John Wilkins (abt. 1598 - bef. 1650)

Born about 1598 in England

Husband of Bridget (Craft) Wilkins — married 1621 in Northampton, Virginia

Husband of Anne Vosse — married about 1637 in Upper Norfolk, Colony of Virginia

Descendants

Died before 29 Jan 1650 before about age 52 in Northampton County, Colony of Virginia

Biography

John Wilkins is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society

John Wilkins was a Jamestown colonist.

John Wilkins was born about 1598/99 in England. He immigrated to the Eastern Shore, Virginia Colony, in 1618. He acquired land in Accomack County (became Northampton in 1643), where he was Burgess in 1641, and in Upper Norfolk County which became Nansemond County in 1645.

• The Living and the Dead in Virginia

Good Friday, March 22, 1622 Virginia Colony. The Indian Massacre known as the Jamestown Massacre. John Wilkins is listed as a suvivor. ^[1]

On the Lists of the Livinge in Virginia as of 16 February 1623/24:

At the Eastern Shore

John Wilkins

Goodwife Wilkins^[2]

A Muster of the Inhabitance of the Easterne Shore over the Baye; 25 January 1624/25. Note: there appear to have been two men named John Wilkines in this muster:^[2]

• John Blore, his Muster
  • Servant - John Wilkines
• John Wilkines his Muster
  • John Wilkines age 26 in the Mary gould 1618
  • Briggett Wilkines age 20 in the Warwicke 1621
• Dead in this Plantation 1624 [Eastern Shore]
  • John Wilkines

John Wilkins was High Sheriff in England; Sailed to Virginia on the "Marigold" in May 1618; He was a Justice in Virginia; Resided at Hungars Parish, Accomack County, Virginia; Sailed back to England in 1637 and again in 1649 (Also sailed to Amsterdam and Hamburg in 1649).

John Wilkins^[3] was elected to the vestry of Hungar's Parish, Accawmack, 14 September 1635 and served as Burgess for the County in 1632/3 and 1642.^{[4] [5]}

Marriages & Children

John married first Bridget Craft, named as a headright in his patent, 1636 (see below in Land Transactions). Bridgett had one known child with John:

• Mary Wilkins, married John Baldwyn bef 1650
  • On 31 December 1650 the first business of the court was to give an account of the items that "Jno Wilkins gave freely unto Jno Baldwyn with his wife." John Baldwyn's wife was Mary, the daughter of John Wilkins. She was the only child he had with his first wife Bridget.^[6]

John married second Ann Unknown about 1637. Anne Wilkins was deposed in a court hearing on 25 September 1637. ^[6] John and Nathaniel, sons of Anne, were named in her deed of gift dated 30 April 1660:^[7]

• John Wilkins, b c 1638 in Accomack County, Virginia
• Argoll Wilkins
• Nathaniel Wilkins, b c 1641
• Frances Wilkins, md 1660 John Waterson
• Ann Wilkins, md (1) John Hunt and (2) Thomas Hunt
• Lydia Wilkins, md Jonah Jackson

On 7 February 1650/51 Ann Wilkins made her will (although she lived to marry twice more and died in 1690), naming sons John, Nathaniel and Argoll and designating three daughters, who, in her will proved 8 December 1690, Northampton, are identified.^[6]

Land Transactions

• 1636 - John Wilkins, 1300 acs. Accomack Co., 9 Sept. 1636, p. 378. On the E. side of Nansamund Riv., .... 50 acs. for his own per adv. & 1250 acs. for trans. of 25 pers: [names on cite], including Bridgett Craft, his soon to be wife.^[8]
• 1637 - John Wilkins, 1300 acs. Up. Co. of New Norf., 18 May 1637. Repatent of land dated 9 Sept. 1636; corrections made from Accomack County to Upper County of New Norfolk [became Nansemond Co. 1645], and added his son John Wilkins to list of persons transported.^[8]
• 1637 - John Wilkins, 500 acs. Accomack Co., 10 Mar. 1637, p. 539. Butting upon the upper end of the Secretaries Land.... Trans. of 10 pers. [names not incl]^[8]
• 1640 - John Wilkins, 600 acres, Accomack County.^[5]
• 1645 - Samuel Stoughton, 800 acs. Nansimond Co., Mar. 10, 1645, Page 66. Upon the second creek on the E. side of Nansimond Rov., ... Part of a patent granted unto John Wilkins, by him sold unto Michael Willcoxe, dec'd., who bequeathed same unto Ellinor, relict of sd. Wilcox, and since conveyed by the sd. Ellinor unto Stoughton, with whom he hath since intermarried ....^[8]

Death & Legacy

John Wilkins' will dated 3 December 1649^[9] was proved 29 January 1650, Northampton County, although it is not certain he died there. The will provided for his wife Ann and his children (not named) and recites that he was returning to England and feared that something might happen on the journey, which appears to have been the case.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ http://research.surnames.com/virginia/1623_virginia_living_dead.htm
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Hotten, John Camden, Editor. The Original Lists of Persons of Quality; Emigrants' Religious Exiles; … and others who went from Great Britain to the American Plantations, 1600-1700. John Camden Hotten: London, 1874. Reprinted Empire State Book Co., New York. Pages 189, 264, 265
3. ↑ Wilkins, John - A8811; born 1598, died 1650/1 Northampton; Accomacke: 1632/3, 1642 (Burgess); (Muster of 1624/5). accessed 29 December 2021
4. ↑ Stanard, William G. and Mary Newton Stanard. The Colonial Virginia Register. Albany, N. Y.: Joel Munsell's Sons, Publishers. 1902. Page 61
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Jester, Annie. Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1625' (Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1956) Pages 356ff
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} John Wilkins
7. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #125540579
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3} Nugent, Nell Marion, Abstracted and Indexed by. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1800. In Five Volumes. Richmond, VA.: Press of the Dietz Printing Co., 1935. Pages 46, 56, 84, 162
9. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #125540579

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180676362/john-wilkins: accessed 23 August 2022), memorial page for John Wilkins Sr. (1597–Jan 1650), Find a Grave Memorial ID 180676362, ; Maintained by RememberThem (contributor 47234793)Burial Details Unknown, who reports a Lost in time.
• Family 1, family 2: Ann Blomquist's Rootsweb.com Site - " Tate, Taylor, and Southern Families" - Ann Blomquist - akblomquist a ctl.rr.com - Updated 27 Feb 2006
  • https://gw.geneanet.org/jmayfield?lang=en&n=wilkins&oc=5&p=john
• John Wilkins: A Big Fish in a Little Pond Very interesting bio originally posted on nabbhistory.salisbury.edu/settlers. Accessed 23 August 2022 on Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

See also:

• This data was researched over a period of years at the public library, Easton, Talbot County, Maryland.