I am trying to organize all of the records on the first four generations into a "life story" format in order to hopefully make it easier to solidify what we know about the Poythress family. Maybe we will have a more solid foundation from which to work. With the finite number of records that are available, it is necessary to focus attention on every word in every record. Maynard and I have been hammering and chiseling at the existent records for over two years in order to provide a more definitive and factual representation of the family. As I told Maynard the other day, this mutual endeavor has been one entertaining adventure. The lists and chronologies would never have been completed without the herculean efforts and advice of Maynard. Thanks again. From Chaos and Disorder: Poythress Family Unentangled William B. Hall said, "Scientific speculations are permissible, and any hypothesis is allowable, for it is simply an attempt to explain known facts which exist. When it becomes acceptable to the scientific world, it becomes a theory of the day, and holds until a fact is discovered which runs contrawise. The theory passes, another hypothesis arises, becomes accepted, and a new theory reigns. This is science, and knowledge expands and continues to grow. This is our problem with the Poythresses, and if you so wish to, term it the Poythress puzzle. We do not expect to solve it, but in the repercussion following, new facts will doubtless arise from the interested descendants of the Poythress and allied families. The result will be increased and more accurate family knowledge, and that is our desire in these studies. The First Generation in America: Captain Francis Poythress R. Bolling Batte on Captain Francis Poythress [Francis Poythress ( - c. 1650) m. Mary_____; English immigrant to Virginia c. 1633; patented 400 acres on Bailey's Creek in Charles City County in 1637 (PB 1, 439) and 350 additional acres adjoining (total 750) in 1648 (PB 2, 139). This land fell into Prince George County upon its formation in 1702. Was lieutenant of the militia in 1644; a captain by 1648. Was burgess for Charles City County 1644, 1645, 1647, and for Northumberland County in 1648. His name disappears from the records after that. The family name of the wife of Captain Francis Poythress has not been discovered.. After his death she became the wife of Colonel Robert Wynne. Issue of Francis and Mary___ Poythress: 1. Jane 2. John 3. Thomas 4. Francis] [Of Francis Poythress' four children this traces the line of only one, first son John. Daughter Jane married out of the surname line. Thomas returned to England and there is no further record of him. Francis2's line was to have been "Section B." Mrs. Batte informed me personally that Mr. Batte had never done Section B.] [1. Mary ______ was born in probably England, (P_1) W, and died AFT 1675 in VA. She married Francis Poythress. He was born ABT 1609 in Probably Newent, Gloucester, England (P_1), and died ABT 1650 in VA, Immigrated from England, in VA by 1633. She married Robert Wynne ABT 1655, son of Peter Wynne and Martha Coppin. He was born 1622 in Canterbury, Kent, England, and died 1675 in Charles City County, VA. Children of Mary ______ and Francis Poythress are: + 2 i. John Poythress was born BET 1629 AND 1635 in [(P_1) B], and died AFT 1694 in ~ Virginia. 3 ii. Thomas Poythress was born BET 1629 AND 1635 in [(P_1) C]. + 4 iii. Francis Poythress was born ABT 1630 in [(P_1) D] Called "Major", and died ABT 1688 in VA. + 5 iv. Jane Poythress was born BET 1629 AND 1645 in [P_1) A], and died in VA. Children of Mary ______ and Robert Wynne are: 6 i. Robert Wynne was born AFT 1655, and died 1675 in young. + 7 ii. Joshua Wynne was born AFT 1655 in of Prince George County, Virginia, and died 1715. + 8 iii. Mary Wynne was born AFT 1655. + 9 iv. Thomas Wynne was born 1657 in Prince George County, VA, and died 1717.] [5. Jane Poythress (Mary ______1) was born BET 1629 AND 1645 in [P_1) A], and died in VA. She married Thomas Rolfe, son of John Rolfe and Pocahontas Unnamed. Child of Jane Poythress and Thomas Rolfe is: + 23 i. Jane Rolfe was born BEF 1660 in [(P_1) AA= (B_2 (W1)]She had one child], and died 1676 in VA date assumes Robert remarried after her death.] Family