Robert Beheathland Gent.
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Robert Beheathland Gent. (abt. 1592 - abt. 1627)

Capt. Robert Beheathland Gent.
Born about in Cornwall, Englandmap
Son of and [mother unknown]
Husband of — married before 1607 in Englandmap
Descendants descendants
Died about at about age 35 in Colony of Virginiamap
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Profile last modified | Created 28 May 2011
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Biography

flag of the Jamestowne Society
Robert Beheathland Gent. is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society
Jamestown Church Tower
Robert Beheathland Gent. was a Jamestown colonist.

Robert Beheathland played an important role in the establishment of the colony at Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement (1607) in North America. His progeny are the only known descendants of this settlement.[1][2]


Robert's birth date is not known since the early registers of the Parish of St. Endelyon are lost. Some speculate without documentation that he was born in 1587.

Robert Beheathland[3] was a gentleman, youngest son born in a family of 4 sons. Thus he stood little chance of inheriting anything. (sometimes the 2nd son was trained in law, the 3rd son might be trained in clergy or army/Navy. A 4th son must rely on his wits and find his own calling and training. Robert’s father invested in Virginia Company hoping to make a quick investment, and ridding himself one less mouth to feed.

Robert left Blackwall, late December 1606 when about 15 years old. Christopher Newport was the captain of Susan Constant. Captain Smith became his mentor. Upon arrival in the new land,the ships anchored in the broad river up the Chesapeake Bay on May 13, 1607.[4] In a demonstration of loyalty to their king, they named the river “James”. Once in Jamestown many settlers died from malaria starvation, gallos, execution or by a fit of rage by their fellow settlers. The following year additional supply ships brought food, tools, and more colonists who were better suited to building. Some were carpenters.

In Jan 1608, after arrival of the First Supply, Capts. Smith and Newport took a group of about twenty men, one of them Robert Behethland, and went to the village of Powhatan for a visit.[5] Later in the year, on 29 Dec 1608, Capt. Smith undertook a journey up the Pamaunkee River for another visit with Powhatan. Robert Behethland traveled in the Discovery barge with Capt. Smith; other gentlemen, soldiers, and sailors followed in a pinnace.[6] On the way back, they stopped at the house of King Opechancanough; Capt. Smith took with him a group of about fifteen, including Behethland. When they were threatened with capture, Powell and Behethland guarded the door while Capt. Smith seized the King by the long lock of his hair and held him hostage as they escaped.[7]

Robert was an Ancient Planter, and thus received land for being present during the Muster of the Living and the Dead.. source for Ancient Planter[8] http://www.ancient-planters.org/ancestors.html Robert married Mary (unknown) and had at least 3 children:[9]The surname of his wife, Mary, is not known. Some claim she was Mary Nicholson but there is no documentation to support that. The widow, Mary Beheathland, married second, Lieut. Thomas Flint of Warwick County, Virginia. [10]

  1. Dorothy born in England or Virginia in 1612 or 1613. In Nov 1628 she is listed in Virginia court records as the step-daughter of Lt Thomas Flint living in Elizabeth city.
  2. Mary was born in 1614 or 1615. About 1631 she married Captain Thomas Bernard of Warwick county. They had a daughter named Beheathland Bernard who married 1st to Francis Dade, alias Major John Smith and married 2nd to Major Andrew Gibson.
  3. John was born in 1616 or 1617. He wrote his will in 1636 saying he was on the way to Virginia and the administration of his estate was granted in Oct 1639 to his cousin Charles Beheathland, who stated "John and died abroad, unmarried.

Robert’s brother Anthony died in May 1615. Robert and his brother George sued Anthony's widow Ursula for their interests in the estate. In 1618 the judge ordered the widow to pay 80 pounds divided among Antony's relatives.

By 1620 Robert was in England petitioning the Royal Council of England for a qualified governor for Virginia.

Robert died 1627. His widow Mary married Lieutenant Tomas Flint of Elizabeth City, when her name appeared in court records in regard to land she had inherited.[11][12]

Research Notes

"Robert Beheathland of Cornwall & Jamestown is the earliest documented colonial immigrant ancestor to the Virginia colony, with descendants living today. He was survived by two daughters; therefore, his surname is not well known. Scion of a wealthy mining family, Captain Beheathland brought sheet copper for the 1607 Virginia expedition for trade with the Indians. He is the only man on the original three ships to have documented descendants living today."[1]

