Notes
Note N913 Index
EDWARD MAYFIELD IN ESSEX COUNTY VA
The minutes of Essex County Court for 11 Jun 1695 (pg 246) mention an action brought in New Kent County Court:
" ... Mr. John Lewis of New Kent County against whom one Edward Mayfield of the same County brought his action to New Kent County Court and recovered the said horse as his own. ..."
My conjecture is that this Edward Mayfield is a brother of the Robert Mayfield of Essex County VA whose will, dated 3 Dec 1714, was probated in Essex County Court on 16 August 1715.
SAILOR ON THE SHIP SOUTHAMPTON
The following additional information re Edward Mayfield was obtained online from the Virginia Colonial Records Database maintained by the Library of Virginia in Richmond:
A British Admiralty Muster Book shows that Edward Mayfield was a sailor on the ship SOUTHAMPTON, commanded by a certain James Moodie, shipmaster, during the years 1702-03 The muster, for December-January 1702/1703, was for "Men who left or joined in Virginia."
I wonder what ultimately happened to Edward? Did he die at sea? Edward's naval service was during the early years of the "War of Spanish Succession" between Britain and France. I wonder if the SOUTHAMPTON was a warship or was it a merchant vessel? Since the listing was obtained from the Admiralty Muster Books, it probably was a warship. I wonder if Edward may have been involuntarily pressed into service? Such forced impressment was commonplace for the Royal Navy during the entire 18th century [Ref: British Public Record Office (PRO) Class ADM 36/3874, Document SR 08692, Admirality Muster Book (1701-1703), page 2]
+ 3 ii. Robert Mayfield, born Abt. 1655 in Glouster County VA (?); died 1715 in Essex County VA.
4 iii. Peter Mayfield, born 1652 in England (?); died 1687 in Albemarle County NC. He married Ann _____.
Notes for Peter Mayfield:
It should be noted that I don't really believe that Peter is the son of Robert Mayfield (d. c. 1792) of Virginia; however, I have placed him here so that he can be included in this report. I feel that it is more probable that Peter Mayfield was another immigrant who came to North Carolina directly from England. I am not aware of any use of the name Peter by any of the Mayfields of the 18th and early 19th centuries.
It would appear that Peter, at the time of his death in 1687 at age 35, left a wife but no children except a god-child.
I know of only two documents, which are still extant, that pertain to this Peter Mayfield:
1) DEPOSITION OF PETER MAYFIELD MADE DURING THE TIME OF THE CULPEPPER REBELLION [Circa 1680 - see "North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register," Volume 3, Number 1, January 1903, page 43]
"The Deposition of Peter Mayfield aged Twenty Eight yeares or thereabouts saith that he asked Thomas Harrison what Tobacco yt was he had a shore in his house & he told yor depot it was Capt Harrons tobacco & he doubted he had donne himself a great deale of Injury in Lending his Tobacco house. For he did not know how long it might be before Capt Harron would take it away & Thomas Harrison desired your depot to Ask Capt Harron if he would remove it before new Tobacco came. Ye sd Capt Harron told yor depot he would have Paul Latham his Attorney to see if he could gett any thing for it of ye New England Men. For it is so rotton it is not worth two shillings a hhd. Afterwards Mr Holden came with Capt Harron & recd ye aforesaid tobacco wch was Shipt on board ye said Harron. Afterwards yor depot met with Capt Harron & he desired yor Depot to goe about with him & coming ashoare to Capt Craford's Capt Harron told yor depot he would see what a Devil made Mr. Holden send this rotton tobacco ofer Engld for ye King which he had turned on shoare, then he desired his men to go ashoare to complaine to Capt Craford yt he might be secured of his freight for it was soe rotton he doubted they would receive it in Engld. For he did not care to be seene in it for fear of gaining Mr Hardin's Displeasure & he said Capt Craford would not take any notice of them & further yor Depot Saith Not. Sworn in Court.
Peter Mayfield his Mark."
