Bacon's Rebellion and the men of Henrico

I

n 1676, like many of the colonists in the frontier area of the colony, William Byrd I sided with Nathaniel Bacon, the nephew of Governor Berkeley. Berkeley had sent Byrd and Bacon out on trading expeditions together in the past. As tensions rose between Indians and whites in the colony,  and Indian raids approached the falls of the James, Byrd and many Henrico settlers sided with Bacon, who felt the governor was too lax in his dealing with the Indians. Eventually Bacon independently gathered and lead a militia from Charles City and Henrico to conduct raids against the Indians. He persuaded the friendly Occaneechi tribe, who had been important trade partners, to attack the Susquahannocks. When the Occaneechis returned with Susquahannock captives, Bacon turned on them and massacred the inhabitants of the Occaneechi village.

Governor Berkeley declared him a rebel and expelled him from the council in Jamestown, but Henrico was loyal to Bacon, and elected him as their Burgess. By now, much of the colony supported him. However, when Bacon and his supporters rode to Jamestown, he was captured, but forgiven by his uncle the Governor, who agreed to pardon all previous "treasonous activity" by his followers. However, the tensions between Bacon and Berkeley continued and eventually Bacon marched his men on loyalists  at Middle Plantation (now Williamsburg.) Governor Berkeley fled.

It is said that Byrd rode with Bacon on an attack on Warner Hall (home of the grandparents of George Washington.) A true civil war had erupted between the followers of Bacon and those loyal to the Governor. The capitol of Jamestown took the brunt of this; in September Bacon felt he could not hold it, so he burned it to the ground.

 This act may have been the point at which Byrd's support of Bacon faded and he returned his loyalty to the Governor. By October, Bacon was dead of the "bloody flux." Not knowing of his death, and fearing the continued rebellion, King Charles II sent a fleet of ships, and a thousand soldiers under Col. Herbert Jeffreys to squash the uprising.

By Christmas day, the loyalists had convinced several key leaders to switch sides (including Byrd) and the rebellion was over. Governor Berkeley took harsh actions against the rebels, confiscating lands and hanging conspirators. The royal commissioners present found fault with his actions, and eventually King Charles II recalled him to London, where he died of illness before facing the King.

Bad John

John Womack, whom Richard gives land to and calls his brother, was a bad sort.

He was a hog thief.

"Peter Ashbrook, Jr. aged abut 19 years; deposeth: That sometime in April last the dept. being in the Woods wth Will Puckett he did see Jno. Womeck to ye best of ye dept's knowledge with a Gunn on his shoulder going in the woods Itha small pcell of Hoggs going before him, amongst weh were five sows & some shoats, & upon the depts comeing nearing he left ye Hoggs going before him, amongst wch were five sows & some shoats & upon the depts comeing mearing he lft ye Hoggs & went another way from them. and further saidth not.

William Puckett, aged about 38 years, Examd; & sworn saith; that about the middle of Apl last goeing into the Woods in Company with Peter Ashbrook, Jnr. & Will Basse & goeing along the Path between Peter Ashbrooks & Fra. Carter's the sd. Peter Ashbrook, Jnr. call'd to this depont: & told him that yonder was Jno. Womeck coming along the path with a Gang of Hoggs before him & this to ye best of his knowledge doth depose That (looking up) he saw Jno. Womeck turn out of the Path & as fast as he could walk went down towards ye Ware & this

He abused his wife and his children.

Richard Womack 1655-1685- Trading Paths in the 1600's

                                                          The Occaneechi Trail

The Occaneechi Trail from Ft. Henry (Petersburg) to Occaneechi Town -1

 When Richard Womack went on his trading expeditions for William Byrd I, he followed a system of old, long established Indian trading paths. Originally the traders used Indian guides, and hired Indian porters to carry their trading goods. These paths were narrow footpaths- which early travelers would follow single file through the wilderness. They generally followed just below the ridges so those walking on the path could see the territory below them, but not be seen. Not being seen was important; not only for hunting, but for survival from unfriendly human elements.

With financial backing from Byrd, however, it is likely that Richard and his fellow traders were trading on a scale large enough to require the use of packhorses for their goods. This caused some discontent among the Indian tribes; not only did the use of horses take away the income that came in from Indian porters, but horse hoofs did some damage to the paths that had been tread lightly by human footsteps clad in hide moccasins. In some places, traders with horses had to divert from the traditional narrow footpath due to bulk with packs and inability of horses to follow difficult terrain a human might manage; rocky climbs for instance. 

