Names of Colonial Virginia Planters.... and Convicts? (American, find, search)

[Empidonax]

My ancestry research has been taking me back to the Colonial era, and primarily Virginia Colony. I've found a couple of family lines (Jennings, Washington) leading to so-called First Families of Virginia, and I've been able to find a bit of information about these people. But some other family lines seem to lead back to planters or large farmers who were not as elite (Haynie, Ingram, Lanier). Does anyone know of a resource that may discuss and list names of Virginia planters or large farmers?

Also, quite a few of my family lines dead end in Virginia in the 1700s. I suspect that some of these lines may lead up to ancestors who were convicted of crimes in England and sent to the colonies. Does anyone know of any resources that list names or discuss individuals?

[Poppinshig]

Have you thought about checking with lineage societies like Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) or National Society Sons and Daughters of Antebellum Planters 1607-1861? They may can lead you in the right direction as far as resources for research.

[nightbird47]

Originally Posted by Empidonax

My ancestry research has been taking me back to the Colonial era, and primarily Virginia Colony. I've found a couple of family lines (Jennings, Washington) leading to so-called First Families of Virginia, and I've been able to find a bit of information about these people. But some other family lines seem to lead back to planters or large farmers who were not as elite (Haynie, Ingram, Lanier). Does anyone know of a resource that may discuss and list names of Virginia planters or large farmers?

Also, quite a few of my family lines dead end in Virginia in the 1700s. I suspect that some of these lines may lead up to ancestors who were convicted of crimes in England and sent to the colonies. Does anyone know of any resources that list names or discuss individuals?

My 7xgreat grandfather convinced a judge he didn't need hanging and he was sent with the FIRST organized convict shipments. His brother and father also followed. This was in 1719. I found a list of the 'cargo' while delving into it on Ancestry. The interesting thing is I also found a copy of the indenture they used on he and his brother.

I don't remember the name of the document, but if you start looking for that first shipment it should find the list. The ship they used had been used to relocate Irish labor but this was the first actual 'legal' shipment and sale of convict labor in the colonies.

My 7x was a Spurgeon, also spelled Spurgin. Mom's maiden name was Spurgin. Origionally both spellings were used.

From what I've read of him and his brother and Dad, and know of my grandfathers family, not a lot changed in the honrey department. my great grandfather's name is listed both ways, but later only Spurgin. There was a disagreement between he and his cousin. They solved it by changing that branch of the family to Spurgin. Stubborn people runs in the family.

The really neat part was when I was looking for more on him and this family history of his own family came up. It went back some 300 years. It also led to a Norse guy named Spirg who married a British woman and had kids, and they used the norse use of the fathers name but the British/celtic way of using endings. Spurgeon means 'of Spirg' so that norse guy is still being remembered today.

[PA2UK]

Originally Posted by Empidonax

My ancestry research has been taking me back to the Colonial era, and primarily Virginia Colony. I've found a couple of family lines (Jennings, Washington) leading to so-called First Families of Virginia, and I've been able to find a bit of information about these people. But some other family lines seem to lead back to planters or large farmers who were not as elite (Haynie, Ingram, Lanier). Does anyone know of a resource that may discuss and list names of Virginia planters or large farmers?

You can often find old history books about early colonial communities, or lineage books of early colonial families. For example, some of my ancestors are in "Historical sketch of Bruton church, Williamsburg, Virginia": https://archive.org/details/historicalsketc09unkngoog

Also try "Early Virginia Immigrants": https://books.google.com/books/about...d=xDISAAAAYAAJ

Google books and archive.org are good resources for these - but also, try gengophers.com, which allows you to search by your ancestor's name.

Also, quite a few of my family lines dead end in Virginia in the 1700s. I suspect that some of these lines may lead up to ancestors who were convicted of crimes in England and sent to the colonies. Does anyone know of any resources that list names or discuss individuals?

It's a possibility they were convicts, but it's also possible they weren't. What makes you think they were? Just because the line dead ends doesn't necessarily mean it's because they were hiding something. Records become very scarce in early colonial times.

Ancestry doesn't have any that I know of. There seems to be some books on the subject but I don't know if they have lists of individuals:
Bound for America : the transportation of British convicts to the colonies, 1718-1775
Britain's convicts to the colonies
Colonists in bondage : white servitude and convict labor in America, 1607-1776

I am not sure convicts to America were necessarily transported all together like they were to Australia, or that they were identified as convicts, I think they were likely transported as indentured servants. Australia was literally used as a big island to just dump prisoners onto - my understanding is that the whole island was their prison. So there were literally ships consisting entirely of convicts sent to Australia. When convicts were sent to America, it was usually because they were given the option of either going to jail in Britain, or working off their sentence as an indentured servant in America. So I'm guessing unlike the convict transports to Australia, there is no master list of convicts to the American colonies, because they came individually, on more of a case-by-case basis and not necessarily as prisoners, but as indentured servants.

[England Dan]

Hi Empidonax, very interesting post. Off topic, I know, but keep a look out for Jamestown on Sky TV, it must be coming to the US soon. It gives a great portrayal of the early Elizabethan/Jacobean settlers in America, not the overly religious straight Puritans but a more diverse bunch, still with their regional English accents ( and an Irish one).

[Qtpie1968]

Originally Posted by Empidonax

My ancestry research has been taking me back to the Colonial era, and primarily Virginia Colony. I've found a couple of family lines (Jennings, Washington) leading to so-called First Families of Virginia, and I've been able to find a bit of information about these people. But some other family lines seem to lead back to planters or large farmers who were not as elite (Haynie, Ingram, Lanier). Does anyone know of a resource that may discuss and list names of Virginia planters or large farmers?

