John Isaac Bates

John came to Virginia and was an indentured servant to Abraham Piersey at Piersey's Hundred Plantation aka Flowerdew Hundred Plantation aka Flowerdew Plantation.

NOTE: For more about John Bates and this family-go to pixleyblair.tribalpages.com and scroll to the bottom of the page to 'Stories'. Click on: John Bates-Indentured Servant. You can also type a name into the upper right search box and click to find a specific family member.

[The following is an excerpt from the Bates-Family-History-1.pdf]

In The Beginning, in the sixteenth century, the Bates and the Estes forefathers lived in Kent County, England. The area is marked with a green dot on the map of Southern England below. It is not known if they knew each other but they did live in the same county at the same time. One of the features of Kent County, it is where the White Cliffs of Dover are located, so we can be pretty sure that the Bates and the Estes Ancestors viewed these cliffs at one time or another......

The first Bates that left a mark in American history was John Isaac Bates born May 23, 1598 in Kent County, England.

John Isaac Bates parents were: (estimated birth dates are in parentheses)

John Bates (1576) & Martha Mallory

        John Bates father was:

• William Bates (1550)
• Mothee name unknown
• William Bates parents were:
• William Bate (notice spelling) (1510)
• Elizabeth Warcop (est. 1496)
• William Bates parents were:
• Robert Bate (1486)
• Katherine ** of England (About 1486)
• Robert Bate parents were:
• Richard Bate (About 1454)
• Leona (About 1460)

"Between John Isaac Bates 8 th an 18 th birthdays, Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London. However, in 1616 Raleigh was paroled from the Tower of London, after which he went on another expedition and attacked a Spanish Settlement in Orinoco (now Venezuela) where he was searching for El Dorado the fabled city of gold. The expedition failed, Raleigh sailed up the East coast of America, without stopping, before returning to England to be tried and executed for treason on October 29, 1618 when John Isaac Bates was 20 years and 4 months old.

"When John Isaac Bates was 15 years old, the Indian Chief, Powhatans daughter, Pocahontas was captured close to Jamestown. (Incidentally, Pocahontas means frisky or œplayful in the Powhatan language.) He was 16 years old when Pocahontas helped negotiate a peace treaty between the Jamestown settlers and the Indians and married John Rolfe, one of the negotiators. He was 18 years old when the Governor of Virginia, John Rolfe, Pocahontas and ten other Powhatan Indians sailed to England where Pocahontas and the Indians were essentially displayed to the English. .....

John Isaac Bates was 19 years old when news was received of Pocahontas death at Gravesend, England. A contemporary of John Isaac Bates was Sylvester Estes who lived in Ringwould, Kent County. Sylvester was two years older than John Isaac Bates and had a son named Abraham Estes, Sr. who was a linen weaver in Sandwich, Kent County and who immigrated to America in 1682.

Also in Kent County in the 16 th century was a wealthy merchant named Abraham Piersey and John Isaac Bates was one of his servants. John Isaac parents may have also been servants but at this time that is unknown. Piersey resided at Maidstone, Kent, England which is about 35 miles west of where the Estes ancestors lived. He sailed to Jamestown, Virginia in 1616 on the ship 'Susan' to look over prospects in America. He returned to England the same year, again on the susan apparently determined to immigrate. He sailed to Jamestown again in 1617 aboard the George It is not clear when he returned to England but we do know that he was in Jamestown in August of 1619 (when he purchased the first black slaves brought to America) and he was in England in 1623 when he shipped his daughters and servants to Jamestown aboard the Southampton. It was during this period of time that Pierseys wife, Elizabeth Draper, died in England, so when Abraham did return to Jamestown he was a widower.

Coming To America

So, on January 20, 1624, 24 year old John Isaac Bates set foot in Jamestown after crossing the Atlantic on the Southampton and became the first Bates family ancestor to come to America. He was one of 21 passengers on the ship that were servants of Abraham Piersey. Pierseys two daughters aged 11 and 15 were also on board. To put the thinking in 1624 into perspective, Galileo was just inventing his telescope and working on the theory that the sun did not revolve around the earth but the opposite. It would be 8 years later before Galileo published a novel where one of the characters alleges that the earth revolves around the sun; a book that got him punished by the Pope via the Roman Inquisition.

The same year that John Isaac Bates arrived, Piersey purchased a tract of land up the James River about 20 miles from Jamestown named Flowerdew Hundred. It was owned by the then Governor of Virginia, Yeardley, who had been given the tract by the Chief of the Weyanoke Indians in 1617. In 1618 Yeardley added 1000 acres to it and named it after his wife, Flowerdieu and it became ÂœFlowerdew Hundred which today is still noted on the Virginia maps (red circles on the map on the next page).

