Armistead Family History #8 - A New Century Begins

                                         The Armistead Family and New Directions

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)

Building their first homes in the colonies.
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)

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)

Tobacco plants, the colonist's first cash crop.
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 1718 French colonists founded the city of New Orleans and the famous pirate Blackbeard was killed off the coast of Ocracoke Island, N.C.(14)

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)

"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.  

Family Tree Maker - 2012, Charts and Reports.

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

Armistead Family History #7 - The Next Generation

           

          Bacon's Rebellion, Virginia, and England at the End of the                                               Seventeenth Century

Between 1650 and 1700, Virginia and the other British Colonies grew rapidly, increasing the total population of the colonies from 50,400 to 251,000.  Virginia grew from 18,700 to 58,600 and was still the largest colony, by population, closely followed by Massachusetts at 55,900.  By 1700, twelve of the thirteen original colonies had been established, with Georgia yet to be founded.  The other colonies consisted of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina. (1)

In 1680 "the English clockmaker Thomas Tompion [was] the first to make successful use of the hairspring in pocket watches" (2) and Edmund Halley became intrigued by a comet.  He later worked out the computations to show how often this comet passed by earth.  The comet became known as Halley's Comet. However, even as scientific advancements were being made around the world, in 1692, witch hunts erupted in Salem, MA and continued into 1693. The resulting hysteria produced one hundred and fifty arrests and nineteen deaths. (3)  Also, as I mentioned last time, Bacon's Rebellion caused major confrontations in Virginia Colony in 1676.

While the reasons for the build up that eventually led to Bacon's Rebellion were somewhat complicated, there are several events that we can point out that were contributing factors. Economic issues, an ever present issue it seems, came into play.  Economic conditions were bad due to low prices for tobacco, high prices for manufactured goods from England, and competition from Maryland and the Carolina's. All of these factors came together to create unrest and unhappiness amongst the colonists. Add to the poor economy waves of turbulent weather conditions such as hurricanes, hailstorms, and alternate dry spells and floods during the previous year and it is easy to see why colonists were worried and upset.

All these events together combined to cause deep frustrations felt by the colonist.  When this happens people look for someone to blame and some way to vent.  The last spark for the Rebellion came after a dispute between a local tribe of Doeg Indians, who felt they had been cheated in a business deal, and a local plantation owner.  In an attempt to get restitution the Doeg tribe raided the colonist.  A retaliatory raid by the colonists on the Doeg tribe followed and of course this only brought about more raids by both sides. 

Portrait of Sir William Berkeley, Governor of Virginia. Image ca. 1917 of a painting at Library of Virginia, after an original painting circa 1663.

Painter Hariott L.T. Montague after Sir Peter Lely - Page 146 of Mary Newton Stanard (1865-1929), Colonial Virginia, its People and Customs. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1917. From digital scan athttp://archive.org/details/colonialvirginia00stan
License details:  This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923. Public domain works must be out of copyright in both the United States and in the source country of the work in order to be hosted on the Commons. If the work is not a U.S. work, the file must have an additional copyright tag indicating the copyright status in the source country.

In an effort to try and gain control of the situation, Governor Berkeley set up a meeting between the parties involved in the confrontations.  Unfortunately, after the meeting ended, several tribal chiefs were murdered.  Things deteriorated even further from there. Another move Berkeley made in attempting to gain control of this volatile situation was to try and seize control of trade with the Indians.  In an attempt to have more say over trade he named his associates as favored traders and in doing so he left out the regular traders, some of whom had traded with the Indians for years. Of course this only caused further unrest.  It is at this point in the sequence of events that Nathaniel Bacon entered the picture. Nathaniel Bacon was one of those regular traders with the Indians that was left out. To make matters worse, Berkeley had also recently refused to grant Bacon a commission in the military.  

LOC description is "[Nathaniel Bacon, three-quarter length portrait, seated, facing right] Engraving by T. Chambars after a painting by Seipse. created/published [between 1760 and 1800]."

Date between 1760 and 1800
Source: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/nbacon.html
Author: Engraving by T. Chambars after a self portrait
Licensing: 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 plus 100 years or less. This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights. The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain".This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain. In other jurisdictions, re-use of this content may be restricted; see Reuse of PD-Art photographs for details.