Francis Poythress (1609-c. 1651), the emigrant, was probably the son of John Poythris, and was christened at Newent, in Gloucestershire, on July 12, 1609. John Poythris owned the nearby Ploddy House until 1648. Francis Poythress was in the Colony of Virginia by February 9, 1633, as he appeared in the Minutes of the Council of Virginia and at the General Court at James City where he received a letter of administration on the estates of Thomas Hall and Robert Kidd, deceased. Francis married Mary (Sloman?) (c. 1617-aft. 5/1677). Their children were (1) Jane (traditional) (c. 1633-1/16/1676), who married Thomas Rolfe, son of John Rolfe and Pocahontas; (2) Francis (c. 1639-bef. 4/3/1688), who married Rebecca Coggin, daughter of Dr. John Coggin and Mrs. Joyce ( ) Boyce Tye; (3) John (c. 1640-bef. 12/11/1712), who married Christian Peebles, daughter of David Peebles and Elizabeth Bishop; and (4) Thomas (c. 1641-aft. 11/30/1659), who was sent to England after November 30, 1659. Francis was last mentioned in the Virginia records in Northumberland County, on September 20, 1651. The Traditional Daughter: Jane Poythress Thomas Rolfe was the only son of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. He remained in London, England, with his uncle, Henry Rolfe, after the death of his mother in 1617. His father, John Rolfe, returned to the Virginia colony where he died during the year of the first massacre, 1622. Thomas Rolfe later came to Virginia as a young man and may have married Jane Poythress, the daughter of Francis and Mary Poythress. Their daughter and only child, Jane Rolfe, married Robert Bolling (1646-1709). In 1641, Thomas requested permission from the Governor of the colony to visit his aunt "Cleopatre and his Kinsman Opecancanough." In 1646, as Lieutenant Thomas Rolfe, he was granted Fort Chickahominy and an adjoining 600 acres on the condition that he keep a guard there. Either Thomas Rolfe or his father, John Rolfe, received land, as a gift, from Chief Powhatan or Chief Opechancanough, for in a deed dated June 10, 1654, Thomas conveyed to William Corker "one hundred and fifty acres of land in Surry County lying between Smith's fort Old Field and the Devil's Woodyard Swamp...being due unto the said Rolfe by Gift from the Indian King." At one time, Thomas had owned the 1,200 acre plantation, called "Smith's Fort," at the mouth of Gray's Creek. He sold this property to Mr. Thomas Warren. A brick house was built on this property in 1651 or 1652. About a half mile from the house, on a high bluff running along a bend in Gray's Creek, were the remnants of Smith's Fort which had been built in 1608 or 1609, opposite Jamestown, and had been called the "New Fort" on John Smith's map of Virginia. In 1698, according to James City records, John Bolling, Gentleman, and son of Robert Bolling and Jane Rolfe, conveyed to William Brown, "one thousand acres of land commonly called the Fort on Chickahominy River," land that had been granted to Thomas Rolfe in 1646. The Son in England: Thomas Poythress By 1644, records began to appear indicating that Francis had married and had children. He was the only Poythress to be found in the Virginia colony. In the Will of Captain Thomas Pawlett, dated January 12, 1644, Captain Pawlett mentioned his Godchildren: To my Godchildren, William Harris, John Woodson, Thomas Aston, Thomas Fludd, Henry Richley, John Bishop, Thomas Woodward, Thomas Boyse, Thomas Poythers, and William Bayle, one silver spoon and one sow shote apiece, for want of shotes the value to be paid out of the estate. To God-children, Francis Epps and William Ferrar, a silver spoon and my silver bowl and wine cup, to be divided between them; to Lieutenant Bishop, Sergeant Williams, and Ensign Page, 20 shillings. To the Church of Westover, 10 acres, to lye forty pole square, now leased to Richard Hamlet, which ten acres are to be laid out for the best conveniency of the church. To my loving friends, Mr. George Menefie and Mr. Walter Aston, 20 shillings apiece as poor token of my remembrance. To Mr. George Menefie my sword and to Mr Walter Aston my gun. To Captain Francis Eppes my drum, and to Mr. Richard Jones, minister, my cow called Cherry. To Sir John Pawlett my ever loving brother the