Piersey renamed it Piersey Hundred and setup his plantation at that location. On the next page is a modern day map of Jamestown and surrounding area. Piersey Hundred is denoted by a red circle up the James River from Jamestown.

J Isaac Bates was put to work on the Piersey Hundred and is counted as one of 28 servants at the plantation in the Virginia Census of 1624. One of the other servants was William Garrett, a brick layer that is probably a relative of my ancestors.

Growing tobacco was the thing to do when John Isaac Bates arrived in his new country. Ever since 1614 (when John Isaac was 16 and still living in England) John Rolfe had started growing tobacco at Jamestown. Apparently with the help of Pocahontas he became an expert on it and in 1616, what has been called the most momentous event of the 17 th century, Rolfe first shipment of tobacco to London was sold. Tobacco became the rage, tobacco and nothing else. There are reports of it being grown in the very streets of Jamestown. By 1619 (four years before John Isaac Bates arrival), 10 tons of tobacco had been sold to Europe and Jamestown was a boomtown. The export business was going so well the colonists used tobacco for money bringing over 90 young women from England and buying 20 blacks for slaves. Concerning black slaves, the first had been bought by Abraham Piersey when according to John Rolfes diary, About the last of August (1619) came in a dutch man of warre that sold us twenty negars. By the time that John Isaac Bates was 40, the area was prosperous and was called the ÂœTobacco Coast.

John Isaac Bates was likely an indentured servant and therefore would have to work for Piersey for seven years. But, servant or not, within 5 months of arriving, he met and married (on May 15, 1624) Mary Elizabeth Winston born August 12, 1605 in England. I can not find the time and ship on which Mary Elizabeth Winston immigrated but I doubt that she was one of the 90 Âœyoung maids to make wives for the Jamestown men that had arrived 5 years earlier since she would have been only 14 at that time

To put John Isaac Bates place in history in perspective, when the first Estes, Abraham Estes, Sr. immigrated to America in 1680 (also as an indentured servant), he had been dead for 14 years; his son George Bates had been dead for 3 years; and his grandson, John Bates II (the Quaker) was 25 years old and well on his way to becoming a wealthy merchant. Also, John Bates II (the Quaker) was a young man when President Thomas Jeffersons ancestor also named Thomas Jefferson immigrated and settled a few miles upstream on the James River from the well-known Flowerdew Hundred. Jeffersons settlement location is the green dot on the page 9 map.

Children of John Isaac BATES and Mary Elizabeth Winston are:

• George BATES was born May 23, 1625 in York Co., VA and died April 24, 1677 in Skimino, York Co., VA.
• John Bates I was born 1627 in York Co., VA.
• Anne Bates was born 1630 in York Co., VA
• Alice Bates was born 1632 in York Co., VA.
• Susannah Bates was born 1635 in York Co., VA.
• Elizabeth Bates was born 1637 in York Co., VA.

After Abraham Piersey died in October of 1628, (four years after John Isaac Bates landed at Jamestown) his daughter, Elizabeth, inherited the plantation and restored it to its original name ÂœFlowerdew Hundred. Some time, thereafter, John Isaac and wife, Mary Elizabeth, apparently became independent farmers.

John Isaac Bates died on March 3, 1666 at the age of 68. He had a will, a copy of which is reproduced below with grammar and spelling unchanged.

"In the name of God, Amen

I John Bates of the County of York in Middletowne parish being very sick and

weak yet in perfect memorie do here make my last will and testament.

FIRST I comitt my soul to my Creator and Redeemer, Next my body to the earth

to be buried in Xtian burial at ye disposing of my wife and for my other worldly estate as followeth,

ITEM I give and bequeath unto my eldest daughter Anne Bellbee one pide cowe

called Primrose to be delivered after my decease.

ITEM I give and bequeath to my sonne George Bates one cowe called Souarkin to be delivered

after my decease.

ITEM I give and bequeath unto my daughter Alse Deane one two year old Heifer

called Marigold to be delivered to her after my decease.

ITEM I give and bequeath unto John Bates my youngest sonne one cowe called Cole and one

two year old heifer called Stone and one cowe calf to be delivered him after my decease, and

likewise one featherbed, bowlster and likewise I give all my land which I now hold by patent unto my said sonne John Bates, likewise I give unto my sonne John Bates one younge sowe with pigge to be delivered after my decease.

ITEM I give and bequeath unto my wife Elizabeth Bates all my other estate

moveable not moveable and likewise my will is that my wife shall enjoy my land during her life.

