Colonel Hugh Hugh Wynne

Son of Owen Gwyn & Grace Williams.......Husband of Ann Joyce Burnham...... father of John Hugh Gwyn......

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Ben M. Angel notes: The assertion that Hugh Wynne is son of Owen Wynn, 3rd (or 4th) Baronet Wynn of Gwydir, is apparently false, even though it is asserted in the "Colonial Families of the Southern States of America" by Stella Pickett Hardy.

From "Wynne Mythtakes and Wynn Winners" by M. Johnson, Feb. 2003:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ttg13/mylespage2....

a. That Peter, Thomas, Edmund, and Owen Wynne/Winne came to Va. among the earliest settlers.

Each of the above does appear in the Records of the Virginia Company but Captain Peter Winne and a Hugh Winne are the only ones known to have arrived in Va. before 1620. Peter Winne, who had unknowingly been named as Deputy Governor, arrived in September 1608 after a long delay caused by a shipwreck. He died in the Spring of 1609, with no known issue. His family in England has not been established. This Hugh Winne is listed in the group arriving with Peter Winne; he is dsescribed as a tradesman, but nothing more is known of him. Thomas, Edmund, and Owen all appear only on the roll of "adventurers" (ie, investors).

• [Capt. John Smith, Travels...in Virginia, v.I; A.Brown, Genesis of the U.S., p.1055]

Owen Winne, or "Captaine Owen Winne", is also in the Va. Company List of Adventurers, but again there is no record of his coming to Va., despite the fact that many books say so. It is possible that he was Owen Wynn, the son of Sir John Wynn of Gwydir, since Owen was in London about 1620 and could have invested in the new Va. project, but he is more likely associated with one of the various other Wynn/Wynne families of the time. His title of Captain also suggests he was not Sir John's son, as that Owen had no such title.

• [Kingsbury, v.III].

b. That Sir Owen Wynne (or Gwynn), son of Sir John Wynn, came to Va. and left issue in Virginia.

This is the most frequently published error. There is no record of an Owen Wynne or Gwynn in Virginia. Sir John's son, Owen, spent his life managing the Gwydir properties for his father, then for his older brother, Sir Richard, who preferred life in London, and finally on his own after he became the 4th Baronet of Gwydir in 1649. He had only two children: a daughter who died early and a son, Richard Wynne, who succeeded him as the 5th Baronet. [There are several recent historical accounts of Owen and of the family of Gwydir, esp. J. G. Jones, The Wynn Family of Gwydir (1995)].

Several standard published accounts say Owen came to Va., had issue, and returned to Wales on becoming the 4th Baronet. His issue are sometimes given as Hugh Gwynn, the settler of Gwynn's Island, and sometime as John Winn, found later in Westmoreland Co. See the accounts on these below. One frequently cited "source" is F. Virkus, Compendium of American Genealogies, which is composed of individually submitted, unverified, amateur genealogies. As might be expected, of any undocumented compilation, it is a mixture of fact and fantasy.

c. That a Winn/Wynne family of Va. descends from Sir John Wynn of Gwydir.

Sir John Wynn (d.1626, aet 73) is famous as the author of 'The History of the Gwydir Family' and one of the most prominent Welshmen of his day. Although he had twelve children - ten of whom were sons - his line ended with a grandson, Sir John Wynn (d.1719) who had no issue. No child or grandchild of this family ever emigrated to Va. Due to the prominence of Sir John Wynn, the common assumption was that any "Wynn/Wynne" had to be connected to him. In fact, there were a plethora of Wynn lines in Wales and England (usually 'Wynne' in England) by the early 1600's.

• [See John E.Griffith, Pedigrees of Anglesey & Caernarvonshire Families.]

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What We DO Know About Winn/Wynnes in Virginia.

a. Why the surname appears in various spellings.

In the 1500's and into the 1600's, the Welsh culture increasingly came to reflect that of England, in part because of repressive anti-Welsh laws and in part because ambitious Welshmen began to adopt English ways to gain favor at Court. The traditional naming practice, based on identifying one's father [e.g, John ap Evan], was gradually shifting to the use of a family surname. "Wynne" seems to have appeared as early as the 1300's in England but, in that case, is probably not connected to the later Welsh "Wynn" at all.

