and Tabitha Bartlett Belcher
The name Belcher is an old one, found in legal records as early as 1176 in Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcester, Wiltshire and Northamptonshire(Northants) England when Ralph Belcher was a witness to a deed. ("Historical Collections of Staffordshire volume 1 page 291".
The name is uncommon and the origin of the name is from the old French "Bel=Chere" meaning, Good Company or Companion. Some early Norman Translations mean Good cheer or Good and Cheerful. In todays French it is Good and Expensive.
The earliest progenerator of our Belcher line is reported to be Hugh Belcher born around 1460 was a descendant of this Ralph De Belcher of Staffordshire 1176, lineal ancestor of the Belchers of Guilsborough in Northamptonshire.
Several Belchers came to America in the 1620's on the Winthrop Fleet of Ships and settled in Massaschusetts, but our earliest Belcher immigrant to Virginia that is documented is William Thomas Belcher
William Thomas Belcher, born 1605 England possibly Guilsborough, Northamptonshire. married: Tabitha Bartlett born 1618.
married: Isle of Wight County Virginia 1636
some accounts have Anne has her middle name.
William Thomas Belchers father was Henry T. Belcher
b @ 1565-1578 also listed as Henry Thomas Belcher:
also listed as Thomas Henry Belcher
listed as Guilsborough Northamptonshire England
married:#1 ? in Aston Parish Warwickshire England
married:#2 Mary Mitchell:
No confirmed and documented information on Henry or Mary Mitchell that they ever came to the United States has been found so far, that We know of.
Thomas Belcher is our earliest ancestor of our lines that we can say for sure.(Warrosquyoake (1634-37)).Warrosquyoake(Isle of Wight) (1634-37).. "Early Virginia Immigrants" Lists William Thomas Belcher immigrated to the (Warrosquoyoake)Isle of Wight County of Va @1637. Sponsored by: John Seaward Isle of Wight County.
(so by this account, Henry and Mary, his parents were never in America unless they came by other means.
Thomas is listed in Early Virginia Immigrants page 29
as coming to America in 1637 by John Seaward (Steward) Isle of Wight County Virgina(have the page)
The reason there is a years difference in these dates, here (change to the Gregorian Calendar makes some genealogy dates off one year).
Cavaliers and Pioneers, Patent Book 1, Part II, Page 69
John Seaward (Steward), 600 acres Isle of Wight County 8 March 1636, page 470, joyning upon Goose Hill Cr upon the N. side of the maine Creek. along upon the Creek. S.W. and running N.W into the woods. Transaction of 12 persons: John Walker, Tho. Belcher, Edward Bond, Charles Jones, Wm Griffin, Kath. Person, George Scales, Robt. Clarke, Guy Taylor and three others. a copy of page 69 of this book can be seen here, this page takes time to load:
Click Here to See page 69
John Seaward is listed as being in Jamestown Virginia as early as 1624.
Cavaliers and Pioneers, Patent Book 5, Page 444
Thomas is listed in a transaction between Lieutenant Col. Jonathan Blake and Edward Ison 2500 acres Nancimond County 20 Feb 1664 page 154, transaction of 50 persons, Thomas Belcher included., John Steward (Seward) Is also listed in this group.
a copy of page 444 of this book can be seen here, this page takes time to load:
Click Here to See page 444
Virginia Colonial Abstracts, Volume I, Westmoreland County, 1653-1657, Page 676
page 67, 22 December 1656. Thomas Belcher was a witness to a land deal, between John Mansfield of the Province of Maryland to Thomas Wilsford of Westmoreland County Virginia, to transfer of land in Nominy of Westmoreland County,
signed John Mansifled, witnesses: Tho. Belcher, George Fulke, Recorded. 30 March 1657.
Thomas also witnessed another transaction of John Mansfield to Rich Seale on Same day which was recorded 31st March 1657.