Furthermore I make my wife Elizabeth Bates my whole sole Executrix of what estate I have not bequeathed to my children, and I doe appoint my oldest son George Bates my overseer of this my last will and Testament to see it performed, as witness my hand this 21st day of September

1666

Furthermore I the sd. John Bates do bequeath to my wife Elizabeth three barrells

and a halfe of corne to be at her disposing. I doe give and bequeath to my sonne George Bates

my best hatt and Cloth coat and breeches. I doe give and bequeath to my sonne John Bates one

hogshead of tobacco and one young horse, my son in respect thereof to pay all my debts in Generall.

“Note that oldest son George Bates, was appointed “overseer”. Also, note that the will is

dated after his death – so either the will should have been dated 1665 or his date of death should have been 1667.....”

_____________________________________

In 1623, JOHN ISAAC BATES, 23 years old, arrived aboard the ship, "Southampton". He was the servant of Abraham Piersey, living on "Pierseys Hundred" ( plantation) in 1624, & must have married ELIZABETH WINSTON shortly after since their 1st son was born in May of 1625.

He became a farmer and died in about 1666. His will leaves principally livestock to his heirs (the cows: Primrose, Souarkin, Marigold, Cole & Stone; and "one younge sowe with pigge") though tobacco and "corne" are also mentioned. Since Quakers arrived in Virginia as early as 1655, & Quaker George Fox visited in 1672-73, his son GEORGE BATES may have become a Friend while JOHN ISAAC BATES was still alive. The BATES family would become leaders in the Quaker movement and were members of the "Skimino Meeting of the Society of Friends" (Quakers), which was started around 1690 at Skimino Creek just west of Williamsburg. Many times the homestead was used as the Meeting House of the Quakers in the early days of the Society. (There is an interesting report of the excavation of the BATES site near Williamsburg, the site of the store and home of his grandson.)

Unfortunately for those who descended through John and Elizabeth's daughter Susannah and who are trying to certify some family Quaker roots, her husband Stephen Tarleton was not a Quaker by any measure. He was charged by a servant girl with fathering her child, participated in and pardoned for his involvement in "Bacon's Rebellion", and was eventually arrested for inciting the "Tobacco Riots."

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Elizabeth Bate's lineage can be traced back to 1623, when John Bates, who was born about 1598, arrived in Jamestown, probably from Kent Co. near Canterbury in England. He is listed as a passenger aboard the Southhampton, a 180-ton ship bringing provisions and 57 new settlers from England to help rebuild the Virginia Colony that had been shattered by Indian attacks. At first, John worked as an indentured servant on the plantation known as Flowerdieu Hundred belonging to Abraham Piercey. He soon paid off his indenture and was listed in the 1626 census as being a merchant.

John (1) married Elizabeth Winston, the daughter of Sir Isaac Winston, and the couple had six children. John (1) patented 50 acres of land lying at the middle plantation butting entirely upon the old paile (palisado) (middle plantation is near what is now Williamsburg.)

He and the family prospered, and by 1719, when his grandson, John (3),died, the estate was valued at nearly 2000 British pounds and included 2500 acres of land, 37 slaves, and two grist mills.

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In Kent County in the 16th century was a wealthy merchant named Abraham Piersey and John Isaac Bates was one of his servants. John Isaac’s parents may have also been servants – but at this time that is unknown. Piersey resided at Maidstone, Kent, England which is about 35 miles west of where the Estes ancestors lived. He sailed to Jamestown, Virginia in 1616 on the ship 'Susan' to look over prospects in America. He returned to England the same year, again on the “Susan” apparently determined to immigrate. He sailed to Jamestown again in 1617 aboard the “George”. It is not clear when he returned to England but we do know that he was in Jamestown in August of 1619 (when he purchased the first black slaves brought to America) and he was in England in 1623 when he shipped his daughters and servants to Jamestown aboard the “Southampton”. It was during this period of time that Piersey’s wife, Elizabeth Draper, died in England, so when Abraham did return to Jamestown he was a widower.

On January 20, 1624, 24 year old John Isaac Bates set foot in Jamestown after crossing the Atlantic on the Southampton and became the first Bates family ancestor to come to America. He was one of 21 passengers on the ship that were servants of Abraham Piersey. Piersey’s two daughters aged 11 and 15 were also on board. To put the thinking in 1624 into perspective, Galileo was just inventing his telescope and working on the theory that the sun did not revolve around the earth but the opposite. It would be 8 years later before Galileo published a “novel” where one of the characters alleges that the earth revolves around the sun – a book that got him punished by the Pope via the Roman Inquisition. The same year that John Isaac Bates arrived, Piersey purchased a tract of land up the James River about 20 miles from Jamestown named Flowerdew Hundred. It was owned by the then Governor of Virginia, Yeardley, who had been given the tract by the Chief of the Weyanoke Indians in 1617. In 1618 Yeardley added 1000 acres to it and named it after his wife, Flowerdieu and it became “Flowerdew Hundred” which today is still noted on the Virginia maps.