"Wynn", or Gwynn, became used as a surname by several Welsh families in the 1500's. One Welsh surname authority [Morgan & Morgan, Welsh Surnames] explains the variation from 'Gwynn' to 'Wynn' as a softening in Welsh usage. Collateral lines, even members of the same line, are found using either spelling. Robert Wynn (d.1598) of Conway is recorded as using Gwynn, Wynn, and Wynne all at various, successive points in his career. Because Welsh pronounces each letter, the "Wynne" form is not used in a Welsh-speaking context. It represents an anglicization of the surname used by those either living in England or wishing to identify themselves as allied with English customs.

"Winn" does not normally appear in Wales because the "y" is a particular vowel in Welsh, with a unique pronunciation; the "i" is a different sound in Welsh. "Winn" does appear later in South Wales and is still more common there. But the subtle difference of the Welsh "y" would be lost in Virginia, and 'Winn' became the most common way to spell the surname in America. Only a few lines chose to retain the "Wynne" or "Gwynn" forms.

b. Wynn Winners: Wynn/Wynne immigrants to Virginia known to have left descendants?

Hugh Gwynn, arrived in Va. in 1621, settling in Charles River (later, York) Co. but by 1642 patented 1700 acres in Gloucester Co. His immediate issue are believed to include two sons, Hugh Gwynn and Rev. John Gwynn. There are several Gwynn lines that claim descent from this Gloucester/Mathews Co. family. His Gloucester co. land was what became known as "Gwynn's Island, and for some time as Governor's Island because Gov. Dunmore, who made the island a Loyalist bastion to fight American militia in 1775-76. No full account of this interesting family is known to me. There is a short article in Wm & Mary Quarterly, v.18:60.]. It is possible that he was the same Hugh recorded by Capt. Smith but more likely not; there would have been many 'Hugh Wynns' around at that time.

Although widely published genealogies rarely get corrected, an exception is the one by Stella P. Hardy in Colonial Families of the Southern States of America,("Gwynn Family" pp.248-251), which was reviewed critically in the Va. Magazine of History & Biog., v.19, p.442. Anyone interested in this line should read this article.

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Sources

• Alexander Brown, "Genesis of the United State" (Russell & Russell, NYC - 1890) 2 vol.
• J.L.M. Curry, "The Wynne or Winn Family", pp. 906-908 in Genealogies of Virginia Families (1899). Also in Va. Mag. of History & Biography, v.6, p.203.
• Ann Fremantle, The Wynne Diaries (Oxford Press 1935) 3. vols.
• J.E. Griffith, Pedigrees of Angelsey and Caernarvonshire Families (For author - 1914). Available in many genealogical libraries.
• The Harleian Society, Publications of , vol. 92. "Visitation of London Pedigrees (1664)" (1940)
• Linda Hiser, website: geocities/heartland/acres/5516.html. "The Hill Family of England" & "The Hill Family of Virginia" (2002).
• Susan M. Kingsbury, The Records of the Virginia Company of London (Gov. Printing Office, Wash. DC - 1906) 3 vols.
• T.J. Morgan & Pryse Morgan, Welsh Surnames (Univ of Wales Press, 1985).
• Rubyn R. Ogburn, As I Was Told About the Origin of the Ogburn & Wynne Families (Dietz Press, Richmond, Va. - 1988).
• John Smith, The Travels, Adventures, & Observations of Captained John Smith (Franklin Press, Richmond, Va. 1819), Vol. I. This famous book is available in reprinted editions.
• W. Avery Miner (comp.), The Descendants of John Minor. LDS microfilm927.273. A1 No.4028.
• Mame E. Wood, Letters and papers, 1934-37. Xeroxed copies in possession of M. Johnson.