residue of my estate after satisfaction of legacies and debts; sir John, sole executor, Captain Francis Epps and Mr. Walter Aston overseers of his Will who are to bury him according to their own discretion; bequeathes to them £5 apiece sterling, but "withall desiring them that this and all other legacies mentioned in this Will may not be paid in money, but in some commodity naturally produced in this country that they may be no greater prejudice to the estate than the value of each legacy." In case of his brother's death before his enjoyment of this estate, "then my overseers to surrender it to Sir William Berklay, my much honored kinsman, who is then to be executor." To Mrs. Epps 20 shillings for a ring and my Bible. To Mrs. Menefie and Mrs. Aston, 40 shillings apiece. To Mrs. Reynolds Evans one cow. To Sam Salmon, 20 shillings. "My two servants, John Clapton and John Bennett, if they shall do faithful service to within one years space of the end of their indentures, to have them delivered up, otherwise to be disposed of by the overseers of county court; my executors to pay William Mundy 30 shillings due from my Brother Chideck Pawlett; gives 40 shillings to John South." Dated January 12, 1644. The witnesses were John South, John Flud, Reynold Evans. Proved by the oath of Reynolds Evans before Francis Epps. Thomas Boyce was the older half-brother of Elizabeth Tye, Frances Tye and Rebecca Coggin. Rebecca Coggin married Francis' son, Major Francis Poythress. Other than the 1644 Will by his Godparent, Captain Thomas Pawlett, and the following Charles City County record, Thomas Poythress was never mentioned again in the records of the Virginia colony. "These presents oblige me Arther Graunt to carry Thomas Poythres in my ship this yeare for England and at his arrivall there in case Mr. George Laud shall not accomodate him w'th dyett and lodging, I do hereby oblige my selfe to do it untill the retorne of the next shipping to this country of Virginia, w'ch I am to do gratis w'thout expecting any pay, and the next yeare to bring him into this countrey againe he paying for his passaged inward as otheres doe. To the performance whereof I bind me my heires ex'rs and adm'rs and in testimony thereof put my hand this 30th of November 1659. Arthur Graunt. Wit: John Stith, Thomas Malory. Rec. 10'br 3, 1659." Professional Life A letter dated September 19, 1637, to the Governor and Council of Virginia, from Lawrence Evans, a merchant, stated that Evans had sent goods valued at £2,000, in three ships, during the previous year, to the Virginia Colony. His factors for these goods were William Smith and Francis Poythress. Smith died during the voyage and Francis Poythress had only returned a bill of £150. The three ships were the Rebecca, with master, Richard Buckham, the George, with master Robert Page, and the Hopewell, with master William Smith. In March, 1639, the Virginia Governor and Council directed four of the "ablest merchants in Virginia," John Chew, Thomas Stegg, Thomas Burbage and George Ludlow to arbitrate the suit. The merchants determined that the remainder of the goods had been carried away by the three masters and their crews. An order was given to try and trace the goods belonging to Lawrence Evans and Evan's latest factor, George Brookes, was to pay Francis Poythress £10 "in the hundred for goods sold and tobacco received." In the years from 1626 to 1633, settlers began to repopulate the area near the Fall Line in Virginia. During this period and prior to 1643, Appamattucks Towne was built on the south side of the James River, near the mouth of the Old Towne Creek. About 1635, Captain Henry Fleet and Lieutenant Francis Poythress built a temporary defense at Fleet's Hill, the site of the present town of Ettricks, Virginia. Fleet's Hill overlooked Appamattocks Indian Towne, and was positioned across and up the James River from it. On May 22, 1642, Robert Eyres, was granted 200 acres in Lower Norfolk County, about eight miles up a southern branch of the Elizabeth River, for the transportation of four people, including Francis Poythress. The headright system used in colonial times was devised to populate the colony. Every person that paid an emigrant's transportation into the Colony, whether