Robert DePriest Progenitor (abt. 1662 - bef. 1711)

Born about 1662 in Lasalle, Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon, France [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Randolph) Depriest — married about 1688 in Virginia

Husband of Mary (Unknown) Langsdon — married 1690 in Of New Kent Co., Virginia

Descendants

Died before 1711 before about age 49 in New Kent, Virginia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Bill Brooks [send private message]

Biography

Robert DePriest Progenitor was a Huguenot emigrant (1540-1790).

Robert DePriest Progenitor was a Virginia colonist.

Robert was born about 1660 in France. He was a Huguenot. The earliest records for him in the Colonies begin in 1689 in New Kent, Virginia.

He was first married to Elizabeth Unknown who died with the birth of their son, William, in 1689. He then married Mary Unknown with whom he had five more children: John, Robert, Mary, Elizabeth and Sarah.^[1][2]

He died about 1711 St. Peter's Northam Parish, New Kent County ), Virginia. Age: approximately 50. in that he was of the processioning list of 1708 but widow DePreist showed on same list in 1711.

Notes

from this DePriest website: http://ourworld-top.cs.com/JourneysThruTime/depriest.htm Note: unable to open this site with Safari or Firefox on 10/30/2023(LZB)

Spelled variously as DuPresse, DePress and DePrest. Robert may have originally come from the area in France between Nimes and the Mediterranean coast, which was an active Huguenot area with several villages designated as "free cities" for Protestant worship by the Edict of Nantes. Robert most likely left France for England in 1685 when the Edict of Nantes was revoked and violence broke out against the Huguenots.

He might have been among the group of Huguenots sent to the New World about 1687 by the British government to quiet unrest in England over the Huguenots who had arrived from France taking prime English jobs. He definitely arrived in America by Feb,1689 and was NOT part of the Huguenots sent to Manakintown in 1700-1702) ^[3]

In the vestry book of St Peters Parish of New Kent Co, Va. there is Robert married to Elizabeth and christening William in 1689 then Elizabeth dies very shortly and then Robert and Mary baptize daughters Mary in 1690, Sarah in 1698 and Elizabeth in 1702. John and Robert (Robin) were his sons though they were not listed in the vestry records as were the daughters

Register of St. Peter's Parish P.7 NEW KENT COUNTY, VIRGINIA. ^[4] Mary daug. to Robt Depress bapt, ye 9 of November, 1690. Sarah daugh. to Robt Deprest & Mary his wife bap. 4 Sept., 1698. Elizabeth Daugh. of Robt Deprest baptized the 19 July, 1702.^[5]

In 1704 Robert had 350 acres in Kent Co, Va. He was not a part of the gentry but he seemed to be considerably better off than most of the common farmers. Early records of this family are in the St. Peter's Parish records. When St. PAULs Parish was formed from St. Peter's, Robert's family were in the new parish on land that eventually would become Hanover County.

"Robert Depresse’s land was located south of Tottopottomoy Creek, north of Mattedecum Creek along the Pamunkey River. The portion of New Kent Co above the mouth of the Matadequin Creek started as the St. Peter’s Parish then became the parish of St. Paul’s in 1704."/LZB

[descendant Robert Michel says he heard that the Depriest family came from DePrees, France. They were Masons in a Catholic town and were asked to leave.] Note: Google Maps can't find a "Depree, France" /LZB

[from Leta Woolard letacwool@@hotmail.com ]: Supposedly, Robert went to England and worked as a servant. He was a Hugenot from France who migrated to VA from Eng. He was married before Eliz. but nothing is known of her. Note: this would be very unlikely that he was a servant as he came to Virginia with enough money to buy 350 acres in New Kent./LZB

Robert had arrived in America by 1689, but this is a record of another group probably just like the one he came with from The Huguenot Society of Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia at: http://huguenot-manakin.org/index.htm In 1700, four ships arrived at the mouth of the James River and the Rappahannock, east of present-day Richmond, Virginia. French Huguenots, having fled religious persecution, had lived in England and done services for the king. They were granted lands in the New World for a permanent home where they had the freedom to worship as they pleased. West of Richmond, they founded a colony on the site of a village deserted by the Monacan Indians. William DePriest was not part of this group - he purchased land in New Kent prior to the 1700 group of Huguenots and did not live in Mannakin town (Correction: Robert purchased 350 acres in New KentCounty by 1689 north of where the Huguenots in 1700+ (3 ships) settled 11 years later in Manakintown./LZB

A Robert Depriest was taxed on 350 acres as evidenced by the 1704 Quit Rent Rolls of New Kent County, Virginia, page 488.

Sources

1. ↑ Busby, Lynn Zacny, The DePriest Gang, Vol. 1, 2017-2019, p. 22-35.
2. ↑ Nuckolls, Charles R., The Roses Repository: #R6 Call Number: 929.107207 NUC NOTENuckolls, Charles R.. The Roses: The Nuckolls Family, the Lyman Family, and One Hundred Fifty Immigrants Who Helped Shape America. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse, Inc, 2010Robert Depriest Pages 408-409
3. ↑ https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/75278538/person/46312826335/media/41dcc5d7-4f35-438f-b426-cafbfc64b850?_phsrc=ZCM2&usePUBJs=true&galleryindex=1&albums=pg&showGalleryAlbums=true&tab=0&pid=46312826335&sort=-created.
4. ↑ http://www.vagenweb.org/newkent/stpete01.html
5. ↑ http://www.vagenweb.org/newkent/stpete01.html

See also:

• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=merrygo&id=I7376
• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/w/a/g/Kathy-L-Waggerman/BOOK-0001/0001-0001.html
• Repository: #R-2146861572 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Note: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. Page: Ancestry Family Trees Note: Data: Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=8806704&pid=995
• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/c/h/Alan-M-Schwark-TX/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0274.html
• http://www.geni.com/people/Robert-DePriest/6000000000313089584
• http://mjgen.com/depriest/depriest.html
• http://www.mytrees.com/ancestry/Virginia/Born-1665/Ra/Randolph-family/Elizabeth-Randolph-do000480-61.html
• http://www.eturner.com/GED-GEN/grpf02884.html
• http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDMQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dkbaird.com%2FHistories%2F12%2520Robert%2520DePriest.doc&ei=O6a-VLfcAYSeNtHngqAD&usg=AFQjCNHD9gLci1jlEuF_l-m3tj0KS-Vutg&sig2=RNP64N46q1hzL4_UNrOPqw&bvm=bv.83829542,d.eXY
• http://montanarobbinsnest.blogspot.com/2008/11/thankful-thursday-13.html
• Lawrence Lovell Lovell Web Site MyHeritage family tree Family site: Lovell Web Site Family tree: 246814431-1 Media: 246814431-1 Discovery 26 OCT 2015 Added via an Instant Discovery™ Certainty: 3
• https://www.huguenotmanakin.org/copy-of-old-registered-lineages

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile DePriest-25 created through the import of Dankowski Family Tree.ged on May 28, 2012 by Laura Mercado
• Detailed proof showing Robert DePriest in Virginia by 1689 can be found on my Ancestry.com record: https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/75278538/person/46312826335/media/41dcc5d7-4f35-438f-b426-cafbfc64b850?_phsrc=RYw15&usePUBJs=true&galleryindex=1&albums=pg&showGalleryAlbums=true&tab=0&pid=46312826335&sort=-created