Thomas witnessed on 6 Nov 1657 a transaction between Sam Bonam and John Boococke, witnesses:Robert Knapp and Tho. Belcher.
A court record in the Virginia state Library states:
"Tho. Belcher in Virginia , a judgment of court for a debt. Jan'ry 12, 1659- Charles City Co., of the James River, M B Parish.
(note: this John Cogan must have been a mercantile store owner. I have seen other peoples court orders to pay him also listed in the Virginia State Library Collection).
Virginia Colonial Records, 1600s-1700s
The 15 volumes reproduced on this data set were originally published by the Genealogical Publishing Company and contain land record abstracts, census records, militia lists, immigration records, and general information about early Virginia settlers.
Thousands of Virginia's early settlers arrived in the colony as a result of the headright system. Under this system, anyone who paid his way (or someone else's way) to Virginia received fifty acres of land. In order to receive a land patent under the headright system, an individual would petition the county court for a "certificate of importation." The certificates were then recorded in the county court minute books. For genealogical purposes, these records can help establish relationships and approximate arrival times in the colony. This data set presents much such valuable information, along with other records of land acquisition.
In addition to land record abstracts, you will also find lists of colonial Virginia inhabitants (including the first census list, compiled in 1623-1624). These records are important because few reliable lists of colonial Virginia inhabitants exist.
One of Virginia's Eight Original Shires
The origins of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, are bound up with an area bordering the south bank of the James (Powhatan) River, south-east of Jamestown, and corresponded with the territory of a tribe called the Warraskoyak. This tribe lived in a settlement close to the Warraskoyak or Pagan River and held territory in the surrounding area and in a corridor along the river in both directions. Their territory was situated on a curving river shore between a creek to the north, near Hogg Island, and the Warraskoyak (Pagan) River estuary to the east. It therefore bordered the river route along which English ships of the Virginia Company were obliged to sail up to Jamestown, which lay some twenty miles to the north-east.
Detail from Smith's map of Virginia, showing the area that became Isle of Wight County. North is pointing off towards the right of the map. Jamestown is in the top mid top left, sited on a promontory(underlined). Isle of Wight County extended from 'Mattanock' up to 'Hog Ile', pictured in the middle below James River (underlined)
On 11 November 1619, the Governor and his Council in Virginia reported back to the Virginia Company in London on how and why they had distributed new tenants amongst private plantations instead of placing them on Company land. In this report they express their misgivings about the site of Lawne's plantation.
"Lieftenant Bartlett is to take to ferme till Cristmas Come twelue month eleuen of the Companyes men the remayner of fifteene that Came wth Capt Lawne in the marygold to Apparell and arme them and att the end of that terme to alowe 55lb wayght of tobacco and three barrells of Corne to each man: Question being made of the danger of his seate being far from any other Englishe Plantacon in the bottom of the bay Warrestogack he said he was Confident to make the place good against the Indians beinge a necke land and defended by his howse especially seeinge Lieftennant Basse and Ensigne washer are to ioyne with hime who together wth his Companies will make up a party of thirtye men:"
Note: Whether this Lieutenant Bartlett is Tabitha's father is unknown but only he and Richard Bartlett was in Early Virginia, There is a Robert mentioned later.
"Virginia Company Records" states:
1..."Lieutenant Wm. Bartlett is to take 11 men....etc....to Marrectogack Bay Lieut. Bartlett is to have the newly cropped wheat (34 barrels of corn )and to repay it at the next harvest."11-12-Nov 1619:Records of the Virginia Company volume iii. p 3226
This Places a Lieut. William Bartlett in Virginia at the time.
So it is a deduction that the above Lieutenant Belcher named in Thomas Jeffersons Letters is William Bartlett.
Early Virginia Pioneers"
2...Lists Richard Bartlett with the Virginia Company records in 1616 with wife and dau. Warwick Squeake Area no names are given for wife and daughter.