In retaliation for these actions, Bacon accused Berkeley of favoritism and of failure to solve the problems with the Indians.  Bacon now took matters into his own hands.  Armed with jugs of brandy and a promise to foot the bill, Bacon was elected to be the General of several hundred of the local militia. Bacon then proceeded to lead his men against the Indian tribes.  Unfortunately, his attacks included attacking a group of friendly Indians and again the situation just got worse.

Berkeley was facing a disastrous situation.  He offered up a pardon to Bacon for taking the law into his own hands if he would turn himself in.  In the interim Bacon was elected to be one of the Burgesses from his county.  He arrived to take his seat in June 1676.  Berkeley pardoned him and let him take his seat.  However, during a debate over the "Indian problem" Bacon suddenly left the assembly.  He later returned to the statehouse with his militia forces, surrounded it, and demanded a commission from Berkeley.  Berkeley refused and famously told Bacon to go on and shoot him. Bacon did not shoot him but instead switched to pressuring and threatening the members of the assembly into giving him a commission and left with his armed force of men.  Since he was in the Assembly at this time, I think my ancestor Anthony Armistead was standing there while Bacon aimed his rifle at Berkeley. When Berkeley would not back down, I think Anthony saw the rifles moved and aimed at him and the other assemblymen. They probably acted prudently in giving into Bacon and giving him his commission. Who knows if Bacon would have carried through with his threats to shoot them.

At this time, Berkeley decided to take his leave of the capital and Bacon was basically allowed to come back in and take control.  He remained in control through September.  During this time Bacon issued a "Declaration of the People", calling Berkeley corrupt and playing favorites.  He also demanded loyalty from the colonists.

Finally, Berkeley started to marshal his forces to move against Bacon.  Greatly angered by this action, Bacon burned the capital city of Jamestown.  This extreme action turned the tide against Bacon and his followers.  On Oct 26, 1676, Nathaniel Bacon died of acute dysentery and it was only a short time until Berkeley regained control of the colony.

It is at this point of the story that my ancestor, Anthony Armistead, played a part in the end of the Rebellion.  He was a member of the House of Burgesses and was selected to be a member of Berkeley's court that brought court martial proceedings against members of Bacon's rebels. Of course Bacon was already dead but twenty-three of Bacon's rebels were eventually convicted and hanged, including the former governor of Albemarle Sound Colony, William Drummond.

Over the years historians have proposed different reasons behind Bacon's attacks, but it seems that it has mostly been concluded that this was a case of Bacon trying to seize an opportunity to increase his power and standing and the result was a "power struggle" between Bacon and Berkeley, two strong willed men. A short time later the crown recalled Berkeley to London and relieved him of the office of governor. In May 1677 a formal peace treaty was signed between the Indians and the colonists and relative peace was restored to the colony. William Berkeley died in July 1677 in England, where he was trying to clear his name. (4)

King Charles II by John Michael Wright or studio- National Portrait Gallery, London: NPG 531 

See source website for additional information. This set of images was gathered by User: Dcoetzee from the National Portrait Gallery, London website using a special tool. All images in this batch have a known author, but have manually examined for strong evidence that the author was dead before 1939, such as approximate death dates, birth dates, floruit dates, and publication dates.

As I mentioned in my last post, King Charles II died in 1685.  His brother, James, ascended to the throne as King James II.  Born in 1633, the third son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria, James II was 52 when he took the throne.  He married twice, first Anne Hyde who gave him four sons and four daughters, and second Mary of Modena, who gave him two sons and five daughters.

James II's reign did not last long.  He had inherited a strong executive office and a loyal Tory-dominated Parliament but James, a staunch Catholic, tried to force England back to the Catholic faith. He also made an ill advised push toward restoring royal prerogative.  These actions, along with his response to a rebellion of Protestants trying to rally the public to support James II's nephew, James, Duke of Monmouth, and son of Charles II, turned Parliament and the public against him. James II crushed the rebellion, captured and beheaded the Duke, tortured, executed, or sent into slavery the Protestant rebels. (5)

King James II

Painting bySir Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723). See source website for additional information.This set of images was gathered by User: Dcoetzee from the National Portrait Gallery, London website using a special tool. All images in this batch have been confirmed as author died before 1939 according to the official death date listed by the NPG. 1684.  National Portrait Gallery: NPG 666 While 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 seeCommons: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 ommons:Licensing for more information.

