May 1, 2018 (Revisited February 27, 2021)

 

Pocahontas is very famous for being a Disney Star but her real story is rather sad.  Let’s begin with Jamestown and discuss what was happening to build the settlement here.

In the early 1600’s, the English was struggling to keep the Jamestown Colony going.  The early settlers believed that the Native Americans would provide food and would be in awe of the settlers.  The plan was to avoid seeing the colonist die or being buried but that failed due to the high rate of dying English Settlers.  Over 80 percent of the inhabitants would die due to diseases over the early years at Jamestown.  

The people were starving and the relationship between the Native Americans and the Settlers diminished because there was not enough food to be provided by the Native Americans.  The two groups began to fight and Powhatan who ruled the many tribes around the area would continue to push back.  Captain John Smith came to the colony and worked with the settlers during 1608 to 1609.  Captain Smith led a group to ambush the local Native Americans but was ambushed by Powhatan’s people instead.

History shared that Powhatan’s daughter, Pocahontas stepped in and stopped her father from killing the Captain.  That would make for a great story and a great animated movie during our modern time.  However, some authors think the execution attempt was staged to make Captain Smith a sub chief and Jamestown a part of the powerful Powhatan’s reach.  Either way, it saved his life.

Pocahontas was born in 1596 and was rather young during the event with John Smith.  The hostilities between the tribe and the English settlers would continue after John left to go back to England without Pocahontas.  She would eventually be captured in 1613 and would be used as a tool to stop the fighting by the people at Jamestown.  

She would convert to Christianity and marry John Rolfe in 1614.  John was a wealthy tobacco farmer and  John and his bride would move to England to live where she died in 1617 at the age of 21.  She had one child and his name was Thomas Rolfe.   Thomas Rolfe would come back to the colonies years later but John Rolfe returned shortly after her death.

Captain William Pierce is my 11 Great Grand Father through the Vest, Baker, Appling, Clements and finally Pierce family genealogy.  Captain Pierce came to the Jamestown in 1610 and was a very prominent person in the early colony.  He was a Captain of the Governor guard, member of the House of Burgess, Lieutenant Governor at James City in 1629 and he would know both John Rolfe and Pocahontas.  

After Pocahontas death in 1617, John Rolfe would return to the colonies and would marry Jane Pierce, Captain William Pierce’s daugher in 1617.  Jane would be my 11 Great Aunt and that is how our family is connected to the Pocahontas story of the early 1600’s.

They came from many countries.  The US is often called the “Melting Pot” due to the many colonist coming from the many different countries and staying in the land.  Blending the cultures that would make America Great over time.  The beauty of the US is that many cultures can blend and grow as a people and even in the early 1500, 1660 and 1700 hundreds, the culture who fought against each other learned to live together after the battles were fought.

The early visitors and settlers came from Spain and France.  The Spanish came seeking treasure, gold and other valuables.  The French would come and settle looking for furs and material items not commonly found in Europe.  Finally, the English would start the journey in early 1600’s.

Why so late?  There were multiple reasons but the primary issues was fear and poverty that had grown in the English Isle.  There had been wars with Spain and the Spanish had dominated the seas at that time.  English ships traveling alone were easy prey for the Spanish to capture or sink ending the lives of the travelers.  At the end of the 1500’s, the war would end and it was “safe” to travel but the English still had to be on watch and safety meant having colonies established in areas where protection against foreign fleets was a must.  This would be the case for Jamestown and it’s establishment in 1607.

The second reason was due to the poverty in England after fought against the Spanish.  The crown did not have the funding to establish colonies and these efforts had to be privatized.  The economy has so poor that over 95 percent of the population was considered to be lower class and only 5 percent of the people commanded the wealth of the nation.  This five percent would make mean only 25 % of the men could vote at the time.  Most of the people had no representation in the government due to being poor and not being allowed to vote due to their status.  Following English law would later lead to the US wanting no taxation without representation.  A story for another time.

In the 1600’s, the English would share with the poor people that another life could exist in the colonies.  The tales of the Spanish and the fortunes found in their colonies would lead to something similar to the “Gold Fever” in California in the 1800’s.  The people would pack up their material things, tools, clothes, food, and other items needed for the new world.

