John Curtis (1632 - 1714)

Born 20 Jan 1632 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England

Died 8 Nov 1714 at age 82 in Lancaster, Virginia

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Biography

John Curtis was born to unknown parents, likely in England, before 1635.^[1] John settled in Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, by 1655. Lancaster County taxed him based on his labor force, assessing him for six tithables, 7 Dec 1655,^[2] for three tithables, 5 Nov 1656,^[3] for five tithables, 16 Dec 1657,^[4] for six tithables, 31 Oct 1658,^[5] for seven tithables, 30 Nov 1659,^[6] and for twelve tithables (his labor force being tied at this assessment for the county's seventh largest), 15 Nov 1660.^[7]

John's labor force plateaued. Lancaster County assessed him, 22 Nov 1668, for example, for seven tithables on the county’s "southside,"^[8] i.e., the part of the county that was then south of the Rappahannock River.^[9]

John served as a judge for Lancaster County in 1668 beside other county notables like John Carter, David Fox, Raleigh Travers, William Ball, Richard Perrott, Abraham Weeks and George Wale.^[10]

Research Notes

Speculation: In a deed of 10 Nov 1662, Davyd Allyson (David, Allison, Al linson), was indentified as a "planter". (See Lancaster Co ., VA Deeds and Wills, 1661-1702, typescript, p. 14, book p p. 249-250.) He would have been born at least by 1638, perhaps in ENG. Allison was living on the plantation he bough t from John Curtys (Curtis), Gent., and his wife, Anne, o f Lancaster Co., VA, which consisted of some buildings an d 260 acres of land. David lived in the Middle Precint o f Middlesex County, VA. Research needs to be done to determine whether David Alliso n's wife, Joan, whom in married by 1665, was a daughter o f John Curtys (Curtis). Bonded servants brought to Americ a worked the land in corn and tobacco before the great tide of importation of slaves began in the 1680's. Since he w as living on the land he bought, David Allison may have ma ried a daughter or sister of John Curtis. David Allison i s a witness for John Curtys in 1665.

Additional speculation: This Curtis family descends from Thomas1 Curtis who, with his brother John, came to VA in 1621 on the ship "Flyinge Harte." Thomas gave his age as 24 and John as age 22. They were living in Elizabeth City, 7 Feb 1624/5 when the muster was taken. John Curtis does not appear again in the records. Thomas moved to Gloucester County, VA where on 20 Jul 1633 he was deeded 20 acres on New Poquoson Creek. Thomas1 Curtis married Avarilla. Their probable issue included: John2, Avarilla2, Bartholomew2, Giles2, George2, Charles2, James2, and Sarah2. [1] [2]

[https://archive.org/details/parishregisterof00chri/page/40/mode/2up?form=MY01SV&OCID=MY01SV&q=john+Curtis Pg 100 John Curtis died Nov 8 1714 Church of Christ Parish Register]

• England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

Name John Curtis Sex Male Christening Date 20 Jan 1632 Christening Place Salisbury, Wiltshire, England Christening Place (Original) Saint Thomas, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England Father's Name Bartholomew Curtis Father's Sex Male Mother's Name Elinor Mother's Sex Female John Curtis's Parents and Siblings Bartholomew Curtis

Sources

Footnotes

1. ↑ He would have been at least 21 in 1655 when he was assessed for taxes.
2. ↑ 1655 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 7 Dec 1655. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Deed & Will Book 1, 1652-1657, pp. 234-239. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here, as transcribed in 1961 Transcription. Fleet, Beverley. 1961. Virginia Colonial Abstracts: Vol. XXII, Lancaster County 1652-1655. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. Pages 106-109. Available online without restriction courtesy of HathiTrust here. Accessed 29 Jan 2024. To see what others appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
3. ↑ 1656 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 5 Nov 1656. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Deed & Will Book 1, 1652-1657, pp. 302-307. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 23 Mar 2024. To see what others appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
4. ↑ 1657 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 16 Dec 1657. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book, 1655-1666, pp. 40-44. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 30 Mar 2024. To see what other colonists appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
5. ↑ 1658 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 31 Oct 1658. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book 1655-1666, pp. 60-64. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 24 Jan 2024. To see what other colonists appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
6. ↑ 1659 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 30 Nov 1659. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book 1655-1666, pp. 100-105. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 25 Jan 2024. Visit Lancaster County Tax Records to see what other colonists appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces.
7. ↑ 1660 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 15 Nov 1660. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book 1655-1666, pp. 131-132. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 10 Apr 2024. Visit Lancaster County Tax Records to see what other colonists appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces.
8. ↑ 1668 Assessment. Assessment, 22 Nov 1668. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book 1, 1666-1680, pp. 86-87. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 1 Jan 2024.
9. ↑ Lancaster County today lies entirely north of the Rappahannock River. Until 1669, in which year Middlesex County was formed, Lancaster County straddled the river, thus leading the assessors to differentiate between the county's north and south sides. Sources:
   1. Wikipedia contributors, "Lancaster County, Virginia," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (accessed January 22, 2024).
   2. Wikipedia contributors, "Middlesex County, Virginia," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (accessed January 22, 2024).
   3. Iberian Publishing Company's On-Line Catalog: The Growth of Virginia, 1634-1895 (1651-1660). Available online here.
10. ↑ Sources (note that references to 1667 in the actual documents are, in new style, 1668):
    1. List of Judges. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Judges, 8 Jan 1668: Judges: Col. John Carter, Mr. Davyd Fox, Mr. Ra[leigh] Travers, Mr. Will[iam] Ball, Mr. [Christo]pher Wormley, John Curtys, George Wale, and William Loose? Lancaster County Order Book 1, 1666-1680, p. 55. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 22 Jan 2024.
    2. List of Judges. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Judges, 8 Apr 1668: Mr. Ra[leigh] Travers, Mr. Rich[ard] Perrott, Mr. Will[iam] Ball, and John Curtys. Lancaster County Order Book 1, 1666-1680, p. 63. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 22 Jan 2024.
    3. List of Judges. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Judges, 13 May 1668: Mr. Davyd Fox, Mr. Rich[ard] Perrott, Mr. Will[iam] Ball, John Curtys and George Wale. Lancaster County Order Book 1, 1666-1680, p. 66. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 23 Jan 2024.
    4. List of Judges. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Judges, 8 Jul 1668: Col. John Carter, Mr. Davyd Fox, Mr. Ra[leigh] Travers, Mr. Will[iam] Ball, Mr. [Christo]pher Wormley, John Curtys and George Wale. Lancaster County Order Book 1, 1666-1680, p. 73. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 23 Jan 2024.
    5. List of Judges. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Judges, 9 Sep 1668: Mr. Davyd Fox, Mr. Ra[leigh] Travers, Mr. Will[iam] Ball, Mr. [Christo]pher Wormley, John Curtys, William Loortie?, Abra[ham] Weeks and George Wale. Lancaster County Order Book 1, 1666-1680, p. 77. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 23 Jan 2024.
    6. List of Judges. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Judges, 22 Nov 1668: Col. John Carter, Mr. Davyd Fox, Mr. Ra[leigh] Travers, Mr. Will[iam] Ball, Mr. [Christo]pher Wormley, John Curtys, William Loose?, Abra[ham] Weeks and George Wale. Lancaster County Order Book 1, 1666-1680, p. 81. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 23 Jan 2024.