Capt. Harry Beverley

Henry Beverley was born in Middlesex Co., VA in 1669, the second son of Major Robert Beverley and his first wife, Mary, whose surname has not been determined (though many believe she was Margaret Mary Boyd Keeble, widow of George Keeble, a Justice in Lancaster County.) (To see the AOM article on Major Robert Beverley in the Archives, click the link to previously published articles at the top of this page.)

Harry grew up in a large family, for his mother Mary brought with her 4 of her 7 children from her first marriage. Soon she and Major Robert had five more. Mary died in 1678,

... and Robert married again, this time to a woman named Catherine who also had a “last name problem” for researchers. (Again, see AOM on Robert Beverley.)

Robert and Catherine had four more children. The Beverley household must have been “interesting,” though probably not noisy since children in those days were to be “seen and not heard” or were at least to be well behaved. In addition to involved family life, the Beverleys were active in church and civic affairs. Harry grew up with the idea of serving the public.

Marriage

In 1695 when he was 26 years old, Harry married 25-year-old Elizabeth Smith (1670-1720), daughter of Robert Smith, Jr. (1658-?) and Elizabeth Buckner (n.d.-n.d.). The wedding ceremony for Harry and Elizabeth Smith took place in Middlesex Co., VA. Harry’s bride was the granddaughter of Anthony and Sarah Ellis Buckner, prominent planters in the area; she was also the granddaughter of Major General Robert Smith (n.d. -after 1678) and Elizabeth Wormerley. (n.d.-n.d.) Elizabeth Wormerley Kemp Lunsford Smith was titled and called Dame Elizabeth or Lady Lunsford because of her marriage to Sir Thomas Lunsford.

Major-General Robert Smith, Sr. was a member of the Governor's Council and head of the King's army in Virginia. With Major Robert Beverley, Gen. Smith strongly supported Governor Sir William Berkeley during Bacon's Rebellion. Thus, not only was our Harry from a prominent family, Elizabeth Smith was also considered “quite a catch.” In addition, Elizabeth’s father was her grandfather’s only son. When he died (date unknown), this left Elizabeth as her grandfather’s only heir. Major General Robert Smith was not poor. Elizabeth Smith Beverley came into a sizeable fortune.

The young couple started their family right away, and over the next 20 years or so, it grew to include 11 children:

• 1. Elizabeth Beverley b. 9 Nov 1697 in Christ Church, Middlesex, VA; d. Jun 1747
• 2. Mary Beverley b. 11 Nov 1699 in Middlesex Co., VA; d. 30 Sep 1777
• 3. Robert Beverley b. 6 Nov 1701 in Christ Church Parish, Middlesex, VA; d. 12 May 1733
• 4. Margaret Beverley b. 27 May 1704 in Middlesex Co., VA; d. after 1740
• 5. Susanna Beverley b. 15 Nov 1706 in Christ's Church Parish, Middlesex, VA; d. 1778
• 6. Catherine Beverley b. 17 Dec 1708 in Middlesex, VA; d.14 Apr 1778
• 7. Judith Beverley b. 25 Oct 1710 in Middlesex, VA; d. 1756
• 8. Peter Beverley b. 2 Jul 1712 in Middlesex, VA; d. before 18th birthday
• 9. Agatha Beverley b. 22 Sep 1716 in Middlesex, VA; d. ?
• 1 0. Anne Beverley b. c1718; d. unknown
• 11. Lucy Beverley b. 3 Jul 1720 in Middlesex, VA; d. 6 Jun 1721

Public Service

Soon Harry became involved in civic affairs. He was already part of the militia (everyone was), and in 1700 served as a Justice or Magistrate in Middlesex County. In 1702 he began serving as a surveyor in both King and Queen and in King William Counties. He held these surveyor positions until 1714. In 1706 he surveyed and laid out the settlement of Tappahannock, even naming its streets—Queen, Church Lane, Water Lane, Marsh, Duke, Prince, and Earl—with the names they still bear today. Because Harry’s plan was not just a simple grid, his “ambitious design” was not immediately put into effect. But, since the area already served as a port for river traffic, people knew that as it grew, it would develop into a village of substantial importance. When Harry’s plan was then undertaken, it “guided Tappahannock to orderly growth for the next two centuries.” In 1705-1706 Harry served in the House of Burgesses

Boundary Between North Carolina and Virginia

In 1713 Harry had one of his first big adventures. He was chosen as part of the group assigned to survey the boundary line between NC and VA. Col. William Byrd, II (1674-1744) led this group. Byrd wrote A History of the Dividing Line, which, long ago, was required reading for American Literature in college. (At least it was for me). In the book Col. Byrd describes the horrible conditions involved in surveying the boundary line through the swamp known as “The Great Dismal.” In an attempt at humor, he also gives a sneering, disparaging picture of people who lived in the region.

