Abraham Stapp

Not the same as Abraham I Stapp

Abraham Stapp

• Sex: M
• Birth: ABT 1646 in Buckinghamshire, England
• Death: 18 APR 1714 in Essex County, Virginia
• Occupation: 1670 Tobacco Planter reside in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia

tobacco planter with considerable property in Rappahannock County, VA

Family

Abraham Stapp/Stepp Senior (1646 - 1714), tobacco planter of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia.

ABRAHAM SENIOR STAPP, son of JOHN STAPP and MARY WOODWARD, was born about 1646 in Buckinghamshire, England, and died on April 18, 1714 in Essex County, Virginia.

He married (2) DOROTHY MOSS 1685 in Old Rappahonnack, Virginia, daughter of ROBERT MOSS and REBECKAH WALES. She was born about 1656 in Essex County, Virginia, and died in 1718 in Essex County, Virginia.

Source: The Stepp/Stapp Families of America, Chapter II - The Colonial Background, pg. 8-10, by Henry P. Scalf, 1976 "Stepp/Stapp Family Chronicles" by William Wayne Stepp, produced on the Internet by Jeffrey Matthew Yerkey http://ydg.com/stepp/early_stepps/index.html

Abraham Stapp and his descendants http://ydg.com/stepp/geneology/2_abe_frameset.html

The frost date had passed a month earlier and everywhere the signs of approaching winter were apparent on the Rappahannock when Abraham Stapp first impressed his name upon the old Rappahannock County, Virginia, records. Stapp was looking for land in the Chesapeake Bay region and everywhere it was cheap and plentiful. There were great patents, in whole or part, for sale and Stapp could choose.

He found what he wanted in old Rappahannock, now Essex County and the fragmentary records of the now extinct county still extant in the present Essex clerk's office notes the purchase of a part of a "Pattent" from James Gaines or Games. Joint purchaser with Stapp was James Anderson. The date was November 17, 1670. The instrument is recorded in Deed Book 4, page 365, Rappahannock County records at Rappahannock.

The quaint old instrument reveals nothing of genealogical value and there is not a hint of the location of the land, but we are convinced from subsequent transactions of Stapp that the land was in the present Essex County, north of Piscataway Creek and on a stream flowing into the Rappahannock River. The location could have been as far north as Mill Creek in the present Caroline County but it was more probably on Occupacia Creek.

The conveyance reads: "Know all men by these presents that I, James Gaines do from me and my heires asigne all my Right and title of the residue of the Land of the within mentioned Pattent unsould to Cornelius Noell and unto Abraham Stap and James Anderson their heirs and assigns for ever. In witness hereof I have herunto Sett my hand and Seale this 17th day of November 1670. Sealed Signed and Delivered in presence of John Catlett, Daniell Gaines. James Gaines (SEAL)."

The conveyance was acknowledged and recorded the same day: "This day the conveighance of Land above specified was acknowledged by James Gaines unto Abraham Stap and James Anderson to all intents and purposes above specified (and) ordered to be recorded in the court of Rappahannock."

Two years later Abraham reappears on the Old Rappahannock records when he gives a heifer to Sarah, daughter of Richard and Sarah Goode. It is an unusual instrument as the formality of the conveyance is out of all proportion to the value of the property and we find no consideration except "love and friendship." Evidently the Goodes were neighbors.

Quote: "Know all men by the presents that Abraham Stapp of the County of Rappahannock a planter do for Divers considerations me here unto moving an also for the consideration of love and friendship freely give grant alienate and make over from me my heirs Executors and administrators forever one young Heifer unto Sarah the Daughter of Richard Goode and Sarah his wife of the county aforesaid and do appoint the parents to take the Heifer into their custody in behalfe of the said child and to make [sic] it for her with two halfe spades [sic] and I do therefore and for the looking after the said Heifer order the said parents of this child shall have the male increase of the said heifer until the said child be ten years of age and afterwards the said child shall have the increase both male and female to her and her heirs forever. In confirmation here of I hereunto Set my hand the Seventh day of November 1670. Abraham Stapp. Teste, Thomas Parker, John Mayhew." (1)

In the succeeding years and up to his death in 1714 there is a steady flow of legal notations on the Old Rappahannock and Essex records, their great number testifying to the prominence of Abraham Stapp in official affairs. He acquired slaves, appraised estates, bought and sold land, appeared as a witness many times, witnessed wills, acted as juror. (2)

Previous to Feb. 3, 1678 Abraham Stapp had married for on that date he and Dorothy Stapp acknowledged a deed to James Andres. Subsequent deeds required her signature. We know that she was a daughter of Robert Moss for her father mentioned her in his will; dated August 8, 1685, probated April 3, 1689, in Rappahannock County. (3) Robert Moss names his wife, Rebecca, and other legatees, including "to my 2 granddaughters, Rebecca and Martha Stapp, daughters of my daughter Dorothy and her husband Abraham Stapp." He, too, mentioned in the will brothers, William and Thomas, who, with the testator had received a land patent Nov. 20, 1684, in Lancaster County, Virginia (Pat. Book 3, page 309) for 800 acres a The patent was renewed March 24, 1660, at which time the land had been cut off to Old Rappahannock. (Pat. Bk. 4, page 393)

Robert Moss made a livestock provision in his will for his "two granddaughters... Rebecca and Martha Stapp." He specified that "two mare folds of the age of two years each" were to go to them and that when either became 18 years old the increase of the animals was to be divided by an equal division. Another provision of the Moss will was "I give and bequeath unto my daughter Dorothy, the wife of Abraham Stapp, one gold ring of eighteen shillings price." Witnesses to the will were Abraham Stapp. John M. Mills and Thos. Parker.