Piersey renamed it “Piersey Hundred” and setup his plantation at that location. On the next page is a modern day map of Jamestown and surrounding area. Piersey Hundred is denoted by a red circle up the James River from Jamestown. John Isaac Bates was put to work on the Piersey Hundred and is counted as one of 28 servants at the plantation in the Virginia Census of 1624. One of the other servants was William Garrett, a brick layer.

Concerning black slaves, the first had been bought by Abraham Piersey when according to John Rolfe’s diary, “About the last of August (1619) came in a dutch man of warre that sold us twenty negars” By the time that John Isaac Bates was 40, the area was prosperous and was called the “Tobacco Coast” John Isaac Bates was likely an indentured servant and therefore would have to work for Piersey for seven years. But, servant or not, within 5 months of arriving, he met and married (on May 15, 1624) Mary Elizabeth Winston born August 12, 1605 in England. I can not find the time and ship on which Mary Elizabeth Winston immigrated but I doubt that she was one of the 90 “young maids to make wives” for the Jamestown men that had arrived 5 years earlier – since she would have been only 14 at that time To put John Isaac Bates’ place in history in perspective, when the first Estes, Abraham Estes, Sr. immigrated to America in 1680 (also as an indentured servant), he had been dead for 14 years; his son George Bates had been dead for 3 years; and his grandson, John Bates II (the Quaker) was 25 years old and well on his way to becoming a wealthy merchant. Also, John Bates II (the Quaker) was a young man when President Thomas Jefferson’s ancestor also named Thomas Jefferson immigrated and settled a few miles upstream on the James River from the well-known Flowerdew Hundred.

Children of John Isaac BATES and Mary Elizabeth Winston are: George BATES was born May 23, 1625 in York Co., VA

                        and died April 24, 1677 in Skimino, York Co., VA.  John Bates I was born 1627 in York Co., VA.  Anne Bates was born 1630 in York Co., VA  Alice Bates was born 1632 in York Co., VA.  Susannah Bates was born 1635 in York Co., VA.  Elizabeth Bates was born 1637 in York Co., VA.  After  Abraham Piersey died in  October of 1628, (four years after  John Isaac Bates landed at Jamestown) his daughter, Elizabeth, inherited the plantation and  restored it to its original name, “Flowerdew Hundred”. Some time, thereafter, John  Isaac and wife, Mary Elizabeth, apparently became independent farmers.

John Isaac Bates died on March 3, 1666 at the age of 68. He had a will, a copy of which is reproduced below with grammar and spelling unchanged. In the name of God, Amen I John Bates of the County of York in Middletowne parish being very sick and weak yet in perfect memorie do here make my last will and testament. FIRST I comitt my soul to my Creator and Redeemer, Next my body to the earth to be buried in Xtian burial at ye disposing of my wife and for my other worldly estate as followeth, ITEM I give and bequeath unto my eldest daughter Anne Bellbee one pide cowe called Primrose to be delivered after my decease. ITEM I give and bequeath to my sonne George Bates one cowe called Souarkin to be delivered after my decease. ITEM I give and bequeath unto my daughter Alse Deane one two year old Heifer called Marigold to be delivered to her after my decease. ITEM I give and bequeath unto John Bates my youngest sonne one cowe called Cole and one two year old heifer called Stone and one cowe calf to be delivered him after my decease, and likewise one featherbed, bowlster and likewise I give all my land which I now hold by patent unto my said sonne John Bates, likewise I give unto my sonne John Bates one younge sowe with pigge to be delivered after my decease. ITEM I give and bequeath unto my wife Elizabeth Bates all my other estate moveable not moveable and likewise my will is that my wife shall enjoy my land during her life. Furthermore I make my wife Elizabeth Bates my whole sole Executrix of what estate I have not bequeathed to my children, and I doe appoint my oldest son George Bates my overseer of this my last will and Testament to see it performed, as witness my hand this 21st day of September 1666 Furthermore I the sd. John Bates do bequeath to my wife Elizabeth three barrells and a halfe of corne to be at her disposing. I doe give and bequeath to my sonne George Bates my best hatt and Cloth coat and breeches. I doe give and bequeath to my sonne John Bates one hogshead of tobacco and one young horse, my son in respect thereof to pay all my debts in Generall. Note that oldest son George Bates, was appointed “overseer”. Also, note that the will is dated after his death – so either the will should have been dated 1665 or his date of death should have been 1667.