(We are related to one of Byrd’s sisters [Ursula] who married Harry’s brother, Robert Beverley, II. Theirs was a sad story. Ursula was only 14 when she married Robert. They had two children: a boy in 1696 named William [after her father], and a girl in October 1698 named Ursula. Ursula Byrd Beverley died 31 Oct 1698, probably of complications of childbirth. Her tombstone gives her age at death as “16 years 11 months and 2 days.”

Luckily, Ursula’s daughter, Ursula Beverley, survived. She grew up and married John Dudley. She and John had their own Ursula. Ursula Dudley (20 Sep 1704 -1799) grew up to marry John George, Sr. (18 Aug 1704 -1784). Ursula and John George had 3 children: John, Catherine, and Martha. It is here that the line of Ursulas ends. Ursula and John George officially separated in 1777 and did not reconcile. She had to sue him for support.)

Pirate Chasing

In the second decade of the Seventeenth Century, pirates plundered ships along the southeastern coast of the American colonies, the gulf coast, Central America, and the Caribbean. This was the time of Edward Teach (Blackbeard), Samuel Bellamy (Black Sam), Henry Jennings, Ben Hornigold , Palgrave Williams (a former goldsmith and “black sheep” son of a former Rhode Island attorney general), “LaBuze” (the Buzzard), and countless other pirates. Tales of Spanish wrecks containing priceless treasures of gold, silver, and jewelry helped spread “gold fever” even more. Unfortunately, some who went to look for Spanish gold ended up joining the ranks of pirates. Many lives were lost, ships were plundered, destroyed, or stolen, and the situation continually worsened. It was during this period, in 1716, that Harry had his biggest adventure and received his rank of Captain

In 1716 Virginia’s Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood (1676-1740) outfitted a sloop named The Virgin and sent it under the command of Capt. Harry Beverley to combat the pirates and to search for Spanish treasure. (There is some indication that in addition to governmental backing, Capt. Harry received financial aid from individuals who hoped to share in any recovered treasure. In a will dated 9 Nov 1716, a Mrs. Sarah Churchill stipulated that if Mr. Harry Beverley “brings back any money or other returns from the wrecks,” her share was to go to certain of her grandchildren, whom she named.)

Harry’s orders dated 5 Jun 1716 were to sail to the Bahamas and the Isle of Providence “in quest of Pirates, Spanish wrecks, etc.” (If you are a resident of the Southeastern or Gulf coast, your eyebrows probably just went up. Spotswood couldn’t possibly have chosen a worse time to send Harry on his quest. Hurricane season starts in June!) The day after sailing, The Virgin “was surprised with a violent hurricane and drove [sic] as far eastward as Bermuda.” On the fifth day of the voyage, although Spain and England were not at war, a Spanish man-of-war seized the sloop. The ship was “rifled, and the men striped, abused and made prisoners.”

After his capture, Harry wrote back to VA from St. Domingo. He said that he had petitioned for a trial from the Spanish but had been refused. He expected that he and his crew would be “sent to the mines.” Instead, he and his men were taken to Vera Cruz in Mexico where conditions worsened. Their captors provided them “no subsistence” and again refused them a trial. Because of provisions in the 1713 Assiento Treaty between Britain and Spain, there were Englishmen in Vera Cruz, and they donated what food they could to the prisoners. Even so, several of Harry’s men died for lack of food and other necessities. Many of the men begged in the streets for food. (I’m still looking for an explanation of how they begged in the streets if they were prisoners.) After seven months of captivity, Harry managed to escape and make his way back to Virginia, arriving before August of 1717. I do not know what became of his crew. (In 1718 Spotswood secretly sent two privately funded sloops—the Ranger and the Jane—specifically to find Edward Teach [Blackbeard]. This expedition was more successful. Blackbeard was chased to the area of Ocracoke, NC where he was killed 22 Nov 1718. Two days later, after Teach was already dead, Spotswood announced that anyone who could bring Teach to justice would receive a reward. Hmmm.)