Myles Johnson, Washington, DC

Supporter of the Established Church & Vestryman from 1652 - 1677

The prevalence of the names Hugh, John, and Richard among the descendants of Col Hugh Gwyn ( Gwin, Gwynne ) tend to substantiate the family tradition and the conclusions of genealogists, viz., that he was closely connected with the house of Gwydir. It appears more plausible, however, that he was the son of Owen Gwyn, Master of St. John's College, Cambridge, and first cousin of Sir John Wynn, rather than the son of Owen Wynn of Gwydir, as stated in Mrs Hallie D. Pittman's book "Americans of Gentle Birth."

Concerning Gwynn's Island there is a legend that it was given to Hugh Gwyn by a daughter of an Indian chief as a token of gratitude when he rescued her from drowning. [However, the land grant records in Richmond, Va., prove that he obtained the island as a reward for transporting 19 settlers to the Colony of Virginia.]

The story by Virgil G. Hudgins, a native of the island, who recently planned a pageant celebrating the event, is as follows: "It was in the summer of 1634," writes Mr Hudgins according to the Mathews Journal, "that Hugh Gwynn, of Milford Haven, Wales, after a year or so of sojourning at Jamestown, Va., accompanied by two Negro servants started in a small boat to explore parts of the Chesapeake Bay.

"Having reached what was then a thoroughfare on the east end of the island he ,landed for a short sojourn at what is now Gwynnsville. While admiring the beauty of .his surroundings and the rich fertility of the island soil he saw a young woman in a small dugout' canoe paddling towards the island from the mainland. The water being rough the frail craft capsized and Mr Gwynn and his servants hastened to the woman's rescue, and saved her from drowning.

"Mr Gwynn later questioned the young woman, asking who she was and what she was doing out there alone. Her reply was: "I am the daughter of Chief Piankitank, and I have come to worship the Great Spirit on my island, but as you have saved my life, I give this island to you in token of my gratitude

"Mr Gwynn returned to Jamestown and made a request to the King of England for patent grant which was given, and then he moved his family consisting of two sons and one daughter to the island where he built a log cabin and named his homestead 'Gwynnsville,' and named the body of water separating It from the mainland ‘Milford Haven' in remembrance of a similar body In Wales."

Legends differ as to just who the Indian maid was, some declaring that it was no other than Pocahontas, but, alas, there is no historical data to base any such assumption upon, authorities agree. At any rate several patent grants for the island and portions of the mainland thereabouts are recorded in the land office at Richmond under the dates 1635, before and after.

(Patent Book No.3: page 120) To all &c. Whereas &c. Now Know yee that I the said Richard Bennett Esqr. &c. Accordingly give and grant unto Collo. Hugh Gwin three hundred Acres of Land Upon the west side of the tract of Land Called Gwins Island being the Surplussage of the said Island bounding as followeth South West upon the Narrowes west opposite to the Mouth of Peanketank rIver North and North North East upon a small Creeke and woods East and South East upon a Creeke South upon Deep Creeke which Iyeth toward the South side of the said Island, the said Land being due unto the said Collo. Gwyn by and for the transportation of Six persons into this Colony &c. To have and to hold &c. Yeilding and paying &c. -which payment is to be made Seven yeares after the first grant or Seating thereof and not before provided &c. -Dated the Sixth of December 1652 John Cookeley, George Pletsoe, Susan Parker, Nathanl. Waiters, Benja. Sarrow, Susan Hillary Mary Joyce, Peter Cade, One Negro Woman, Robert Wison al, Wisson Humph. Higgins

Land due for the five Last -Land Patented for four of the five, one remains still due being the Last.

In addition to Gwynn's Island Col Hugh Gwyn owned 202 acres opposite the Island acquired later by Wm Armistead; 6000 acres on the Potomac in Westmoreland; 700 acres in Isle of Wight; also land in York County, Va., where he was justice of the peace in 1641 and burgess in 1646. In "Stanard's. Colnial Virginia Register” we find a list of the burgesses, and a record (incomplete) of their proceedings. The name Hugh Gwyn (Gwin) is given in the general index as burgess for the period 1619-59. He represented Charles River Co., In 1639/40; York in October, 1646 ; Gloucester in April-May-November, 1652.