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John Culpepper (abt. 1644 - bef. 1694)

John Culpepper
Born about in Hollingbourne, Kent, Englandmap [uncertain]
Ancestors ancestors
Son of [uncertain] and [uncertain]
Brother of [half]
Husband of — married 23 May 1688 in Perquimans, North Carolinamap
Descendants descendants
Died before before about age 50 in Albemarle County, Province of North Carolinamap
Profile last modified | Created 22 Jun 2011
This page has been accessed 3,185 times.
US Southern Colonies.
John Culpepper resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776.
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Warning: This is not the John Culpeper who is the son of Thomas Culpeper and Katherine St Leger. Please see both profiles for discussion.

Contents

Biography

Parentage

Current research shows that John Culpepper (also seen Culpeper) "The Rebel" or "of Albemarle" was born between November 1641 and August 1648 according to his own legal deposition. This critical fact can be found in the Master's Thesis of William S. Smith, Jr., "Culpeper's Rebellion, New Data and Old Problems":[1] "... while both [Fairfax] Harrison and others list John Culpeper's birthdate as about 1633, a transcript of Albemarle John Culpeper's deposition for the trial of Thomas Miller for blasphemous utterings lists John Culpeper's age as thirty one. Unfortunately, no specific date is given for this deposition although it must have been between November 1673 when the alleged offense occurred and August 1679 when Miller's final trial for these alleged offenses occurred. Reading of a photocopy of the original manuscript of the deposition from which William L. Saunders' Colonial Records data was taken shows that Culpeper's age was correctly transcribed."

John Culpepper of Albemarle is often seen as the son of Thomas Culpeper and Katherine Saint Leger (as is stated in Douglas Richardson's authoritative work). However, that particular John Culpeper is known to have definitively been born 1633 according to parish register records and is now not believed to be the same person as John Culpepper of Albemarle. An examination of the matter may be found at Culpepper Connections.

John Alleyne Culpepper of Barbados is also sometimes seen as a prospective parent however this connection poses various seemingly insurmountable issues.

At this time based on current research it is believed by many that the most likely father of John Culpepper of Albemarle is John Culpepper "The Merchant." Both were known to be merchants and both had business dealings with many of the same people.

Life

John Culpepper's place of birth is not known with certainty.

1670 First Marriage He married first Judith (Unknown) between 1664 and 1671. On 2 Mar 1670/1, John Culpeper arrived in Charles Town, South Carolina from Barbados, accompanied by a black man named Crow. Twelve days later, Judith Culpeper arrived in Charles Town from Barbados, accompanied by a servant, Alice Thomas.[2][3][4] It is inferred from this that John and Judith were married. There are no known offspring from this marriage.

1676 He witnessed a deed grant by Sir William Berkeley of Virginia. 17 Apr 1676 deed from William Berkeley, Capt. General and Chief Governor of Virginia, to Joshua Lamb, New England merchant, conveying the Island of Roanoke, County of Albemarle, Province of Carolina for 100 pounds sterling. Witnessed by James Bray, Darby Maguier and John Culpeper. Recorded 20 Dec 1676 (not clear where). Subsequently, Lamb sold half of this land to Nicholas Paige: Deed dated 19 Sep 1677 from Joshua Lamb of Roxbury, New England merchant, to Nicholas Paige of Boston, merchant, ½ of Island of Roanoke, County of Albemarle, Province of Carolina, which Lamb "lately purchased of Sir William Berkeley one of the Proprietors of Carolina and Albemarle."[5]

1677 John Culpepper witnessed a document signed by Thomas and Mary Swan, acknowledging that they had received their portion of the estate of Mary’s deceased father, Thomas Lamb of Roxbury, from the estate of Mary’s stepfather, Thomas Hawley. Related court records found in the Suffolk Files at the Massachusetts Archives include a copy of the 1677 document, and indicate that Thomas Lamb’s widow, Dorothy, married Thomas Hawley.

1678 In 1678, a John Culpepper was identified as the "master" of the barque Recovery, in a case before the Massachusetts Court of Assistants (acting as a Court of Admiralty). Culpepper sued John Woodmansey for seizing the ship and cargo "on pretence of a debt due to him from Zechariah Gillam." Culpepper claimed that Woodmansey’s action prejudiced Culpepper "and his owners," and sought 100 pounds in damages. The court ruled in favor of Culpepper, ordering delivery to him of the ship and goods "in such condition as it was seized," plus 5 pounds damages, and costs of court.[6]

the same year that John Culpeper was master of the "barque" Recovery, he and Joshua Lamb witnessed an agreement, signed in Roxbury, Massachusetts, settling a lawsuit between Mrs. Sarah Alcock, widow of Samuel Alcock of Boston, and Mr. Richard Mead Sr. of Roxbury, re: Roxbury property.[7]

