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.

My 10th Great Grand Father on my Father’s side of the family is Reverend Samuel Skelton, who was the first Minister of the Salem, Ma, church and the first church of the Mass Bay. 

In one of my previous writings, we explored the Salem Witchcraft trials and how one of my relatives signed a petition that the accused witch was not a witch.  This story takes place almost 60 years before the witch trials.

Samuel would be born in England and would come to the new world to become part of the historic “puritan” movement by starting a church and ministering to the people.  He was requested to come to the new world by the Governor who would give Samuel a reward of land for coming to this part of the colonies.

As his reward for coming to the new world, he would be given 200 acres of land plus an additional 11 acres to build and live on.

Rev. Skelton would continue to preach for just a few years before the teaching in New England would change and the few churches in Massachusetts would become one “puritan” group.

For those who are in the Vest, Ray, and Baker Family, the line of ancestors are as follows:

1. Rev. Samuel Skelton

2. Samuel Skelton

3. Joseph Skelton

4. Mary Skelton

5. Elizabeth Ray married to John Valentine Vest

6. John Daniel Vest

7. William Tom Vest

8. Clovis Vest married to Alma Mae Baker

9. My Dad

10. Me

Below is a picture borrowed to show Samuel’s achievement

Courtesy of Ancestry website and one of my ancestors

For more information about Samuel Skelton, check out the wiki link below or try my ancestry link where there is over 62 pictures and bits about Samuel Skelton

Wiki Information Surrounding Samuel

My ancestry page

 

 

Originally posted 2018-08-06 19:57:33.

John Moses Vest (1650 – 1735) and Francis Chapman (1598 – 1656) came to the new colonies to start a new life as we have discussed in earlier blogs.  The early colonist came to start a new life and search for gold but only found that the key to the new life was farming.

The group that came from England and Germany brought only small tools and livestock.  The small tools would be an ax, shovel, chisel, hammer, other tools that were poorly built and the farmers would need to repair frequently.  The livestock would include sheep, goats, chickens, horses and cows.

Upon landing at the site, the first priority for the people was shelter.  The groups would either pitch a tent or live on the vessel until a crude one room home could be built.  Shaping the wood would take time and once the logs were ready the people would build the small home quickly.   After two months in a ship, having one room shelter had to feel like luxury.

Unless the colonists were lucky enough to secure an old Native American camp site, the fields were covered in trees and rocks.  The land had to be cleared and crops had to be planted.  To clear the land of tress with the crude axes was very difficult and the Colonists had worked long days clearing the fields.  They were taught by the Native Americans that if a person would cut a groove around the bottom of the tree all the way around the tree, the tree would die.  After the tree died over the course of time, one could cut it down easier or burn the tree to the ground.  Removing rocks and stumps were another challenge that the farmer had to contend with.

Clearing a site would take a great deal of time and was estimated at an acre every year.  Since there was little help to hire due to the minimum number of colonist that were available, the work was tedious, back breaking and presented a challenge clearing the area.  Plowing a field was always done by using hand tools to poke holes and cover the soil. Planting would take a great deal of time and help was needed.

The families would have as many children as possible to help tend the farm and these families would as large as ten on occasion.   My ancestors, the Vest family would come to the colony with Moses Vest (7th Great Grand Father) and his son, John Valentine Vest (6th Great Grand Father) would have many children

• John Daniel Vest (1705 to 1765) (5th Great Grand Father)
• George Vest (1713 to 1745)
• Elizabeth Ann Vest (1715 to 1775)
• Valentine Vest (1717 to 1759)
• Phillip Vest (1722 to 1816)

The farming would quickly plant corn as taught to the settlers by the Native Americans.  Corn would be more plentiful in food amount than barley or wheat and the entire corn stalk and cob would be consumed by either the farmer or the animals.  Nothing went to waste and the farmer would learn other ways to produce symbiotic plants within the corn crops.  Beans and pumpkins would be planted after the stalks were above the surface and these three plants worked together to produced badly needed food for the families of Virginia.

To keep the animals as bay and out of the crops, crude fences would be built.  The early fences would be split rails with a hole bored through on the ends to stack and lock the rails in place.  In the areas where there more rocks and stones, complete and partial fences built as stone works would line the property and keep the livestock penned.  The stone fences would be found more in the north part of the Virginia colony and wood fences would be prominent.

Last, the farmer would start to build a new home with more rooms.  A kitchen would be added and a bedroom or a keeping room would be added to provide more room for the expanding family.   Overtime, the home in the fields would take over for the family and the one room in the settlement would go to another family or part of their extended family.

For more information about the Early Colonial Life, please read the reference book where I found the information written.  Select the image and you can go to Amazon to order the book if you would like to have additional reading about the subject.

 

Originally posted 2018-03-03 22:10:44.

Everyone knows who Thomas Jefferson is and what he did during his life.  President Jefferson was the third US President, Founding Father of the US, highly involved with the separation from England and initiated the Lewis and Clark expedition across the new territory purchased from France

What many people do not know is that his father, Peter Jefferson died and left my 6th Great Grand Father as Executor of the Jefferson estate until Thomas could reach the age to make his own decisions.

John Harvie immigrated from Scotland to live in the Colonies of the England in the Shadwell,  Albermarle County, Virgina colony between 1735 to 1740. There is some discrepancy about when he actually arrived in the American Colonies.

John’s estate was next to Peter Jefferson’s home and would take on the name of the “Belmont”.

When Peter died in 1757, John became the Executor of the young 14 year old Thomas Jefferson.  There are a few letters from Thomas Jefferson and I have attached a photo of one showing letter sent to John Harvie in 1760.

John Harvie would die in 1767 and his Son’s would be very active in the Revolutionary War.  His oldest son named John also would become a Colonel during the war and will be the subject of a future Blog post.

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 reading on Thomas Jefferson, check out the books listed below at Amazon.  Just click on the picture and it will take you to Amazon and let you order the book(s).

This is my favorite book that I have read about Thomas Jefferson.  It brings to life similar events taking place in parts of Somalia today.  Pirates seize an American ship and hold the crew hostage.  Read how our United States and the President handled the situation.

All of the books that Stephen Ambrose wrote are excellent sources for history.  This one provides how Thomas Jefferson organized and sent Lewis and Clark on the fateful exploration on the American North West.  This is a must read for all history buffs.

This is a highly rated book at Amazon about Jefferson’s life.

 

Originally posted 2018-12-29 15:43:08.

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.