From 700 Years of Bates Family History

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John was a servant of Abraham Piersey of Maidstone Kent England. He and the other PIersey SERVANTS EMIGRATED TO Jamestown 1623 aboard the ship Southampton. Married wife Elizabeth 1624.

Elizabeth may have been a Winston, but this is unproven. If she were a Winston, she was probably sister to Sarah Woodson who married Dr. john Woodson and was the heroine of the 1644 Indian attack at Piersey Hundred (flowerdew Hundred). Is it only irony that the Bates were servants of the owner/namesake of Piersey Hundred, and lived there in 1624, and the Woodsons lived there also in 1644 when it was called Flowerdew Hundred?

• Immigration: 1623 - America
  • Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Aug 25 2017, 17:57:11 UTC

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1. John Bates settled in Virginia in 1623.

2. John Isaac Bates, I, made his will out on September 21, 1666 and died before January 24, 1667, when his will was proved in York County court, (See will of John Bates, proved in court January 24th, 1667, York County, Virginia, Book 3, p. 165).

3. "Anne (Bates) Bellbee", see will of John Bates, proved in court January 24th, 1667, York County, Virginia, Book 3, p. 165.

Proof of Jamestowne: http://www.jamestowne.org/barnett---batte.html

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GEDCOM Note

(Research): THE BATES FAMILY From «i»Colonial Granville County and It's People«/i» (The Bateses) by Worth S. Ray Pub. 1945: The first Bates to arrive in Virginia, so far as any record I can find is concerned, was John Bates, who was a "servant" of Abraham Persey, who at one time was the wealthiest man in the Jamestown settlement. John Bates is mentioned as early as 1626. John Bates became a "merchant", and must have been a man of parts. Abraham Persey died in 1626 and left a will, in which one of the overseers named by him was the Rev. Greville Pooley, who had courted Cycely Jordan, the early Virginia glamour girl, who had no less than five husbands and who sued her for breach of promise. It so happens that the Genealogy of the Bates family, the descendants of John became intimately related to the Jordan family afterwards, just as they also intermarried with the Woodsons.

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From «i»The Bates Booster «/i»newsletter: In regard to hardships, it is amazing that our immigrant (young John Bates) ignoring the dangers when he elected to come to Virginia in 1623. He must have known that a year earlier, the Indians had killed upwards of 10% (347 persons) of the colonists and would have killed them all except for a warning provided by a friendly Christian Indian. He came anyway. He must have been both an adventurer and an opportunist. Historians have said that he fits the mold of a younger son of the gentry in England, having no opportunity to acquire a landed estate in England. So he became an employee (protegé) of the richest merchant in Virginia, Abraham Peirsey, and in a year or so, he himself was identified as a merchant in Virginia records. After the Indian massacre, there was all sorts of finger pointing and discord both in Virginia and in England regarding mismanagement and malfeaseance on the part of the Virginia Company of London. Conditions in Virginia were deplorable, if you believe half the allegations. Young John Bates either didn't know or didn't care.

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From Wayne Bates of the «i»Bates Family of Old Virginia-bfoov.org«/i»: John Bates d. 1666 came to Virginia aboard the «i»Southampton«/i» in the winter of 1623/4, He is listed as a servant of Abraham Piersey in Muster of 1624. "Merchant" John Bates d. 1626 came to Viriginia aboard the ship «i»Adams «/i»in 1621. He is listed in a servant of Edward Bennett in Muster of 1624.«i» «/i» «i»Virginia Magazine of HIstory and Biography«/i» Vol 25 pg. 238 confused John Bates with (1598-1666)with "Merchant" John Bates d. 1626. (Perhaps the reason 'our' John Bates came to Virginia was that "Merchant" John Bates who preceeded him, was a relative.)
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From «i»Adventurers of Purse and Person «/i»- Virginia 1607-1624/5 Revised and Edited by Virginia M. Meyer (1974-1981) John Frederick Dorman F.A.S.G. )1981-1987) John Bates was listed as an "Adventurer of person", an immigrant who left descendants. His relationship to Abraham Peirsey as a servant, is explained as a term generally used in the modern sense of employee. The book goes on to say that "Younger sons of the gentry in England, having no opportunity to acquire a landed estate, often obligated themselves by articles of indenture* to serve required years in order to obtain passage to the promising land of Virginia." This description of John Bates fits the mold of a younger son of the Bates gentry in England who came to Virginia seeking opportunity to acquire an estate of his own. On page 47--John Bates was identified as a servant of Abraham Persey, but there is evidence in contemporary records that they were hired employees. In 1624 he is identified as a "servant" but in 1626 was identified as "merchant." A footnote suggests that John Bates may have been married twice. Daughters Anne Bates Belbie and Asle (Alse) Bates Deane are by his first wife and that sons George and John are by his second wife Elizabeth. (I do not know the source for this.