1679 Culpepper's Rebellion "John Culpeper, a person that never is in his element but whilst fishing in troubled waters, he was forced to fly from Ashley River for his turbulent and factious carriage there. He both here and in New England with some of the discontented Traders plotted there and underhand here incouraged the hot headed people to this rash and ill-advised Rebellion. Culpeper being their Secretary or Register and one of their Caball or Grand Councill in matter of advise, this being the second disturbance he hath made here, besides what he hath done in Ashley River, New England and Virginia and therefore a man they much hearken to for his experience sake."[8]

Declaration by John Culpeper concerning his position as Customs Collector in Albemarle County

TO ALL THE INHABITANTS OR ANY THAT MAY ARRIVE IN THE COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE: This is to certify that I have seene a proclamation signed by Capt. Tymothy Biggs wherein he declared himselfe Depty to the Earle of Craven and Comptroller & Surveyor Generall of his Maties Customes and that he is ready to enter & cleare any vessell or vessells that may here arrive and to the intent that noe person whatsoever may be deluded or run into danger by meanes of the said proclamation I doe hereby declare that as to his being Depty as aforesaid I dispute not but never understood that a Comptroller or Surveyor of the Customes had the prerogative of entring or clearing any vessell but that it belongs to the Collector which I am till another appeare & therefore whoever shall enter or cleare with him thinking they have done their duty therein he or they may be hereby informed that I will make seizure of them & bring them to tryall according to Act of Parliament. Dated Febry 25th 1678-9 /s/John Culpeper, Collector.[9]

More information on Culpepper's Rebellion

1680 Second Marriage He married Mrs Margaret Bird about 1680. Court papers of 1680 County of Albemarle show her administering her first husband Valentine Bird's estate and her surname changed to Culpepper.[10]

John Culpeper and Joshua Lamb witnessed a Roxbury land deed in 1680, which divided Roxbury property between John Alcock of Boston and Samuel Ruggles Jr. of Roxbury. Several years later, in 1698, at the Suffolk County Superior Court of Common Pleas, there was testimony from another witness, John Gore, that he saw "John Culpeper then of Roxbury" sign the document. In other testimony, Mary Swan, the daughter of Thomas Lamb of Roxbury, stated that she was knew John Culpeper "very well" and was "well acquainted" with his handwriting.[11]
Headrights, 30 Mar 1680. Albemarle. Ralph Fletcher, 400 a., for transportation of Nine persons, 30 March 1680. Thomas Cullen, Sarah his wife Jno. and Rich, his Sons, Sarah Anne, Mary, Christian, and Martha his Daughters being transportation Rights and becomes due to Fletcher as being assigned by Tho. Cullen (torn) Sir Wm. Berkley and from Berkley by his (torn) Jno. Culpeper to governor Carteret, and by Carteret's attorney Capt. Craford Esqr., to Ralph Coates, and by Coates to Fletcher.[12]

1683 Lower Norfolk County Virginia Deed. Patrick White to John Culpepper. Lower Norfolk County. Know all men by ... I Patrick White for... good... have & fully absolutely... & appoint my loving friend John Culpepper for... &... my... plantation. Signed: Patrick White.[13]

168? Lower Norfolk County Virginia Deed. Thomas Green to John Culpepper and Thomas Gordon. My beloved friend Mr. John Culpepper & Thomas Gordon to be my sole and lawful attorneys.[14]

1688 Third Marriage He married Sarah Mayo at Perquimans, North Carolina on 12 Aug 1688.[15] To this marriage was born one known daughter Sarah Culpepper in 1689. There are some who believe Sarah was the daughter of Valentine Bird[16] however the totality of the evidence suggests this is unlikely.

1690 8 Jan 1690. Recorded by order of Court -- Received January the 8th 1690 of Mr. Jno. Culpeper the summ of twelve shillings in full of all accounts betwixt us from the Begining of the World to this day I Say Received by Francis Hartley.[17]

1693 Headrights 3 Mar 1693. Albemarle. Patrick Henley, 1100a., 3 Mar 1693. the persons viz. Jno. Culpeper, Jno. Robison, Jacko, Grace, 2 Negroes Valentine Bird, betty, bes, Mingo, and Tom Negros, Andrew, Jumpo, Maria, Jane, An Farmer, Pa. Henley, Elizabeth Duff, betty negro, Sarah Henley Margrett Byrd Sarah Byrd, 22 Survey for Stephen Scott, assignee of Patrick Henley, 247 a., 12 June 1696.[12]

