” spelling in their court records.

A child of John Hole and Mary:

                _2.1. John Hole

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[1] 1. The Bristol Registers of Servants Sent to Foreign Plantations, 1654-1686, Peter Wilson Coldham, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. (Baltimore), 1988. Online database at Virtual Jamestown Organization. http://www.virtualjamestown.org/indentures/search_indentures.html.

[2] 2. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume II, Nell Marion Nugent, Virginia State Library, Richmond, 1977. p 393.

[3] 3. Ibid. pp 37, 187.

[4] 4. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia, John Bennett Bodie, Chicago Law Printing Company, Chicago, 1938, pp 162-163 (Petition to Pardon William West, dated 1677.)

[5] 5. Wills and Administrations of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, 1647-1800, Blanch Adams Chapman, Clearfield Publishing, Baltimore, 1975, p 20 (Will and Deed Book #2, p 211).

[6] 6. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia, op. cit., p 516 (Will Book A, Deed of Ambrose Bennett, 1654), and p 582 (Will and Deed Book I, Deed of Hopkins Howell, 1679

[7] Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume II, op. cit. p 216.

[8] 7. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume II, op. cit. p 265.

[9] 8. Wills and Administrations of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, 1647-1800, op. cit., p 26 (Will and Deed Book #2, p 267).

[10] 9. Isle of Wight County, Virginia, Colonial Deeds, 1647-1710, Court Orders, 1693-1695, & Guardian Bonds, 1740-1767, William Lindsay Hopkins, Iberian Publishing Co. (Athens, Georgia), p 95 (Isle of Wight Deed Book 2, p 114.)

[11] 10. “Virginia Quit Rent Rolls,” Virginia Tax Records,Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1983, pp 428, 431, 443.

[12] 11. Wills and Administrations of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, 1647-1800, op. cit., p 79, (Book II, Great Book, p 4).

[13] 12. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume III, op. cit., p 251.

[14] 13. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume II, op. cit., p 150.

[15] 14. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume II, op. cit., pp 289, 315

[16] 15. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume II, op. cit., p 157; Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume III, op cit. p 36.

[17] 16. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume III, op cit., p. 16.

[18] 17. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume I, op. cit., p 525.

[19] 18. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia, op. cit., p 602 (Deed Book I).

[20] 19. Wills and Administrations of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, 1647-1800, op. cit., p 29 (Will and Deed Bk #2, p 288) and p 74 (Administrations and Probates, p 70).