Northampton VA Land Patent of John Rosyer Dated 10 Jul 1646
On 10 Jul 1646, John Rosyer Patented 200 acres of land in Northampton County, VA.
My full transcription of this Patent appears below:
"To all etc. Whereas etc. Now Know yee that I the Said Si Wm Berkeley Lut. Governer doe with the Advice and Consent of the Councill of State Accordingly give and grant unto in etc. John Rosyer Two hundred Acres of Land Situate lying & being in the County of Northampton Neare kings Creek bounded on the North by part of an Antient Grant made to Capt Epps, on the west by the Maine Bay, on the South by the Land formerly Matthew Pells and finally Extending Easterly into the Woods the Said two hundred Acres of Land being due unto him the Said John Rosier as followeth (viz) one hundred acres thereof being formerly granted by Patent unto William Andrews bearing Date the fourteenth of March 1628 and by him sold unto Ellias Taylor as by Deed under his hand and Seale Dated the 6th of July 1640 appeareth and purchased by the Said Rosyer of Ann Taylor ye relich and Administrex of the Said Ellias as by Deed under her hand appeareth, Dated the ?th Day of July 1641 and fifty Acres more purchased by the Said Ellias Taylor of Capt William Stone the Lawful Attorney of Capt William Epps Esqre, as by Deed under his hand appeareth Dated the third of July 1640 and COnveyed by the relict of the Said Taylor unto the Said Rosyer and fifty Acres the residue thereof by and for the Transportation of one person into the Collony Whose Name is in the record mentioned under this Patent, To have and to hold etc. to be held etc. Yielding and paying etc. Dated the 10th of July 1646.
* * *
You are encouraged to review and inspect the IMAGE of the original recorded Patent and your comments and corrections to my transcription are solicited and appreciated.
To view the image of the original patent at the Virginia State Library's web site:
http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/002-1/002_0102.tifhttp://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/002-1/002_0102.tif
and
http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/002-1/002_0103.tifhttp://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/002-1/002_0103.tif
* * *
NOTE: No name of a person transported is expressly given. The immediate subsequent Patent of Record is a Patent to Thomas Davis for 300 acres of land in Nansemond County (now Suffolk County) dated 10 Aug 1644. One clue that the 50 acres due John Rosyer MIGHT be for the transportation of Thomas Davis is the fact that Davis' Patent is recorded somewhat out of sequence. That is John Rosyer's Patent is dated 10 Jul 1646, the Thomas Davis Patent is dated 10 Aug 1644 and the next Patent, also to Thomas Davis for 200 acres in Isle of Wight County, is dated 12 Nov 1646.
The images of the Thomas Davis Patents are here:
http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/002-1/002_0103.tifhttp://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/002-1/002_0103.tif
http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/002-1/002_0104.tifhttp://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/002-1/002_0104.tif
* * *
This patent is identified generally in the vicinty of Kings Creek, which would place it near this location, just above the town of Cape Charles:
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=12&T=2&X=514&Y=5158&Z=18&W=2http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=12&T=2&X=514&Y=5158&Z=18&W=2
* * *
It is noteworthy that Capt. William Eppes (b 7 Mar 1595 -Ashford, Kent, England; d bef 13 Jan 1641) was likely the brother-in-law of Capt. William ROPER (d ca 1649 - Accomack, VA), a very early settler of Accomack County near the Kings Creek location of this Patent. There is a William ROPER, son of Christopher ROPER, 2nd Baron Teynham. This William ROPER was believed to be born ca 1590 in Ashford, Kent County, England. ANd this WIlliam ROPER of Kent County, England married a Mary Epes (b 18 Nov 1599; d 10 Aug 1625), who was the SISTER of the three Eppes brothers who emmigrated to America. Capt. William Eppes was originally placed in charge of the defense of Accomack and built a fort there. Later, Capt William ROPER appeared on the scene at the same location and was a Commissioner and Burgess for Accomack. Capt. ROPER was also placed in charge of the defense of a certain area of Accomack. These is therefore VERY STRONG circumstantial evidence that Capt. William ROPER, of Accomack, was the SAME WIlliam ROPER who had previously married Mary Eppes.
Capt. William STONE (b 1603 - Debyshire, England; d 12 Dec 1659 - MD) was ALSO definitively a brother-in-law of Capt. William ROPER. Capt. Stone, later GOVERNOR William Stone of Maryland, married Verlinda GRAVES (b ca 1618-22 - Accomack County, Virginia; d 13 Jul 1675 - Charles Co, VA). Capt. William ROPER married Verlinda's sister Katherine GRAVES (b ca. 1622 - Accomack County, Virginia).
Elias TAYLOR (b ca 161; d bef 22 Feb 1641 Accomack Co., VA) was believed to be married to Anna Pistoll. Elias Taylor Patented land in Accomack on 10 July 1640. That Patent is located here:
http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/001/001_0704.tifhttp://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/001/001_0704.tif
The LOCATION identified in the original Elias Taylor Patent mentions "Naswatocks Creeke", which we might surmise is Nassawadox Creek:
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=12&T=2&X=521&Y=5184&Z=18&W=2http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=12&T=2&X=521&Y=5184&Z=18&W=2
This is considerably to the North of Kings Creek, but is about where we would EXPECT to find the John Rosyer land, above Hungars Creek and near Church Creek:
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=14&T=2&X=130&Y=1294&Z=18&W=2http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=14&T=2&X=130&Y=1294&Z=18&W=2
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=13&T=2&X=260&Y=2591&Z=18&W=2http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=13&T=2&X=260&Y=2591&Z=18&W=2
* * *
But the Rosyer Patent of 1646 mentions that Elias Taylor came by some of the land sold to Rosyer by purchase from William Andrews. The Andrews Patent dated 14 Mar 1628, is here:
http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/001/001_0073.tifhttp://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/001/001_0073.tif
Other than the references to Capt. William Eppes land, this is a bit more ambiguous as to actual location, though the "pursimmond ponds" are mentioned.
I also found a Patent to William Andrews dated 20 June 1635, which is generally described as 200 "acres on the Northward side of the mouth of a creeks called Hungers Creeke", which is the same vicinity of the later Elias Taylor Patent cited above. William Andrews Patent is here:
http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/001/001_0184.tifhttp://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-1/001/001_0184.tif
The same day 20 June 1635, William Andrews also Patented land along Plantation Creek near Capt. William ROPER.
* * *
Careful inspection of the image of the recorded Rosyer Patent of 1646 reveals that in EACH instance the fourth character of the name Rosyer was subject to some alteration or change. In a couple of instances, it looks like "Roseer" was changed to "Rosyer". In one instance it looks like "Rosier" was changed to "Rosyer". None of the instances gave an appearance that the name ever contained a "p". But it is also important to bear in mind that the copy of the Patent in the record was no doubt copied from an original and that original may have had an ambiguous spelling that was mistranscribed.
* * *
The nature of the relationship between Capt. Eppes, Capt. Stone and Capt. William ROPER, raises some interesting suspicions about the actual identity of the individual identified in the Patents as John Rosyer. Was this Rosyer/Rosier actually a ROPER??