As I get ready to move forward into the 18th Century telling the Armistead's story, I feel that I must first fill in a little bit more of what life was like for my colonial ancestors in the first 65 years of the Virginia Colony.
When the first colonists arrived in Virginia circa 1607, there were about 8,000 Indians or Native Americans living in the area. There were certainly confrontations as the colonists pushed into areas already inhabited by the Native Americans. There were ambushes and massacres and many dead on both sides.
"1622 massacre jamestown de Bry". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1622_massacre_jamestown_de_Bry.jpg#/media/File:1622_massacre_jamestown_de_Bry.jpg
Although an attack was always possible or considered a possibility, there were extended times of peaceful coexistence. During these times the Native Americans actually helped the new colonists to survive by teaching them how to cope with their new environment. America was called an "earthly paradise", and with good reason. Upon arrival colonists found an abundance of persimmons (a fruit new to the colonists) weighing down the limbs of the trees, wild strawberries were growing like a carpet across large areas. Huge flocks of turkeys numbering as high as four or five hundred were roaming the woods, and flocks of ducks rising from the ponds at times would nearly block out the sun. (1)
In the early days of the colony the majority of the colonists did not own a gun or even know how to use a gun and therefore were unable to harvest the abundance of wild game. This dynamic would change as the years passed and the colonists learned new skills and began to understand what they needed to do to utilize the abundance of this "earthly paradise".(2)
There were other things the colonists found in abundance in their new home. Wood, fast running streams, and vacant land were all in abundance. This situation was very different from the one they had left behind in England. The forests had long been cleared in England and the lumber used for building ships and other commercial uses, as well as for firewood. The price of firewood in England made it a precious and expensive commodity so it was used very sparingly in fireplaces.(3)
With these seemingly endless forests surrounding them, the colonists had plenty of wood to build homes and fences and to keep their home fires burning for warming their homes and cooking. Fast running streams were ideal for building sawmills that could use water power to cut timbers into lumber rather than having to do this demanding chore by hand.(4)
This is not from the 1600s, but shows the workings of a sawmill.
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/water-powered-sawmill-machinery-225212/
I don't mean to imply that life was easy for the colonists, having all this abundance available to them. Life was difficult for them and their families. Their day consisted of hours of planting, cultivating, or harvesting. There were diseases, early deaths, surprise attacks, and confrontation with the Native Americans, etc. With this risk, however, came great opportunities for the industrious colonist to make a new start and a good life here in America.
Clearing the land of the dense forests so they could plant crops was one of the biggest challenges for the colonist. If they had attempted to cut down the trees and dig up the stumps by hand it would have taken decades to carve out small areas for their farms. It would be many years later before oxen were introduced to the colonies so grubbing stumps by hand was all they had available to them. To open the land up to farms the Virginia Colonists most likely emulated the Native American's practice of girdling the trees. (Girdling is the process of cutting off the bark of a tree in a broad band all the way around the tree.) The result of girdling causes the tree to die, the leaves and limbs decay and fall off, and this allows the sunlight to fall on the soil beneath. This process allowed the farmer to plant around the tree. At some future time he might cut down the dead trunks of the trees and burn them but for the present he had a large area that he could plant. Obviously he could girdle a large number of trees in a short period of time and thus open up large tracts of land much quicker. (5)
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16277/16277-h/images/096s.jpg
Tobacco crop amongst the stumps.
http://b-womeninamericanhistory17.blogspot.com/2013/06/agriculture-in-17th-century-maryland.html
A staple crop for the early farmers was the amazing plant, corn, or maize. It was easy to grow, was immune to most diseases, and was nutritious. Every little bit off the plant was used. Stalks made good feed for the cattle, husks to stuff mattresses, cobs for making jug stoppers and corn cob pipes, etc.(6)
Planting the corn.