"Until recently it was believed that one other original Jamestown colonist – William Spence(r) – also survived to marry and have descendants. There is a great deal of debate raging among historians, archeologists, and genealogists as to whether Spence’s descendants actually survived. Initially William Spence (no “r”), who arrived on the Susan Constant in 1607, was confused with William Spencer, who arrived aboard the Sarah in 1611. Spencer’s family has survived – that is not in question. However, he is not considered an “Original Planter”. It appears now that William Spence (no “r”, who arrived on the Susan Constant in 1607) and his wife were killed by natives during the Anglo-Powhatan war. Their 3 year-old daughter Sarah was left an orphan with no further indication of her survival past the single court record appointing a guardian for her in 1624. Given this new information it appears that only Beheathland’s descendants can, with any certainty, claim “first family” status." [2][13]

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Colonial Dames of America
    https://cda1890.org/ancestor-spotlight-robert-beheathland2/
  2. 2.0 2.1 Thorndale, William. “William Spencer and the Whiting Family of Earliest Virginia” in The Virginia Geneolgist, Vol. 36, No. 4, October – December 1992. (Falmouth, VA: John Frederick Dorman, 1992) 289.
  3. Jamestown Society: Beheathland, Robert - A709; died by 1627, Jamestowne Island: (Original Jamestowne Settler). accessed 8 September 2021
  4. Smith, Captain John. Names of the First Planters, The Generall Historie of Virginia, p. 90.
  5. Smith, page 106.
  6. Smith, page 164.
  7. Smith, pages 164-166.
  8. http://www.ancient-planters.org/ancestors.html
  9. https://web.archive.org/web/20160711094057/http://www.jamestowne-wash-nova.org/RobertBeheathland.htm (Retrieved via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine 11 Jul 2016)
  10. Dorman, pp. 105-107
  11. Gray, p. 1-7: p. 6 quotes Cavaliers & Pioneers, Minutes of Council & General Court
  12. Dorman, pp. 105-107
  13. William Spence WikiTree profile
    https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Spence-5676

See also:

  • Gray, Violet Noland. Genealogical History of Robert Beheathland. Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, 1978.
  • "Descendants of Capt Robt Behethland of Jamestown" by John Bailey Calvert Nicklin; The William and Mary Quarterly; Vol 9, No 1 (Jan 1929) pg 60-63. Avail at JSTOR
  • Dorman, John Frederick;Virginia M. Meyer. Adventurers of Purse and Person 1607-1624/5. Richmond, VA: The Dietz Press, Inc., 1987
  • Jamestown, the Buried Truth, By William M. Kelso, (2006) University of Virginia Press.
  • The Jamestown Voyages Under the First Charter, 1606-1609, Edited by Philip Barbour. (1969) Cambridge, MA | Cambridge University Press
  • https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/404494?availability=Family%20History%20Library
    "Robert Beheathland is designated an “Original Planter” of the Jamestown Colony. His descendants can claim ancestry from one of the very first European families of this nation. Of the 105 or so colonists to land and stake claim to Virginia soil in 1607, it appears that only Beheathland lived long enough to have descendants who survived into the modern era."
  • Thorndale, William. “William Spencer and the Whiting Family of Earliest Virginia” in The Virginia Geneolgist, Vol. 36, No. 4, October – December 1992. (Falmouth, VA: John Frederick Dorman, 1992) 289.




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Comments: 5

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Sir Robert is my 15th Great Grandfather & I have my Autosomal tests listed
There is a minor format issue where =Research Notes= is misspelled (Note), so biocheck says it shouldn't be a level 2 heading. When I tried to correct it by spelling Notes, I couldn't save due to parameter error in category Featured Connections|Jamestown. Not sure how to fix that category.
posted by Jim Ward
edited by Jim Ward
Two articles published in the William and Mary Quarterly purport that the wife of Robert Beheathland may have been Mary Nicholson. It also states due to evidence cited, that Mary Nicholson Beheathland may have remarried to Thomas Flint. These articles are available at JSTOR where you can read them for free after registering.

"Descendants of Capt Robt Behethland of Jamestown" by John Bailey Calvert Nicklin; Vol 9, No 1 (Jan 1929) pg 60-63 avail at JSTOR and secondly, "More Descendants of Captain Robert Beheathland of Jamestown and of Major Francis Dade" by Alice Elizabeth Trabue; Vol 12, No 1 (Jan 1932) pgs 26-38. Avail at JSTOR

posted by Cindi Bonney
Hello Profile Managers!

We are featuring this profile in the Connection Finder this week. Between now and Wednesday is a good time to take a look at the sources and biography to see if there are updates and improvements that need made, especially those that will bring it up to WikiTree Style Guide standards. We know it's short notice, so don't fret too much. Just do what you can.

Thanks!

Abby

posted by Abby (Brown) Glann