The Octonia Grant and Other Landholdings

During his life Captain Harry managed to acquire a great deal of land. In 1716 before Harry departed on his ill-fated treasure voyage, Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood took a group of 62 men on a westward tour through some of the most beautiful land in Virginia. They traveled through the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains. After the trip, Spotswood is reputed to have given each of the eight officers of the group a gold horseshoe-shaped pin, and the men became known as “Knights of the Golden Horseshoe.” In 1722 King George gave Spotswood 24,000 acres of land in Virginia that pretty well coincided with the same area the men had hiked over in 1716. Spotswood in turn gave this land to the eight men who had been officers of the expedition: Harry Beverley, John Robinson, (who would become Harry’s daughter Agatha’s father-in-law), Christopher Robinson, Bartholomew Yates, Lewis Lane, William Stanard, (who would later marry Harry’s daughter Elizabeth as his second wife and whose own daughter Anne from his first marriage would marry Harry’s son, Robert), Jeremiah Clowder, and Edwin Thacker.

The land was known as the Octonia Grant. It was about two miles wide and 20 miles long. Part of the agreement in accepting the land was that improvements would be made on it. Many of the men defaulted. Captain Harry was not an able man by the time the grant was in jeopardy, but his son Robert took the steps necessary to save the land. Octonia grant was re-patented in 1729 to Robert Beverley, son of Capt. Harry. This time Harry’s son made sure that the land in the Grant would be developed. He hired a man named Andrew Head as overseer. In November of 1730 Head moved his wife, 7 children, and 3 men he had hired 80 miles to Octonia to begin improving the land. (Capt. Harry died in 1730 around the time Robert hired the overseer.)

[Andrew Head] and three other men apparently built a house in 17 days. Later in 1731 he and his wife and daughter took eight days to drive cattle to Octonia. A dwelling house with two outside chimneys and two rooms was built and a tobacco house, barns, a dairy, corn house, hen house and 800 panels of fence were erected; 67 acres were cleared and 50 acres were used for woodland pasture for the 13 head of cattle. Head evidently put out 1,000 peach, cherry, and apple trees. (When Robert Beverley died in 1733, the Octonia Grant was divided up according to his wishes. One item in his will was a bequest of 200 acres to his overseer Andrew Head.)

Harry’s interest in land was lifelong. He had paid for the passage of indentured servants through the ‘headright” system, and on 2 Nov 1705 he applied for and received 1920 acres in Essex County for importing 39 people to VA. In addition, he patented 2,700 acres known as "Portobago" in Essex County. His wife’s grandfather Major General Robert Smith of Middlesex had owned this land earlier Move to Spotsylvania County

In 1720 a few years after returning from his Spanish shipwreck adventure, Harry and his family moved to Spotsylvania Co, VA and lived at his plantation “Newlands.” This is purely a guess, but the Beverleys may have moved because of tragedy that struck the family. In 1718 a daughter named Anne was born and apparently died; at least I could find no information about her other than her birth. (She is not mentioned in her father’s will.) Elizabeth became pregnant again, and it was around this time, 1720, that the family moved. Unfortunately the birth did not go well. Elizabeth died in 1720 when their new child Lucy was just one month old. The child, too, died before the year was out, not even reaching her first birthday. The family may have moved to “Newlands” for a change. We’ll probably never know for sure, but the move seemed to add to the family’s misfortunes. The loss of his wife and daughters may have been why Harry again turned his interest to public service and land acquisition as distractions from his personal sadness.

More Land and More Public Service

According to records, on 6 Apr 1725, “Harry Beverley, of Spotsylvania County, sold to Andrew Harrison, of Essex County, for 4600 pounds of tobacco, 600 acres in Spotsylvania County, being a part of a patent granted to sd [sic] Beverley. Recorded June 1, 1726.” That same year, Harry sold 600 acres of land on Pamunkey River to the same Andrew Harrison of Essex County that he had dealt with earlier. This new tract was near Lt. Governor Spotswood's Germanna patent in an area that had provoked interest in possible mineral wealth. Harry also owned 1,017 acres, which the Upshaw family had originally acquired in 1699. In all, Capt. Beverley owned land amounting to about 32,000 acres in several Virginia counties (Germanna was not a high point in VA’s history. Spotswood had opened iron mines in the area and used German workers who were indentured to him for paying their transport. These particular Germans had arrived in 1717 and had been ill used from the beginning. One of their ship captains had been thrown in jail in London and kept there until the passengers had consumed their supplies. With their food gone, some died of starvation on the voyage to the colonies. Bound for Philadelphia, they were blown off course and landed in VA. In VA they were “sold” by the ship’s captain to pay for their passage. Alexander Spotswood was the highest bidder. Records indicate that the Germans who worked in the iron mines were mistreated. Because of the amount of time they were required to mine ore and run the iron furnaces, they did not have time to build and maintain homes and farm the land for food. When they tried to leave and find their own lands,Spotswood sued them. [Spotswood seems to have had his fingers into everything. When he left office, he owned 80,000 acres of land and 3 iron works.] As far as I could determine, our Harry had nothing to do with the iron works. Maybe the unpleasant situation at Germanna prompted him to sell his land near there.)