By this time, after only three short years, Parliament had had enough of James II.  In 1688 they turned to Mary, James II's protestant daughter, and her husband, William of Orange, in an effort to get rid of James II.  William was the current ruler of Holland. The English Parliament asked him to invade England and to help them force James II from the throne. William agreed and invaded England.  Rather than be captured and suffer the consequences, (and we all know what usually happens to royalty that falls out of favor and gets captured) James fled to France.  In actuality, William assisted James in his effort to leave the country.  James lived out his days in France and William of Orange and Mary assumed the throne of England as William III and Mary II. (6)

I have to stop and take a little break here.  I don't know about you but to me this king and queen thing in England is very complex and confusing.  Anyone from Great Britain that happens to read this post: is this a hard subject in school?  I would think it would be very difficult to remember and keep up with all the various cris-crossing of families between countries and kingdoms, etc. And now, according to a recent report, there is even more to muddle the picture.  A recent report by scientists on the genetic analysis of King Richard III's DNA shows there was a break in the male line. In other words there was an instance of female infidelity.  (Somewhere along the line there was a male who slipped into the bedroom of one of the females in Richard's bloodline and....well, you know the rest.) To read the article about King Richard III's DNA analysis, go to the website at:   http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30281333. Interesting story.

I know my explanations of bloodlines etc. are short and possibly confusing.  If you would like to dig in deeper go to: www.britannia.com/index.html.  It is a very interesting website where you can read much more about the monarchs.

OK, I'm refreshed, let's forge ahead.  Mary II was born in 1662.  She was the daughter and second child of James II and Anne Hyde.  It seems sons and daughters were often a part of a monarch's foreign policy and Mary was no exception. When her uncle, Charles II, was king, he married her off to William of Orange, Nov. 4, 1677.  Mary was only fifteen and he was twelve years older than she was. In addition he repulsed Mary.  Oops, not a great way to start a marriage. Fortunately, I guess, Mary "eventually came to love both the man and his country". (7)  On Williams part, he promptly started an affair with one of Mary's ladies in waiting.  The affair was long lasting but Mary was devoted to her husband.

Ceiling of the Painted Hall, detail of King William III (1650-1702) and Queen Mary II (1662-94) Enthroned, 1707-14 

Author:  Painting: Sir James Thornhill (1675-1734) / Royal Naval College
Date:  18th century
Photo: James Brittain
Source: http://www.bridgemanartondemand.com/art/86713/Ceiling_of_the_Painted_Hall_detail_of_King_William_III
Licensing:  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: The author died in 1734, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or less. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923.  This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights. The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain".This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain. In other jurisdictions, re-use of this content may be restricted; see Reuse of PD-Art photographs for details.

Although the Parliament had succeeded in getting rid of James II, they had created a dilemma.  They wanted Mary to rule as Queen and William to be Prince Consort.  William and Mary had other plans and the Parliament soon gave in and made them King William III and Queen Mary II, co-rulers of England.  William and Mary ruled until Mary's death from smallpox in 1694.  She died childless. William died in 1702, after being thrown from a horse. (8)

After Berkley was relieved as governor in 1677, Sir Herbert Jeffries was appointed as governor of Virginia Colony.  Over the remaining 22 years of the 17th Century, there were five more governors and three lieutenant governors.  In Elizabeth City County, a third Generation of Virginia Armisteads started to make their mark on the colony.  But before getting into the next generation, let me review the Virginia Armisteads.

You recall that William and Anne Armistead were the first to settle in Virginia around 1635-36 and that they had four known children:  William, John, Anthony, and Frances.  The eldest son, William, probably died before 1660, John moved up to Gloucester County, and Anthony stayed in Elizabeth City County.  Their daughter, Frances, was somewhat unlucky in marriage, having two husbands die a short time after marriage, but did finally have a longer lasting third marriage.

Because the father, William, was so successful, both surviving sons were able to start out as prosperous plantation owners.  As a consequence they were also prominent leaders in their respective counties and served in prominent political positions.  I recounted the list of positions they held in my last post and, also, as I mentioned above, Anthony played a part in events surrounding Bacon's Rebellion.  In addition, John, was appointed to a vacancy on the Governor's Council in 1688 by Governor Francis Howard, baron Howard of Effingham.  John was on friendly terms with the Governor, who at times resided at the home of John's son-in-law Ralph Wormley.  John Armistead would only serve two and a half years on the council because when William and Mary ascended to the throne, he refused, as John stated "thro Scruple of Conscience", to swear allegiance to the new monarchs.  Seven years later he would be reinstated by the Crown but he never took the oath.  He may have died by this time or he may have retired from politics.  We do not know the exact date of his death. (9)

So while John and his descendants were prospering in Gloucester County, Anthony and his descendants were prospering in Elizabeth City County.  I listed Anthony and Hannah's children in my last post but to recap, they had: William, Robert, Hannah, Judith, and Anthony. Their eldest son, Major William Armistead (1667-1716), continued the Armisteads influence in the government of the colony.  He served as Sheriff of Elizabeth City, 1695, Justice from 1692 to 1715, Burgess, 1692-93, 1700-1705, 1710-1713 and was a Major in the militia.