We are unable to determine the size of the real holdings of Abraham Stapp in either Old Rappahannock or Essex but it must have been considerable since he was continually buying and selling. It must be remembered that land on the Virginia frontier in the last quarter of the Seventeenth Century was not considered greatly valuable except where it was in the more settled sections and a part of or adjoining the highly improved estates. In the Virginia Quit Rent Roll of 1704 for Essex County Abraham Stapp is shown with 390 acres but this is not considered even indicative of his holdings for the contrary can be easily deduced and inferred from the records.

Early after Stapp came to Old Rappahannock he became closely associated with the Brooke family. He bought land of them, sold them some and witnessed many legal instruments executed by the Brookes. The Brooke family had preceded Stapp to Old Rappahannock by acquiring a land grant in 1659. Robert Brooke, with whom Stapp became a neighbor and friend, had settled the grant in 1692. The Brooke estate began to grow and was greatly increased early in the Eighteenth Century by a grant to Mrs. Sarah Taliaferro Brooke; by King George II in return for services given the crown by her husband, William Brooke. The widow came to America with her four children and built the great house, Brooke's Bank, in 1731, a decade and a half after the death of Abraham Stapp. The vast Brooke estate endured until 1880. Part of the real holdings were acquired by Robert Brooke from Abraham Stapp, Jr. (4)

By 1710, Abraham Stapp, tobacco planter, was growing old and Oct. 2, 1710, he wrote his will. Having been born ca 1650, he was about 60 years old. His will was probated in Essex April 8, 1714. To his son Abraham Stapp, Jr. he devised all the land he owned on the north side of the road at "my now dwelling place"; to his son William ail land on the south side of the road, to son Jacob the "upper part of the land bought by Edward Mosley"; to son Joshua the "lower part bordering on Mr. Robt. Brooke"; to sons Joseph and James 25 acres each of the "lower land"; to wife Dorothy all property during her lifetime; to daughter Ruth cattle and certain incidentals; to two daughters Rebecca and Martha a shilling each. Jacob and Joshua, sons, were also directed to buy "100 acres each elsewhere." The instrument was witnessed by his father-in-law, Robert Moss, with Peter Hollon and Will Harte. At the time the will was probated his widow, Dorothy, now signing her name Step, gave bond in the sum of 300 pounds sterling as executrix.

The Essex Court, at the date of probate, named Edward Mosley, Cornelius Sale and John Foster to appraise the estate, The estate inventory was submitted May 13, 1714, by Dorothy Stepp [sic], executrix and ordered recorded. The personal property inventoried consisted of "3 doz. and 5 spoons 2 1 old gold ring, a small parcel of truck [sic], 1 old Bible and a small parcel of books. a parcell of Damnified Paper, 10 geese and 8 goslings D 250 gallons of Cyder, 3 hides in Tann not seen." After each item of property was set out the valuation, the total amounting to 91 pounds, 13 shillings, 7 pence. (5) It is to be noted here that Dorothy, widow of Abraham, had begun to write her name as "Stepp, a custom she was to continue with a few lapses during the remainder of her life. In this interchange of names she was also assisted by the semi-literate scribes and clerks of the period who could not be consistent in the writing of the name.

Father: John Stapp b: ABT 1610 in Buckinghamshire, England Mother: Mary Woodward b: in England

Marriage 1 Dorothy North Married: ABT 1671 Children

• Has No Children Abraham Jr. Stapp b: ABT 1678 in Orange Co. Va
• Has No Children William Stapp b: ABT 1680 in VA
• Has No Children Jacob Stapp b: ABT 1681 in Va
• Has No Children James Stapp b: ABT 1684 in Va

Marriage 2 Dorothy Moss b: ABT 1656 in Essex County, Virginia Married: 1685 in Old Rappahonnack, Virginia Children

• Has No Children Martha Stapp b: ABT 1684 in Rappahannock County, Virginia
• Has No Children Ruth Stapp b: BEF 1685 in Virginia
• Has No Children Joseph Stapp b: AFT 1685
• Has No Children Rebecca Stapp b: AFT 1685 in Virginia
• Has Children Joshua Sr. Stapp b: 1688 in Essex County, Virginia

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Father Of Joshua Stapp (stepp), Abraham Stapp (stepp), William Stapp (stepp), Jacob Stapp (stepp), Rebecca Stapp (stepp), Martha Stapp (stepp), Joseph Stapp (stepp), James Stapp (stepp), and Ruth Stapp (stepp)

Son of John Stapp 1610-1658 and

Mary (Woodard) Stapp

In her later years, Dorothy (Moss) Stapp signed her name "Step(p)". She married Abraham Stapp about 1685.

References

• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Stapp-21
• http://wvancestry.com/ReferenceMaterial/Files/A_Genealogy_of_the_Mo...
• https://www.familytreedna.com/public/steppstappdna/default.aspx?sec...
• https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/abraham-stapp-j-24-2n9h4ck
• https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/112057/?offset=0#...
• https://gw.geneanet.org/tdowling?lang=en&pz=timothy+michael&nz=dowl...
• Index to Marriages of Old Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia, 1655-1900, https://books.google.com/books?id=9997jHNkcWsC&q=Abraham+Stapp#v=sn..., page 221