Harry also kept himself busy through more public service. For a number of years he was Presiding Justice of the Spotsylvania County Court. He was also a member of the House of Burgesses for Spotsylvania, and was elected Clerk of the House of Burgesses. In addition to everything else he was doing, according to Court Order Bk. 6, 1721-1726 for Middlesex Co., Harry Beverley was also appointed guardian of Thomas Sandifer/Sandeford 3 Apr. 1722. (I found no clear cut evidence determining who Thomas Sandifer/Sandeford might have been. However, a Sandifer researcher suggests that the boy may have been the eldest son of William and Frances Townsend Sandeford. The Sandefords were married in 1710, and William died in 1715 or 1716 without leaving a will. At most, a son of this union would have been only 5 or 6 years old when his father died and 10 or 12 when the court stepped in to appoint a guardian. If this is the correct Sandifer/Sandeford family, we know that William Sandeford had inherited a good deal of property from his own father—John Sandeford—including “all that my dwelling plantation on which I now live together with all the houses and orchards and woodland ground”; thus, Thomas would have in turn inherited all or part of this land. In all probability Harry was appointed guardian of the child to protect his inheritance, but why did the court wait so long? [Frances Townsend Sandifer/Sandeford remarried in 1723. Maybe her upcoming marriage spurred the court’s action])

Death of Captain Harry

Captain Henry “Harry” Beverley died 30 Nov 1730 at his home “Newlands” in Spotsylvania Co., VA. He was 61 years old. His will was probated 12 Feb 1730. Witnesses were John Gordon, John Henderson, William Chapman, and Thomas Sellars. Son Robert Beverley was named as executor. Harry left large parcels of land to each of the eight children named in his will: “to daughter Elizabeth Stanard, the lower part of my tract of land on the River Tappahannock,in Spotsylvania Co., that lies below the branch that is next to Col. John Robinson's bridge; [to] daughter Mary, the residue of above tract; [to] daughter Margaret; daughter Susanna; daughter Catherine; [and] daughter Judith, 1000 acres [each] adjoining the land I sold to Andrew Harrison; [to] daughter Agatha; [and to] son Robert, [the] balance of lands not disposed of." Daughters Anne and Lucy were not mentioned in the will; Lucy had died as a baby, and Anne had probably suffered the same fate.