http://www.heritage-history.com/?c=read&author=otis&book=plymouth&story=plymouth
Native Americans taught the colonists all these things, as well as when and how to plant the corn, how to fertilize it with fish, (which was another thing in abundance), and how to plant pumpkins and bean seeds around the corn stalks, so there would be a pole for the beans to grow up, and shade for the pumpkin vines to grow under during the heat of the summer. In addition the colonists were shown how to harvest the corn, how to grind it, and then how to preserve it throughout the year.(7)
.jpg)
Description: Pumpkins among the corn
Creator/Contributor: Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910 (artist)Date issued: 1878-08Physical description: 1 print : wood engravingGenre: Wood engravings; Periodical illustrationsNotes: Published in: Scribner's Monthly, Volume XVI, August 1878, p. 520.; Winslow Homer.; Signed lower right: H. Wolf.Collection: Winslow Homer
CollectionLocation: Boston Public Library, Print DepartmentRights: No known restrictionsFlickr data on 2011-08-11:·
Camera: Epson Exp10000XL10000·
Tags: Winslow Homer·User:Boston Public Library BPL
Date 23 March 2011, 08:53:30
Source Flickr: Pumpkins among the corn
Author BPL
This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus100 years or less.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pumpkins_among_the_corn_(Boston_Public_Library).jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_cultures_in_the_United_States#/media/File:Zea_mays.jpg
Plows were not common in Virginia Colony until the 1670s, so these early farmers used only hand tools. These tools consisted of the shovel, spade, hoe, and mattocks which were all made of wood except a small sheath of iron on the cutting edge of the tools. Colonists, of course, also had the felling axe, but it was cumbersome, unbalanced, made of brittle iron with a thin steel blade welded into it that required constant sharpening, and most colonists were not accustomed to using it.(8)
Wooden shovel.
https://dmacc55002.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/antique-farm-tools/
An early mattock, not necessarily from the 1600s.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/24505/24505-h/24505-h.htm
Colonists in this time period brought with them many domestic animals, including pigs, chickens, goats, sheep, horses and cattle. They also brought with them many unwanted guests, such as diseases, the black fly, the cockroach, the gray rat, and seeds of weeds unknown to America.(9)
Fences had to be built by the colonists for the livestock. Not to keep them inside a fence, but to keep them out of their crops. By building fences around their crops they could let the livestock roam loose in the woods.
Planting their garden.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16277/16277-h/images/096s.jpg
Tobacco , of course, became the big cash crop of the farmers in Virginia, but cattle were also raised and sold to obtain currency. Orchards were planted as soon as possible by the farmers with the most preferred being peach and apple trees. These fruits made excellent cider, applejack, and brandy.(10)
http://modernfarmer.com/2014/05/americas-first-cash-crop-tobacco/
"1670 virginia tobacco slaves" by Unknown - http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/8850. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1670_virginia_tobacco_slaves.jpg#/media/File:1670_virginia_tobacco_slaves.jpg
Initially the colonists built their towns surrounded by their farms and their homes as had been the practice in England. This allowed them to be close at hand to their home, taverns, and church, as well as various craftsmen so that everything was within walking distance. However, by the end of the 1600s, the town centered society was changing. As more people arrived and as the next generation of sons and daughters came of age, more land was required to support these growing families. This required going farther and farther away from the towns to find more land. When this started happening, they found they were no longer able to walk back to town from these distant farms, so they started building their homes on their new lands that were far away from any towns. The old town central idea no longer worked. They did not have access to the craftsmen in the town now so this dictated that the farmer and his family had to learn to do more and more of their own work, and they eventually became quite self sufficient on their farms and made few trips to town. This isolation from town, in turn, led to a more family central, or family focused society with children, extended family members, cousins, in-laws, etc., all living on the same farm, in the same house, or on farms nearby. Family get-togethers became more and more common as their only social contact and they became more isolated from the towns. (11)