Major William Armistead married first, Hannah Hinde, and second Rebecca Moss.  With Hannah it is believed he had Anthony Armistead (1691-1738), John Armistead (1692-1734), William Armistead (1694-1727), Hinde Armistead (1696-1722), and with Rebecca he had Moss, Robert, Edward, Hannah, Dunn, and Judith.  I've included a chart with the family information below.

Individual Report for Major William Armistead. Printed from Family Tree Maker.

As the 17th Century was coming to a close there were big changes taking place in the Virginia Colony.  After Bacon torched the capital city of Jamestown in 1676, the city struggled to recover. Many structures were not rebuilt. Meanwhile, a few miles up the road at what started out as a militia defense outpost, a settlement was growing.  This outpost was called Middle Plantation and that would become the settlement name.  Significantly, this was the home of Bruton Parish Church and, beginning in 1690, the home of Reverend James Blair.  Blair was appointed commissary for the colony by the Bishop of London.  The Bishop wanted the commissary to eliminate abuses by the clergy, such as drinking on the job, not holding services, etc.  He also wanted a Seminary in the colony to train new ministers.  Rev. Blair set about carrying out his duties.  Because he did not like Jamestown, he located as much power and authority in middle Plantation as possible. (10)

Photograph of the front of the Wren Building at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA, taken by Moody Meixner Oct 9, 2011.

In 1693 Rev. Blair secured a charter for a college in Middle Plantation.  He named the college William and Mary in honor of the current monarchs, William III and Mary II.  The College of William and Mary became only the second college to be founded in the colonies, Harvard was the first.  To quote from the College's website:  "William & Mary has been called 'the Alma Mater of a Nation' because of it's close ties to American founding fathers.  A 17-year old George Washington received his surveyor's license through the college and would return as its first American chancellor. Thomas Jefferson received his graduate education here, as did presidents John Tyler, and James Monroe." (11)

An oil painting of Rev. James Blair, founder of the College of William and Mary.

Author:  Attributed to Charles Bridges (1690–1747)    
Date.: 1735–1743
Source/Photographer:  Original is owned by the College of William and Mary and hangs in the Great Hall of the Wren Building. Image uploaded from Encyclopedia Virginia: link
Licensing:  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 plus 100 years or less. This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights. The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain".This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain. In other jurisdictions, re-use of this content may be restricted; see Reuse of PD-Art photographs for details.

The website continued "The college is famous for it's firsts:  the first U.S. institution with a Royal Charter, the first Greek-letter society (Phi Beta Kappa formed in 1776), the first student honor code, the first college to become a university, and the first law school in America."  As the site also stated: "Not many colleges can say they've cancelled classes because 'the British invaded'". (12)    

By 1698 Middle Plantation had grown into an established settlement.  Back in Jamestown the statehouse burned for the 4th time and support grew stronger to move the capital from Jamestown. The Assembly finally decided to move the Capital to Middle Plantation and the settlement's name was changed to Williamsburg.

Williamsburg's Governors Palace

This is an image of a place or building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States of America. Its reference number is 66000925 More images.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Backpalace.jpg.  Uploaded to en: by Agriculture on February 20, 2005 and licensed under GFDL; croppe by Beyond My Ken (talk) 01:44, 4 June 2011 (UTC)

Old Capitol Building, Williamsburg. 

Note the incorrect flag, the red saltire wasn't added to the Union Jack until 1801, i.e. after the USA achieved independence from the United Kingdom. This is an image of a place or building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States of America. Its reference number is 66000925 More images.
Date:  7 December 2007
Source:  Taken by Tijuana Brass; Transferred from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here.
Author: Original uploader was Tijuana Brass at en.wikipedia
Permission(Reusing this file)  This work is in the public domain in that it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1977 and without a copyright notice. Unless its author has been dead for several years, it is copyrighted in jurisdictions that do not apply therule of the shorter term for US works, such as Canada (50 p.m.a.), Mainland China (50 p.m.a., not Hong Kong or Macao), Germany (70 p.m.a.), Mexico (100 p.m.a.), Switzerland (70 p.m.a.), and other countries with individual treaties. See this page for further explanation.