Harry’s Descendants Not a great deal is known about Harry’s children,but enough information exists to show that they married into prominent families, produced families of their own, and prospered in general. Elizabeth Beverley married William Stanard, Jr. (1682 1732), on 18 Aug 1717. William was the son of William Standard, of Middlesex County, and his wife Eltonhead Conway Thacker, widow of Henry Thacker, and daughter of Edwin Conway and Martha Eltonhead. William, Jr. was Clerk of Middlesex Co and a vestryman in Christ Church parish. Elizabeth was his second wife. They had three children, a boy named Beverley and girls named Elizabeth and Sarah. Elizabeth (the wife) died in 1747. Judith Beverley married (1) Reverend Rodham Kenner on 1 Jun 1729 and had a son. After the death of Reverend Kenner she married (2) Thomas Roy, son of Robert Roy. Judith and Thomas had a son named Beverley who served as a Captain in the Revolution and was a charter member of the Society of the Cincinnati. In 1765 after Judith had died, her eldest son George Kenner sold to Francis Jerdone the 1194 acres she received from her father, Harry, in his will. Margaret Beverley married John Chew (1701/5-1756) on 28 Jan 1729. They had two boys, Robert and John, and 3 girls, Hannah, Mary, and Mary Beverley. A John Chew was a member of the House of Burgesses for Spotsylvania Co in 1739, but I am not sure that that John Chew was ours. Mary Beverley married Larkin Chew (1700-1770) on 30 Sep 1737. Larkin and John Chew were brothers. Mary and Larkin had three children: Mary, Larkin, and Elizabeth Beverley. The Chews were from an influential VA family. Unfortunately, like most of our relatives, the repetition of names in the Chew family made finding specific information about this Larkin and this John very difficult. One Larkin Chew described as “a prominent citizen of Spotsylvania Co” was involved in a “long-running feud” with Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood and accused him of “misappropriating colony funds.” The angry Larkin may have been Mary’s husband or one of his relatives. (Remember, in earlier years Harry’s father Robert had suggested that even Governor Berkeley had abused his powers of office by passing on land and valuables to his cronies. [See article on Robert Beverley by clicking link at the top of the page.]) Robert Beverley married Anne Stanard, daughter of his sister Elizabeth’s husband, on 10 Apr 1759. (Anne was a child of William Stanard’s first marriage to Anne Hazelwood.) Robert and Anne had a son named Harry and two unknown daughters. Robert must have been an astute businessman for it was he who re-patented the 26,000 acres of the Octonia grant in 172 Susanna Beverley married Benjamin Winslow, Sr. on 22 Nov 1726. Benjamin was the son of Tom and Ann Parker Winslow, and he was Sheriff of Essex Co., VA in 1739. Susanna and Benjamin had five children. 2 girls, 3 boys: Susanna Beverley and Catherine; Benjamin, Jr., Harry, and Beverley. Their son Beverley was a Colonel during the Revolution. Catherine Beverley married George Stubblefield, Sr. before 1742. They had five children, all boys. George, Harry, Beverley, Robert, and Peter. All except Harry were officers during the American Revolution. [I could not find out why Harry did not serve. Perhaps he died before the Revolution.] Agatha Beverley married William Robinson on 17 Feb 1736. Agatha and William were first cousins. Her father and his mother were both children of Maj. Robert Beverley. William’s father was the Hon. John Robinson, and his brother, John, Jr., was Speaker of the House of Burgesses and Treasurer of VA. Agatha and William had 9 children: five boys and 4 girls: John, Harry, Benjamin, Francis, Samuel, and Catherine, Agatha, Lucy, and Elizabeth. Both Agatha and William are our ancestors. Their daughter Agatha Robinson married Captain William Sims. Agatha was the mother of Joanna Sims, who married James Ownby. In fact, Agatha Beverley, William Robinson, Robert Beverley, John Robinson, William Sims, Joanna Sims, and James Ownby are all our ancestors—not just our relatives. (Plus, of course, Capt. Harry and Elizabeth.) Captain Harry Beverley could not have wished for a more full life. Captain Harry Beverley is Papaw’s 5-great grandfather. If you are Eli McCarter’s great, great grandchild, Captain Harry is your 9-great grandfather. Line of Descent from Harry Beverley to Rev. Eli McCarter Capt. Harry Beverley (1669-1730) + Elizabeth Smith (1670-1720) Agatha Beverley (1716-?) + William Robinson (1709-1792) Agatha Robinson (1737-1812) + Capt. William Sims (c1729-c1798) Joanna Sims (1761-1852) + James Ownby (1761-1850) John Ownby (1781-1857) + Mary Jane Koone (1793-1881) Mary Ownby (1814-1846) + Thomas McCarter (1811-1888) Thomas Hill McCarter (1846-1923) + Marriah Reagan (1842-1923) Rev. Eli McCarter (1886-1955) + Mary Elizabeth Hatcher (1889-1969) Sources

“Ancestors of Lazarus Long…” http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lzrslong/b335.htm “Assiento Treaty.” Probert Encyclopedia: http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/cgi-bin/res.pl?keyword=Assiento... “Beverley,…” Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. pp. 185-188. “Beverley Family.” http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~marshall/esmd25.htm BEVERLEY FAMILY. http://www.geocities.com/whatupchuck1942/otherfamily.html Beverley Family Genforum http://genforum.genealogy.com/beverly/ “Cheek Family, The.” http://www.moonzstuff.com/cheek/richard1680ofbeaufort.html Chronological Listing of Events In the Lives of Andrew Harrison, Sr. of Essex County, Virginia, A. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~harrisonrep/harrb... “Descendants of John Beverley.” http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~deschrt/z001137.html Descendent Register of J. Peter Bev. Hawley Davis Stowell Payton Family Association http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=hdspfa&id... “Endnotes.” Register Containing the Baptisms made in the Church of the French Refugees at Mannikin-Town in Virginia, in the Parish of King William, in the Year of Our Lord, 1721, the 25th March. Done by James Soblet, Clerk. http://manakin.addr.com/brock4.htm “Genealogical Record: Henry (Harry) Beverley” http://poslfit.homeip.net/cgi-bin/genea2.pl?id=10311 “Genealogical Record of John Chew.” http://poslfit.homeip.net/cgi-bin/genea2.pl?id=10067 “Henry Beverley” http://www.familyorigins.com/users/j/o/n/James-M-Jones/FAMO1-0001/d... “Historic Explorers, King’s Grant, and the Stone.” http://www.southriverlandpreservationgroup.com/html/body_octonia_gr... History of West Virginia Old and New Nicholas County, West Virginia