As the calendar turned from the 1600s to the 1700s, my Armistead family could claim 65 years of living in and being a part of the growth and maturity of the Virginia Colony. Challenges of course were many, but progress inched forward. The New-Letter, a newspaper published by John Campbell in Boston was the first regular newspaper in the colonies. War seems to be ever present in our world and there was no exception in this time frame in the colonies. Queen Anne's War, (as it was called) (1701-1713) raged against the French and it soon invaded the colonies in Deerfield, MA. French and Indian forces attacked the colonists, killing 56 and carrying off over 100 that were captured. In Oct of 1710 British troops laid siege to the French fort, Port Royal in Nova Scotia as well. The war finally ended in 1713 with the French signing a treaty with England.(12)
Benjamin Franklin took his first step toward securing a prominent place in history when he bought an interest in the Pennsylvania Gazette, in Oct of 1729. In Dec 1732, he began publishing his "Poor Richard's Almanac" and published a total of twenty six annual editions with as many as 10,000 copies sold per year. In 1752 Franklin invented the lightning rod after earlier proving that lightning was electricity by flying a kite in a thunderstorm.(13)
Benjamin Franklin by Joseph-Siffrein Duplessis - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Joseph_Duplessis_-Portrait_of_Benjamin_Franklin_-_WGA06871.jpg
http://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin#/media/File:Benjamin_Franklin_by_Joseph-Siffred_Duplessis.jpg
In the 1700s Virginia and the other colonies would serve four more monarchs of England. William III died in 1702 and a new ruler was placed on the throne. Anne, the new Queen, was born in 1665 and was the second daughter of King James II and Anne Hyde. Though she did not play a part in her father's reign, she did take an active part in siding with her sister, Mary, and brother-in-law, William, during the Glorious Revolution in 1688, which brought William and Mary to the throne. Anne married George, the Prince of Denmark. There were not many accomplishments to enumerate during Queen Anne's reign. Most notable, probably, was the Act of Union in 1707, that created Great Britain by unifying England and Scotland. (Ireland would not be added to the union until 1809.)(15)
Queen Anne
"Anne1705" by Michael Dahl - Purchased from [1]. National Portrait Gallery: NPG 6187While Commons policy accepts the use of this media, one or more third parties have made copyright claims against Wikimedia Commons in relation to the work from which this is sourced or a purely mechanical reproduction thereof. This may be due to recognition of the "sweat of the brow" doctrine, allowing works to be eligible for protection through skill and labour, and not purely by originality as is the case in the United States (where this website is hosted). These claims may or may not be valid in all jurisdictions.As such, use of this image in the jurisdiction of the claimant or other countries may be regarded as copyright infringement. Please see Commons:When to use the PD-Art tag for more information.See User:Dcoetzee/NPG legal threat for more information.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information.English | Español | Français | Magyar | Italiano | Македонски | Türkmençe | +/−. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons -
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anne1705.jpg#/media/File:Anne1705.jpg
With the two party system continuing to struggle to find it's way in England, the Whig and Tory Parties became fully enfranchised in leading the country. Anne's death in 1714 marked the end of the Stuart Line. After her death, the Whig Party was successful in getting their candidate, George, Elector of Hanover (a German Province), installed as King.(16)
Born in 1660, George I had served as Elector of Hanover since 1698. He was the son of Ernest, also Elector of Hanover, and Sophia, granddaughter of James I. In 1682 he married Sophia, Princes of Zelle. They had a son and a daughter, George and Sophia Dorothea. George would later become George II and Sophia Dorothea would marry her cousin, Frederick William I, King of Prussia.(17)
.jpg)
"King George I by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt (3)"
by Studio of Sir Godfrey Kneller - National Portrait Gallery: NPG 544While Commons policy accepts the use of this media, one or more third parties have made copyright claims against Wikimedia Commons in relation to the work from which this is sourced or a purely mechanical reproduction thereof. This may be due to recognition of the "sweat of the brow" doctrine, allowing works to be eligible for protection through skill and labour, and not purely by originality as is the case in the United States (where this website is hosted). These claims may or may not be valid in all jurisdictions.As such, use of this image in the jurisdiction of the claimant or other countries may be regarded as copyright infringement. Please see Commons:When to use the PD-Art tag for more information.See User:Dcoetzee/NPG legal threat for more information.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information.English | Español | Français | Magyar | Italiano Македонски | Türkmençe | +/−. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_George_I_by_Sir_Godfrey_Kneller,_Bt_(3).jpg#/media/File:King_George_I_by_Sir_Godfrey_Kneller,_Bt_(3).jpg