that emigrant was free or bonded, secured a claim to fifty acres if the emigrant, or headright, remained in Virginia for three years. Each headright could expect to be furnished with the necessities of life and a small tract of land at the end of his contracted indenture. The headright was free to acquire his own land at the end of the indenture. Many individuals paid their own ways and secured fifty acres for their own transportation. Mr. Francis Poythress, of Charles City County, was elected member of the Burgess during the Grand Assembly at James City, October 1, 1644, and elected again February 17, 1645, as Lieutenant Francis Poythress. His colleagues, from Charles City County, were Mr. John Bishop and Captain Edward Hill, the Speaker of the House of Burgesses. John Bishop was the grandfather of Christian Peebles who married Francis' son, John Poythress, about 1674. Captain Edward Hill, husband of Hannah Jordan, while a court justice for Charles City County, in April, 1661, gave Francis' son, John Poythress, fifty acres at Jordans adjoining Captain Robert Wynne, John Poythress' step-father. The Virginia Governor, his Council and the Burgess, met March 2, 1646, to consider the expenses necessary in pursuing the war against the Indians. The Indians had been dispersed from their towns and habitations by the militia and had since been seen lurking in the woods in small numbers. At this meeting, Lieutenant Francis Poythress was given command of sixty men from the north side of the James River, militia from the counties of Henrico, Charles City, James City, York, Warwick, Elizabeth City and Northampton, for a period of six weeks. He was to consult with Captain Henry Fleet who was to provide his barque, boat and shallop, victuals, and men to manage the vessels, on this mission. If Francis Poythress was unable to conclude a peace treaty with the Indians, he and Captain Fleet were to build a fort near the Rappahannock River or any suitable place. On April 20, 1646, sixteen men were assembled at York County as ordered by the Burgesses at James City. These men were placed under the command of Lieutenant Poythress and had been provided by the lieutenants and deputy lieutenants of York County. Provision was made for the protection of the individual militia members' crops while they were gone and they were to be paid £100 of tobacco for every wasted day. The massacre of colonists, in 1644, by the Indians, was the greatest in Virginia since the 1622 massacre. In 1644, Lord Baltimore gave Henry Fleet the authority, as Captain General, to visit the Susquehanna Indians and to make a peace treaty with them. In 1646, he was appointed to organize and lead an expedition against the Indians and build a fort in the valley of Rappahannock River. This joint venture by Maryland and Virginia was necessary to set the boundaries between the Indians and the settlers in order to preserve some form of peace. Henry Fleet was a member of the Maryland legislature in 1638 and had been given permission by the Virginia assembly, in 1642, to explore Virginia for a period of fourteen years. In 1644, Chief Opechancanough had been killed while in the custody of the militia and in 1646 and 1647, treaties were made with Opechancanough's successor that restricted the Powhatan Indians' territory and confined them to designated reservations. The Powhatan Indians agreed to give up all of their claims on the land below the Fall Line. They were forced to settle beyond the York River in the north and behind a line equally distant from the James River on the south side. According to the treaty, a tribute was ordered to be offered by the Indians to the English King requiring "twenty beaver skins att the going away of geese yearely." The Powhatan Indians were not only restricted as to what land they could occupy but were also limited in their actions in and around colonists' lands. Captain Francis Poythress, of Charles City County, was a member of the Burgess during the Grand Assembly at James City, November 3, 1647. On October 12, 1648, the Assembly enacted laws for Northumberland County in order to elect Burgesses, set procedures for issuing patents, and enact proportional tax rates with the authority to collect the