Biography

                                   of Oscar Lee STANARD http://files.usgwarchives.org/wv/nicholas/bios/stanard.txt “My Southern Family” freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mysouthernfamily/myff/d0029/g0000021.html “Our Family Genealogy Pages.” http://www.genfan.com/getperson.php?personID=I01042&tree=MASTER “Parker and Related Families.” http://kykinfolks.tripod.com/parker/captain.htm “Personal Ancestral File of Ron Thompson” http://www.lightpatch.com/genealogy/paf/paf.ged Smith, Tarney Sandifer. “Sandifers/Sandifords/Sandefords of Middlesex County, Virginia.” Email 9 Jul 2009 0:3:45 pm mtss915@sbcgloal.net Stanard Family Genforum  http://genforum.genealogy.com/stanard  Standifer Family Genforum http://genforum.genealogy.com/standifer SOME ANCESTORS AND DESCENDANTS OF THE BYRD FAMILY OF WESTOVER, VA http://members.tripod.com/~SFinch/index-2.html Tate, Thad W., and David Ammerman. The Chesapeake in the Seventeenth Century. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1979. pp. 155-156.  “VA Wills.” www.carolyar.com/VAWills.html Whydah Galley, The: A Historical Timeline.  http://www.whydah.com/bellamyTimeline.pdf

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Harry Beverley was placed in command by the governor of the sloop "Virgin". His mission was to search for pirates and Spanish wrecks. During the mission he faced a hurricane and then was captured by a Spanish Man of War. He and his men were taken prisoner to Santo Domingo. He constantly petitioned for a trial and wrote home that he fully expected to be sent to the mines. He was transferred to Very Cruz and were allowed no necessities. He and his men were reduced to begging for food and several men died. Beverley was able to escape and return to Virginia by August of 1717.

24 February 1717-1718 A Note of a declaration upon oath with (no date mentioned) by several men of the sloop Virgin commanded by Captain Harry Beverley concerning the seizure of that vessel with her crew and cargo by a Spanish warship. This is item No 46 of a series of 57 documents about pirates copied out of the Plantation Office for the House of Commons and which should have been entered on page 192 of the Entry Book under date 24 February 1717/1718.

SOURCE: Public Record Office Class C.O. 324/10; Entry Book of Commissions Instructions, Warrants, Orders in Council, and Correspondance; 1712-1722. p. 259

Captain Harry Beverly a Magistrate in Middlesex Co., 1702; Surveyor of King and Queen and King William Co. 1702-14; assisted in surveying the Virginia-North Carolina boundary line. About 1720, he removed to Spotsylvania Co., where for a number of years he was Presiding Justice of the Spotsylvania County Court. He was also Clerk of the House of Burgesses, and surveyed and laid off the Town of Tappahannock in 1706, giving the town the names of its streets: Queen, Church Lane, Water Lane, Marsh, Duke, Prince and Earl. He patented 2,700 acres known as "Portobago" in Essex County, which had been owned earlier by his wife's grandfather Major General Robert Smith of Middlesex. He also owned 1,017 acres which the Upshaw family acquired in 1699. Capt. Beverley owned land amounting to about 32,000 acres in several counties. His title of Captain derives from the fact that Governor Spotswood sent him on the sloop, "The Virgin" as it's Commander to acquire gold from Spanish ship wrecks.

" In the summer of 1716, Governor Spotswood fitted out a sloop named THE VIRGIN, which he put under the command of Harry Beverley (hence his title of Captain), with instructions to go to the Bahamas and the Isle of Providence in quest of Pirates, Spanish wrecks, etc. The Governor sent a copy of the instructions to Beverley, which were dated June 5, to the English authorities. The day after sailing 'she was surprised with a violent hurricane and drove as far eastward as Bermuda On the 5th day, the sloop was taken by a Spanish man-of-war (though the countries were at peace), rifled and the men striped, abused and made prisoners. Captain Beverley wrote from St. Domingo that he had petitioned for a trial, but had been refused, and that all he had to expect was that he and his men would be sent to the mines. He and his crew were taken to Vera Cruz, where a trial was still refused, and no subsistence was allowed him or his men, but what the Assiento factory (the English agency under the Assiento treaty) bestowed out of charity. Several men perished for want of necessities, and many of them reduced to beg about the street till they could find an opportunity of getting off. After seven months imprisonment, Beverley escaped and reached Virginia shortly before August. 1717 (Spotswood Letters II, 245, 250, 259, and Sainsbury Abstracts). Though ostensibly the chief object of this voyage was to obtain information in regard to the pirates or to attack them, yet it seems probable that 'Spanish wrecks' are mentioned in the instructions to Beverley. Mrs. Elizabeth Churchill, in her will dated November 9, 1716, provides that if Mr. Harry Beverley brings back any money or other returns from the wrecks, her share should go to certain of her grandchildren (Middlesex Records). (THE BEVERLEY FAMILY OF VIRGINA by John McGill) Capt. Harry Beverley died at his plantation "Newlands".