The groups would load up on the boats and would be tightly packed usually on one or more common floors.  There would be little to no privacy for families or individuals who would use sheets sometimes to aid in blocking the other passengers view.  The ship would be powered solely by the wind and traveled at the mercy of these winds to move the ship through the water.  The ballast was such that the people often became sick to the motion of moving up and down and up and down as the vessel moved through the water.

The journey which would take 6 to 8 weeks or more would mean that there was little comfort from the elements.  During the Summer heat, people would be exposed to uncomfortable heat.  During the winter, no fires places existed and the people would huddle and bundle themselves up to overcome the cold.

The people would sleep on the mats on the floors if they owned one.  There was no comfort given by the ship owners and you had to provide your own sleeping materials.  Nothing put a tossing creaking ship was your sleeping arrangement every night.

The food had to be dried, pickled or preserved to last.  Bread would not last the trip and the people would be almost starving over time.  Food would spoil and the people would suffer during the long and dreary trip.

If a person died during the trip, there were tossed overboard and no proper burial would be given.  The sick would suffer and little children would be very challenged to be hearty enough to make the trips.  Hunger and poor elements would put many a person at risk.

These were the days of the early to mid 1600’s and over time the travel became so plentiful that over 600 people a day were coming to the US colonies in the mid 1700’s.  During the 1700’s, the German emigrants would out number the English colonist coming to the new world.

The Germans would be the poor and lower middle class and they would travel more in families than the English that came in the 1600’s.

The challenge is to find which ships our ancestors came in.  You can start by finding the port and the date they landed here in the new world.  Here is a website that will help with the names of the English in the early 1600’s English Ship Web Site.

For the other ships that came before 1820, the records are a challenge to find.

My ancestors came from England and Germany.

• My Mother married my Father and his name was Archie Vest.  My Mother’s lineage is both the Michael and Chapman family
  • The Michael Family would be heir’s of Johann Jacob Michael (1705-1787) who would hail from Germany and would live in the York, Pennsylvania area
  • The Chapman Family would be heirs of Francis Chapman, who would come to the new world from England in 1606 and would sail on the Star (ship).  He would reside in the Jamestown area where the English set up their first city
  • The Vest family would come from Germany and our heir would be John Moses Vest and we discussed him in an earlier blog post (see Blogs for his information)
  • My Grandmother Alta Mae Baker (1902 – 1943) married Clovis William Vest (1899 – 1936) and her family would be the Couch and Baker family.  The Baker family heir would be Nicholas Obediah Baker (1737-1832) who would sail from England and live in North Carolina and later Alabama.
  • Other Relatives that are key to the Vest family are the Ray Family who is linked when Elizabeth married John Valentine Vest

References  Are Found Below, Click on the Image to go to Amazon

Originally posted 2018-02-25 20:54:15.

