Jeremiah Clements (bef. 1607 - bef. 1657)

Born before 8 Nov 1607 in St James, London, England

Ancestors

Died before 17 Mar 1657 at about age 49 in James City, Colony of Virginia

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Jeri Leonard [send private message] and Idell O'Leary [send private message]

Biography

Jeremiah Clements was a Virginia colonist.

Jeremiah meets the criteria to be a Jamestowne Society Qualifying Ancestor (but is not listed as one).

Jeremiah Clement was born in 1607 in London, England and was christened on 11 February 1607 at Saint James, Clerkenwell, London, England. The christening record lists Jeffrey Clement as his father. His mother is not listed but is assumed to be Elizabeth Fuller, Jeffrey’s wife. ^[1]

Timeline for Jeremiah Clements

1623 Census – Jamestown, Virginia

• “A List of Names of Those Living in Virginia”
• Dated: 16 February 1623
• Jereme Clements p. 174
• Elizabeth Clements p.174
• Capt. Ralph Hamor p.174
• Mrs. Hamor p.174

1624 - Documentary History of Jamestown Island, Vol III: Biographies of Owners and Residents, Martha W. McCartney, National Park Service, Williamsburg, Virginia, 2000, p 84, in February 1624 Elizabeth was living in urban Jamestown with her brother (Jeremy II), her mother (Elizabeth) and her stepfather (Captain Ralph Hamor) on Study Unit 4 Tract L Lot G.

1627-1641-From Clements, p 7: 1636 grants 500 acres of land bounded on the north by the James River, by the Land Office in Richmond, Virginia. He was also granted 350 acres of land on the eastern side of the Upper Chippooks Creek August 26, 1633, and in 1641/42, he represented James City County in the House of Burgesses.^[2]

• May 18, 1627, Benjamin Harrison was granted 600 acres of land in James City County, on the south side of the James RIver, about a mile and half up Upper Chippoke's Creek, on the east side of the creek, near the land granted to Jeremiah Clements.
• At a Grand Assembly at James City, January 12, 1641/42, the names of the Burgesses of several plantations were given, and Mr. Jeremie Clement was named.
• A Court at James City, June 5, 1632: "... It is thought fit and ordered that Jeremy Clements perform the administration of Roger Pritchard's by dividing the estate and the equal proportions towards the situation of his debts unto his creditors."

1633 Book: Early Virginia Families Along the James River Their Deep Roots & Tangled Branches, James City Co. - Surry County, Va by Louise Pledge Health Foley Vol. 3; Abstract of Land Patents James City County, Patent Book No. I - Part 1, Book p.8 Jeremiah Clements. Dated: 26 August 1633

• Those listed as Heirs to Elizabeth Clements, dec'd
• 1. Son, Jeremiah Clements
• 2. Son, Nicholas Clements
• 3. Son, Ezechiell Clements
• 4. Daughter, Elizabeth Clements
• 5. Servant Dorothy Greene
• 6. Servant, Jefferie Hull
• They all came over on the George, 1617.
• See Attachment

1635 - Virginia Magazine of History, Vol 8, July 1895-June 1896, pp 274-5- Mr. Jeremiah Clement, 500 acres lying eastward of the lands formerly in his possession and bounded on the north by James River - due: 50 acres for the personal adventure of his wife Edy Clements, and 450 for the transportation of nine persons. By West, June 11, 1635.

• Headrights: Edy Clement, his wife, John Clement, John Giles, John Dawtres, Christopher Abbott, Henry Tompson, John Taylor, Thos. Ashby, Wm. Skuens, WM. Winder, Nathaniel Eaton

1633 Book: Early Virginia Families Along the James River Their Deep Roots & Tangled Branches, James City Co. - Surry County, Va by Louise Pledge Health Foley Vol. 3; Abstract of Land Patents James City County, Patent Book No. I - Part 1, (book p.10-11) the land of Jeremiah Clements & Neighbors

1638 - Patents Issued during the Regal Government, William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 3, (Jan., 1901), pp. 139-144. JAMES CITY COUNTY, VA, BOOK NO. 1. p.660. Jeremiah Clements, Mar: 10, 1638. 500 acres. Lying at the upper Chippokes Creek, northward upon James River.

1641 The Colonial Virginia Register, compiled by William and Mary Newton Stanard, Albany, NY, Joel Munsell's Sons, Publishers, 1902, p 61 - January 12, 1641, House of Burgess lists Mr. Jeremie Clement from James City

1643 William and Mary Quarterly, Vol 10, 1901-03, p 93, Patents issued during the Regal Government, Jeremiah Clement, January 10, 1643. 200 acres, lying on the south side of James river, at the upper Chippoke.

