Elizabeth (Taylor) Hamlin (abt. 1664 - 1720)

Born about 1664 in Charles City County, Virginia

Ancestors

Wife of John Hamlin — married Oct 1684 in Charles City County, Colony of Virginia

Descendants

Died 7 Jun 1720 at about age 56 in Prince George, Virginia

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Robert Hamlin [send private message] and Cheri Passey [send private message]

Biography

Elizabeth (Taylor) Hamlin was a Virginia colonist.

Elizabeth Taylor was born about 1664 in Charles City County, Virginia, to parents Richard Taylor and Sarah (Barker) Taylor. She passed away on 7 June 1720.^[1] Her will was proved in September 1720 in Prince George County, Virginia.

Elizabeth married Capt. John Hamlin in October 1684, in Charles City County, Virginia.^[2] (It is known they were married before August 1688 when John represented his wife in court concerning her father's estate.) Known children include:^[3]

1. John Hamlin
2. Elizabeth Hamlin, m. Thomas Ravenscroft
3. Richard Hamlin
4. Peter Hamlin
5. Lucy Hamlin, m. William Epes
6. William Hamlin, b. 1695
7. Hannah Hamlin, m. Thomas Cocke
8. Sarah Hamlin, m. (1) Micajah Lowe; (2) Rev. John Cargill.

Capt. John was actively involved in shipping goods to and from England. In 1698 he contracted with partners Richard Bland, John Taylor and John Hardiman to have a ship built called the "Virgin of Virginia." In July 1699 Elizabeth Hamlin is listed as owner of this ship. This verifies that Capt. John died prior to that date. Only a widow would be able to claim title to property previously owned by her husband. ^[3]

One of the vessels that brought Africans from Barbados in 1698 was registered in Jamestown and belonged to four residents of Charles City County: Elizabeth Hamlin, John Taylor, Richard Bland and John Hardiman. Its port of call was the Upper James River Naval District, where Edward Hill was the Naval Officer or customs official (Minchinton et al. 1984:3, 198).^[4]

On 13 December 1697, Captain John Hamlin bought a 250–acre tract of land and all houses, orchards, gardens, woods, etc. (subject to existing tenancies) on the south shore of the James River, directly across from the Westover Plantation, then owned by William Byrd I.^[5][6] The land was bounded by "Maycoks Devidend" and became know as Maycocks or Maycox. It is now within the James River National Wildlife Refuge. The deed to Captain John identifies the swampland that makes the location attractive to wildlife.

John Hamlin died between 5 January 1698/9, when he wrote his will, and 3 October 1699, when it was proved in the Charles City County Court by two of the witnesses, one of whom was Micajah Lowe, his son–in–law. He made the following bequests:

• He gave his eldest son, "John Hamelin," the tract of land commonly called Hawkes Nest.
• He gave his "Loving wife" all the parcel of land commonly called Macocks "Lately purchased of Roger Drayton" and the remainder of his Estate, both real & personal.

His will named Elizabeth as his executrix.^[7]

Elizabeth Hamlin is listed on the 1704 Rent Roll in Prince George County, Virginia, with 250 acres of land. Also listed on the Roll are her sons Jno. Hamlin with 1484-1/2 acres and Richard Hamlin with 240 acres. The Jno. Hamlin could not have been Capt. John or Elizabeth would not have been listed with land in her own name. She must have been a widow.^[8]

Elizabeth's plantation, Maycocks, became a recognized southern terminus of a ferry across the James River soon after Prince George County was established in 1704. The authorized ferry locations in 1702 included one from "Westopher" on the north shore of the river to Cogan's point on the south. Cogan's point was across Powell's Creek from Maycocks. ^[9]. The Statutes of October 1705 added Maycock's to Coggan's Point. The price was the same as at Westover: "for a man seven pence halfpenny, for a man and horse fifteen pence." The Statute's provisions explain the obligations incurred and benefits obtained with a ferry:

WHEREAS a good regulation of ferries in this her majesty's colony and dominion will prove very useful for the dispatch of public affairs, and for the ease and benefit of travellers, and men in business, ...

That Ferries be constantly kept at the places hereafter named; ...

That the court of each county, wherein any ferry is or shall be appointed, by virtue of this act, shall have, and hereby hath full power and authority of licensing, allowing and appointing the ferry–keeper, and of ordering and directing what boat or boats and hands shall be kept there; and also, upon neglect or omission in the good and orderly keeping thereof, of discharging and turning out that ferry–keeper, and putting another in the place. ...