taxes. Francis was authorized by the Assembly to collect the taxes and to "distreyn in case of refusall" the arrears and present taxes. Northumberland County came into existence after the Act of 1649 which designated "Chicacone and other parts of the neck of land between Rappahannock and Potomack Rivers" to be within the new county. After September 1, 1649, the inhabitants of this area, were allowed to move back to the north side of the Charles (York) and Rappahannock Rivers. The inhabitants had fled due to the Indian massacre of 1644. Northumberland County patents began in 1648 with Captain Francis Poythress collecting the taxes. He represented Northumberland County, as a member of the Burgess, during the Assembly at James City, on October 10, 1649. It was evidently during 1648 that Frances received land in Northumberland County for his service, as the senior Virginia militia officer, in the mission he led to build a fort and to conclude a treaty with the Powhatan Indians. His presence in this area of Virginia left a remembrance of him in the name of one of its creeks, Poythress Creek. On December 8, 1656, Sir Henry Chicheley patented 2,200 acres of land, on the north side of the Rappahannock River, opposite Port Tobacco, bounded on the east by a small creek, called Poythress Creek. This property overlooked Nanzatico Bay. In the undated records for 1650 to 1652, Francis approved assignments of land to the inhabitants of Northumberland County. The Northumberland County Deeds and Orders Book for the period 1650 to 1652 has been restored. Almost half of the pages of this book are missing. However, an Index was restored with the book that seems to belong to this particular book. A notation at the end of the Index states that the book to which this Index belongs is not to be found, but is supposed to be for the "Book of Orders by January 20, 1649." By using the Index, supported by the pages which are extant, effort was made to reconstruct the book as it was originally. Many pages have been torn and throughout the book the ink has bled from one side to the other. Pages from the Index.. "./16. Cooke, Jno: Dep./Gerratt, Tho: Dep./Lee; Hann: rights/Manners, Geo. agt. Prestley/Poythres, Fran: rights/Powell, Jno. sale to Joane Philpott/Trussell, Jno. Dep./Waddy, Jno. rights." Under an entry without date, in the Northumberland County Deeds and Orders, 1650-1652, Records of Indentured Servants and of Certificates for land is an entry, "These are to certify that according to sufficient proof made before us there is due to Francis Gray 300 acres of land by assignment from Captain Francis Poythress for the transportation of these several persons into this Colony, Viz. John Tomlinson, Richard Miller, James Walrod, Daniel Moore, John Symson, Mary King. These are to Certify that according to sufficient proof made before us that there is due unto John Hillier by assignment from Captain Francis Poythress 200 acres of land for the transportation of these several persons into this Colony, Viz, Edward Coward (?); Elizabeth Bridges, Mary Boyes, Morris Ager (?) as also for his own adventure two persons, Edward Trowell, Robert Danes. The Burgesses assembled in March, 1651, for Northumberland County were John Trussell, Thomas Baldridge, Mr. [William] Presley, "Mr. Lee" [probably Richard, though there were other Lees living in Northumberland at this time], Mr. Speke and Thomas Wilford. On September 20, 1651, in the account and inventory of Mr. Robert Sedgrave's estate in Northumberland County, Mr. John Hollowes, the administrator, reported that he had paid debts due from Sedgrave's estate, in tobacco, to several individuals, including Francis Poythress. By March, 1652, Francis was not listed as a Burgess from Northumberland County. It does not seem likely that he would have voluntarily relinquished his lucrative job as a tax collector and his position as a member of the Burgess or his role as a militia officer. However, he disappears from the records after this September 20, 1651, record. Civic Activities On July 31, 1648, in Northumberland County, Francis Poythress, bound himself to Thomas Boyce, for forty pounds of beaver, to buy and precure a servant to serve by indenture to Thomas Boyce for four or five years