Capt. John Banister, Jr.

John Banister II, was raised by the Byrds of Westover after his father’s death and became a prominent planter and business associate of William Byrd II. During the 1730s, Banister emerged as a prominent individual in the area as evidenced by his position as magistrate for Prince George County and vestryman for Bristol Parish. In 1733, he accompanied William Byrd II and Major William Mayo on their expedition to lay out the cities of Richmond and Petersburg. Banister was one of the original trustees of Petersburg, which was officially established as a town in 1748. Sometimes he is referred to as Captain John Banister.

http://batterseafound.org/?page_id=72

Capt. John Banister was raised by the Byrds of Westover after his father’s death and became a prominent planter and business associate of William Byrd II. During the 1730s, Banister emerged as a prominent individual in the area as evidenced by his position as magistrate for Prince George County and vestryman for Bristol Parish.

He married Wilmouth (maiden name unknown) and was the father of Col. John Banister of the Battersea Estate in Petersburg, Virginia.

In 1733, he accompanied William Byrd II and Major William Mayo on their expedition to lay out the cities of Richmond and Petersburg. Banister was one of the original trustees of Petersburg, which was officially established as a town in 1748. Sometimes he is referred to as Captain John Banister. He is the son of John Banister and Martha Batte. His father was the naturalist, the Reverend John Banister (born about 1650). His son was Colonel John Banister (born 1734).

“The first Virginia naturalist was Rev. John Banister (c.1650-1692), a close friend of William Byrd I of Westover. Banister was accidently killed while exploring the lower Roanoke River with some men in Byrd’s entourage. After Rev. Banister’s death, . . . William Byrd became the guardian of Banister’s namesake son".This John Banister's mother was Martha Batte, whom his father married "before April 1687 when William Byrd I in a letter to English horticulturist, Jacob Bobart, told him Banister had married a 'young widow'" - Martha (Batte) Jones.

John's wife was Wilmette (or Wilmuth) in the Bristol Parish Register (Willmette or Willmetta, married in Charles City County, Virginia). Their children were

• Martha Banister (born 1732)
• John Banister (born 1734)

Byrd mentioned John's wife when he stopped at the Banister home on his way back from the Journey to Eden. In his diary of 14 May 1740, Byrd recorded "I wrote a letter to my friend Banister on the death of his wife."

Banister married second Elizabeth Bolling. She was the daughter of Robert Bolling and had been previously married to Maj. James Munford [W.3.3.1]. Elizabeth Bolling was living in Amelia County 4 February (bond) 1755 when they married.

References

• Reference: WikiTree Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jan 24 2020, 21:50:44 UTC
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/160996234/john-banister
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/G7S5-STQ
• “Some Colonial Virginia Records (Continued).” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 11, no. 2, Virginia Historical Society, 1903, pp. 155–69, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4242592.