Elizabeth Hope “Ray” Vest married John Valentine Vest in Virginia in 1705. She was a second generation of US born family member and she was my 6th Great Grand Mother.
Elizabeth’s family was from the Salem, Massachusetts, and arrived from England in the Plymouth area in the early 1600’s. Elizabeth’s Grand Parents were Rea, which became Ray and Waters families that were settling in this growing community of Salem in the 1600’s.
The history or both families and how they tie to the Vest family is great. There is deep history to explore and I will be sharing it over the next few blog posts.
The voyage from England was certainly a challenge for Elizabeth’s Grand Fathers family. Each ocean vessel was built from wood of over 2500 trees on average and this one reason that finding an abundance of wood in the new world really over whelmed the average Colonist.
Each family that traveled from England had to pack up all of their possessions in trunks, bring food, water, tools and animals that they would need on board of the ship. During the trip, the food would become spoiled and boat was crammed full of people. There would be no private quarters and the smell would have been just horrible. The long journey lasted between 6 to 8 weeks and food shortage plus disease was always an issue on the journey. Many a colonist did not make the whole journey and passed away on the voyage only to be casted over board after their death.
During the early 1600’s, the English settlements had to watch for Spanish and other countries coming and attacking the newly established colony. Colony placement had to be made in strong points. Plymouth would be founded after the fall of Roanoke and the establishment of Jamestown in 1607. A constant watch had to be made over the protection of the community from the Spanish, French, Dutch and the Indians.
With only a little over a 100 people landed at the colony at a time, the people sought shelter on the ship until shelter could be built. The early shelters were tents and later progressed to dug out and wooden structures. The dug out was a technique where the colonist would dig down several feed into the earth for a very small room the size of 20 by 20. Support beams would be added to the corners and boards would be used for the walls. The roof was thatch and sod. This new how had only one door and that door would be made where a person would need to bend down to come into the building. This would make it easier to defend from predators and people trying to get into the home for harm.
The colonist would then begin to setup a community by building farms. Since there was an abundance of trees, land had to be cleared by axe, hoe and ploughs. Once the land was clear, crops could be planted for food and for trading. The tobacco plant has planted in the Virginia region and would be a cash crop for being sent back to England.
Elizabeth was born in Powhatan, Virginia names after a powerful Indian leader and father of Pocahontas.
After marrying John Valentine, she would have the following children, John Daniel Vest, George Vest, Valentine Vest, Elizabeth Ann Vest and Phillip Vest. They would live together until their deaths in 1735.

For Further Reading and Information, check out the two books listed below.  I highly recommend both books.  Check out the link on the side of the page that will take you to Amazon for a quick purchase.
References
Early American Life in Early America by David Freeman Hawke
American Colonies: The Settling of North America, Vol 1 by Alan Taylor

Originally posted 2018-02-10 22:32:44.

John Moses Vest was born in Warendorfer Landkreis, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany in 1650.

What many people don’t realize was that Europe had been struggling with wars, class issues and many people who did not have ample methods of staying fed or advancing into society.

Over 95 percent of the people in the many countries were considered lower middle to low class and they were struggling to make a life for themselves.  The new world “United States Colonies” was a means to the end for some people.  While most were farmers, many occupations would come to the new world seeking fortune only to find areas needing to be settled and a lot of hard work ahead of them.

There were four reasons people would come to the new world.  One was for fortune and fame, the second was due to being a criminal, third was due to indentured service and the remaining reason was for religious freedom.  Criminals were given a choice to die or to be sent to the states for a new life.

The major European countries sending Colonists were England, France, Spain and the Dutch and Germany, who followed closely with the Dutch.

John Moses Vest is my seventh great grandfather and he came to the states before 1679, where his son John Valetine Vest was born in Chesterfield, Virginia 1679.  John Valentine Vest would marry Elizabeth Hope (Ray) Vest in 1705 in Virginia and will be topic of additional blogging in the near future.

There is not a lot of information about my great grand father Moses but history shows that a large contingent of German settlers who were sick of war and the lack of ability to farm or achieve success at home came to the Chesterfield area to farm.  Since ocean voyage was more for hearty travelers, young Moses would have come to Virginia in his early twenties.

Moses would marry Elizabeth Inu, who was a native Virginian and was was born in 1640.  After the birth of their son, John they would move to the Jamestown area and live.  Jamestown is the oldest English settlement that was founded in 1607.  Many people are not aware but of the 104 settlers to come and establish the settlement, only 35 would make it through the first winter.  Many scholars believe the people were not prepared for the harsh winter and were spending their time looking for ways to make money.  The lack of focus created low food stores and poor housing that led to the demise of unwary settlers.

When Moses and Elizabeth came to the area, it was almost a 100 years after that first poor start.  By then Jamestown was better established and the mistakes of the past were gone.

Elizabeth would pass way in 1710 and Moses would pass away in 1735 and both were living and buried in Jamestown, Virginia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Originally posted 2018-02-04 00:17:23.

The Greene family history is ripe with family members fighting and leading people in the many wars and conflicts of the United States.  There are three captains who will be our topic for next several weeks as we learn more of how my ancestors affected US history.  Captain Joseph Greene, Captain William Greene and Captain Issac Greene will help carve out the history during the French and Indian & Revolutionary Wars.