That all the men attending in the said ferry boats, be free of public and county levies, ... if the county court shall find it requisite and useful, that an ordinay be kept at such ferry [and] in such case, no other person be permitted to keep ordinary, within five miles ...^[10]

Ellizabeth must have fulfilled the obligations for maintaining a ferry–after her death in 1720 her estate was credited with a subsidy for maintaining the ferry, prorated to the day of her death.^[11] A ferry appears to have continued between Westover and Maycocks for at least twenty years after her death. The third segment of William Byrd II's diaries that have survived (1739–1741), show that Elizabeth's grandson, John Ravenscroft (aft.1710-bef.1772), was owner of the plantation twenty years later, that he conferred with Byrd regularly, and that a ferry offered easy access between the plantations.^[12]

Elizabeth lost two of her sons before her death. Peter Hamlin (-abt.1711) appears to have developed a business relationship with William Byrd II. In 1709, he came across the James River at least four times to see Byrd. In 1710, he carried letter from Byrd to England prior to spending eight months there, possibly to study. He returned to Virginia and in 1711 was carrying letters and shipping information concerning Barbados to Byrd. This may reflect a shared interest between Byrd and the Hamlin family, given his mother's ownership interests in a ship and the presence of a Captain Hamlin among Byrd's other visitors. However, Byrd's diaries recount his death from smallpox on 5 July 1711, "for want of attention" in Byrd's words. Byrd's wife was concerned that she would get smallpox as well because Elizabeth had been called by Byrd two nights before to help Mrs. Byrd in an illness and had "laid on her sheets."^[13]

The second son who died prior to Elizabeth was Richard Hamlin (abt.1670-bef.1720). He is not named in the will of his father–in–law, Thomas Harrison (-bef.1720), written on 2 April 1720, or the will of his mother, written on 23 May 1720.^[14]

Death & Legacy

Elizabeth Hamlin made her will 23 May 1720 and it was proved 13 September 1720 in Prince George County, Virginia.^[14][15] Her bequests are as follows:

• to son William Hamlin, five negroes ...Further money due me from Mr. John Hamersley, Mr. John Stith & Mr. Drury Stith ...
• to daughter Lucy, four negroes ...
• to grandson Thomas Hamlin ...
• to daughter Sarah one mourning ring; to Mr. Cargill one mourning ring, and one to each of their two children...
• to daughter Elizabeth and her husband [Thomas Ravenscroft] each a mourning ring.
• Remainder of estate divided into 4 equal parts for children: John, William, Hannah and Lucy.
• Exrs: sons John and William Hamlin
• Wits.: Gilbert Hay, Elvia Houghton, Mm. Borenses, Rebecca Jones.

Son Richard Hamlin was not named in Elizabeth's will since he died prior to 1720.

Research Notes

William Byrd II recorded the illness, death and funeral of Elizabeth (Taylor) Hamlin in his "Secret Diary." He made entries concerning a "Mrs. Hamlin" between 8 May 1720 and the day of the funeral, 10 June 1720. He recorded an attempt to help her on 21 May 1720:

In the evening I took a wallk and met Mrs. Harrison who had been at Mrs. Hamlin's who was very sick. We consulted what to do and resolved to let her blood. She went and in returning told me our patient was better.^[1]

The Mrs. Harrison who conferred with Byrd could have been Eleanor (Unknown) Harrison (-aft.1724), whose husband, Thomas Harrison (-bef.1720) had died only months earlier, and whose daugther, Ann (Harrison) Hamlin (bef.1677-abt.1773), was the widow of Mrs. Hamlin's deceased son, Richard Hamlin (abt.1670-bef.1725).

Byrd's diary records the presence of other members of Elizabeth's family at and before the funeral. It should be noted that the Thomas and Eleanor "Harrison" referred to above appear to have spelled their name "Harnison," as recorded in the Prince George County records by the County Clerk, Elizabeth's son William Hamlin (1695-1763). Byrd's diary also refers to these likely family members as "Harrison." The editors to the first publication of Byrd's secret diaries note that the transcription from his entries in a modified version of a shorthand of his day could lead to errors, so we do not know for certain what he intended.^[16] He also dealt, about this time, with Harrisons who do not appear to have been a part of Elizabeth's family, so identification depends on the context of the entry.

