Francis Postumous Suttle, Sr.

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Born in "Town" of Settle County of York, England (Barren County, Kentucky Cemetery Book)

Emigrated to the New World Colonies in 1652.

Francis was in Virginia before 23 January 1656. His passage, along with that of twenty-five other persons, was sponsored by James Williamson of Old Rappahannock Co., a wealthy merchant and one of the principal landowners in the county. (ref: Lancaster Deeds, etc. Gook 1, p. 268)

Some seven years after Francis arrived in what was then known as the Royal Province of Virginia, he purchased a plantation of 400 acres from William Barber, 7 September 1664. On 1 November 1665, Francis acquired a tract of land as assignee of the patent held by John Hull. He acquired from Colonel William and Mary Lloyd, 1 July 1668 , a deed to 400 additional acres located on Totusky Creek. In view of these land transactions within a period of some ten years after reaching Virginia, it would seem that he must have possessed some means upon his arrival in the Colonies. By deed dated 2 September 1685, Richard Rice, Sr. and Richard Rice, Jr. sold 200 acres to Francis Settle.

In Francis's will, his sons John, Thomas, grandson Francis - son of Francis Settle, grandson Henry - son of Henry Settle deceased, grandson Francis - son of Henry Settle deceased, wife Mary Settle, four grandsons: Francis son of Thomas Settle, Francis son of Francis Settle and Francis and Henry sons of Henry Settle deceased were recognized.

The will of Francis stipulates:

In the name of God amen this eleventh day of July in the yeare of our Lord God one thousand seven hundred and seven, I Francis Settle of the Parish of Farnham in the County of Richmond being well stricken in years and in my perfect sense and memory praised be God for the same do make and publish this my Last Will and Testament in the manner and form following. That is to say first and principally I recommend and give back my Soule to God that gave it in sure and certaine hope to obtaine free pardon and Remission of all my sins and my body to the earth - whence it was taken to be decently interred In Christian like manner At the discretion of my Executors hereafter to be named assured by believing it will partake of a glorious Resurrection At the Last day and as for my worldly goods and Estate w'of. God hath endowed me withall I give and dispose thereof as hereafter is sett downe.

Imp. Ex I will that all my just debts and funerall Expoences be first paid and discharged.

Item. I give unto my son John Settle one shilling and do herby exclude and for ever debarr him of any part or portion of any of my lands tenements or hereditaments whatsover.

Item. i give unto my son Thomas Settle and to the heires of his body lawfully to be begotten for ever all that plantation whereon he now lives containing two hundred acres of land which I bought and purchased of Richard Rice and did formerly belong to Robert Pridd, provided always nevertheless that neither my said son Thomas nor his heires shall make any sale or demise of said land or any part thereof for above the terme of three yeares, and if it shal-so happen that my said son Thomas Settle or his lawfull heire or heirs shall die leaving no such issue as is aforesaid that then ye said land do descend to the next heir att law and hiers of his body lawfull begotten forever.

Item. I give unto my grandson Francis Settle son of Francis Settle Jr., deced all that parcele and tract of land whereon stephen Well now lives and is part of the land I bought of Coll Wm Lloyd and is bounded by a branch on the eastermost side of my now dwelling plantation - the line of Joshua Lawson, the line of Daniell Jackson and my outside line which said land I give to him the said fRancis Settle and to the heires of his body lawfully to be begotten for ever.

Item. I give unto my grandson Henry Settle son of Henry Settle deced. all that plantation whereon I now live with the residue and remaineing part of land thereunto belonging not already bequeated and give to my grandson Francis Settle to him the said Henry Settle and to this heires of his body lawfully to be begotten for ever.

Item. I give unto my grandson Francis Settle son of Henry Settle deced one feather bed and furniture with the bolster and other things . . . thereunto belonging one young Mare two Cowes and Calves and my great Chest to him and his heires for ever, and it is my will that if either of my grandsons Francis Settle and Henry Settle should happen to dye without heirs of their bodies lawfully begotten, that then his repspective part o9r portion of my land should descend and fall to my said grandson Francis Settle son the said Henry Settle and the heires of his body lawfully to be begotten for ever and if it should please God that both of my aforesd. grandsons should depart this life leaving no such issue as is aforesaid that then and in such case my said grandson Francis Settle son of Henry Settle and heires of his body lawfully begotten for ever have and enjoy all the said land and plantations before hereby severally given and bequeated to said Francis Settle and Henry Settle, and it is the true intent and meaning of this my last will and testament that if any two of my aforesaid . . . grandsons . . . Francis Settle son of Francis Settle deced and Francis Settle and Henry Settle sonso of Henry Settle deced die or depart this life leaving no heirs of their bodies lawfully begotten then the survivour of them have and enjoy all the lands and plantations hereby given and bequeated to and amongst them, to him the heires of his body lawfully begotten fo ever.

