William (Oliphant) Olivant (abt. 1624 - bef. 1673)

Born about 1624 in Lawne's Creek Parish, Warrosquyoake, Virginia

Descendants

Died before 16 Jun 1673 before about age 49 in Lower Norfolk County, Virginia

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Biography

William Olivant first appears as a grown man in Lower Norfolk County, Virginia in the year 1654. Anthonie Oleven is speculated to be the father. He is the only candidate in the records. The population of the settlements on the south side of the James River was very small. Both of these men are there at a time that works for father and son. There is no record of William coming to Virginia, so likely he was born there. It is possible the records are just not extant, but for now, there is a tenuous but plausible connection.
William is first documented in the will of Thomas Ward, dated 9 December 1654, as a witness. His name written as William Olephant. ^[1]

Thomas Ward married a second time a few years prior to his death, to a Miss Holmes, daughter to Henry Holmes. This establishes that William knew Henry Holmes at least twenty years. His close association with other Holmes family members is also revealed in the scant documentation of his life.

It was the promise of land and a new life that prompted the immigration to Virginia. This is why so many labored for years as indentured servants, so that in the end, they would get land of their own.

There are no extant deeds or other land transactions involving William. These could simply be lost. It is also possible that he had land of his father's and never moved or sold it. Without any other evidence, such as a tithables list, it begs the question, what did William do to sustain himself?

The lifeblood of Virginia was trade with England and the other colonies. William could have been a mariner. If he spent a good bit of time at sea, the lack of a large family and established land ownership argues for this point.

As mentioned, William was in close association with the Holmes family throughout his life. His friend Edward Holmes, brother to Henry; had land along Little Creek at a place called Hog Island. This Hog Island is different than the extant Hogg Island, as it is noted being up Little Creek in Lower Norfolk. This is where one Nicholas Huggins had his lands,more of whom later.^[2]

When William was in his forties, Edward dies, and William takes up with the widow Jane Holmes. Based on the way William wrote his will in June of 1673 gives reason to think he had not been living with her very long. He uses the term 'land I am seated on' as opposed to 'my land' when he devises it to Edward's sons. He does say their mother is to have use of the land for her lifetime. He does not name her as wife but instead as wife of Edward Holmes. This is vague wording; typically the wife is named as 'my wife' or 'my beloved wife' in wills of that era. Nicholas Huggins and Henry Holmes are witnesses to William's will. ^[3]

He names no children of his own in the will,which further supports the idea that this was a brief union between William and Jane. Had he known she was pregnant, he would have made some provision. It was very common to mention 'the child in esse' or 'the child my wife is carrying' or some similar term.

Interestingly, in the 1687 will of Richard Williams of Little Creek, which was proven in 1694; he mentions land he purchased of Nicholas Huggins and mentions also one John Osbevine having a plantation nearby.^[4] This surname is half italicized, meaning the spelling was questionable. There is no other entry of the surname anywhere. This is a clerical destruction of the name as we have seen previously, i.e. Oleven/Oliphant/Olivant etc. This John being just of age in 1689 to possess land conveniently places his year of birth in 1673. This adds credence to the idea that William Olivent had a son born after his own death that year.

The other witness to William's will, Henry Holmes, dies a few years later. Curiously, there is a Henry Holmes Olivent two generations later a few miles south of the Virginia border in Martin County, North Carolina. This John Olivent son of William, most likely marries Henry's daughter.

Sources

1. ↑ https://archive.org/details/briefabstractofl01mcin/page/12
2. ↑ The Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake Appendix: Lost Islands page 168
3. ↑ https://archive.org/details/briefabstractofl01mcin/page/38
4. ↑ https://archive.org/details/briefabstractofl01mcin/page/154