2) WILL OF PETER MAYFIELD
"Albemarle In The Province of Carolina
"In the name of God Amen. I Peter Mayfield being weake of body but of perfect and sound memory - praise be to almighty God for the same - Do make appoint and Constitute this my Last will and testament in manner and form following viz.
"Imprimius I bequeath my soule to God who gave it hoping through the merit of Jesus Christ to have full and free pardon for all my sins Committed in this transitory life & I commit my body to the ground from whence it was taken to be decently buried as my Executrix hereafter named shall think Convenient & as for what worldly goods it hath pleased God to Invest me with, all I bestow as followth, viz.
"After my just debts which of right I owe to any persons be fully satisfied, I bequaeth unto my God Daughter Ann Lowd the value of eight Pounds Sterling in Current Commodities to be valued when She is of age or on the day of marriage and one chest [and] two iron pots I also bequeath unto the aforesaid Ann Lowd. And all the rest of my Estate both real and personal, plantation, housing, fencing, orchard and all my estate whatever I give and bequeath unto my loving wife Ann Mayfield and her heirs forever. And also I have my Loving wife to be Exectrix of this my Last will and testament hereby Revoking all other wills by me made and I doe appoint Robert Wallis and Thos Rolfe as overseers appointing this to be my only Last Will and Testament where unto I set my hand and seal this 13th day of June 1687.
The marke of
Peter Mayfield
"Signed, sealed & delivered in the presence of:
The marke of
John Larance
Robert Wallis
Tho. Rolfe
"Proved in Court the 6th day of October 1687 before me.
[Signed] Seth Sothell, Governor"
Generation No. 2
3. Robert2 Mayfield (Robert1) was born Abt. 1655 in Glouster County VA (?), and died 1715 in Essex County VA. He married Sarah ______ Abt. 1680 in Old Rappahannock County VA. She died Bef. January 1727/28 in Essex County VA.
Notes for Robert Mayfield:
This Robert Mayfield is probably the son of the Robert Mayfield who entered Gloucester County VA as an indentured servant in 1652. I have been able to find the following entries in the official records of Rappahannock and Essex Counties VA:
Rappahannock County:
05 Sep 1677: Daniel and Robert Gaines convey (in fee simple) to Robert Mayfield of Rappahannock County 105 acres of land on the south side of Rappahannock River. [Deeds and Wills Part I, page 139]
02 Jan 1683/4: Robert Mayfield named as a juror. [County Court Orders, page 187]
02 Oct 1684: Order is granted against the sheriff to Mr. William Ross Senr. for the non-appearance of Robert Mayfield according to Declaration. [County Court Orders, page 43]
06 April 1692: Attachment granted against the estate of John Sorrell to Robert Mayfield for 442 pounds of tobacco. [County Court Orders, page 253]
In 1692 Rappahannock County became extinct. In that year it was split into Essex and Richmond Counties. Essex County was on the south side of the Rappahannock River and Robert Mayfield's land fell within the bounds of this new county.