• Indentured Servants

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«i»The Indentured Servant Experience of Colonial Americans «/i» by Nathan W. Murphy AG- Exerpted from «i»Everton's Genealogical Helper «/i» Of course not all ancestors of southern colonists were of 'aristocratic' stock. Historians estimate that over 75% of Virginia's colonists & 50% of early American emigrants who settled south of New York, arrived as indentured servants. The term 'indentured servant' in this context refers to a labor system used to finance the emigration of people from the Old World to the New. Britain's poorer citizens could not afford the expensive voyage to America, so they sold themselves i.e. their labor to merchants & seamen in Great Britain who carried them aboard their ships to the colonies free of charge. Indentured servitude resembled craftsmen apprenticeships in England. They could be country folk, those effected by financial instability from a father's premature death, drought or economic depression. Working class youths not finding work in the towns or cities, would find coming to the New World very attractive. They entered into an agreement to work for a specified number of years (usually 4-5). Many naïve people did not understand what they were consenting to. There were about 3 males to every 1 female servant. Sometimes even destitute children were kidnapped & forcibly transported. The passage was miserable as they were kept below deck with minimal space, food & ventilation. Some never survived the trip. When they arrived, buyers would board the ship & look the people over. They were often chosen for particular skills they might possess so the sickly or unskilled had fewer prospects. It appears our John Bates' situation may have been better than most.

GEDCOM Note

There is some disagreement about John's name. John Bates is seen in some sources as John Isaac Bates. This needs to be clarified.
His birthplace is given on one site as Newbury, Essex, Ma. which wouldn't make sense.

OUR AMERICAN BATES
He came to the Colony of Virginia 1623. Record of this as follows: In the «i»Muster of the inhabitants at *Peirsey's Hundred«/i» «i»taken the 20 of January1624«/i», John Bates is listed as "aged 24, arrived the «i»Southhampton «/i»in 1623". He is listed with several others in «i»The Muster of Mr. Abraham's Peirseys Servants.«/i»

• Spelled: Piersey, Piercey, Persey.. Peirsey's Hundred was originally the 'Flower Dew Hundred', aka Flowerdew, near modern Hopewell, Virginia-on the James River. it was one of the earliest landgrants in Virginia-where, it is said the first windmill in Virginia was built (erected 1621-reconstructed in 1978.). It is said to be the 'first windmill in America'. It is under the auspices of the National Park Service and archaelogical excavations of unearthed many artifacts from prehistory to the civil war-which are on display at museums-including the Museum of American History and at the Smithsonian. The Flower Dew Hundred Foundation owns and maintains it as a Public Trust. [Abraham Peirsey bought it in 1624 and renamed it 'Peirsey's Hundred'.]