So in 1699 the colony had a new Capital.  It took a few years to get the town laid out as they wanted, to get the proper infrastructure (roads), and to build the necessary buildings (like a new statehouse), but Williamsburg grew and prospered. Jamestown, meanwhile, continued to decline.

Just as the 18th Century would bring new directions for Virginia, the new century would also bring new directions for some of the Armistead family as well. I'll discuss that in my next post.

References:

(1)  http://web.viu.ca/davies/h320/population.colonies.htm   
(2)  http://bcw-project.org/timelines/the-second-civil-war
(3)  http://www.fm.coe.uh.edu/timeline/1600s.html
(4)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon's_Rebellion and http://www.nps.gov/jame/historyculture/bacons-rebellion.htm
(5)  http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon50.html
(6)  http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon51.html
(7)  Ibid.
(8)  Ibid.
(9)  http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Armistead_John_fl_1650s-1690s
(10)  Morgan, Timothy E., Williamsburg, A City That History Made, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina, 2004, pg 26-27.
(11)  http://www.wm.edu/about/history/index.php
(12)  http://www.wm.edu/about/history/index.php




    

Armistead Family History #6 - A New Home in Virginia Colony

                                              Settling in Elizabeth City County

In 1636 the Virginia Colony had a population of about 5,000.  By 1640 Virginia Colony had over 10,000 people, Plymouth and Massachusetts had just under 10,000 people, and the population of all of the colonies together was only 26,634, so as you can see, most of the population was centered in two colonies. By 1650 the population of Virginia was only 18,700 and still concentrated around the James River, with just a small area in Gloucester County just north of the York River. (1)  I put together a crude map below to give you an idea of the concentration of the population in 1650.

The area shaded in blue is obviously water located in the James and York Rivers, Chesapeake Bay, and Mobjack Bay.  The red shading shows where the population was located in 1650.  The dates indicate when the town or county was formed.  Map drawn by Moody Meixner using information from a map published by Houghton Mifflin Company.  

Back in England, King Charles I was on the throne but in the Virginia Colony William and Anne were settling into their new life.  Colonial records show William Armistead receiving a grant for headrights to 450 acres in Elizabeth City County on 7 July 1636. The said land "lying SE upon land of Mr. Southell, N.E. upon land of John Branch, E. upon the Cr. & W. into the woods.  Trans. of  9 pers:  Ann his wife, Rowland Owen, Rich Clements, Robt. Glenister, Yorath Dane, Rich. Banks, Robt. Kendall, Andr. Strecher, Gilbert Guy." This means William paid for 9 people to be transported to the Colony and was rewarded with 450 acres.  On 16 May 1638 he purchased another 300 acres in the same area when he completed a transaction with Richard Popeley.  (2)

Over the next two decades William would enter into several more transactions that we can find in existing records.  It is likely there may have been others that we no longer have records to.  He expanded his operations northward into Gloucester County along the Eastermost River and near Mobjack Bay when he transported 24 people and received 1213 acres.  At the same time another 600 acre transaction is recorded in the same area for transporting 12 people. (3)

William and his sons were among the earliest of the English settlers that opened up this land for farming and settlement by others from Europe.  He was truly one of the early pioneers.

Colonist building a house.  
Goodrich (1), S. G. A Pictorial History of the United States. Philadelphia: E. H. Butler and Company, 1883. http://ushistoryimages.com/sources.shtm 

Of course during this time William and Anne were also busy having and raising a family. I have not been able to find any surviving records for the exact dates of birth for their children, nor do I know if there were additional children that were born that died early.  I have only found four children that survived to adulthood. A possible birth date for the eldest of their children, William, is about 1634-1636. William was the oldest and there is a case to be made he was born in England, but there is no record for it.  The next child we know of is John, who I have estimated was born ca. 1638-1640. Anthony is the next child we know of and I place an estimated birth of around 1642-45 for him.  The last child is Francis, and I have placed a date of birth for her as ca. 1647-48.  If someone out there has documented dates or a reason for better estimates please let me know.