The ease with which Mrs. Harrison conferred with Byrd about blood–lettting and then reported its results is explained by the proximity of Elizabeth's Maycocks plantation and Westover. Maycocks was sold by her son, John Hamlin Jr (abt.1685-bef.1725), in 1723 to her son–in–law, Thomas Ravenscroft (1688-bef.1736). The plantation remained in the Ravenscroft family for about fifty years. When the family offered it for sale in 1772, it was described as:

"that pleasantly situated seat on James river, in Prince George county, called Maycox', opposite to Westover, This place, I presume, is so generally known that more particular description of it would be unnecessary."^[17]

At the date of this sales advertisement, the location of Maycox had been of interest in Virginia history for over 150 years. It was named for Samuel Maycock (bef.1594-1622), pastor of the first church built at Jamestown, who was killed in the Indian Massacre on 22 March1622. It was immediately west of Flowerdew Hundred on the south side of the James River, land which Elizabeth's mother, Sarah (Barker) Bisse (abt.1641-1694), had owned with her second husband and others.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Louis B. Wright & Marion Tinling, editors, The London Diary (1717-1721) and Other Writings, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1958), 404-416.
2. ↑ Charles City County, Virginia Court Orders 1687-1795, with a fragment of Court Order Book of 1680, Abstracted and Compiled by Benjamin B. Weisiger III, reprinted 1992 Iberian Publishing, Athens, Georgia. p.26.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Louis des Cognets, Jr., English Duplicates of Lost Virginia Records 1958 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., rep 1990) p.224; as cited in Davis, Virginia Lee Hutcheson. Tidewater Virginia Families. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004, p 552, 553
4. ↑ A Study of the Africans and African Americans on Jamestown Island and at Green Spring, 1619-1803
5. ↑ Indenture from Roger Drayton to John Hamlin, dated 13 Dec 1796; Charles City County Order Book 1694–1700, 303; accessed on 15 Jun 2022 at digital collections of the Library of Virginia, http://digitool1.lva.lib.va.us : image 17_0498_0123.tif.
6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Westover Plantation," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Westover_Plantation&oldid=1090198662 (accessed June 15, 2022).
7. ↑ Will of John Hamelin, dated 5 Jan 1798/9 & proved 3 Oct 1699; Charles City County Order Book 1694–1700, 428; enter Charles City in the Name box at https://virginiamemory.com/collections/lost (accessed 4 July 2022). Will of John Hamelin is in the third section ( Pages 200-303), page 238.
8. ↑ Wertenbaker, Thomas J. The Planters of Colonial Virginia. New York: Russell & Russell, 1959. Project Gutenberg Ebook: Release date: May 24, 2010.
9. ↑ "An act for the regulation and settlement of ferryes ...," Hening's, Laws of Virginia, Vol. 3, 218-19 (14 Aug 1702); www.familysearch.org/library/books/idviewer/133968/215
10. ↑ "An act for the regulation and settlement of Ferrries; and for the dispatch of public expenses," Hening's, Laws of Virginia, Vol. 3, 469-476 (Oct 1705); www.familysearch.org/library/books/idurl/1/133968
11. ↑ Prince George, Virginia, Deeds, Etc. 1713–1728, 569; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9PX-XS5W : June 10, 2022), image 245 of 401; Virginia. County Court (Prince George County).
12. ↑ Maude H. Woodfin, editor, Another Secret Diary of William Byrd of Westover for the Years 1739-1741, (Richmond, The Dietz Press, 1942).
13. ↑ Louis B. Wright & Marion Tinling, ed., The Secret Diary of William Byrd of Westover 1709–1712 (Richmond: The Dietz Press 1941), 130, 236, 301, 313, 364, 365-66, 370.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Will of Elizabeth Hamlin; Prince George, Virginia, Deeds Etc. 1713–1728, Part 2, 421 (written 23 May 1720; proved 13 Sep 1720); images, Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9PX-XSYZ : May 29, 2022), image 97 of 401.
15. ↑ Boddie, John Bennett. Southside Virginia Families. in 2 volumes. Redwood City, Calif., Pacific Coast Publisers, 1955- Volume 1, Page 238.
16. ↑ Louis B. Wright & Marion Tinling, editors, The Secret Diary of William Byrd of Westover 1709–1712, (Richmond, The Dietz Press, 1941), vi–viii.
17. ↑ Rind's Virginia Gazette, 24 Dec 1772, p.3.

• http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=24732528&pid=1283
• Media: Letter Abbreviation: Researcher-Peter G. Sandlund-[Bradford] Title: Bradford Family Research Author: Peter G. Sandlund Publication: Address: 4206 Mt. Vernon Memorial Highway, Alexandria, Va. 22309: Several generations from the Bradford family. This copy was sent to me by Bett Girardeau. Copy is in the Baker family file in possession of Cheryl Hudson Passey.