1693/4 Headrights. Patrick Henley proved 22 rights, Pasquotank: Jno. Culpepper, Jno. Robison, Yacko and Grace 2 negroes, Valentine Byrd, Sarah Byrde, Betty, Bes, Mingo, and Tom, 4 Negroes, Andrew, Yampo, Marea and (torn) negroes, Anne Farmer, Patrick Henley, Mary Henley, his wife, Mary Henley, (torn), Betty a negroe, my wife Sarah Henley, Margret Byrde. Certified 7 (torn) 1693/4. A warrant given.[12]

About Jan 1694 John Culpepper passed away, Pasquotank, North Carolina, testate before Feb. 1693/4, Albemarle County, North Carolina. [18] [Note: link from old profile and does not mention Will, citations needs revision]

Research Notes

Magna Carta Project

Note: This profile no longer qualifies for the Magna Carta Project, which had extended the "Gateway Ancestor status" of his parents - Richardson-documented Gateway Ancestors Thomas Culpeper and Katherine St Leger - to their son John, whom Richardson also identifies (Royal Ancestry, volume II, page 371 CULPEPER 13.i.c.). Thomas's brother John (now attached as this John's father) is a Richardson-documented Gateway Ancestor, but his entry (Royal Ancestry, II:372 CULPEPER 13.ii.) does not include mention of any children. ~ Noland-165 00:49, 2 April 2019 (UTC)

Sources

  1. Smith, William S., Culpeper's Rebellion New Data and Old Problems, Pg 19, http://culpepperconnections.com/historical/rebellion/default.htm
  2. John West to Lord Ashley, 2 March 1670/71 in Collections of the South Carolina Historical Society, vol. 5, The Shaftesbury Papers, (Charleston: South Carolina Historical Society, 1897), p. 266-267.
  3. Sauley, A. S., Ed., Warrants for Lands in South Carolina 1672-1679 (Columbia: Historical Commission of S.C., 1910), pp 16, 53, 54.
  4. Baldwin, Agnes Leland. First Settlers of South Carolina 1670-1700. Easley, South Carolina, Southern Historical Press, 1985. p. 64.
  5. Suffolk Deeds, Vol. 13, 1683-1686 (Boston: Rockwell & Churchill, 1903), Folios 180 – 181. Suffolk Deeds, Vol. 10 (Boston: Municipal Printing Office, 1899), Folio 180.
  6. John F. Cronin and John Noble, eds., Records of the Court of Assistants of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay, 1630-1692, 3 vols. (Boston: County of Suffolk, 1901-28), pp. 118-119.
  7. Diane Rapaport--Historical/Genealogical Consultant, Lexington, MA, Suffolk Deeds, Vol. 9, Folio 52.
  8. Documenting the American South: Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, University of North Carolina. http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr Representation concerning the rebellion in Albemarle County, 1679, Volume 01, Pages 256-261 http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr01-0110
  9. Documenting the American South: Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, University of North Carolina. http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr B.P.R.O. Colonial Papers, Volume 01, page 242, February 25, 1679, John Culpeper.
  10. The North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register, I, (1900), 137-138.
  11. Suffolk Files , Vol 41, #3733a and #4531, and copies of records.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Caroline B. Whitley, compiler, North Carolina Headrights: A List of Names, 1663-1744, Raleigh, North Carolina: Division of Archives and History -- NC Dept. of Cultural Resources, 2001,
  13. Lower Norfolk Co., Virgnia, 1683 -- Deed Bk 4, p 158
  14. Lower Norfolk Co., Virginia, 168x -- Deed Bk 4, p 162.
  15. J. R. B. Hathaway, North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register. vol. 3, p.203.
  16. http://family.beacondeacon.com/culpeper.htm#bird
  17. From "Records of Courts Held by The Governor and Council, from the North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register, I, (1900), 135 (The original documents are now lost. This source appears to consist in part of abstracts and to reflect many misreadings of the manuscript.).
  18. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, vol II, page 16

See also:

  • Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City: the author, 2013. See also WikiTree's source page for Royal Ancestry.
    • Volume II, page 371 CULPEPER 13.i.c.
  • Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. 2nd edition. Salt Lake City: the author, 2011. See also WikiTree's source page for Magna Carta Ancestry.
    • Volume II, page 14 CULPEPER 13.i.

Acknowledgements

  • The expansion and documentation of this profile would not have been possible without the exceptional work of Culpepper Connections.
  • WikiTree profile Culpepper-73 created through the import of ross20genancestors-children6-22-2011.ged on Jun 22, 2011 by Lamar Ross.
  • WikiTree profile Culpepper-217 created through the import of Lozon.ged on Jul 26, 2012 by Jamie Henderson.




