The Powell Family in America

The Powell name, as with other surnames, has not had a uniform spelling. In fact, spelling standards did not begin until the latter part of the 19th century, although Benjamin Franklin attempted to reform spelling as early as 1768 when he developed a phonetic alphabet for English. Most written words, names included, were written as they sounded to the person writing the document. It was not uncommon for a man to spell his OWN name several different ways within one document. Powell may be found as Powel, Powle, Poole, etc. In the early part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the son of Powle of Mendehall, England, married Agnes, daughter of John Webb, Esquire, and it is believed that from this union came the descendents of the American family of Powells.

The castle Madoc Brecon, in the county of Brechnoc, Wales, was the home of the Virginia branch of the family before immigrating to America. Three of the family were judges on King's Bench in England.

The Powells in America are said to be descendants of the Royal family of Wales, coming from one of the younger sons of one of the old kings of Wales. (I have found no documentation to support this theory).

The first mention of the name in connection with America was Sgt. Major Anthony Powell, who was killed at St. Augustine in 1586, in the expedition of Sir Frances Drake against the Spaniards.

One Captain John Powell was the first Governor of the Isle of Barbados under English rule. The Powells were among the earliest and wealthiest ship owners and commanders in the colonies. One Anthony Powell was military commander of Sir Walter Raleigh's colonists who landed in America in 1583 at Roanoke Island, where Raleigh was built. Powell's Point on the coast was named in his honor.

Captain Nathaniel Powell, who came to Jamestown, Virginia colony in 1607, wrote much of John Smith's History of Virginia, and it was he who made the first map of Virginia, sending it back to England, where it is now preserved in the British Museum. (See Brown's Genesis of the U.S., pp. 596, 791-816).

The land upon which Williamsburg, Virginia was built was first deeded to Benjamin Powell by the King of England.

Captains William and Nathaniel Powell had large grants of land from the Crown, which they located in the colony of Virginia. At one time the whole county of York, Virginia, was owned by the Powells. William and Nathaniel were both officers in the English Army. They came with Captain John Smith to the English possessions in America, and settled Jamestown in 1607, the first permanent settlement. William Powell was one of the Incorporators of the 2nd Virginia Charter in 1607.

The name of Captain Nathaniel Powell is one of the most prominent in Captain John Smith's History.

In 1618 Captain Nathaniel Powell was Governor of Virginia for a short time. He was appointed a member of the council in 1621. Nathaniel married Miss Tracy, daughter of William Tracy, and granddaughter of Sir John Tracy. The family was massacred by Opechancanough, at Powell's Brooke, on 22 March 1622, near Flower de Hundred, on Nathaniel's Plantation. Twelve in all were massacred. The Indians "haggled their bodies, and cut off Nathaniel's head to express their utmost height of scorn and cruelty."

William Powell was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1619. Shortly after the massacre in 1622, Sir George Yeardly, Captain William Powell, and Captain Richard Butler each took a company and joined forces to avenge the deaths of their friends and relatives. They destroyed everything they could find, and returned to Jamestown, where they stayed a month, quartered at Kecoughtan. (See Smith's "History of Virginia", pp. 24, 212, 594)

Captain William Powell and all of his family were murdered in the terrible massacre of 1623, when so many of the Colonists lost their lives. It was thought that one of his sons, George, escaped, but he was not heard from afterwards; and, because no heir appeared to inherit the estate, his lands were returned to Governor Berkley, who deeded it to Captain Henry Bishop in 1646.

In 1626, Thomas Powell, (the eldest brother of Nathaniel) and his brothers and sisters then living in England, petitioned the government in regard to William's estate; they stated that William Powell, who had gotten possession of all of Nathaniel's estate in Virginia, was no relation. How they decided this is not recorded, but in 1653 George, Richard and Maud Powell, supposed to have been neice and nephews of Nathaniel, petitioned for the property, which would indicate that Nathaniel and William left no lineal descendants in Virginia or elsewhere.

Captain John Powell is mentioned as one of the first leading adventurers to Barbados.

One William Powell left two sons, Cuthbert and Thomas, who were living in Lancaster County, Virginia in 1660. They were the ancestors of the Powells of Lancaster and Loudon Counties.

John Powell, born in Virginia, was a minder of the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1633 for the District from Waters Creek to Marie's Mount.

Another John Powell was a member of the House of Burgess from Elizabeth City in 1657-60, 1663, 1666-67.

Sir Stephen Powell, reported to be a brother of Captain Nathaniel Powell, was one of the six judges of Chancery of the King's Bench, London, England. He was a member of the Virginia Company in 1619. His son, Captain John Powell, who, with his cousin, John Powell, came to Virginia in 1622.

Dianne's Note: According to an e-mail received from Doug Collins this information regarding Sir Stephen Powell is incorrect. As this is not my line I have not researched it, nor have I included it in any of my genealogy databases.

William Powell came to America from England and settled in Somerset, Maryland in 1620. He later moved to Louden County, Virginia, where he left descendants. He was a younger brother of Captain John Powell; therefore, a son of Sir Stephen Powell of England. Both Captain John Powell and his cousin of the same name, left large families.

There is a tradition before 1776 that Seymour, James, Nathaniel, and Lucas Powell, brothers, had an estrangement which resulted in two of the brothers going south, and Lucas moving to Amherst County, Virginia. The occasion for the separation was a visit Lucas paid to the Royal Governor, when he placed his hat under his arm and made the Governor a very profound obeisance. His brothers construed this as a lack of Colonial patriotism. One of the brothers was a Royalist during the Revolution, and returned to Wales, his old family home. After two generations, his descendants emigrated to America. Major Powell, who was head of the Bureau of Ethology in Washington in the 1890's was descended from this branch.

In 1775, Lucas Powell was elected a member of the County Committee of Amherst, Virginia.

The Powell's, during Colonial days, were all Church of England people.

[p.421] Ambrose Powell married Mary Bledsoe, daughter of George Bledsoe of Maryland. His Will is dated 1704. His son, William Powell, was living near Williamsburg, Virginia in 1694. He married 1st, Jane Seymore. They had five sons:

1. Seymore
2. James
3. Nathaniel
4. Lucas, and
5. Levin