Edward,
Thanks for straightening me out on the location of Piersey's Hundred. As
you said, some of the people who were living near him at Appomattox River
probably moved back to a safer place after the 1622 uprising. Now that I
come to think of it, I believe many people were forced by the govenor to
move, weren't they?
It is important to me to know where Piersey's Hundred was as I am interested
in Nicholas Bayley who lived there. So far as I have been able to
determine, he did not own land, so the only way I have of establishing his
place of residence is through the MUSTER. Perhaps you, or someone else in
the VA-HIST LIST can help me with interpreting the following:
"MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL AND GENERAL COURT OF COLONIAL VIRGINIA. 2d ed. H.
R. McIlwaine, ed. Virginia State Library. 1979.
p. 39. 1624. "Mr. Abram Perfy [Persy] Cape Mrchant afirmith yt he paid
to Sr Georg Yardley and Mr. John Powntis [Poythress?] for the ffreedomes of
Nicholes Bayley and Jonas Ryaly five hundred pownd waight of tobacco and
twelve barrells of sheald [shelled] Corne, and tht by his booke there is dew
to him seventy pownd waight of Tobacco and by bill bearinge date the 6th of
february 1621 one hundred pownd waight of Tobacco.
" It is ordered yt Nicholes Baylie and Jonas Riley shall pay to
Mr. Abram Perfy either 396 pownd of tobacco and twelve barrell of sheald
Corne, or ther wyfe [otherwise?] to fawe [saw] him tenn thowfand foote of
boorde [board]."
I have never seen a document like this where the men were allowed to pay off
(I suppose) an indenture. Have you? Nicholas arrived, according to the
MUSTER, in the Jonathan in 1620. Susan Hillier's thesis gives the departure
from England date of this ship as February 1620 and the arrival in Virginia
as 9 June 1620. This document in 1624 would seem to have been made after
only three years of indenture. It is my understanding that the term of an
indenture was generally from 4 to 7 years, but could be made for any period
agreed upon. Nicholas was free (and married) when the MUSTER was taken, so
I have to assume he had managed to produce the corn & tobacco, or to saw all
that wood! Inasmuch as an indenture would--I think--require 24 hours per
day of his time, how could he have done this? And why would Piersey have
given him this special treatment? Jonas Riley does not appear in the
MUSTER nor in the Virginia land grants.
Netti
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Edward S. Ayres
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2001 11:55 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Peirsey's Hundred
"Peirsey's Hundred" refers to Gov. George Yeardley's 1,000 acre
Flowerdew Hundred tract located on the south side of the James River
opposite Weyanoke. In 1624 there were 63 people living there, including
48 of Yeardley's servants (of which 11 were Black) and some tenants.
Abraham Peirsey purchased Flowerdew Hundred from Yeardley in 1624 after
the list was taken, apparently because the March 1622 uprising had
forced him to abandon his own, more exposed grant near the Appomattox
River. Peirsey was living at Jamestown when the 1625 census was taken,
but there were 57 people at Peirsey's [Flowerdew] Hundred, including
about 36 of Peirsey's indentured servants. The other residents may have
included the resident overseer, some wage earning craftsmen, and tenants
(including a few who were resident when Yeardley owned the tract and a
few new ones). It is possible that Peirsey had moved some of his people
to Yeardley's land immediately after the 1622 uprising and even before
formally buying the tract.
Ed Ayres
Yorktown Victory Center
Yorktown, Virginia
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