Essex County:
10 Sep 1695: Robert Mayfield sworn in as a member of a Grand Jury. [County Court orders, page 260]
12 Nov 1695: Robert Mayfield serves as a juror. [County Court Orders, page 264]
01 Feb 1704/5: Robert Mayfield serves as a juror and signs a verdict by making his mark. [Wills and Deeds Book 11, page 81]
1704: Robert Mayfield of Essex County is shown in the 1704 VA Quit Rent Roll as the owner of 100 acres of land. [VA Quit Rent Roll of 1704]
16 Aug 1715: Will of Robert Mayfield, dated 3 December 1714, was probated in Essex County, Virginia on this date. Thus, the year of death for this man was almost certainly in 1715. The will names his wife Sarah; sons Robert, Abraham, John, Isaac and Jacob; and daughters Catherine Gregory, Jane Graves, and Anne Connaly. Wife Sarah is given all land and movable estate during her lifetime. At her decease, all land is bequeathed to son Jacob Mayfield. Executors of the will are wife Sarah and son Robert, Jr. Robert Mayfield, Sr. signs the will by making his mark. The will is witnessed by Daniel Hayes and Cornelius Sale. [Deeds and Wills Book 14, page 385]
16 Aug 1715: For bond of 50 pounds sterling, Sarah Mayfield is appointed exectrix of Robert Mayfield, deceased. The bond is signed by Sarah Mayfield, John Mayfield and John Loyde, all of whom sign by making their marks. [Deeds and Wills Book 14, page 386]
30 Sep 1715: Inventory of the Estate (personal property/chattels only) of Robert Mayfield is exhibited in court. Total value of this personal estate is 13 pounds sterling. Inventory was taken by John Meritt, Cornelius Sale and William Jones. [Deeds and Wills Book 14, page 404]
FINANCIAL PROBLEMS OF THE SONS OF ROBERT MAYFIELD
The Essex County VA court records strongly indicate that four of the five sons (all except Robert, Jr. who died shortly after his father) of Robert Mayfield (d. 1715) seem to have gotten into serious financial difficulties within a few years of their father's death. Abstracts of the records which evidence these financial problems have been appended to the notes section for each of these four men. Historians of colonial Virginia identify at least two reasons why so many Virginians, not just the Mayfields, got into serious financial trouble during this era:
1) The War of Spanish Succession, which in America was called Queen Ann's War, ended in 1713. During the war, economic conditions were pretty good in VA as there was considerable demand for products from VA to support the war effort. Unfortunately, when the war ended, as so often happens, an economic slump occurred throughout Europe and the British Empire. This slump caused great financial hardship for the small planter class of VA, a class to which all the Mayfields in that colony belonged. For an excellent discussion of the "explosion" of debt litigation which occurred after the War of Spanish Succession, see "Law and People in Colonial America" (published 1992), by Peter Charles Hoffer, pages 50-52.
2) During most of the 17th century, VA Colony had basically been a middle class society of relatively small yeoman planters, who perhaps used just a few indentured servants. However, during the first thirty years or so of the 18th century, Virginia underwent an economic revolution. By about 1730, the colony had become essentially a two-tiered society composed of upper class and upper middle class planters, who made use of large numbers of slaves to do the work on their plantations, and a lower class composed of a very large number of small, impoverished planters who did not possess sufficient capital to invest in slaves. These small planters were increasingly faced with economic maginalization and many were forced to migrate to the frontier regions of the Colony to maintain their economic viability. Life on the VA frontier was difficult and dangerous but it was frequently the only place where land was cheap enough for a poor man to have any chance for economic advancement. I belive that most of the VA Mayfields of this era became part of this rapidly increasing poor, small-planter class. The story of the sons and grandsons of Robert Mayfield (d. 1715) is largely one of a struggle to maintain financial solvency. For an excellent analysis of the above cited VA economic revolution see the book by Professor Thomas J. Wertenbaker entitled "The Planters of Colonial Virginia' (published 1922).
ESTIMATED YEARS OF BIRTH FOR THE SONS OF ROBERT MAYFIELD
The years of birth cited for the sons of Robert Mayfield are only my best off-the-wall guesses It appears that the eldest son was probably Jacob Mayfield (the inheritor of the land of Robert Mayfield, Sr.), with Robert, Jr. next in line. Abraham was probably next as he is the son who actually sold the 125-acre plantation of his father in 1728, presumably after his older brothers Robert and Jacob were dead. If this Abraham is the same person who died testate in Granville County NC in late 1777 or early 1778 (I have serious doubts about this), then he could not have been born much earlier than about the year 1690. Younger brothers John and Isaac were probably born soon thereafter.
Notes for Sarah ______:
On 15 May 1722, Sarah Mayfield of St Ann's Parish, is cited by the Essex County Court for "not frequenting her Parish Church according to law" [see Essex County VA Court Order Book 5, Part IV, page 64].
Per the will of her husband, Robert Mayfield, Sarah is given all of Robert's land (125 acres) and movable estate during her lifetime. Also, per the will, after Sarah's death, the real property is bequeathed to her son Jacob Mayfield.