At the time of William and Anne's arrival in Virginia Colony, the governor was Sir John Harvey. He was appointed by the king in 1628 and served to 1639.  Because he remained mostly in England, there were acting governors in Virginia:  John Pott (1629-30), The Honorable John West (1635-1636), and Col. George Reade (1638-1639).  Sir Francis Wyatt was appointed for the years 1639-1642. (4)

Probably the most important or most significant appointment of governor came in 1642, with the appointment of Sir William Berkeley.  Berkeley was born into a landed gentry family in England in 1605.  Though his father died when he was only 12, Berkeley inherited land and was able to secure a proper education.  Between the status of his family and his education he was able to gain a place in the household of King Charles I in 1632.  This facilitated his entry into "The Wits", a court literary circle.  He flourished there, writing several plays.  He would then gain a knighthood for fighting in the First and Second Bishops' Wars (1639-40). (5)

Portrait of Sir William Berkeley, Governor of Virginia. Image ca. 1917 of a painting at Library of Virginia, after an original painting circa 1663.
Painter Hariott L.T. Montague after Sir Peter Lely - Page 146 of Mary Newton Stanard (1865-1929), Colonial Virginia, its People and Customs. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1917. From digital scan athttp://archive.org/details/colonialvirginia00stan
License details:  This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923. Public domain works must be out of copyright in both the United States and in the source country of the work in order to be hosted on the Commons. If the work is not a U.S. work, the file must have an additional copyright tag indicating the copyright status in the source country.

In 1641 Berkeley was appointed to replace Sir Francis Wyatt as Governor of Virginia.  He proved to be a very capable governor.  He worked for a prosperous Virginia in four ways: "a diverse economy; free trade; a close knit colonial society; and autonomy from London." (6)  He used his own farm to experiment with many different crops to try and point the way to more diversity in the crops that were planted. This effort was not particularly successful but another initiative was.  In presiding over the General Assembly he asserted his position to push for more autonomy from England, allowing the Burgesses to share his powers in running the government.  The Assembly was, in effect a "miniature Parliament", assuming strong local rule. In addition he enacted friendly policies toward the Native Americans.  As we will see, this last action would prove to create a major crisis for him later on.  Because of this and other actions, Berkeley's positive influence was felt in Virginia for a long time.  He was looked on as a very successful governor until Bacon's Rebellion broke out in 1676, during his second stay in office.  I'll have more to say about Bacon's Rebellion later. (7)

Berkeley's first turn at governor came to an end in 1652.  When civil war broke out in England between the king and parliament, Berkeley supported the king.  Even after Charles I was beheaded in 1649 he continued to support the Stuarts.  He pulled this juggling act off until parliament sent troops to the colony in 1652 and he was forced to resign.  Parliament allowed him to keep his land in Virginia, and his head, I might add. (8)

Oliver Cromwell    
Painting: Samuel Cooper (died 1672) - National Portrait Gallery, London: NPG 514 
Oliver Cromwell, by Samuel Cooper (died 1672). See source website for additional information. This set of images was gathered by User: Dcoetzee from the National Portrait Gallery, London website using a special tool. All images in this batch have been confirmed as author died before 1939 according to the official death date listed by the NPG.

Oliver Cromwell was born in 1599 in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England.  He was born into a minor gentry family, he attended Cambridge University, and was elected to parliament 1628-1629.
He was elected again in 1640 and was in parliament when Civil War broke out between parliament and Charles I in 1642.  Cromwell had no military experience, but never-the-less he formed a force of Calvary, known as "Ironsides", and in a few years rose to the rank of lieutenant-general.  He was victorious in numerous battles against the king's forces and convinced the parliament to establish a professional army.  He would eventually be a driving force behind bringing Charles I to trial and bringing about his hanging. (9)

Title:  Portrait of King Charles I in his robes of state
Artist:  After Sir Anthony van Dyck
Description:  Studio version of much copied original in the Royal Collection, Windsor Castle
Date:  1636
Medium:  oil
Current location:  Royal Collection    
Object history:  Earl of Sheffield; Listed for sale at London, Christie's, 25 November 1911, lot 117 (unsold); Sold at Parkenthorpe, London, 1912; Sold to Mrs. Whitelaw Reid at New York, Anderson Galleries, 15 May 1935, lots 1195-96; Acquired by Mrs. Elinor Dorrance Hill, Newport, Rhode Island, who gave it to the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum, Hartford, Connecticut; Sold to anonymous buyer at New York, Christie's, 25 May 1999, lot 81 (as Workshop of van Dyck); Sold at New York, Sotheby's, 26 January 2012 for $86,500
References:  http://wallacelive.wallacecollection.org:8080/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=collection&objectId=65046
Source/Photographer:  http://www.she-philosopher.com/gallery/lely.html (original upload); http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/important-old-master-paintings-n08825/lot.197.html (higher resolution upload)