George I was all German in his character and mannerism, as well as his speech. In fact George I never even bothered to learn to speak English. He also didn't actually settle in England once he became the King. He barely spent half his time in England. He did have this ruling thing down though. When he arrived in England he had with him many friends, adviser's, and servants, and was intent on profiting from ruling England, (which he did). He also arrived with two mistresses and sans wife, having imprisoned her back at home and charged her with adultery before he left the country.(18)
George's way of governing became obvious very quickly. He basically left England to manage on it's own and stayed in Hanover as much as he could. Because of this the government in England began to move more toward what it is today. Cabinet members that the king appointed became very important. They would come to represent the executive branch of government. Parliament was the legislative branch. With the king "missing in action" most of the time, it was necessary to create the post of Prime Minister. This position was filled by the majority leader in the House of Commons and acted in place of the King. Robert Walpole became the first Prime Minister. His success in the early years cemented the position as well as his personal standing and he served for 20 years. As it turned out "...the reliance on an executive cabinet marked an important step in the formation of a modern constitutional monarchy in England." George I ruled for 13 years, and died while traveling back to his beloved Hanover on Oct 11, 1727.(19)
George I was succeeded by his son that he had with Sophia. George II was born Nov 10, 1683 and spent all his earlier years in Hanover. George would be the last British Monarch to be born outside of Great Britain. In true royal fashion, George I and George II hated each other, so the father never gave his son an opportunity to take on any responsibilities during his reign. George II married Caroline Anspach, in 1705 and they had three sons and five daughters.
George II did have an advantage over his father, he took the throne in his 30s, whereas his father had been 54 when he assumed the throne. George was able to "absorb the English culture that escaped his father."(20)
"George II by Thomas Hudson" by Thomas Hudson
Scanned from the book The National Portrait Gallery History of the Kings and Queens of England by David Williamson, ISBN 1855142287.. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_II_by_Thomas_Hudson.jpg#/media/File:George_II_byThomas_Hudson.jpg
It is said that George II had a great passion for his army, music, and his wife, and was very brave on the battlefield. George II was the last British sovereign to command troops in the field. George II ruled until 1760, surviving a concerted effort in 1745 by the Tories to bring back a Stuart as king and also managing a few wars along the way. What's a king to do without a good war or two to fight, right? George II died of a stroke on Oct 25, 1760.(21)
With the passing of George II, and the ascension of George III to the throne, in 1760, I have at last gotten to my favorite king. I think it is probably quite apparent to most readers my reason for saying that. George III was the king in power when the American Revolution occurred, so he was the last monarch to rule over the 13 colonies in the Americas. That's why he is my favorite, he helped make us the United States of America. He ruled from 1760 to 1820. Much more to come when I get to that next point in my journey.
As we all know, the 1700s proved to be years of change for the Virginia Colony, just as it would be for all the colonies. Growth in the colonies continued to climb upward with immigrants from many countries. Irish, Scottish, French, German, Swiss, Danish, Welch, African, and of course English all added to the increasing population in the 13 colonies. Of course, unfortunately, the increase in African immigration was not voluntary as slavery became more common. Virginia's population was 231,000 in 1750 and the total population of all the colonies passed the one million mark and stood at 1,170,800 in 1750.(22)
As I mentioned earlier, by the 1700s Virginia had become a more rural and agrarian based society, with daily life focused around the family unit and the family farm. We see this same pattern in the descendants of William and Anne Armistead as they begin to spread across Virginia. As each succeeding generation was born, there were more and more male Armisteads that needed land to make a living. The map below shows approximately six counties where Armisteads were located.