• Reference: WikiTree Genealogy - SmartCopy: Mar 7 2017, 14:41:40 UTC

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http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mjr6387&i...

CAPTAIN HARRY BEVERLEY, of "Newlands", married Elizabeth Smith (only child and heiress of Robert Smith of Brandon) about 1696, and to them were born ten children. Elizabeth Beverley was baptized 9 Nov. 1697, and died between 19 Apr and 7 July 1747. (THE BEVERLEY FAMILY of VIRGINIA by John McGill) Will dated 11-30-1730, proved 2-12-1731. Harry Beverley, father of SUSANNAH, moved to Spotsylvania 1720. He was a son of MAJ. ROBERT BEVERLEY, a native of Yorkshire, who emigrated to Virginia, 1663, and settled in Middlesex, where he was Justice and elected Clerk of the House of Burgesses, 1670, and soon became a leader in the colony. (See notes on Major Robert Beverley.)

Captain Harry Beverly of "Newlands," Spotsylvania Co, was the third son of MAJOR ROBERT BEVERLEY, the immigrant, was a Magistrate in Middlesex Co., 1702; Surveyor of King and Queen and King William Co. 1702-14; assisted in surveying the Virginia-North Carolina boundary line. About 1720, he removed to Spotsylvania Co., where for a number of years he was Presiding Justice of the Spotsylvania County Court. He was also Clerk of the House of Burgesses, and surveyed and laid off the Town of Tappahannock in 1706, giving the town the names of its streets: Queen, Church Lane, Water Lane, Marsh, Duke, Prince and Earl. (The ambitious design did not spark immediate development, but the plan guided Tappahannock to orderly growth for the next two centuries. Source: Slaughter, History of Essex Co.) He patented 2,700 acres known as "Portobago" in Essex County, which had been owned earlier by his wife's grandfather Major General Robert Smith of Middlesex. He also owned 1,017 acres which the Upshaw family acquired in 1699. Capt. Beverley owned land amounting to about 32,000 acres in several counties.

His title of Captain derives from the fact that Governor Spotswood sent him on the sloop, "The Virgin" as it's Commander to acquire gold from Spanish ship wrecks.

"In the summer of 1716, Governor Spotswood fitted out a sloop named THE VIRGIN, which he put under the command of Harry Beverley (hence his title of Captain), with instructions to go to the Bahamas and the Isle of Providence in quest of Pirates, Spanish wrecks, etc. The Governor sent a copy of the instructions to Beverley, which were dated June 5, to the English authorities. The day after sailing 'she was surprised with a violent hurricane and drove as far eastward as Bermuda On the 5th day, the sloop was taken by a Spanish man-of-war (though the countries were at peace), rifled and the men striped, abused and made prisoners. Captain Beverley wrote from St. Domingo that he had petitioned for a trial, but had been refused, and that all he had to expect was that he and his men would be sent to the mines. He and his crew were taken to Vera Cruz, where a trial was still refused, and no subsistence was allowed him or his men, but what the Assiento factory (the English agency under the Assiento treaty) bestowed out of charity. Several men perished for want of necessities, and many of them reduced to beg about the street till they could find an opportunity of getting off. After seven months imprisonment, Beverley escaped and reached Virginia shortly before August. 1717 (Spotswood Letters II, 245, 250, 259, and Sainsbury Abstracts). Though ostensibly the chief object of this voyage was to obtain information in regard to the pirates or to attack them, yet it seems probable that 'Spanish wrecks' are mentioned in the instructions to Beverley. Mrs. Elizabeth Churchill, in her will dated November 9, 1716, provides that if Mr. Harry Beverley brings back any money or other returns from the wrecks, her share should go to certain of her grandchildren (Middlesex Records). (THE BEVERLEY FAMILY OF VIRGINA by John McGill)

Capt. Harry Beverley died at his plantation "Newlands" in Spotsylvania Co. in 1730. He and his wife Elizabeth (Smith) Beverley were the ancestors of several generations of Beverleys who lived at "Newlands." They were also the ancestors of many families in this section of Virginia--Roys of Caroline, King and Queen and Essex Co.: Birds of Kind and Queen Co.; Hoskins of King and Queen Co. and Essex Co.; Taloes of Mt. Airy, Richmond Co.: Chinns and Downmans of the Northern Neck; Suttons of King and Queen Co.; Montagues of Middlesex, Saunders of Middlesex and Essex Co.; and WINSLOWS (through daughter Susanna who married BENJAMIN WINSLOW) of Virginia, Missouri, Texas, and other descendants throughout the nation.