Sarah must have died prior to January 1727/28, becauseanother one of her sons, Abraham Mayfield, sells his father's land (125 acres) to a certain Robert Brooke by indenture, dated 2 January 1727/28 [see Essex County VA, Deed Book 18, pages 307-308]. Abraham could only have received title to this land under the prevailing laws of primogeniture if both his mother Sarah and brother Jacob were dead. Only under such circumstances, could the ownership of the real property (125 acres) of Robert Mayfield, Senior, have have passed to son Abraham - who must have been the next oldest living son at the time.
Children of Robert Mayfield and Sarah ______ are:
5 i. Catherine3 Mayfield, born in VA. She married John Gregory.
6 ii. Jacob Mayfield, born in Virginia Colony; died Bef. January 1727/28 in Virginia Colony.
7 iii. Jane (Jean) Mayfield, died Aft. April 1725. She married James Graves Abt. 1710 in Essex County VA; born Abt. 1685; died 1725 in Essex County VA.
Notes for James Graves:
James Graves probably died at a fairly young age. His will, dated 10 January 1724/25, was proved in Essex County Court on 20 April 1725. The will mentions only his wife Jean, who is bequeathed all of his real and personal estate. This indicates that the couple probably had no children at the time the will was written. A certain Hannah Graves is one of the witnesses to the will; she probably was James's widowed mother.
8 iv. Robert Mayfield, born in VA; died Bef. January 1727/28 in VA.
9 v. Abraham Mayfield, born Abt. 1690 in Essex County VA; died Bef. February 1778 in Granville County NC. He married Elizabeth _____; born in Virginia Colony; died Aft. February 1778 in North Carolina.
Notes for Abraham Mayfield:
A PERPLEXING PROBLEM
The records that appear to be associated with this Abraham Mayfield and his wife, Elizabeth, are very perplexing indeed. He and his wife appear to be incredibly long-lived Based on the records of Essex County VA, he could not have been born later than about 1690, yet his will, dated in 1769 (in Granville County NC) was not entered into probate until 1778 This would imply a life span of about 88 years Even if Abraham died right after making out his will (in February 1769), he still would have been about 78 or 79 years old at the time of death. This is a very old age for an era when adult life expectancy was only in the low fifties.
Another genealogical problem I have is the 17 year gap in the records for this couple. The last record I have found for Abraham and Elizabeth in Orange County VA is in 1745, The earliest record I have found for Abraham Mayfield (stated to be from of Orange County) in Granville County NC is 1762 - an interval of 17 years. What happened during this interval? Is the Abraham and Elizabth Mayfield, who are cited in the 1745 Orange County VA indenture, the same people who acquired land in Granville County NC in 1762? Is there a missing generation here?
More research is needed to resolve this problem. However, until better data is discovered, for the purposes of this family tree, I am assuming that the Abraham Mayfield of Orange County VA of 1745 is the same person cited in the Granville County NC indenture of 1762.
ABRAHAM MAYFIELD IN ESSEX COUNTY VA
The Essex County VA court records strongly indicate that Abraham Mayfield seems to have gotten into serious financial difficulties within a couple of years after his father's death. Abstracts of the records which delineate these financial problems are listed below.
23 May 1717: Action of debt against Abraham Mayfield is brought by Katherine Edwards, et al. Mayfield is ordered to pay one pound plus court costs.
19 November 1718: Action of debt against Abraham Mayfield is brought by Robert Parker, assignee of Christopher Man. Mayfield is ordered to pay 300 pounds of tobacco.
18 March 1718/1719: Action of debt against Abraham and Sarah Mayfield by Robert Jones. The Mayfields are ordered to pay 800 pounds of tobacco plus court costs. An attachment against their estate is ordered. My assumption here is that the Sarah Mayfield so mentioned is Abraham's widowed mother, probably a surety for Abraham.
17 June 1719: An attachment to the estate of Abraham Mayfield for 900 pounds of tobacco plus costs is issued.
19 January 1724/1725: In the attachment obtained by James Garnet against Thomas Hewitt: Abraham Mayfield being the guarantee, not appearing in court, it is ordered that the Sheriff take him into custody.