Virginia counties.
http://www.waterproofpaper.com/printable-maps/
Eventually Virginia could no longer contain all the Armisteads and just as it happened with the general population, some of the Armisteads started leaving the state. My direct ancestor left Virginia and moved to North Carolina in his quest to find a place to get some elbow room. North Carolina only had 73,000 people by 1750 so there was more land available.
Of the original founding family of Armisteads only one son was still living by the early 1700s. The parents, William and Anne, their eldest son, William, next oldest, John, and the only daughter, Francis, had all died. Anthony, my direct ancestor, was the only one still living by the1700s, but don't think that meant the Armisteads were disappearing. From the four second generation children came approximately 80 third and fourth generation family members that were living in the early 1700s. The Armistead family was definitely off and running in helping to populate and settle America.
Captain Anthony Armistead, the lone surviving second generation Armistead in the early 1700s, and his wife Hannah Ellyson had five children. I listed the children in a previous post, but I will include a chart below for continuity.
Family Tree Maker - 2012, Charts and Reports.
His son, Major William Armistead, married twice and had a total of 10 children. I listed these children in my last post but a chart is also attached below.
Family Tree Maker - 2012, Charts and Reports.
Major William's son, Anthony Armistead, is a member of the fourth generation in the Virginia Colony. He married first Jane (unknown last name) and had a son, John Armistead (abt. 1720-1791). He married second, Margaret Benit, and together they had William Armistead (1730-1791), Benit Armistead (abt. 1732 -??), and Anthony Armistead (1736-1783). (I have a question about the date of death for this Anthony. His will was made out and dated in 1783 and I have that date in my chart. However, I recently came across information that leads me to be believe that he died later. I'm still working on this date.) The chart for this family is attached below.
Family Tree Maker - 2012, Charts and Reports.
I know this gets a little confusing at times...OK, it gets very confusing at times. I will include a pedigree chart at the end of this post to help keep everyone straight. William Armistead, (1730-1791), is the next of my direct ancestors and is a fifth generation member in America. William is the direct ancestor that left Virginia and moved to North Carolina. He married Sarah Jordan (1739-1818) in 1756, probably in North Carolina but could have been Virginia. They had eleven children, (chart attached). Their first child was born in North Carolina in 1757. Both William and his brother Anthony were active in 1758 in having the Bertie County courthouse located in Windsor, N.C.
Family Tree Maker - 2012, Charts and Reports.
This next period I will cover will take some time to put together because it covers the period of time that includes the American Revolution. I will cover roughly 1750 to 1800. I have put together my direct ancestors up to this point based on research that I have read and pieced together. Other genealogists out there have different scenarios for the pedigree chart from William Armistead (abt 1610-1660) (the immigrant) to William Armistead (1730-1791) of North Carolina. I would like to have some discussion about the chart up to this point with anyone that reads this and has something different. From William and Sarah Armistead on down I am very confident of my pedigree chart. It is backed with solid research and a family bible with many dates and names. So attached below is the chart I would like to discuss with anyone that would like to either agree or disagree (just post a comment or write me at my e-mail at the top of the page). My next post will cover the new home of the Armistead's in North Carolina.
References:
(1) Hawke, David Freeman, Everyday Life in Early America, New York: Harper & Row, 1988, pg 13.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid, pg 17.
(4) Ibid.
(5) Ibid, pg 33.
(6) Ibid, pg 37.
(7) Ibid.
(8) Ibid, pg 36.
(9) Ibid, pg 17, 39.
(10) Ibid, pg 38.
(11) Ibid, pg 32.
(12) http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1700.html
(13) Ibid.
(14) Ibid.
(15) http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon52.html
(16) http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon53.html
(17) http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon53.html
(18) http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon53.html
(19) http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon53.html
(20) http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon54.html
(21) http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon54.html
(22) https://web.viu.ca/davies/h320/population.colonies.htm