From: «i»glynnpatrick.com«/i»: Elisha Bates Webster Ancestry: (This site has some good info. but also some mistakes.) John Isaac Bates was the first known person of this family to come to America, was born in Canterbury, Kent, England May 23, 1598. Whether or not he was born into servanthood, he was in fact a servant of Abraham Peirsey by the time he was a young man. Peirsey had made maiden voyages to the New World to check his projects, & while he was in Jamestown in August, 1619-given on the site as 1919-he brought some the first black slaves ever brought to America. Soon after, in 1623, he boarded his daughters & 21 servants on the America-bound «i»Southhampton. «/i»One of those servants was John Isaac Bates. John was listed as arriving in Virginia in 1623, classified by local as one of those unfortunates who 'took ship to the Americas for political, religious, & economic reasons; of those who were deported for vagrancy, roguery or non-conformity, & of those who were sold for labor in the New Colonies.' A common sound on the ship was wailng--for those who had died & those who were about to die. All day & night as the extreme conditions of poverty & dispair took a great toll on the civility of the passengers. For the approximate 6 weeks of the rought journey, the passengers cried. By the time one of the passengers-Richard Frethorne saw the shore, he wrote: "I am not half a quarter so strong as I was in England, & all of it is for want of victualls; for I doe protestb unto you that I have eaten more in a day at home than have allowed me here for a weeke." However well or poorly John Bates fared on sea, he survived the trip. When he arrived in America, he was directed to help Peirsey's tobacco plantation, located within miles of the Jamestown colony. So it was still in servitude than John settled into York, County. As an indentured servant he would have to work for Piersey for 7 years. However, within 5 months of his arrival in 1624 he married Mary Elizabeth Winston & all the children were born in York Co. Four years after he arrived, his master died & John became an independent farmer on the Gold Coast--as the area was becoming known due to the success of the tobacco industry. When John died 21 Sep. 1666 in Bruton Parish, his will probate hearings were held in Middletown Parish. He left his estate to his eldest daughter Anne; son George; daughter Alse-Mrs. William Deane; son John Bates. and wife Mary Elizabeth. Because daughters Susan & Elizabeth are not mentioned, they likely preceded him in death. He gave his children cows, each named & sows with piglets. In all he had an estate-complete with buildings, furnishing, food, animals & clothing. See more notes from this site for George Bates & son John.
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The Bates family was English and among the first families to settle in York Co. Virginia (1623) Within 3 generations from the time of their arrival in the Colony of Virginia, the Bates family acquired extensive acreage in York, James City and New Kent Counties. They became know as the "Bates of Skimeno", York County, Virginia. John Bates named his wife Elizabeth and their four children in his will, written September 2, 1666, probated January 24, 1667, York Country, Virginia. There is an excellent genealogical record of this Bates family in «i»Adventurers of Purse«/i» «i»and Pension«/i», 1607-1625, compiled and edited by Annie Lash Jester and Martha Woodroof Hiden, sponsored by the Order of the First Famlies of Virginia, published in 1956.
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THE WILL OF JOHN BATES Proved 1666 «i» York County Virginia - 3, p. 79 Book 3, p. 165:«/i» Will of John Bates. (as written) In the name of God, Amen. I, John Bates of County of Yorke in Middletowne p'sh beiong very Sicke and Weake yet in perfect memorie doe here make my last will and teatament. First, I comitt my soule to me Creator and Redeemer, Next my body to the earth to be buried in Stian buriall at ye disposing of my wife and for my other worldly Estate as Followeth. Item I give and bequeath unto my eldest daughter Anne Bellbee one pide cowe called Primrose to be delivered after my decease. Item I give and bequeath unto my Sonne George Bates one cowe called Souarkin to be delivered after my decease. Item I give and bequeath unto my daughter Alse Deane one two year old Heifer called Marigold to be delivered after my decease. Item I give and bequeath unto John Bates my youngest sonne one cowe called Cole and one two year old heirfer calld Stone and one cowe calfe to be delivered him after my decease, and likewise one feather bed, bowlster and likewise I give all my land which I now hold by patent unto my said sonne John Bates, likewise I give unto my sonne John Bates one younge sowe with pigge to be delivered after my decease. Item I give and bequeath unto my wife Elizabeth Bates all my other estate moveable not moveable and likewise that my wife shall enjoy my land during her life. Furthermore, I make my wife Elizabeth Bates my whole sole Executrix of what estate I have not bequeathed to my children, and I doe appoint my oldest sonne George Bates my overseer of this my last will and Testament to see it performed, as witness my hand this 21st of September 1666. Teste George Bates, his mark The mark of John (X) Bates George Bates, his mark Robert Cobbs Furthermore I the sd. John Bates do bequeath to my wife Elizabeth three barrells and halfe of the corne to be at her disposing. I doe give and bequeath to my sonne George Bates my best hatt and Cloth coat and breeches. I doe give and bequeath to my sonne John Bates one hogshead of tobaccoe and one young horse, my son in respect thereof to pay all my debts in ye Generall. The mark of John (X) Bates. Teste: William Winston, George Bates, William Deane The will and Codicill annext proved in Court Jan'y 24th, 1667 by William Winston, George Bates, and William Deane and Recorded. L.J. Baskerville Crk. Cur.