Item. it is my will and desire that my loving wife Mary Settle have and enjoty all the resideue and remaining part of my estate not here . . . given for and during her natural life, and after her decease . . . land be equally divided amongst my four grandsons, namely Thomas Settle son of Thomas Settle Francis Settle son of Francis Settle and Francis Settle and Henry Settle sons of Henry Settle deced to be delivered to them severally part and portion alike when they shall attaine unto the age of eighteen years, and I do hereby nominate constitute and appoint my said loving wife Mary Settle my son Thomas Settle and my son in law Thomas Williams executors of this my last will and testament revoking and making voyd all other wills by me heretofore made in testimony where of i have hereunto sett my had and seale this 12th dya of August annon Dom 1707.

Francis's will was proved in Richmond Co., court the 2d day of Feby. an Dom 1708, by the oath of Thomas Dukemore and recorded amongst the record of ye said county.

Buried 1708 in Totusky Creek Plan, Rappahannock County, Virginia

The first record found which is believed to pertain to the direct ancestry of Francis Settle, who emigrated to Virginia in 1657, is the will of John Settle (Setle), of Potterton, Barwick-in-Elmet parish, Yorkshire. It is dated 4 Jan and was proved 17 June 1572. It seems apparent that the story of most of the Virginia Settles, those descended from Francis Settle, the emigrant, starts in England with this will. Pages 5-6 in "The Settle-Suttle Family"

Francis Settle was in VA before Jan 23, 1656. His passage, along with that of 25 other persons, was sponsored by James Williamson of Old Rappahannock Co., a wealthy merchant and one of the principal landowners of that county.

Some 7 years after Francis Settle arrived in what was then known as the Royal Province of VA, he bought a plantation of 400 acres from William Barber, Sept 7, 1664... on Nov 1, 1665 he acquired a tract of land as assignee of the patent held by John Hull. He acquired from Colonel William and Mary Lloyd, July 1, 1668, a deed to 400 additional acres on Totuskey Creek. In view of these land transactions within a period of some 10 yrs after reaching VA, it would seem that he must have possessed some means upon his arrival. In the old Rappahannock Co records of 1677, there is recorded a deed of gift from one Francis Settle to George and Jane children of George Bruce. This recorded gift has afforded a basis for speculation whether it might indicate the existence of relationship, possibly between the Bruces and Elizabeth Settle, whose maiden name is unknown.

The will of Francis Settle is set forth in full in the Settle/Suttle Book pages 18-20. A reading of the will might give the impression that the eldest son, John, was disinherited, since he was cut off with one shilling. However, it is believed that later events will indicate with reasonable clarity that such was not the interest of the testator. Although he ignored the old Common Law rule under which the eldest son was made the heir of the father, it will become evident that he did it for a good reason. John had married well and had acquired considerable property and was not in need of any financial assistance from his father. It is a matter of record that some fifteen years before date of this will he had produced in one year a crop of tobacco worth $10,000. Further, it seems probable that Francis Settle was intent on basing the disposition of his worldly goods on the sounder and more equitable principle of individual needs of his several sons.

1. John Settle, b. Abt. 1659, Old Rappahannock County, VA129, d. 1738, King George County, VA129.
2. *Francis Settle, Jr., b. 1661, Old Rappahannock County, VA129, d. 1701, Richmond County, VA129.
3. Thomas Settle, b. 1664, Old Rappahannock County, VA129, d. 1748, Richmond County, VA129.
4. Henry Settle, b. 1666, Old Rappahannock County, VA129, d. 1702, Richmond, VA129.

FIRST GENERATION IN AMERICA

Francis Settle was a passenger along with 25 others on a ship sponsored by James Williamson of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia. Francis is mentioned as part of the inventory as part of a "Certificate for Rights of the 26 persons".This was dated January 23, 1656, in the headright claim of James Williamson and recorded in the land records of Lancaster County, so he was actually in Virginia prior to this date.

