Wentopock Creek

Richard Womack the Adventurer
Old Richard Womack
Richard Womack Georgian 1710-1785

The name Wentopock, which evolved to Winterpock, was thought to be derived from the Indian word "Win-to-poak-ke."

History of this Area

Soon after the founding of Jamestown in 1607, the Virginia Company became interested in making other settlements on the James River. 50 miles upriver, the Appamattuck Indians, part of the Powhatan confederacy, had a village at Swift Creek, and another at Bermuda Hundred Point. Lt. Gov. Thomas Dale destroyed the Bermuda Hundred village in 1611 and planned a town at Henricus. In 1613, he tried another site at Bermuda Hundred at the confluence of the James and Appomattox rivers. This colony survived. Between 1611 and 1615, Henricus and Bermuda Hundred were the focus of settlement in the Virginia Colony. But in 1622, the Powhattan Confederacy attacked the settlements, killing many of the settlers. In 1624, Virginia was made a royal colony due to the lack for profits from the Virginia Company. Rather than the previous communal company land, the land was privatized, and headrights of 50 acres were given for each person transported to the new colony. Plantations began to develop along the rivers and main creeks in the area of the James and Appomattox.

In his last will and testament, Old Richard Womack left some of his land at Wentopock Creek, on the north side of the Appomattox River,  to his son Richard Womack (Deeds 1725-1736 p 16 Henrico Va) and also some to George Carter.

George Carter sold 250 acres of this land to Thomas Jefferson in 1726. Originally the plantation was know as Winterpock.

The Eppes Family and Winterpock Plantation

Later the Eppes family later added on to the land and constructed Eppington Plantation in about 1768. Francis Eppes was closely related to Martha Jefferson, the wife of Thomas Jefferson. After Martha's death, Francis and his wife raised Jefferson's two daughters while Jefferson was minister to France. One daughter, Lucy, died in 1784 and is buried at Eppington. The other daughter, Mary "Polly" married her cousin John Eppes and spent a great deal of time at Eppington.

In 1703, Francis Eppes III, a resident of Bermuda Hundred and justice of Henrico (who signed the inventory of Richard Womack the Adventurer in 1684 and was a founder of the college of William and Mary in 1693) was granted 4000 acres at the mouth of Winterpock Creek for transporting 80 people to Virginia. He and his son Francis IV continued buying land near Swift Creek. This was the most desirable land in the area, and wealthy planters vied to buy tracts.

His son, Francis IV (1683-1734) acquired more land in the area and eventually had over a dozen plantations, making him one of the wealthiest men in the colony. While the previous generation had lived simply, this generation (beginning in 1700) began to buy slaves to work the tobacco fields, and their wealth was reflected with ornate brick homes, fine furniture, and fine coaches and horses.

Eppington was built by Francis V, and lived there beginning in about 1773.





Historical paper on the area of Eppington/Winterpock

Eppington Plantation

article on Winterpock



http://www.chesterfieldobserver.com/news/2008-04-09/family/015.html

http://eppington.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/06/A-Documentary-History-of-Eppington-Part-1.pdf

http://virginiahistoricaltidbits.blogspot.com/2013/05/abraham-piersey.html