and was to be delivered by February 1, 1649. Thomas Boyce's father, Cheney Boyce, died in 1647, and his mother, Mrs. Joyce Boyce, married Richard Tye in 1649. Thomas Boyce was about nine years old at the time. Property: Land On July 13, 1637, Francis Poythress, was granted 400 acres, in Charles City County, that was bordered on the north side of this property by 350 acres that was granted to him on February 27, 1637. Fifty of these 400 acres was due to him for his own personal adventure into the Virginia colony and the remaining 350 acres were granted to him for transporting seven other people into the colony. This land was located between Captain John Woodlief's land, on the east, and Bayley's Creek, on the west. Captain Woodlief's land was located near a place called Jordan's and ran east towards land called Beggars bush. On May 8, 1648, he was granted 400 acres, adjoining his previous 350 acres. This 750 acres was the same land granted to him on February 27, 1637, and on July 13, 1637. The 400 acres was located near the mouth of Bayley's Creek and was bordered on the east by fifty acres belonging to Jenkins Osborne's orphans. On the west, his land was bordered by the land of Thomas Bayley, land that was in the possession of John Butler. On the north, his land was bordered by the mouth of Bayley's Creek, and on the south, it bordered his previous 350 acres, land that had been patented by Jenkins Osborne and was purchased from Jenkins Osborne, Mary Osborne and Captain Edward Hill. Bayley's Creek is located east of Petersburg and forms the southern border of the city of Hopewell, Virginia. At Francis' death, he had received grants totaling 750 acres. After Francis Poythress' Death Mrs. Mary Poythress, the widow of Francis, married, as her second husband, Colonel Robert Wynne, who was born about 1622. He and Mary married about 1654. Their children were (1) Mary Wynne, who married John Woodlief, son of John Woodlief; (2) Thomas Wynne, who married Agnes Stith, daughter of John Stith and Jane Mosbey; (3) Robert Wynne, who died in 1675; and, (4) Joshua Wynne, who married Mary Jones, the daughter of Major Peter Jones and Margaret Cruise. Major Jones was the Commander of the fort built at the falls near the present day Petersburg, Virginia. Margaret Cruse was the step-daughter of Major General Abraham Wood, the Commander of Ft. Henry. Mary Poythress Wynne's father may have been John Sloeman who was deceased by December 3, 1658. Captain John Woodlief and Mr. George Potter were appointed by the court at Merchants Hope "to examine the difference between Captain Robert Wynne for the estate of Mr. John Sloeman, deceased, and Mr. Francis Epes and Mr. Thomas Epes and report to the next court." The Slowman surname became a given name within the Wynne family. Captain Robert Wynne and Anthony White also "appraised the perishable estate of the orphans of Captain David Peebles," the father of John Poythress' wife, Christian Peebles. John Poythress was one of Francis' sons. Robert was a Burgess from Charles City County, from March 13, 1658 until 1675, being the Speaker of the House, in the Long Parliament, from 1661 to 1675. By 1661, he was a justice of the Charles City County court with Colonel Edward Hill. He and Captain John Epes were involved in settling the boundary between Westover parish and Martin's Brandon parish in March, 1662. After Robert Wynne's Death Mary Poythress Wynne was the administratrix of Robert Wynne's Will, dated July 1, 1675, and proved August 3, 1675. In the Will, Robert appointed his friend, Thomas Grendon, and his "son-in-law," Francis Poythress, overseers of his Will. "Son-in-law" was in common usage at the time and was used in lieu of the modern vernacular, "step-son." John Poythress, in his Will, proved December 11, 1712, appointed his two brothers, Thomas Wynne and Joshua Wynne, to divide his estate according to his wishes. The Wills of Robert Wynne and John Poythress indicated that Robert Wynne married the widow of Captain Francis Poythress and that she became the mother of Robert Wynne's children, thereby making her Wynne children and her Poythress children half-brothers and half-sisters. None of Wynne's children were of legal age when Robert Wynne's Will was written.