John Douglas
(5/13/1651 - ca. 1712)
Saint Margaret's Church
Westminster, London, England
John Douglas was born on May 13, 1651, in Saint Margaret, Westminster, London, England, to James Douglas (9/13/1620 - 11/1/1669) and Welzebertus Brown (b. circa 1620). John's early life proved difficult as his youth was spent during the lengthy English Civil War which would finally end with the return of Charles II as the King of England. Life during this period was especially difficult due to a host of socioeconomic factors including intermittent episodes of bubonic plague which devastated the working population and created understandable panic among the citizenry. In fact, John would narrowly escape the last major outbreak of the plague (occurring in 1665) wherein researchers such as James Leasor estimate that between 30% and 50% of the greater London area population perished.
By the mid-late 1600s, England's Virginia Colony was thriving with many successful plantations in dire need of a reliable source of labor. Many British citizens with few opportunities available in the country of their birth saw a brighter future in the colonies, and answered the call of the Virginia planters.
As passage to Virginia was quite expensive, many young men and women entered into an indenture agreement in order to finance transport. Such agreements varied, but a standard arrangement included labor for a period of 4 years in exchange for transport to the Virginia Colony. Minors in indentured contracts might remain in this arrangement until the age of 21 or longer. It has been estimated that as many as 75% of immigrants to the New World arrived under some form of indenture.
Researchers are not presently certain as to whether John Douglas entered into an arrangement of this nature, but it is known that his transport to Virginia was secured and financed by Thomas Calloway circa 1660. John would have been approximately 9 years old when he made the Atlantic crossing. In all likelihood, John had been encouraged by his father to leave England as the family had suffered significant personal losses -- John's father, James, would die shortly after John's voyage to America at the very young age of 49. As John was so young, he was likely entrusted into the care of another passenger to America.
In addition to John, Thomas Calloway also provided for the transport of Thomas Charleston, John Braine, Rebecca Hawthorn, and Thomas Griffin of Saint Margaret, Westminster, London, England. Thomas Calloway's family was from this area and was well-known to the people of that district. Also transported by Calloway were Thomas Radcliffe and Susanna Langworth of Saint James, Clerkenwell, London, England.
An interesting aside to this story is a lawsuit filed by the aforementioned Susanna Langworth against Thomas Calloway dated July 3, 1660. In the suit, Susanna accused Mr. Calloway of sexual assault, but later recanted the charge, stating that it was a scheme hatched by her lover, Nicholas Marselles, for personal gain. Susanna was sentenced to 20 lashes for the offense, and consequently, transferred to the colonies by Mr. Calloway.
Typical Indenture Certificate
Early American Colonies
It is likely that John, even at such a tender age, was employed at one of the many plantations then operating in the Charles City County, Virginia, area. To date, John's whereabouts immediately following his arrival in Virginia remain unknown. However, as a minor, John would have likely been attached to a local plantation until at least the age of 21.
While researchers remain uncertain regarding the particular plantation(s) John worked in his youth, researchers strongly believe that he may have been affiliated with two key estates. The first, and most obvious, would have been the plantation of Thomas Calloway, who provided passage for John from England. Mr. Calloway was a prominent planter in the Virginia colony, and owned a sizable estate exceeding 700 acres of land north of the James River.
Manor House
Four Mile Tree Plantation
Researchers also believe that at some point, John may have worked at Four Mile Tree, the estate of Colonel Henry Brown. Four Mile Tree was patented to Colonel Brown on December 13, 1634, and consisted of more than 2000 acres of land south of the James River lying approximately four miles from the original Jamestown settlement. In fact, Four Mile Tree served the purpose of a key lookout post providing early warning of potential threats to settlers at the Jamestown Colony.
The reason researchers believe that John may have been affiliated with Four Mile Tree is that Colonel Brown, like John, was born in Westminster, London, England -- as was John's mother, Welzebertus Brown, who was related to Colonel Brown. As will be noted in the biography of John's son, William Douglas, Sr., the Brown family was closely aligned with the Douglases for several generations.
John appears again in the historical record on October 5, 1691, in a Charles City County,
Virginia, court document composed in the town of Westover. The document, which is unspecific regarding the reason for John's appearance in court, notes that he was accompanied by an Uchee (Yuchi) Indian girl named Mary who was "adjudged 6 years old." Mary was likely indentured to John, although the specific period of indenture is not defined on the court document. As previously noted, indentures of minors could persist into adulthood, and indentures of young females were often for the purpose of fulfilling domestic duties. While this document does not provide a reason for this particular visit to the county courthouse, it was likely for the purpose of legally registering Mary's indenture to John, or perhaps for the transfer of indenture either from or to another individual.
John next appears on a land transaction record dated January 7, 1692, between Henry Batte and James Thweatt of Bristol Parish, Charles City County. The document was witnessed by John, Joseph Mattock (probably Maddox), and John Peterson. Notably, each of the aforementioned surnames (with the exception of Mattock) may be seen in the Brunswick County, Virginia, area during the early 1700s. John's family would also appear in this area during the same period. Additionally, members of the Batte, Thweatt, and Douglas families appear in the same baptismal/marriage record book from St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, London, England.
John would soon enter into a business arrangement with Ralph Jackson and Joseph Maddox wherein the three would pool financial resources to pay for the passage of immigrants from England in exchange for a grant of land. It was agreed that any land received as a result of this transaction would be divided as follows: To Jackson, 284 acres; to Maddox, 200 acres in the middle; and to John, the southernmost 300 acres (February 10, 1692). This division suggests the financial contributions of each individual. On April 29, 1692, Jackson, Maddox, and John transported 16 individuals from England to Virginia. They would receive 784 acres of land near Monk's Neck Creek for this service.