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with John by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with John:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments: 20

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US Southern Colonies Project adding project management (PMP) and project protection (PPP) as co-manager—confused/conflated with others.

Please continue to manage normally, and review US Southern Colonies Project Editing Guidance before editing.

posted by Ken Spratlin
Culpepper-563 and Culpepper-73 do not represent the same person because: Little chance of conflation as one is a Living person.
posted by Ken Spratlin
Is someone discussing -563? I don't see that.
posted by T Stanton
Culpepper-386 and Culpepper-73 are not ready to be merged because: lots of coincidences, but no exact matches
Katharine, I think if you review all of the information on this profile as well as that of his cousin of the same name (linked from the Warning at the head of this profile) you will see that the Culpepper-386 profile (which doesn't have primary sources) is probably an amalgamation of the two men. There also now appears to be a duplicate profile (without sources) for the wife of the man of this profile--she was married three times and all the marriages are documented. The conflation of the two men is very common but was sorted out through the efforts mentioned in the first paragraph of the biography. We should work toward deciding which of the two men is represented by the Culpepper-386 profile and the wife attached there and get them merged into the more complete profiles. Since that profile is likely a conflation and lacks primary sources I believe there will be discrepancies which cannot be resolved since the data is not supported by sources.

I'm not sure who/when the merge was proposed as it's not showing in my Watchlist feed. Please let me know what questions you may have.

posted by T Stanton
Culpepper-386 and Culpepper-73 appear to represent the same person because: Same person
posted by Michael Webb
Culpepper-386 and Culpepper-73 do not represent the same person because: Birth dates don't match, nor does death date and location.
Katherine, please see the note above in this Comment section. Culpepper-386 is an unsourced combination of two men which is why things don't match--they never will match because the profile contains errors. The wife on Culpepper-386 is also a duplicate. We do need to merge these profiles duplicate profiles into the proper profiles. Are you OK with my going ahead and taking care of these merges? I am doing this as part of the US Southern Colonies profile improvement team.
posted by T Stanton
There is a several page article on this man in the October 2021 issue of Carolina Trees and Branches, put out by the Family Research Society of NorthEastern North Carolina (FRSNNC).
posted by Linda (Noland) Layman
Thanks, Linda. Are the issues available thru the website? I don't see them there. Only accessible with a paid membership? Do you have a copy of the article?
posted by T Stanton
Culpepper-73 and Culpeper-42 appear to represent the same person because: Spelling variations of the name Culpepper also Culpeper also Colepeper Same wife
posted on Culpeper-42 (merged) by Donna Wiehaus
remembered what I'd meant to edit... I cut this bit, which was under a note saying it needed research:

Text: Marriage date: 1688 Marriage place: NC (citation to Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, vol II, page 15)

Richardson's Royal Ancestry, shows 23 May 1688 as when John, son of Thomas & Katherine, married Sarah Mayo (and shows her father "of" South Carolina & North Carolina, but does not mention where John, son of Thomas, married his 3rd wife, Sarah Mayo.

posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
Update: The discussion thread below has been resolved with John 'of Albemarle' being placed as son of John Culpepper 'The Merchant' per research by Culpepper Connections regarding years of birth. See profile for additional information.

Liz, yes agree with that quote, but reading those notes in detail what I come away with is that this John would be born 1633, died 1674, was sheriff of Northampton, and married to Mary Mayo rather than Sarah Mayo and there would be no offspring from Mary and John only from Mary's subsequent marriages. That would seem to put Sarah Culpepper Prichard back over as the daugther of Culpeper-91 except those DOB/DOD seem incorrect in that scenario. And are Mary and Sarah to be sisters or aunt and niece?

Will ask RJ how that may square with Richardson which he has now consulted.

posted by T Stanton
"However, the assumption that John, son of Thomas and Katherine, was John of Albemarle has been disproven" - http://www.culpepperconnections.com/ss/p8997.htm
posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
The profile says John died testate. Is there an abstract or copy of the Will and are any offspring named? It is not among the abstracts available from the Historic Albemarle County organization.
posted by T Stanton
Note: Albemarle County ceased to function by 1689 and was replaced by four precincts: Shaftesbury, Currituck, Pasquotank, and Berkeley (which later became counties). This has been seen to cause confusion when looking at probable descendants seen to be from Pasquotank. The places are geographically the same place.
posted by T Stanton
John Culpepper can not be Frances Culpeppers father if he died in 1694 and she was born in 1710. Further research is required on this line.
posted by Jamie Lynn Henderson

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Categories: North Carolina Colonists