3...Also a Richard Bartlett came in 1637:
Early Virginia Immigrants; 1623-1666
Bartlett, Richard, 1637,(sponsored) by John Judson, Charles River Co.
Early Virginia Immigrants; 1623-1666 page 29
Belchers:
Belcher, Wm., 1655,(sponosored) by Peter Ford, Gloucester Co.
Belcher, Walt., 1651,(sponosored) by Capt. Tho. Davis, Northumberland Co.
Belcher, Walt., 1645, (sponsored)by Thomas Davis, Warwick Co.
Belcher, Thomas, 1636(37), (sponsored)by John Seaward (Steward), Isle of Wight Co.
There are two others listed as Belches
a copy of page 29 of this book can be seen here, this page takes time to load:
Click Here to See page 29
Although officially to be known as Isle of Wight Plantation, the area continued under its old indian name for a good many years. What is certain is the total uncertainty of the English over the spelling of the word, 'Warraskoyak', which is in itself a phonetic spelling of the Indian word.
Isle of Wight County Timeline | |
| 1619 | Warraskoyak - Lawne's Plantation. |
| 1621 | Warraskoyak - Isle of Wight Plantacon |
| 1623 | Warraskoyak - Lawne's Plantation(?), Basse's Choice, Bennett's Welcome. |
| 1634 | Isle of Wight County |
It is clear that the term Isle of Wight County or Isle of Wight did not come into general use until after 1634.
| Year | Source | |
| February 16, 1623/4 | Virginia Census | "Warwick Squeake" "Basse Choise" |
| Jan. 20 - Feb. 7 1624/25 | Virginia Census | "Wariscoyack" "Basses Choyse |
| 1629 | General Assembly | Warrosquoyacke |
| 1630 | General Assembly | Warrosqueake |
| 1632 | General Assembly | Warrosqueake |
| 1633 | General Assembly | Warrosqueake |
| 1639 | General Assembly | Isle of Wight, Hogg Island, Lawn Creek |
| 1640 and thereafter | General Assembly | Isle of Wight County. |
| In land grants, the old style "County of Warraskoyak" continues until 1639, from when the official "county of Isle of Wight" is used. | ||
Assembled July 30th | |
| James City: | Captain William Powell, Ensign William Spense |
| Charles City: | Samuel Sharpe, Samuel Jordan |
| The City of Henricus: | Thomas Dowse, Samuel Jordan |
| Kicoughtan: | Captain William Tucker, William Capp. |
| Martin-Brandon (Captain John Martin's Plantation): | Thomas Davis, Robert Stacy |
| Smythe's Hundred: | Captain Thomas Graves, Walter Shelly |
| Martin's Hundred: | John Boys, John Jackson |
| Argall's Gift: | Thomas Pawlett, Mr. Gourgainy |
| Flowerdieu Hundred: | Engisn Rossingham, Mr. Jefferson |
| Captain Lawne's Plantation: | Captain Christopher Lawne, Ensign Washer |
| Captain Ward's Plantation: | Captain Ward, Lieutenant Gibbes |
sources:
The complete Thomas Jefferson Papers from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress.
(Interesting site if you wish to read the papers)>
Documents concerning the Virginia Company and early colonisation of the James River region are contained within Series *: Virginia Records, 1606-1737.
Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County Virginia ; A history of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, during the Seventeenth Century, including abstracts of the county records," by John Bennett Boddie.
Adventurers of Purse and Person 1607-1625, Compiled and edited by Martha Woodroof Hiden, sponsored by the Order of First Families of Virginia, 1607-1620. Printed by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1956
Compiled from land records stored in Richmond, this collection of immigrants is a must for anyone looking for relatives in early Virginia. Each entry also gives the person who sponsored the immigrant to America.
Greer, George Cabel. "Early Virginia Immigrants" 1623-1666. Richmond, VA: W. C. Hill Printing Co., 1912.
by:
Gayl Ramey Wells and Gregory Clyde Belcher, January 2002