Captain William Marion Greene was born on May 16, 1753 in Rutherford, North Carolina, to Joseph (Captain) Greene and Drucilla Greene.  He was my 5th Great Grand Father on my Mother’s side of the family.

Let’s Define some terms first;

• Whig – Patriot colonist and those who opposed Great Britain (England)
• Tory / Tories – Loyalist colonist who opposed the Revolution and stayed true to England
• Militia – Local army comprised on citizens and not a formal army.  Many of the people worked there fields and business and only mustered when the enemy was near or called to arms by the regular army
• Army – The official fighting body that was being paid to fight the conflict

William would be one of the many people caught up in the War with Britain and in his case, he would be involved with both armies as the conflict grew.  He joined the Whig Militia during the war where he would become a captain and would be leading the local men into conflicts.

The English often would move an army through the county side and recruit people to their cause by oppressing the people into their army.  This will become a big issue with the US in 1812 when the British would capture sailors from American vessels and make the men work for them.  During the war, many farmers and militia were captured and became part of the British army or Tory militia.  The choice was simple, join or die.  In 1780, William Greene would be captured and forced into fighting for the Tory Militia.

At the battle of Ramsour Hill, North Carolina, on 6-20-1780, two fighting militias would come to battle.  The Tory militia would have over 1200 people and this included Major Greene (new rank in the Tory army) and the Whig army would have between 200 to 300 men.  At these odds, the Whig militia should have not had a chance but the militia had people that were crack shots and they killed many a person.

Ramsour Hill would only be fought by militia of both sides.  Neither side had an uniform and both sides had to fight hand to hand and with tools during the battle.  Brother fought against Brother and in the end the battle was over and the Whigs won the field.  This would be a crushing defeat for the Tory resistance and give  significant boost to the Whig Patriots.

After the battle, William Greene was captured and sentenced to die since he had changed sides prior to the conflict.  William and one other were tied up and were going to be shot the next morning and both escaped during the night.  William would travel back to the Whig territory and would join back up with the Whig militia.

Captain Greene would fight in Kings Mountain in October, 1780.  At Kings Mountain, the English were building up men to fight and support Cornwallis flank.  The English were being led by Major Patrick Ferguson and were surprised at King Mountain.

The Whig militia surrounded the Tories and killed Major Ferguson during the one long battle.

Major William Greene / Captain Greene would be a prominent person in around North Carolina and would die in 1832.

Below is a picture of Major William Greene

For more information on the Revolutionary War, check out the following books at Amazon (Select picture to go to Amazon)

William Greene and others can be found at Ancestry and other Genealogy websites.  Select one of my Ancestry images on the side of the page to go and see my Vest / Michael / Chapman and Greene family tree.

Originally posted 2019-01-27 15:09:40.

What do you know about the 2nd Continental Congress and US History?  The Colonies were trying to find their way and all of the Colonies were trying to determine are they going to stay with England or pull their own way.

May 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to make these difficult decisions.  The task had more than a few wanted men by the English government and met certain death if the English was fully aware of what was going on.  Each Colony sent men to represent their Colonies and my 5th Great Grandfather, John Harvie (1747 – 1807) met with the group to represent Virginia.

The group of people would continue to meet and discuss the form of Government for the new colonies.  The challenge was the group had people set upon their beliefs.  One group fully wanted to stay with the English, another group represented the South (Georgia) and the last group wanted to split away from England to stop the taxes being levied to help pay for the French and Indian war.

The group would have to move from Philadelphia to Baltimore because the English found out and now the people would become wanted for treason.

In 1777, the group would ratify the Articles of Confederation that would become the first Government of the United Colonies.  The Colonies were slow to adopt to the new government and it would be 1781 before all of the Colonies would fully ratify the new way of government.

Which state would be the first to sign and ratify?  Virginia would adopt to the new Government and my 5th Great Grand Father would become one of the signers on the Articles of Confederation.

Colonel John Harvie was a lawyer and would receive a provisional rank of Colonel and would become one of the people working to supply the Colonies during the war for Independence.