Also, quite a few of my family lines dead end in Virginia in the 1700s. I suspect that some of these lines may lead up to ancestors who were convicted of crimes in England and sent to the colonies. Does anyone know of any resources that list names or discuss individuals?

We might be related! I descend from Ingrams of Virginia. My line, while not first families, inter-married with other large planter families, including the Lee!s. I sent you a PM!!

[RaleighLass]

Originally Posted by Empidonax

My ancestry research has been taking me back to the Colonial era, and primarily Virginia Colony. I've found a couple of family lines (Jennings, Washington) leading to so-called First Families of Virginia, and I've been able to find a bit of information about these people. But some other family lines seem to lead back to planters or large farmers who were not as elite (Haynie, Ingram, Lanier). Does anyone know of a resource that may discuss and list names of Virginia planters or large farmers?

Also, quite a few of my family lines dead end in Virginia in the 1700s. I suspect that some of these lines may lead up to ancestors who were convicted of crimes in England and sent to the colonies. Does anyone know of any resources that list names or discuss individuals?

I have been researching a family line of mine, the Strickland of Westmoreland, England. They had business dealings in Virginia, but lived in England. A daughter married Robert De Wessington, of which the family line of George Washington descended from the county of Lancashire - my home county. Before they were in Lancashire, the Washington's/Wessington were in Scotland, of the clan "Dunbar". I would think your Washington's are from the same family. Here's a note from my Strickland research I found online mentioning where the Washington's are from:

Notes: Elizabeth d'Eyncourt descended maternally from the great house of Dunbar, cadets of the Scottish kings, and from the Uchtred, Earldorman of Northumberland and his third wife Aelfgifu, daughter of King Aethelred the Unready. Thus while Strickland is English, the descendants of Sir William and Elizabeth can claim Scottish descent. The surnames Dunbar, Home, Dundas, Corbett, Clugston, Nesbit, Washington, Neville, Herying and Gray, along with Strickland, are all Septs of Clan Dunbar.

[Empidonax]

Originally Posted by Poppinshig

Have you thought about checking with lineage societies like Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) or National Society Sons and Daughters of Antebellum Planters 1607-1861? They may can lead you in the right direction as far as resources for research.

This is a great idea-- thank you!

Originally Posted by nightbird47

My 7xgreat grandfather convinced a judge he didn't need hanging and he was sent with the FIRST organized convict shipments. His brother and father also followed. This was in 1719. I found a list of the 'cargo' while delving into it on Ancestry. The interesting thing is I also found a copy of the indenture they used on he and his brother.

I don't remember the name of the document, but if you start looking for that first shipment it should find the list. The ship they used had been used to relocate Irish labor but this was the first actual 'legal' shipment and sale of convict labor in the colonies.

Thanks for the tip. If I start to suspect any particular ancestor or line, I will do that.

Originally Posted by PA2UK

You can often find old history books about early colonial communities, or lineage books of early colonial families. For example, some of my ancestors are in "Historical sketch of Bruton church, Williamsburg, Virginia": https://archive.org/details/historicalsketc09unkngoog

Also try "Early Virginia Immigrants": https://books.google.com/books/about...d=xDISAAAAYAAJ

Google books and archive.org are good resources for these - but also, try gengophers.com, which allows you to search by your ancestor's name.

Great resources--thanks!

It's a possibility they were convicts, but it's also possible they weren't. What makes you think they were? Just because the line dead ends doesn't necessarily mean it's because they were hiding something. Records become very scarce in early colonial times.

It's just a possibility, as I've read that tens of thousands of convicts were sent to Virginia and the Carolinas at the time. Considering the number of ancestors I should have for that time period (almost all of my mother's side of the family), it could well be that a few descend from convicts--those who remained in the lowlands (where my ancestors settled) and experienced indentured servitude. But statistically, I recognize that it's more likely that most of those ancestors were standard indentured servants who eventually joined the yeoman farmer class.

Originally Posted by England Dan

Hi Empidonax, very interesting post. Off topic, I know, but keep a look out for Jamestown on Sky TV, it must be coming to the US soon. It gives a great portrayal of the early Elizabethan/Jacobean settlers in America, not the overly religious straight Puritans but a more diverse bunch, still with their regional English accents ( and an Irish one).

That would be interesting to see-- thanks!

Originally Posted by Qtpie1968

We might be related! I descend from Ingrams of Virginia. My line, while not first families, inter-married with other large planter families, including the Lee!s. I sent you a PM!!

Thanks for your PM-- I'll contact you.

Originally Posted by RaleighLass

I have been researching a family line of mine, the Strickland of Westmoreland, England. They had business dealings in Virginia, but lived in England. A daughter married Robert De Wessington, of which the family line of George Washington descended from the county of Lancashire - my home county. Before they were in Lancashire, the Washington's/Wessington were in Scotland, of the clan "Dunbar". I would think your Washington's are from the same family. Here's a note from my Strickland research I found online mentioning where the Washington's are from:

Notes: Elizabeth d'Eyncourt descended maternally from the great house of Dunbar, cadets of the Scottish kings, and from the Uchtred, Earldorman of Northumberland and his third wife Aelfgifu, daughter of King Aethelred the Unready. Thus while Strickland is English, the descendants of Sir William and Elizabeth can claim Scottish descent. The surnames Dunbar, Home, Dundas, Corbett, Clugston, Nesbit, Washington, Neville, Herying and Gray, along with Strickland, are all Septs of Clan Dunbar.

That's very interesting. I haven't been able to do tons of reading on the Washington/Wessington family, but it seems that three lines established themselves in the colonies, with the Westmoreland and Surry lines most prominent (the third headed inland, from what I recall).

[RaleighLass]

happy researching!