Richard and the traders who traveled with him had to have had considerable survival skills. They would have needed to hunt quietly along the way so as not to risk unwanted attention from possibly unfriendly foes. It is likely that they were as skilled with a tomahawk, hatchet, and hunting knife as they were with their long rifles. They would have camped along the way, as well as staying at friendly Indian villages with whom they traded. They likely spoke some of the language of these tribes. It was known that the Occaneechi dialect was well understood by most of the tribes they traded with in the area. Richard was probably able to speak with other tribes using a rudimentary knowledge of the Occaneechi language. Besides the Occaneechi, it is likely that traders ventured out to trade with the Saponi, and  Catawba  in the south and  the Cherokee to the west.

Richard’s packhorses likely carried those goods which the Indian tribes desired; metal tools, cooking kettles, pots, and utensils, woolen blankets, cloth and European style clothing, liquor, and glass beads and other trinkets for adornment. In return, the traders would stock up on deer hides and furs from beaver, otters, raccoons, etc. which were highly desired by Europeans.  In early times firearms and weapons were allowed for trade to Indians, but as tensions rose between the groups, trade in weapons was forbidden. 2

The distance from Fort Henry to Occaneechi Town was about 90 miles- at least 30 hours of walking/riding along the path- a minimum of a week's journey each way, plus time for rest and trade at each end of the journey. It is likely that these trading ventures kept Richard away for home for a month or more at a time.

Resources:
1-http://www.pfeife-tabak.de/Artikel/Pfeifenkunde/Indianer6/indianer6.htm
2-http://ncpedia.org/history/colonial/trade-routeshttp://ncpedia.org/indian-trading-paths

Richard Womack 1655-1684- Fellow Traders in 1684

                                                            Spring 1684

In 1684, Richard and a party of fellow traders working for Byrd set out on a spring expedition. The Appomattox River, at the edge of Richard's lands, led southward to Fort Henry- less than 10 miles away.  Since 1646 this fort had marked the dividing line between the British colony and Indian lands; travelers passing through had to have permission to trade with the other side. The commander of the fort was Abraham Wood, who ran his own lucrative indian trade, but by 1676 Wood had passed down the position to his son-in-law, Peter Jones. (Later the town which rose around the fort took on his name- Petersburg.)

The men in Richard's party would follow the Occaneechi trail southward. We know from a letter from William Byrd to a friend that they were also to trade with indians west of the trail itself. The men traveling with Richard were surely well known to him; they had likely traveled and traded together over the years and knew each other well.

Richard was about 28 years old. He  had been married to Mary Elizabeth Puckett, daughter of his neighbors John Puckett and wife Anne Jeffreys, for less than a dozen years.  Both of his wife's parents had died several years before, but her brothers had inherited the land, which lay next to Richards, and likely helped Mary Elizabeth with the crops when her husband was away trading. Richard's eldest son, Richard, was about 10, William was about 5. It is possible there were two younger children; if so little Elizabeth was still a toddler, and John a baby.

John Sturdivant- referred to by Bryd as "old Sturdivant" was likely a neighbor of Richard's- he had 600 acres on Hatchers Run, a branch of Swift Creek, north of the Appomattox, and near where Richard lived. However, He also had over 3500 acres on the other side of the Appomattox in Charles City County- making him a sizeable landowner. He had been trading with the Indians since at least 1673. In 1676 He had been a vocal supporter of Nathaniel Bacon, and was "exempted from pardon" in a proclamation by the Governor, however this was revoked by the King's commissioners, so, we can assume that in the end he escaped punishment. John was traveling with one of his sons (likely the eldest) leaving his wife Sarah, son Daniel, and several younger sons at home.

Thomas Shippey II was an experienced trader, who we know had been on an expedition in 1672 with Edward Hatcher and John Davis. He lived in the Bermuda Hundred and was the son and heir of Thomas Shippey I who came from England to Virginia in 1620 on the "Supply." His father had been well respected in the colony and was one of the persons appointed to inspect the quality of tobacco for export from the region. Thomas Shippey II was about 50 years old at this time; he had a wife named Martha, and he had a daughter, Martha, who had married Edward Stratton III in 1678 at St. John's Parish church. He also had a son, Thomas Shippey III who would die in 1688.

John Milner was about 40 years old. We believe he had married Ann Parker, a widow who had 3 children; Ann, Mary, and William.

Of the sixth trader, Hugh Cassell, I can find nothing.

The Governor's Council

Colonial Virginia had no House of Lords but the Governor's Council, which was handpicked by the Goernor and confirmed by the King, served a similar role. Members were appointed from the wealthies and most highly respected families, and posts were often for a lifetime, and inherited after death by a son of the same family. The Governor's Council also served as the high court in the colony, trying all serious offences. The council met at least once a year, and had judicial sessions quarterly. The members often stayed at the capital for several weeks or longer to advise the governor on imminent matters. By the 1640's council members were exempted from taxation to pay for their service to the colony. They assisted with land grants, appointing public positions such as tobacco inspectors, militia officers, sheriffs. They also appointed the justices of the peace in each county. In two cases they successfully appealed to the Queen to replace the the Governor and lt. governor. Thus between their business dealings and their governmental dealings, these were dominant and powerful families in Colonial Virginia. However, after 1750 the House of Burgesses began to fill a more dominant place in governmental affairs.

Members of the Governor's Council from Henrico and nearby Charles City county are listed below.


1623- Wm. Farrar (d. 1637)
1637- Francis Epes (of Charles City County) 1637 (d bef. 1655)
1642- Thomas Stegg (died in a shipwreck in 1652)
1657- Abraham Wood (Charles City)
1664- Thomas Stegg II
1665- Theodore Bland (Charles City-"Westover" (d 1671)
1675- Nathaniel Bacon II (of Bacon's Rebellion-Henrico- "The Curles") (d 1676)
1681- William Byrd I ("Belvidere" in Henrico and "Westover" in Charles City) (d 1704)
1688- Edward Hill ("Shirley" Charles City) (d 1700)
1708- William Byrd II ("Westover" Charles City) (d 1744)
1724- John Carter ("Shirley" Charles City) (d 1742)
1728- Wm. Randolph ("Turkey Island" Henrico) (d 1742)
1754- Wm. Byrd III ("Westover" Charles City) (d 1777)

William Farrar- came to Virginia at age 35 with Lord De La Ware. In the 1622 massacre, ten people were killed at his estate on the Appomattox River, but William escaped with other survivors and lived at the home of his neighbors, the Jordan's, on "Beggars Bush" and "Jorden's Journey" plantation on the James River. When Samuel Jordan died in 1623, his widow, Cicely, married William. Their neighbors were Capt. John Woodlief, John Rolfe, and John Martin. They lived at Jordan's Journey for several years before William patented land at the former city of Henricus, which became known as "Farrar's Island."

Life in Colonial Virginia- Law and Order

The House of Burgesses

From 1619 until 1643, Henrico County had 2 representatives in the House of Burgesses which met with the royal governor and the governor's council, which was appointed by the King. After 1643 the burgesses met in the General Assembly. Most burgesses were members of the gentry.

The Womack's neighbor, William Hatcher, was elected most years from 1644-1652 and again in 1659. He was known for having a temper, and his ancestors had fought against the crown with Cromwell. He was often in trouble for his fiery words, calling the speaker of the house an atheist and blasphemer, and saying "the mouth of this house is a Devil!" and was made to kneel and apologize, paying fees for his indiscretion.

He was in trouble again during Bacon's Rebellion, for "uttering divers mutinous words" but as he was at that point an "aged man" Governor Berkeley fined him 8,000 pounds of dressed pork or 8,000 pounds of tobacco, rather than a harsher punishment.

Henrico County elected Nathaniel Bacon to the House of Burgesses despite his disagreements with his uncle, Governor Berkeley. The assembly voted to create a 1,000 man army with Bacon as the commander. After Bacon's Rebellion, the King sent a number of new governors to Virginia, with the intent of limiting the power of the elected burgesses, including eliminating annual sessions and enforcing many vetoes from the governor or the King. During this time the governor  and his council (appointed by the King) wielded greater power than the elected burgesses.

 http://www.newrivernotes.com/topical_books_1902_virginia_colonialvirginiaregister.htm

1631/2- Capt. Tho. Osborne, Francis Epes, Walter Aston
1639-Capt. Tho. Harris, Christopher Branch, Edward Turnstall
1641- Mr. John Baugh, Mr. Francis Fulford
1642/3- Capt. Matthew Gough, Arthur Bayly, Daniel Luellin
1644- Dan. Llewellin, Richard Cocke, Abra. Wood, William Hatcher
1644/5- John Baugh, Abra. Wood
1645- Abra. Wood, William Hatcher
1646- Capt. Abra. Wood, William Cocke
1647- Capt. Tho. Harris
1649- William Hatcher
1652 April- William Hatcher
1652 Nov- Capt Wm. Harris (note for Charles City- Capt. Dan Llewellin, Maj. Abra. Wood)
1653- Capt. Wm. Harris
1654- Richard Cocke
1655/6- Thomas Lyggon, Maj. Wm. Harris
1657- 1659 Maj. Wm. Harris
1659/60- Theorick Bland, speaker Wm. Farrar (Theodoric Bland also representing Charles City)
1663, 1666- Capt. Wm. Farrar
1676- Nathaniel Bacon Jr.
1677- Wm. Byrd, Thomas Cocke
1679- Wm. Byrd, Abel Gower
1680, 1682- Wm. Byrd, John Farrar
1684- Wm. Randolph, John Farrar
1685- Capt. Wm. Randolph, Richard Kennon
1688- Wm. Randolph, Peter Field
1691, 1692- Wm. Randolph, Francis Eppes
1692/3 John Pleasants (quaker- declined to take oath- Capt Wm Randolph elected in his stead, Capt Peter Field
1693- Wm. Randolph, Francis Epes
1695- Wm. Randolph, Wm. Soane
1696- Wm Byrd (out of country) Wm. Randolph, James Cocke
1698- Wm. Randolph, speaker, Tho. Cocke
1699- Wm. Randolph (served 3 days- Tho. Cocke in his stead) James Cocke
1700- Tho. Cocke, Wm. Randolph
1701-2- Wm. Farrar, Tho. Cocke
1704- Wm. Randolph, Francis Epes
1705-1706 Wm. Randolph
1710- Wm. Randolph, John Bolling
1714- John Bolling, Francis Epes, Jr.
1718- Wm. Randolph, John Bolling
1720-22- Wm. Randolph, Thos. Randolph
1723-1726- Wm. Randolph, John Bolling
1742-1748 Richard Randolph and John Bolling
1749- Peter Randolph and John Bolling
1750's- Wm. Randolph, Bowler Cocke

http://www.newrivernotes.com/topical_books_1902_virginia_colonialvirginiaregister.htm

The burgesses continued to try to exert influence, mostly representing the interests of the wealthy planters and tobacco trade. In 1713, the governor, supported by the assembly, made a law requiring a public tobacco warehouse in each county, where all tobacco would be graded in order to ensure high quality exports and good prices to planters. Certain burgesses were paid to be official inspectors. Smaller planters feared that some burgesses were focusing on their own interests rather than that of the common man, and many existing burgesses were replaced. The new members tried to replace the law, and two years later succeeded in a royal veto of the law. In 1730, when another tobacco inspection law was proposed, the assembly required that no burgesses could be paid to be inspectors.

Richard Womack 1655-1684- William Byrd I

William Byrd I

Young Richard Womack connected with one of the wealthiest men in the colony when he became a trader for William Byrd I. Byrd had inherited 1200 acres from his uncle, Thomas Stegge, at the falls of the James, the western frontier of the settlement. While still in his twenties, William Byrd became a captain in the local militia and a member of the county court. His main livelihood, however, was that of an explorer and trader. He was interested in exploring the lands that lay to the west; lands still held by local Indian tribes. He became active in Indian trade and sent out caravans of traders to remote villages to expand the lucrative fur trade. He also imported bonded servants and slaves to Virginia; white bonded servants, negro slaves, and captured Indian children. Byrd increased his lands, eventually owning nearly 30,000 acres.  He grew tobacco on his plantation and owned warehouses along the James River. He was one of the wealthiest men in the colony of Virginia.

He nearly lost his fortune when he sided for a time with Nathaniel Bacon, nephew of Governor Berkeley and an Henrico neighbor with whom he had explored and conducted trading expeditions at the request of the Governor. (See Bacon's Rebellion and the men of Henrico) In time, however, Byrd returned his loyalty to the Governor, thus retaining his life and his lands. His wealth continued to grow; in 1688 he bought land from the Blands for 10,000 lbs. of tobacco and cask, build a home on what became Westover Plantation. He died there in 1704.

His son, William Byrd II had been educated in England, but returned to Westover to become a planter. He was a member of the house of burgesses and served on the Governor's council until his death in 1744. He is most famous for founding Richmond, wich was laid out in 1737. He was, however, also known for being an unkind and unfaithful husband, and a cruel master who frequently beat his servants and slaves. By 1768 he had squandered his father's fortune.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/William_Byrd.jpg

http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/byrd_william_ca_1652-1704