He was 32 when he arrived in Lancaster County. He married Elizabeth (whose maiden name is believed to be Bruce) two years later in 1658. On September 7, 1664, he bought a 400 acre plantation from William Barber on what was then known as the Royal Province of Virginia. He later sold that plantation to Thomas and Elizabeth Colby on May 2, 1665.On November 1, 1665 he acquired a "track of land" as assignee of the patent held by John Hull. Later, on July 1, 1668 he bought 400 additional acres on Totuskey Creek, Old Rappahannock County (renamed to Richmond County in 1699). This land is located off Rt. 630 and Rt. 631 on the Rappahannock River. On November 2, 1685 he bought a 210 acre plantation from Richard Rice, Sr. located on the Rappahannock River, 6 miles from the Court House of Montross, Westmoreland County. This location is actually 5 miles inside the border of Richmond County.

Francis must have been a man of some means to be able to purchase all these properties within 10 years after his arrival in Virginia. Farmers were known as planters during that period and tobacco was the chief farm crop to be shipped back to England. The profits from tobacco sales would account for most of the wealth of Francis Settle. After the death of his wife, Elizabeth, in 1701, Francis married Mary Williams in 1702 at the age of 80. They sold part of their plantation on "branches of the Rappahannock" to Thomas Williams, her brother. There is also a record of a land gift in the form of a deed to George and Jane Bruce, first wife Elizabeth's brother and wife in 1677. Francis was in sympathy to participants of the 1676 "Bacon's Rebellion",forerunner to the American Revolution 100 years later. The revolutionaries were colonials and planters protesting against the Mother Country for exploiting the early settlers and not providing adequate frontier defense against the indians that were only enjoyed by the colonial aristocracy. He is listed as a bondsman for a Richard Thompson who had to give a public apology to the Crown.

In 1677, Francis deeded a gift to first wife Elizabeth's brother George Bruce and sister, Jane Bruce. In 1702, after he married second wife, Mary Williams, he sold to her brother, Thomas Williams, a plantation on the "branches of the Rappahannock Creek". This was probably part of his plantation on Totuskey Creek. All these records indicate Francis was a very generous man who helped his family and his wife's family.

Francis died in 1707 at age 85 and was buried on his plantation at Totuskey Creek, in the parish of Farnham, Richmond County. In his will, dated July 11, 1707, he did not follow the English Common Law of primogeniture, under which the eldest son was made the heir of his father, but was generous to those sons and grandsons who needed the most. John, his first born, was only given one shilling because he married well, acquired considerable property and was not in need of any financial assistance. He gave to his grandson, Francis, III, son of Francis, Jr., the 400-acre parcel of land joining his Totuskey Creek plantation where Stephen Wells lived and farmed. He gave to his grandson, Henry, Jr., son of Henry, the Totuskey Creek plantation. He gave to son Henry, the 210-acre plantation he purchased from Richard Rice. And, he gave to his grandson, Francis, son of Henry, all his furniture, cows, mares, and his great chest.

Link to sources - still verifying: http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/a/n/Debra-Santiago/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-...

A Short Biography of Francis Settle
By John Settle August 08, 2008 at 09:12:29 < link >

The following is a short biography of what will most likely be Francis Settle's epitaph if we ever find his grave (which is supposed to be on land that was once his plantation on Totuskey Creek in what is now Richmond County, Virginia).

Sacred to the memory of FRANCIS SETTLE (SR.), the posthumous son of JOHN (1570 - 1623) and MARGERY FRANCIS SETTLE, who was born in 1623 in Potterton, Barwick - in - Elmet Parish, West - Riding, Yorkshire, England.He "emigrated" to Rappahannock County (now Richmond County), Virginia by the 23rd day of January, 1656, his passage being sponsored by the merchant and headright JAMES WILLIAMSON.About two years after his arrival, he married ELIZABETH BRUCE in 1658.With her he had four children: JOHN (1659 - 1738), FRANCIS (JR.) (1661 - 1701), THOMAS (1664 - 1748), and HENRY (1666 - 1702).After his wife's death in 1701, he married his sister - in - law MARY WILLIAMS (widow of RICE WILLIAMS) in 1702.With her he had no children.He died in 1708 on his plantation on Totusky Creek in North Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia, where he had made his home for approximately a half century.He lived to be 85 years of age.

Much of the above epitaph is in dispute, for not many know of Francis' real parents.In the will of John Settle (1570 - 1623), it says that he has one "son or daughter not yet bourne".This could might as well be Francis, for John's wife's surname was Francis, and it would seem fitting to name the son Francis because of that.There is also some arguemnt on whether or not Francis had a daughter.Some say that he did, others doubt it.It has still not been proven.It is also said that Francis and his eldest son John had not been on good terms in Francis' late years.In Francis' will he states in one of the first few sentences "I give to my eldest son John one shilling".There are many other explanations to this and can be found in "The Settle - Suttle Family" (1954) by Col. William Emmett Reese. …

Burial record:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136909499/francis-p_-settle