John Harvie and his family is related to the Vest Family through James Jackson Vest Sr who married Sallie Sarah Harvie in 1809. James Jackson Vest is my 3rd Great Grand Father. More to come about the Vest family this year.

For more information about the Articles of Confederation and War for Independence check out the following books

Check out Ancestry.com for more information about my family tree.  Select the picture below and look up our tree.

Originally posted 2019-01-12 20:29:58.

Captain Pierce was my 11th Great Grand Father as explained in the previous Blog entry.  Many people are not as lucky as I am in having as much information about a person as we do about Captain Pierce

He was a seagoing man and very prominent in England and in the New English colonies.  First, he was a sea Captain.  For many years, the Spanish ruled the ocean and it was difficult to explore many parts of the new world without conflict.  The Spanish would build bigger and bigger ships and arm each one with Sailors and cannons that could crush a ship quickly if caught in the cross fire.  The English would soon learn that their smaller ships were fast and able to stay out of direct fire from the Spanish Galleons.  This tactic would mean that the rule of the ocean would become more balanced as the agile English vessels would destroy and keep the Spanish at bay.

Captain Pierce was in charge of many vessels and a key person in James City = Jamestown.  He came to the new world 1609 to 1610 and was given a many acres to have and farm.  Captain Pierce traveled on the Sea Venture which was separated from the other 5 ships coming to the new wold to bring supplies and was lost during a hurricane.  The ship took on water and the crew had to abandon ship in the Bermuda islands.  Over the next several months, the crew along with William Pierce would rebuild the ship to continue their travel to Jamestown.

Link to Early Ship Travel to the New World

He led two expeditions against the local natives the “Chickahomies” to stop the harassment the new area was given by some of the local natives.

Some believe that William Pierce was a captain of one of the Mayflower ships.  It is quoted that he captained a second voyage to the new world but I have not been able to find solid evidence of this activity.

He was Captain of the Governor Wyatt Guards in early Jamestown and later he became LT. Governor of James City in 1629.

William would be active in the government and active in the House of Burgess in the new world.  He would a member of the Virginia council from 1631 to 1648.

He captained several voyages of the ship Lyon to Boston in 1630 to 1634.  He worked to bring more and more English people to the new world and on his fourth sailing, his vessel would hit a reef and sink.  The ship would be replaced by the Rebecca and continue it’s journey to Boston.

Continuing his love for the seas, Captain Pierce would be killed by the Spanish in Bermuda as he was attempting to bring English colonist to the Island in 1641.  The story goes that he and his ship navigator would be killed as the Spanish fired across the top of their vessel.  The vessel would leave the area and return to the New Colonies instead and Captain Pierce would be buried at sea along the way back.

The Navy has played a key role in my family over the years.  Going from Captain Pierce to my Father and Brother who would also serve in the US Navy.   Thank you for your service to all Veterans and to Captain Pierce who helped build the United States.

 

 

 

Originally posted 2018-05-13 15:59:06.

May 1, 2018

Pocahontas is very famous for being a Disney Star but her real story is rather sad.  Let’s begin with Jamestown and discuss what was happening to build the settlement here.

In the early 1600’s, the English was struggling to keep the Jamestown Colony going.  The early settlers believed that the Native Americans would provide food and would be in awe of the settlers.  The plan was to avoid seeing the colonist die or being buried but that failed due to the high rate of dying English Settlers.  Over 80 percent of the inhabitants would die due to diseases over the early years at Jamestown.  

The people were starving and the relationship between the Native Americans and the Settlers diminished because there was not enough food to be provided by the Native Americans.  The two groups began to fight and Powhatan who ruled the many tribes around the area would continue to push back.  Captain John Smith came to the colony and worked with the settlers during 1608 to 1609.  Captain Smith led a group to ambush the local Native Americans but was ambushed by Powhatan’s people instead.

History shared that Powhatan’s daughter, Pocahontas stepped in and stopped her father from killing the Captain.  That would make for a great story and a great animated movie during our modern time.  However, some authors think the execution attempt was staged to make Captain Smith a sub chief and Jamestown a part of the powerful Powhatan’s reach.  Either way, it saved his life.

Pocahontas was born in 1596 and was rather young during the event with John Smith.  The hostilities between the tribe and the English settlers would continue after John left to go back to England without Pocahontas.  She would eventually be captured in 1613 and would be used as a tool to stop the fighting by the people at Jamestown.  

She would convert to Christianity and marry John Rolfe in 1614.  John was a weatlty tobacco farmer and  John and his bride would move to England to live where she died in 1617 at the age of 21.  She had one child and his name was Thomas Rolfe.   Thomas Rolfe would come back to the colonies years later but John Rolfe returned shortly after her death.

Captain William Pierce is my 11 Great Grand Father through the Vest, Baker, Appling, Clements and finally Pierce family genealogy.  Captain Pierce came to the Jamestown in 1610 and was a very prominent person in the early colony.  He was a Captain of the Governor guard, member of the House of Burgess, Lieutenant Governor at James City in 1629 and he would know both John Rolfe and Pocahontas.  

After Pocahontas death in 1617, John Rolfe would return to the colonies and would marry Jane Pierce, Captain William Pierce’s daugher in 1617.  Jane would be my 11 Great Aunt and that is how our family is connected to the Pocahontas story of the early 1600’s.

For more information about the colonies, click on the link beliow

Originally posted 2018-05-01 11:18:43.

Have you heard of Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676?  Some people have and some people have no clue about the Rebellion conducted in the Jamestown area of Virginia.  Have you heard of Captain John Francis Clement?  No?  he is my 9th Grand Father on the Vest and Baker side of my family.

John Clement came to the US from England with his Father, Jeremiah Clements before 1662 and moved to the Surry, Virginia and Jamestown area.

The Bacon Rebellion is named after Nathaniel Bacon and the reason for the rebellion is questionable today.  Nathaniel came from England and lived in Jamestown near his cousin Governor  Sir William Berkeley, who gave his cousin a seat in the House of Burgess.  

In mid 1676, the tobacco farmers indentured servants and others higher in the community were becoming upset about the trade value of tobacco, local Native American Indian issues and a power struggle was going on with the egos of the two cousins.  

Tobacco was a commodity and with other colonies like Maryland selling to the English, the colonists were not making as much money.  The English government refused to let the colonist sell the Dutch or the French and the prices were getting pinched for the farmers.  In Virginia, the people approached the Governor about selling furs and trying other avenues to make money.  The fur trading idea was not approved and the war began.

Somewhere between 300 to 1,000 people started attacking the Indians and creating problems for the Governor Berkeley and the community.  John Clement joined Bacon and his group of the outlaw farmers and quickly became one of the Captains of the small army.  He and four other Captains captured Major Allen’s Grand Home in Surry, Virginia, called Bacon’s castle which was occupied for three months during the conflict. 

Link to pictures and story of Bacon’s Castle

Tales from a Revolution: Bacon’s Rebellion and the Transformation of Early America (New Narratives in American History)

The group captured and burned Jamestown after running the Governor out of the area.  The English dispatched their army to come to Virginia and put down the first rebellion in the new colonies but before they could arrive, Nathaniel died and the group lost control in early 1677.  A very short but destructive conflict that impacted the community and the Native Americans greatly.

John Clement had to pay for his actions and the cost was 10,000 pounds and this cost saved his life.  Many others could not afford to make payments for crimes committed and suffered capital punishment from the English. 

Governor Berkeley was sent home in disgrace and Jamestown had suffered a great loss.  For more about the rebellion, check out the following links

More information about the rebellion

John Clements relationship to me is through the Vest family through my Grand Mother Alta Mae Baker

• Alta Mae Baker
• George William Baker
• George Washington Baker
• Obed Baker
• John Baker who married Sarah Appling
• Sarah Appling’s father was Joel Appling
• Thomas Appling Jr
• Thomas Appling Sr who married Mary Clements
• Mary Clements father was William Clements
• Captain John Clements

John Clements died in 1710 in Surry, Virginia. 

Originally posted 2018-04-08 17:12:01.