Witness to Will: John Gordon, John Henderson, William Chapman, Thomas Sellars. Executor was son Robert Beverley. "Leg. daughter Elizabeth Stanard, the lower part of my tract of land on the River Tappahannock, in Spotsylvania Co., that lies below the branch that is next to Col. John Robinson's bridge; daughter Mary, the residue of above tract; daughter Margaret; daughter Susanna; daughter Catherine; daughter Judith, 1000 acres adjoining the land I sold to Andrew Harrison; daughter Agatha; son Robert, balance of lands not disposed of." (Will Book A 1722-1749, p. 119. Source: Crozier, "Virginia County Records, Spotsylvania County, 1721-1800", p. 2) Will dated 13 Nov 1730 and proven 2 Feb 1730/1, Spotsylvania Co., VA.

Note of interest regarding The Octonia Grant by Ulysses P. Joyner, Jr., in his book "Joyner: The First Settlers of Orange County, Virginia": To the west of the Baylor tract lies the "Octonia Grant" containing 24,000 acres and extending along the south bank of the Rapidan from Laurel Run, just north of the Town of Orange, to Stanardsville in present day Greene County. This truly unique and beautiful tract of land was originally patented to the "Octonia Company" composed of eight Spotswood associates: Harry Beverley, John Robinson, Christopher Robinson, Bartholomew Yates, Lewis Ltane, William Stannard, Jeremiah Clowder, and Edwin Thacker. Many, if not all, of these gentlemen accompanied Spotswood in 1716 on his trek over the Blue Ridge which passed through the "Octonia Grant." The original grant was recorded in 1722. As happened so often, however, the original grant lapsed and the entire tract was repatented to Robert Beverley, the son of Captain Harry Beverley, in 1729. A full discussion of the "Octonia Grant" is not possible here, but the reader is referred to an excellent work by J. Randolph Grymes entitled: The Octonia Grant, published in 1977."

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Apr 7 2018, 20:28:13 UTC

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GEDCOM Note

(From p. 7)
Capt. Harry Beverley2 b. Middlesex Co. d. 1730 at his home ‘Newlands”, Spotsylvania Co. (will dated 11-30-1730 proved 2-12- 1731),m. about 1696 Elizabeth Smith d. 8-6-1720 dau. and apparently only child of Robert and Elizabeth Smith Jr. of “Brandon,” Middlesex Co. and granddaughter of Maj. Gen. Robert Smith, also of “Brandon”.

1. Elizabeth Beverley 3 bapt. 11-9-1697 (See p. 657).
2. Mary Beverley 3 b. 11-11-1699 (See p. 686).
3. Robert Beverley 3 b. 11-6-1701 (See p. 747).
4. Margaret Beverley3 b. 3-27-1704 (See p. 771).
5. Susanna Beverley 3 b. 11-15-1706 (See p. 812).
6. Catherine Beverley3 b. 12-17-1708 (See p. 822).
7. Judith Beverley3 b. 10-25-1710 (See p. 913).
8. Peter Beverley 3 b. 7-2-1712 d. before 1730 (date of his father’s will)
9. Agatha Beverley 3 b. 9-22-1716 (See p. 935).
10.Lucy Beverley 3 b. 7-3-1720, d. 7-6-1721.

Children
1. Elizabeth Beverley, b. 11 Sep 1697, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia d. 7 Aug 1747, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia - Probate
2. Mary Beverley, b. 11 Nov 1699, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia d. Aft 1770, St. George's Parish, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
3. Robert Beverley, b. 6 Nov 1701, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia d. 5 Jun 1733, Newlands, St. George's Parish, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
4. Margaret Beverley, b. 27 Mar 1704, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia d. Bef 1755, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
5. Susannah Beverley, b. 15 Nov 1706, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia d. Jul 1778, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
6. Catherine Beverley, b. 7 Dec 1708, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia d. Jun 1777, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
7. Judith Beverley, b. 25 Oct 1710, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia d. 1756, Port Royal, Caroline County, Virginia
8. Peter Beverley, b. 2 Jul 1712, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia d. Bef 1730, Middlesex County, Virginia
9. Agatha Beverley, b. 22 Sep 1716, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia d. Between 1752 and 1757, St. George's Parish, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
10. Lucy Beverley, b. 3 Jul 1720, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia d. Bef 1730, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia