John Flood (abt. 1595 - 1658)

Born about 1595 in Kent, England [uncertain]

Husband of Margaret Saywell (Unknown) Finch — married 1624 in Surry County, Virginia

Husband of Fortune (Jordan) Mills — married 1640 in Surry County, Colony of Virginia

Descendants

Died 1658 at about age 63 in Surry County, Virginia Colony

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Biography

John Flood was a Jamestown colonist.

John Flood is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society

John Fludd (or Flood) arrived from England to Jamestown on the Swan in 1610.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

His birth date is not known, but he is believed to have arrived Virginia as a young man, possibly only 15, so born about 1595 in England.^[2]

There is no definitive information on his parents or birth location. Current listed information is based on circumstantial evidence.

He was listed in 1616 in the employ of Reverend Alexander Whitaker at Charles City, Virginia.^[3][4]

John married Margett (or Margaret) Finch, sometime after her husband William Finch died in 1622,^[3] and before 1625 given that they had a 3 week old son at the time of the muster in Jan 1624/1625.^[6] Dorman says they married in 1622.^[7]

By the Jan 1624/1625 muster, John Flood was living in Jordan’s Journey (near Charles City), where he is listed on his own property, along with wife Margett, her daughter Frances Finch, and their son William Fludd aged 3 weeks.^[1][3]

He subsequently married Fortune Jordan.^[3][4] As John had young children when his first wife died in 1939, it would have been helpful for him to remarry shortly after. However some sources place marriage between Fortune Jordan and John Flood to be 1645 or even 1655.^[7]

John was a Captain, and later Colonel, and served in the local government for several years.^[3][2]He was "burgess for Flower Dewe Hundred in 1630 and for Westover, Flower Dewe Hundred and Weyanoke in 1632". In 1642, 1645, 1652, and 1656, he was burgess for James City County.^[4] He was listed as Colonel in the colonial militia in 1652 and 1655 in Surrey County.^[8]

His first patent of record is on 12 May 1638 for 2100 acres in James City area. He claimed as headright 42 persons, including himself, his son John, his wife Margaret and her daughter.^[3][2][9] In 1650, he surrendered this patent and acquired 1100 acres on the south side of the river, in land that eventually became Surry County. He settled his family there.^[2][4]

He interacted with the local Indians through trade, and became competent in their language. After peace was negotiated in 1646, he was made official interpreter for the Colony.^[7][2]

He died in 1658 in Surry County, Virginia. He was living in June 1658, when he sold a cow to Anthony Holburt. He was apparently dead before 14 Nov 1658 when his son Thomas Flood deeded to William Jennings some land “formerly held by lease from my father Col. John Flood”.^[2][7] An act of the Assembly in 1658/59^[2] or 1661^[3][4] appointed his son as interpreter in his place, noting that the elder Flood was “deceased”.

Children

His children by Margaret were:

• William Flood, born about 1 Jan 1624/1625, likely died young.^[3][2][7]

• Thomas Flood, possibly born around 1629?^[3][2][4]

• Jane Flood, who married John Cary. Some sources indicate she was daughter of Margaret,^[3][4][7] while others indicate she was daughter of Fortune.^[2]

His children by Fortune were:

• Walter Flood.^[3][2]

Other speculative children:

• John Flood^[3][2][9], however more recent review indicates this person was born before 1622 so would not be their son.^[7]
• Mary Flood. She is first noted in 1650, when she was sponsored for transport from England to Virginia by Capt John Flood, Gent., and John Flood, of James City County.^[10] (They also sponsored several other persons that year.^[10]) It has been inferred that Mary was his daughter with Margaret, who had been sent to England for schooling and was being brought back to Virginia. (Possibly she was sent after her mother died, partly to help care for her.)^[2] More recent review suggests she was not their daughter.^[7]
• Christopher Flood (speculative). See Research Notes.
• Elizabeth Flood. Another John Flood's daughter Elizabeth, is sometimes confused as his daughter.

Research Notes

In the muster of Jan 1624/1625, John Fludd is listed as arriving in the Swan in 1610.^[1][11] Sisley Jordan also lists her arrival in the Swan in 1610, while others list other voyages in 1609 and 1624. None list arrival on Swan in 1611. However some secondary sources indicate the Swan arrived in Aug 1611.

There is circumstantial evidence that John Fludd had a sister, Sisley or Cecily, who arrived in Jamestown aboard the Swan in 1610 with John. Cecily married first _____Bayley, then Samuel Jordan, then William Ferrar (Farrar). See: http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/flood/1264/ )

The Swan may lie off the coast of Sweden. See Ghost Ship of the Baltic: https://www.hydro-international.com/content/article/the-ghost-ship-expedition

Excerpt from floodfamily.org^[12]

Charles Robley Patterson wrote four books on the Flood family, all of which are in the Library of Congress. Following are selected pages from those books. Most of the pages are from his latest book, which is the most accurate.

Chapter XII: DESCENDENTS OF COLONEL JOHN FLUDD (-FLOOD), ‘ANCIENT PLANTER’

Excerpt from page 18:

COLONEL JOHN FLUDD (FLOOD) (1592—1658), from Bersted, Kent, England, to the colony of Virginia on the “Swann”, in 1611. Married 1st, Mrs Margaret Finch, widow of William Finch,1624 in Charles City. Mrs. Finch, her husband William Finch, and a daughter, Frances, sailed out of Bristol, England, Sept. 1620 in the “Supply” for Virginia.

Excerpt from page 22:

COLONEL JOHN FLUDD (FLOOD); his second wife was FORTUNE JORDAN, sister of Colonel George Jordan, ‘ancient planter’, by whom he had two children: CHRISTOPHER FLOOD, GENT., b. ca 1650. No further information on him at this time. WALTER FLOOD, GENT., ca 1656.

Excerpt from page 23:

On September 14, 1987 a second source of information was found that mentioned Christopher Flood, son of John Fludd, and his second wife Fortune Jordan Fludd. This source is “Virginia Will Records.” The William and Mary Quarterly, 1982. Indexed by Judith McGhan. Genealogy Publishing Co., Inc. On page 774 is the Last Will and Testament of Lt. Col. George Jordan, Atty.-Gen. of Virginia in 1670. In part it states: "---- and doe give it equally between Christopher Flood (?) and Walter Flood. “ (600 pounds of tobacco). If George Jordan was alive in 1670, and his Will written later it would make Christopher Flood, born ca 1650, when named in the Will at least 20 years of age.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} “The Original Lists of Persons of Quality; 1600-1700”, J.C. Hotten (ed.), (London 1874, Reprinted Empire State Book Co New York.) p.211. Available at archive.org
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13} “Virginia Historical Genealogies”, by John Bennett Boddie, (Pacific Coast Publishers, Redwood City, 1954). p.301-303. Available at archive.org
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12} “Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia 1607-1625 and Their Families”, Annie Lash Jester (ed.). p.175,176. (Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1956). Available at Family Search (NOTE: Some of the information on the Flood family from this 1956 version has been revised in the Fourth Edition, 2009).
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7} ”Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography”, by Lyon Gardiner Tylor (Lewis Historical Publishing, New York, 1915) p. 237. Available at archive.org
5. ↑ Jamestowne Society: "Flood/Fludd, John - A2709; died 1658, Surry Co.; (Muster of 1624/5), Westover, Flowerdewe, Weynoke: 1631-32; James City Co.: 1643, 1645-46, 1652, 1656 (Burgess)." accessed 1 April 2021
6. ↑ Marriages of Some Virginia Residents, 1607-1800, by Dorothy Ford Wulfeck, Volume 2, page 15. 1624 marriage to Mrs. Margaret Finch, Available at myheritage.com (Page not found 10 Aug 2021)
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7} "Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5. Fourth Edition, Volume One, Families A-F", by John Dorman. (Genealogical Publishing Company, 2009). See pages 995-996.
8. ↑ "Virginia's Colonial Soldiers, A Supplement", by L. DeWitt Bockstruck, Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol.31, Number 2, p.91. Available at Ancestry.com
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} ”Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1800”, by Nell Marion Nugent. Vol. I, p.194. (Press of the Dietz Printing, Richmond, 1934). Available at hathitrust.org
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} “Early Virginia Immigrants 1623-1666”, by George Cabell Greer, (Genealogical Publishing Co, Baltimore, 1982). p.116. Available at hathitrust.org
11. ↑ Ancient Planters: Passengers of the Swan
12. ↑ VERIFYING THE EARLY EXISTANCE OF THE BUCKINGHAM COUNTY, VIRGINIA FLOOD FAMILY by floodfamily.org (Page not found 10 Aug 2021)

See also:

• "Early Immigrants to Virginia from the 1500s and 1600s", by June Kinard, comp. (The Researchers, Indianapolis, IN). Available at Ancestry.com
• "Early Virginia Families Along the James River: Their Deep Roots and Tangled Branches", by Louise Pledge Heath Foley. Vol. III (James City County & Surry County, Virginia). Available at Ancestry.com
• "Some prominent Virginia families", by Louise Pecquet du Bellet, Louise. (J.P. Bell, 1907.) Available at Ancestry.com

Acknowledgments

• WikiTree profile Flood-101 created through the import of Rankin-Ridgdill Family Tree.ged on Oct 4, 2011 by Elizabeth Rankin.
• Flood-462 was created by Nalani Briggs through the import of Kupau-Vetu-Briggs Tree-4-13-2014-910PM.ged on Apr 13, 2014.
• Flood-492 was created by A Tomkins through the import of Hooker Harrison Williams Family Tree.ged on Jul 12, 2014.
• See the changes page for the details of edits.