1607-1657/8 Adventurers of Purse and Person Virginia 1607-1624/5 Order of First Families of Virginia, 3rd Ed, 1987, p 198 August 26, 1633 - "Jeremiah Clement sonn and heire apparant to Elizabeth Clements, deceased" patented 350 acres "upon the Easterlie side of Upper Chippoackes Creek...due unto him in right o the said Elizabeth Clements his Mother of the Advenhire of seaven persons...herselfe...

• Jerimiah Clements,
• Nicholas Clements,
• Ezechiell Clements her sonns,
• Elizabeth Clements her daughter.
• Dorothy Greene and
• Jefferie Hull her servants, who came all over in the "George", 1617.

1607 p 199 Baptized November 8, 1607, assumed title to the family land, Evidently as eldest surviving son, and on June 11, 1635 patented 500 acres "east upon land formerly in his possession and north upon the James River", naming as his headrights his "wife Edey Clements" and "John Clements". This patent was renewed March 10, 1638/9 and on January 10, 1643/4 he patented 200 acres more in James City, now Surry, County at the Upper Chipoake, among the four headrights naming Amey Clements and Ezekiel Clements. As Jeremie Clement he was Burgess for James City, 1642. He was dead by March 17, 1657/8.

• (Note: Cathi (Clements) Gross: Adventurers of Purse have Corrected their mistakes about Jeremiah Clements in this 3rd Edition from the mistakes of their 1st edition.)

1657/58 - Surry County Records, 1652-1684, p 129, March 16, 1657, - Jeremiah Clements his patent for 200 acres of land, January 10, 1643. On the back side assigned as followeth, viz: Know all men that I, Capt. Henrye Berry, doe assigne over this patent to Wm. Gapings and his heirs. Rec: January 26, 1658

March 17, 1657, Indenture of Captain Henry Perry Esq., who intermarried with the executrix of Jerimiah Clements , upper Chippoakes Gent. now sells 250 acres of land to Edward Oliver in Upper Chippoake , southward to the above said Clemments, boardering upon the land of William Gawine. westward & William Thomas eastward. If Oliver is deced in his minority the land to return to said Perry. recorded Nov. 10, 1660. wit: Worsham Howsmanden, William Drummond.^[3]

1670 The Virginia Genealogist, Vol 19, No 4, Oct-Dec 1975, p 255, "Inquisitions on Escheated Land, 1665-1676", p 121, Surry Co, VA, May 20, 1670, - Jury find that Wm. Gapin was at the time of his death seized of 200 acres lying at Upper Chipoakes in the sd county by patent granted to Jeremiah Clements and several assignments came to Wm. G rweapin, and also 100 from Henry Perry Esqr. And Elizabeth his wife, and cannot finde that he disposed of the 300 acres by deed, conveyance or gift or that he made any bequest hereof by will or otherwise nor that he did have any lawful heir to claim the same and therefore the 300 acres doth escheat.

• (Note: by Cathi (Clements) Gross - What does Escheat Mean?
• Escheat means the reversion of property to the state, or (in feudal law) to a lord, on the owner's dying without legal heirs. So, in the year 1670, there is no Mention of John Clements of Surry County, VA as being an Heir to this property that was once owned by Jeremiah. Only Henry Perry and his Wife Elizabeth, who are speculated to be the only Heir of Jeremiah Clements are mentioned.

What does Headright Mean

• History of the Headright System
• The headright system referred to a grant of land, usually 50 acres, given to settlers in the 13 colonies. The system was used mainly in Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Maryland. It proved to be quite effective by increasing the population in the British colonies.
• The headright system was originally created in 1618 in Jamestown, Virginia. It was used as a way to attract new settlers to the region and address the labor shortage. With the emergence of tobacco farming, a large supply of workers was needed. New settlers who paid their way to Virginia received 50 acres of land. However, most of the workers who arrived in Virginia were indentured servants, people who pledged to perform five to seven years of labor.
• Details of the Headright System
• Individuals who could afford it would accumulate land by paying for poor individuals to travel to Virginia. In the 1600s, the cost was roughly 6 pounds per person, or approximately $215 today. This system led to the development of indentured servitude. In this system, poor individuals would work for a certain number of years to repay those who sponsored their trip. Even if the indentured servant did not make it to Virginia alive, the sponsor still received land.
• Plantation owners definitely benefited from the headright system when they transported slaves. Many families grew in power by receiving many acres of land. One landowner purchased 60 slaves and received 3,000 acres of land in 1638. The more land a family acquired, the wealthier they became overnight. This eventually led to land only being distributed for settlers from England, and no longer slaves from Africa.
• (Note: Cathi (Clements) Gross, so Headright had nothing to do with relationship or connection it had to do with profits and gaining land and Growing the Colonies as fast as they could. Even know Jeremiah Clements brought in someone by the name of John Clements does NOT mean they had any relationship at all. Many have speculated, but there is no real evidence to prove relationship. It's possible he was a poor cousin but he diffidently was not a son.