For the next few years Cromwell continued to have battles to win, which he did, and he continued to grow in strength politically, until he was strong enough to proclaim himself Lord Protector.  "In 1657 he refused the offer of the crown. At home Lord Protector Cromwell reorganized the national church, established Puritanism, readmitted Jews into Britain, and presided over a certain degree of religious tolerance.  Abroad, he ended the war with Portugal (1653) and Holland (1654) and allied with France against Spain, defeating the Spanish at the Battle of the Dunes (1658).  Cromwell died on Sep. 3, 1658 in London." (10)  That sounds like a very successful time as Lord Protector.  In addition, and probably most important, he would forever set the direction of parliament having control of the crown.  Parliament passed a number of laws to assure it's power in the future.  (However, the English never seem to be satisfied, because only three years after the crown was restored in 1660, Cromwell's body was dug up and hung, drawn and quartered.  Hmmm, not even sure what to say about that.)

Upon Cromwell's death in 1658, his son, Richard, became his successor, but was only lord protector for about 9 months before abdicating.  He fled to Paris but would later return to England under an assumed name, where he lived until his death in 1712. (11)

Well, so much for a Protectorate, let's bring back the royal kings and queens!  In May 1660, Charles II was made the King of England.  Charles was the second son of Charles I and Henrietta of France. Remember, just a few years ago they hung his dad but now they are bringing in the son as king and digging up poor old dead Oliver to hang.

Charles was born in 1630 and spent his teenage years fighting Parliament's forces.  When his dad was executed, he escaped to France and spent the next 8 years roaming around Europe.  He would marry Catherine of Braganza, but would have no "legitimate" children.  In 1660, after Richard Cromwell's abdication, Charles was invited back to England to become King Charles II. (12)

King Charles II by John Michael Wright or studio- National Portrait Gallery, London: NPG 531 
See source website for additional information. This set of images was gathered by User: Dcoetzee from the National Portrait Gallery, London website using a special tool. All images in this batch have a known author, but have manually examined for strong evidence that the author was dead before 1939, such as approximate death dates, birth dates, floruit dates, and publication dates.

So, as I mentioned before, although England had a king again, it's destiny was forever changed. Going forward there would be no royal prerogative and Parliament would have the superior role over the crown.  Political parties emerged in the Whigs and Tories. Charles' reign lasted for 25 years but was not a great reign.  Besides Charles' ineffectiveness as king, the country suffered two great tragedies.  In 1665 the Great Plague of London caused 100,000 deaths in one year and just one year later the Great Fire of London destroyed 13,200 houses and 81 churches. (13)  On the bright side during his reign, "British chemist Robert Boyle defines the inverse relationship between pressure and volume in any gas", (This would become known as Boyle's Law.) and in 1672 "Isaac Newton's experiments with the prism demonstrate the link between wavelength and color in light." (14)

"Charles' era is remembered as the time of 'Merry Olde England'.  The monarchy, although limited in scope, was successfully restored - the eleven years of Commonwealth were officially ignored as nothing more than an interregnum between the reign of Charles I and Charles II." (15)  Charles died in 1685 from a stroke.

With the Restoration of the king in 1660, Sir William Berkeley's fortunes brightened.  In that year he was appointed as governor of Virginia Colony again.  This time around Berkley's term as governor would not work out as well as the first.  

By the year 1660 many things had changed in the Armistead household.  I have not found any direct death records, but I believe both William and Anne, as well as their son William, were all dead by 1660.  In "York County Virginia Records, 1659-1662" I found the following reference: "I, John Armstead, as heir and one of the executors of Mr. William Armstead, dec'd, assignee of Mr. Mathew Bassett, impower Thomas Penrynn to implead and present John Insworth at county court and proceed agst him.  Last of Aug. 1660, Jno. Armstead,  Wit:  Walter Blake, Edward Goodall"  (All spelling as in original text.) (16)  John would have to be the only one still living to be heir because he was second oldest son behind William, Jr.  So at this time, only John, Anthony and Francis are still living.