20 September 1726: Action of debt against Abraham Mayfield is brought by Robert Gibson. Mayfield is ordered to pay 500 pounds of tobacco plus attorney fees and court costs.
21 February 1726/1727: A Return of Execution is issued to the Sheriff of Essex County against Abrahm Mayfield in the lawsuit Gibson vs Mayfield. The sheriff's return is that "the within named Abraham Mayfield is not to be found within my bailiwick" [see Essex County VA Court Order Book, 1725-1729, Part II, pages 294-295].
2 January 1727/28: Abraham's mother, Sarah, and his brothers, Jacob and Robert, Jr., must have died prior to January 1727/28, because Abraham Mayfield, sells his father's land (125 acres) to a certain Robert Brooke by indenture, dated 2 January 1727/28 [see Essex County VA, Deed Book 18, pages 307-308]. Abraham could only have received title to this land under the prevailing laws of primogeniture if both his mother Sarah and older brothers Jacob and Robert Jr. were dead. Only under such circumstances, could the ownership of the real property (125 acres) of Robert Mayfield, Senior, have have passed to son Abraham - who must have been the next oldest living son at the time.
REMOVAL TO SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY VA
Abraham Mayfield seems to have removed (fled?) to Spotsylvania County VA (formed 1721) sometime in the late 1720's. We have the following records for him in that county:
5 June 1727: Abraham Mayfield witnessed a power of attorney from John Blackly to Thomas Smith [see Spotsylvania County VA Court Order Book, 1724-1730, Part II, page 162].
6 May 1729: Abraham Mayfield is a Defendant versus Anthony Foster, Assignee of James Booth, Plaintiff in an action of debt [see Spotsylvania County VA Court Order Book, 1724-1730, Part III, page 307].
1 August 1732: Abraham Mayfield is appointed overseer of Bush's Road [see Spotsylvania County Court Orders, 1730-1732, page 130].
7 May 1734: Abraham Mayfield allowed payment for four days attendance in court as a witness in the case of Francis Kirkley against William Bartlett [see Spotsylvania County VA Court Orders, 1734-1735, page 318].
4 September 1734: Abraham Mayfield is a defendant versus Benjamin Walker, Gentleman, Plaintiff in an action of trespass [see Spotsylvania County VA Court Orders, 1734-1735, page 344].
6 May 1735: Abraham Mayfield is mentioned as a member of a grand jury [see Spotsylvania County VA Court Orders, 1734-1735, page 381].
1 July 1735: Abraham Mayfield of Saint George's Parish, Spotsylvania County acquires 200 acres of land from the Administrators of the estate of Larkin Chew, deceased [see Spotsylvania County VA Deed Book C].
3 May 1737: Abraham Mayfield mentioned as a member of a grand jury [see Spotsylvania County VA Court Orders, 1735-1738, page 492].
4 October 1737: Abraham Mayfield of Spotsylvania County conveys 200 acres of land to Bloomfield Long of Essex County. Elizabeth, wife of Abraham Mayfield, relinquishes her right of dower [see Spotsylvania County VA Deed Book C].
After sale of his land, Abraham Mayfield apparently left Spotsylvania County in late 1737 or early 1738 as the following court entries imply:
4 April 1738: Attachments against the estate of Abraham Mayfield are obtained for Archibald McPherson and William Johnston [see Spotsylvania County VA Court Orders, 1738-1740, page 4].
1 May 1738: Ordered that John Durrett be overseer of Bush's Road in the room of Abraham Mayfield "who is removed out of the County" [see Spotsylvania County VA Court Orders, 1738-1740, page 6].
REMOVAL TO ORANGE COUNTY VA
Abraham Mayfield and his family apparently removed to Orange County VA sometime in the1737-1738 time frame. Abraham's name appears in the following Orange County VA records:
1738: Abraham Mayfield is listed with two (2) tithables in the tax list for Orange County VA, Precinct of Henry Rice, Constable.