• YDNA has proven that John Clements of Surry County was Group #5- Website: https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/clements-clemmons-dna/about/background
• Website: https://www.familytreedna.com/public/ClementsClemmonsDNA/default.aspx?section=yresults)

Research Notes

Profile Clements-225 formerly represented this person, but someone repurposed it to represent a totally different person with the surname Clements. That profile had a death date of 1608, which makes more sense than the death date of 1708 that was included in Clements-1478. I have edited Clements-1478 to include content from the history of Clements-225 that possibly could help someone determine who this person was. Smith-62120 13:13, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JM2F-588 : 11 February 2018, Jeremiah Clement, 08 Nov 1607); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 845,229, 476,868.
2. ↑ Stanard, William G. and Mary Newton Stanard. The Colonial Virginia Register. Albany, N. Y.: Joel Munsell's Sons, Publishers. 1902. Page 61
3. ↑ Surry County records, Surry County, Virginia, 1652-1684, page 160

1623 Census – Jamestown, Virginia “A List of Names of Those Living in Virginia” Dated: 16 February 1623 Jereme Clements p. 174 Elizabeth Clements p.174 Capt. Ralph Hamor p.174 Mrs. Hamor p.174

Book: Early Virginia Families Along the James River Their Deep Roots & Tangled Branches, James City Co. - Surry County, Va by Louise Pledge Health Foley Vol. 3; Abstract of Land Patents James City County, Patent Book No. I - Part 1, (book p.10-11) the land of Jeremiah Clements & Neighbors - See Attachment

Book: Early Virginia Families Along the James River Their Deep Roots & Tangled Branches, James City Co. - Surry County, Va by Louise Pledge Health Foley Vol. 3; Abstract of Land Patents James City County, Patent Book No. I - Part 1, Book p.8 Jeremiah Clements. Dated: 26 August 1633

• Those listed as Heirs to Elizabeth Clements, dec'd
• 1. Son, Jeremiah Clements
• 2. Son, Nicholas Clements
• 3. Son, Ezechiell Clements
• 4. Daughter, Elizabeth Clements
• 5. Servant Dorothy Greene
• 6. Servant, Jefferie Hull
• They all came over on the George, 1617.
• See Attachment

The Virginia Genealogist, Vol 19, No 4, Oct-Dec 1975, p 255,

Other Sources

Adventurers of Purse and Person Virginia 1607-1624/5 Order of First Families of Virginia, 3rd Ed, 1987, p 198

The Colonial Virginia Register, compiled by William and Mary Newton Stanard, Albany, NY, Joel Munsell's Sons, Publishers, 1902, p 61

William and Mary Quarterly, Vol 10, 1901-03, p 93,

Genealogy.com: Re - Geoffrey Clements and Elizabeth Fuller By Cindy Hunter May 21, 2001 at 09:22:58 In reply to: Geoffrey Clements and Elizabeth Fuller 10/12/99, Website: https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/clements/2041/

Book: Catch the Watercollord Wind Jamestown 1617 by Jan Frazier, Copy Right 2015, Chapter 1 Early Days in Jameston p. 9-15 http://www.hellgatepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Pages-from-WatercoloredWinds-13443.pdf

Some Old Surry Families Author: The William and Mary Quarterly Vol. 16, No. 4 (Apr., 1908), pp. 221-235. Meriwether, Browne, Clements, Flood and Jordan Families

"Clements of Surry Co., Va., & Baltimore, Maryland." In Genealogies of Virginia Families: From Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, 373-391. Albridgton - Gerlache ed. Vol. I. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub., 1981.

• Ancestry Family Trees. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Pages: Ancestry Family Trees Ancestry Family Tree 27183533 and Ancestry Profile

Acknowledgments

• WikiTree profile Clements-855 created through the import of Liles - Craig Family Tree_2012-03-21_01.ged on Mar 21, 2012 by Paul Liles. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Paul and others. Clements-225 was also created by Paul Liles.
• Clements-1478 was created by Jeri Leonard through the import of Marshall Family Tree.ged on Feb 1, 2014.