Printed from Family Tree Maker charts for William Armistead.

As I have mentioned, William, Sr. was a large land owner, having operations in Elizabeth City County, York County, and Gloucester County.  It appears that as soon as John was old enough to handle the operation in Gloucester, William, Sr. sent him to manage that property.  In about 1665 John married Judith Robinson in Gloucester and became a very successful plantation owner in his own right.  They had four children, Judith, Elizabeth, Henry, and William.  Descendants of John would play very important roles in the history of the U.S.  I hope to spend some time later on this branch.  I have covered some of them in other posts that you may recall.

William and Anne's only surviving daughter, Frances, married three times, outliving her first two husbands, Rev. Justinian Aylmer, and Lt. Col. Anthony Elliott.  She then married Capt. Christopher Wormeley.  I am uncertain how many children she had, possibly two or four.  Frances died 25 May 1685.

Anthony Armistead, (1645-1726) the third son of William and Anne, stayed in Elizabeth City County.  By now you have noticed that I have put some of the names in bold type and underlined them.  If you haven't noticed you really weren't paying attention or have a big problem with your eyes. The reason for doing this is to try to help you with who my direct line ancestors are.  I think it will help keep things straight as I move down to each generation.  I have determined from my research that Anthony is the next in line of my ancestors. There are certainly disagreements out there about the Armistead's tree, in fact I have changed my tree a couple times, but I will proceed with giving my direct line as I see it at this point, because I believe it to be the most logical based on records I have read.  Anthony married Hannah Ellyson  (1648-1728) in about 1666.  Anthony is listed in the records mostly as Captain Anthony Armistead so I will use that as well.  They had five children: William (1667-1716) (who was a Major), Anthony (1668-1728) (who was a Lt. Col.), Robert (1674-1742), Hannah (1679-1748), and Judith (1680-1750). (17)  Some dates are estimates and some are accurate, being based on wills, newspapers, etc.

Printed from Family Tree Maker charts for Captain Anthony Armistead.

Captain Anthony Armistead and his elder brother John Armistead (referred to in records as "The Councilor") assumed important roles in the early Virginia Colony.  John Armistead, The Councilor, was high Sheriff of Gloucester County and also served in the Assembly in 1680-82, 1685-1686, and in 1688 was named to the Council of State. Captain Anthony was Captain of horse in the militia, served as Justice of the Peace, and was Sheriff in Elizabeth City County. He was elected to the Assembly as a Burgess in sessions, 1676-77, 1680-82, 1683-84, 1693, 1695-96, 1696-97, 1698, 1699, and 1703. He was on the "committee in 1700 that reported a revision of the laws that was approved by the general assembly in 1705." (18) (19)  Having been elected or appointed to these positions, tells us he was a large land owner and a man of exceptional influence in his county and the colony.

Being in the Assembly in 1676-1677 turned out to be an historical two years for Captain Armistead.   

Next time I will write about the Armisteads and Bacon's Rebellion in the years 1676-1677, the Virginia Colony, and England in the last part of the 17th Century.

References:

(1)  http://web.viu.ca/davies/h320/population.colonies.htm 
(2)  Nugent, Mell Marion, Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623–1800, Vol One, Press of the Dietz Printing Co., Richmond, VA., 1934, pg. 45, Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, http://www.archive.org/details/cavalierspioneer00nuge,
(3)  Ibid., pg. 218.
(4)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Virginia
(5)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Berkeley_(governor)
(6)  Ibid.
(7)  Ibid.
(8)  Ibid.
(9)  http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/cromwell_oliver.shtml
(10)  Ibid.
(11)  Ibid.
(12)  http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon49.html
(13)  Ibid.
(14)  Ibid.
(15)  Ibid.
(16)  Weisiger, III, Benjamin B.,  York County Virginia Records, 1659-1662, Iberian Publishing Co., Athens, Georgia, 1989.
(17)  Genealogies of Virginia Families, From the William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol I, Adams-Clopton, Indexed by Carol Lee Ford, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. , 1982, pg. 121.
(18)  Ibid. pg., 120-121.
(19)  Tyler, Lyon G., M.A.LL.D., History of Hampton and Elizabeth City Virginia, The Board of Supervisors of Elizabeth City County, Hampton, Virginia, 1922, pg. 27-28, 38.