By 1693, John had established himself as a cattle rancher, a profession that the Douglas family would continue to engage in well into the 19th century. On April 13, 1693, John officially recorded his livestock earmarks as follows: "A swallow fork in the right ear...an under coil in the left." John's land holdings would eventually be cut into Prince George County, Virginia, with the formation of this county.
On March 23, 1695, John and Edward Burchett jointly purchased properties held by Henry King. The lengthy document of sale is summarized as follows: Know all men…that I, Henry King, for and in consideration of five shillings…received of Edward
Early Map of Virginia and
Surrounding Colonial Territories
Burchett and John Douglas…I hereby…sell said Edward, John, and their heirs the planation I now live on containing three hundred acres of Land or thereabouts…in Bristol Parrish…also one other planation containing two hundred acres or thereabouts lying and being upon or near the head of Baylyes Run…to be equally divided between them.
John was next mentioned in a document dated April 3, 1696. As part of the estates sold to John and Edward Burchett in 1695, Henry King acknowledged the following schedule of other goods included in the transaction: Seven cows with a calf or calves by their sides, three steers of about two years old each, fifteen breeding sows, two young mares, one horse by the name of “Button,” thirty pounds of new pewter, ten new plates, one seven-foot table, one form, one great chest, two small chests, one fourteen gallon brass kettle, one brass six gallon kettle, one kettle more of four gallons, two iron pots of four and eight gallons, one new pewter salt, one hundred and thirty pounds of new feathers, two new cut saws, and one set of carpenter’s tools.
The aforementioned transactions formed the basis of a court hearing (see below) wherein the Burchett family failed to compensate John's orphans upon his death. A close friend of John's, William Mattox, took on the responsibility of ensuring that John's orphans would receive proper compensation.
John next witnessed the 1697/98 will of John Perry in Bristol Parish. It is noteworthy that a relative of John Perry's, Nathaniel Perry, would later work on a road clearing project with John's son, William Douglas, Sr. John Douglas' friends, Henry and William Batte, as well as Joseph Mattox also signed the document. The Batte and Mattox families had been closely aligned with John for many years.
Prior to the advent of the property tax system, the quit rent system was in place whereby the British government would levy payments from property owners based upon acreage and/or other factors. Landowners were placed on a "Quit Rent List," and documented by colonial authorities. John appeared on the 1704 Prince George County, Virginia, Quit Rent List with holdings of 300 acres of land.
Researchers believe that John likely died circa 1712 in Bristol Parish, Prince George County, Virginia, based on two key documents. The first, dated October 8, 1714, notes that William Mays and Mary, his wife, of Bristol Parish, Prince George County, engaged in a land transaction with Samuel Birch for 180 acres of land. This parcel was situated on Arthur's Swamp near Monk's Neck Creek. The document states that the property is next to that of John Douglas, deceased, and that of Ralph Jackson, deceased. John and Ralph Jackson were close friends and business partners (see above).
A Prince George County, Virginia, court hearing occurring on October 9, 1716, names William Mattox and Robert Burchet. The hearing considered a petition by Mattox demonstrating "that he was surety for Robert Burchet, late of this county, for payment of estate belonging to the orphans of John Douglas, deceased, for 60 pounds as a bond, 21 March, 1712/13."
The document further states that "there remains in the hands of said Robert unpaid to orphans 35 pounds." Furthermore, "George Woodleife and William Wallace offer themselves as security for William Mattox for payment to orphans of John Douglas, deceased." To the great disappointment of Douglas family researchers, John's orphans were unnamed in this document.
In consideration of the available evidence, researchers have concluded that John Douglas and his wife (NU) had the following issue:
Colonial Virginia
Pound Note
a) William Douglas, Sr. (ca. 1692 - 1766)
b) John Douglas (ca. 1693 - 1751)
c) David Douglas (ca. 1694 - 1753)
d) James Douglas (ca. 1695 - 1752)
Each of these men were present in Brunswick County, Virginia, simultaneously, and migrated into three contiguous North Carolina counties during the same period: Edgecombe (from which Halifax County was created), Northampton, and Bertie Counties, North Carolina. Additionally, there is a direct connection between John Douglas and the descendants noted above through the Burchett family. At John's death, his children were placed in the custody of Robert Burchett. Interestingly, William Douglas, Sr.'s (see above) son, Robert, made two trips (a distance of 55 miles one-way) to Bristol Parish, Prince George County, Virginia, over a 3-day period to serve as a witness in a court case on behalf of Edward Burchett, a son or nephew of Robert Burchett. This clearly links the Douglas families of Virginia and North Carolina.
Map Indicating Land Surrounding Monk's Neck Creek
John Douglas' Holdings Were Located in Prince George County
Additional evidence linking John Douglas to the Douglas family of North Carolina include close ties to other families close to John known to have migrated with the Douglases out of Prince George County, Virginia, into the Halifax County area of North Carolina. Two clear examples are the Monk and Reeves families. John Douglas' land in Prince George County, Virginia, abutted Monk's Neck Creek, which was named after the Monk family. The Monks would not only migrate with the Douglases from Prince George County, Virginia, into Halifax County, North Carolina, but also into Georgia, as well.
Similarly, the Reeves family remained very close to this Douglas line from Virginia to Georgia, including at least one intermarriage. Robert Douglas, Sr., for example, married Olive Reeves, daughter of William Reeves, Sr. John Douglas' son, James, owned land adjacent to William Reeves in Brunswick County, Virginia, and William Douglas, Sr., owned land adjacent to Thomas Reeves in Brunswick County, Virginia. Each of these families would eventually migrate into the Halifax County area of North Carolina, and then to Georgia.
While researchers remain uncertain as to the exact location of John's place of burial, it is likely that he rests in a now unmarked grave in present-day Dinwiddie County (formerly part of Prince George County), Virginia.