«i»Seventeenth Century Colonial Ancestors of members of the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century«/i» 1915-1975. compliled by Mary Louise Marshall Hutton, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, MD 1984, pg 18...Bates, John (c1598-1666)Va,; Elizabeth Winston, Landowner
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According to a letter from T.B. Harris of Odessa Tx: From the notes of the late Bates Compton-John Bates, First, the Immigrant, (1598- 1666) was a member of the company of Abraham Peirsey at Peirsey's Hundred and came over in the 'Southampton' in 1623. He was mustered as a "servant" of Peirsey's. I believe the term "servant" meant that he placed himself under bond to Peirsey for a stated time...According to Mrs. Robert Campbell of Yorktown, the first contingent of Peirsey's Hundred landed in America in 1609 and spent their first winter in Jamestown where the community suffered starvation and then settled at Hampton where they found a friendly Indian chief. Hampton was named after Peirsey's father, the Earl of Southampton, and is the oldest community in the United States continuously occupied by whites. The name Peirsey is also spelled Persey and Percy. The term Hundred had two American meanings; first it applied to a company of approximately that number emigrating under a leader who was granted a hundred acres of land for each man brought over as a colonizer, second it applied to the first political division of the colonies representing an area of land which could raise a force of 100 armed men.
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Email from Elaine Powell- From the book: «i»The First Seventeen Years: Virginia 1607?-1624«/i» "Flowerdew Hundred"? Pierceys? Pp 71-71 "In 1619 Sir George Yeardley acquired 1,000 acres on the south side of the James River above Martin?s Brandson & across from his Weyanoke holding. He proceeded to establish a plantation named after his wife who had been Temperance Flowerdieu." The plantation evidently raised cattle & cultivated tobacco. There seems to be have been a yearly harvest of about 9,000 pounds at Flowerdieu Hundred in 1624. That was the year that Yeardley sold his plantation as well of his holdings across the James at Weyanoke to Captain Abraham Piercey, one of the leading merchants of the colony. In 1624, the year of the sale, a population of 63 (including 11 negroes) at been listed for Flowerdieu Hundred with another 18 having died in the previous twelve months. In the census of 1625, the Peirceys Hundred, as the place was now called, had fifty-seven including seven negroes (four men, two women and a child) 20 the enumeration including twelve houses, three stores, four tobacco houses and two boats, all of which had been bought or built by Piercey?-------------------------------- Source: emails from Lee Winston & Rodney Veitschegger in 2008: Bates--John (1)Bates b. abt 1600 one of the company of Abraham Piersey's Hundred. His will proved in York Co. 1666, and names a wf Elizabeth and sons: George Bates (2). John Bates who d. Mar 30, 1701, & daughters ann Belbie Bates, & Alice Deane Bates. George Bates (2)md Mary

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. lived nr Skimeno, in York Co. and were prominent Quakers. James Bates (3)of Skimeno, md Sarah

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. and his will, proved York Co. Geb 7, 1723, names son James Bates, to whom he leaves land in York and New Kent and his mill at Skimeno; and daughters Mary Bates (dead bef 1738) & Hannah, who md. Samuel Jordan. John Bates (3), (bro of James (3)Bates), made his will, which was proved in York Co., Dec 25, 1719; names sons John Bates & Isaac Bates, and daughters Hannah Baltes & Ann Bates, and grsons Fleming Bates, John Bates, and Charles Bates. John Bates (4), s/o John Bates(3)& Sarah ?. md Susannah, & in his will proved in 1723, names Uncle James Bates, and sons Fleming Bates, John Bates, Charles Bates, James Bates, and daughter Hannah Easley, wf of Robert Easley Fleming (5) Bates...
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Nugent states: John Bates, 50 acres, 15 September, 1655, page 377, lying at the middle plantation, butting Ely, upon the Old paile, Nly. upon mr. Tyler and Sly. upon Fra. Peale, due by purchase from the George Lake. John Bates, 50 acres at the Middle plantation, butting Ely, upon the Old Paile, Nly.. upon Mr. Tylerand Sly. on Francis Peale. Renewal of patent dated 15 Sept. 1655.
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«i» York County book«/i» 3 p.79 «i»Deed Orders & Wills«/i»-24 May 1660: (as written) John Bates of Middletown Parish in this County , an ancient inhabitant of this collony, (being sicty-two years of age and thereby disabled to work as formerly) is discharged from ye cointry and county leavyes//taxes//by this court for the future.
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From website: «i»cynthiaswopecom: «/i»The Bates family in America is first found in the distribution of 750 acres in 1639 Colonial Virginia in what was then known as Charles River County at the head of Queenis Creek. Bates apparently sold most or all of his portion. He was then given a patent of 50 acres at Middle Plantation in 1655, with his patent renewed in 1655/6. John Bates of York County, Middlesex Parish, was listed as owning a plantation with houses, and as growing tobacco. Little else is known about him. Wife Elizabeth (of unknown surname) bore John Bates several children among whom perhaps is Susannah. John Bates wrote his will in 1666, & Susannah is not mentioned therein,. making her either not of his family,or dead before her father.
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Bates Research-Check «i»genforum.genealogy.com/woodson/messages «/i» Also check ...«i»bates/messages«/i»

«b»NOTE«/b»: «u»Is there a connection between our two Bates lines? «/u» We also descend from Elizabeth Bates who marr. Thomas Lawrence. They settled in Suffolk Co., Mass. Their daughter Sarah marr. William Pixley in Mass. Since Elizabeth's Bates family also came from Kent, England, I wondered if their could be a connection. Accordiing to Wayne Witt Bates of the «i»Bates Family of Old Virginia «/i»website («i»bfoov.org«/i»): "DNA from decendants of immigrant John Bates (1598-1666) does not match DNA from descendants of the New England Bates. However, in a few cases, there is DNA match between descendants of Bates who originated in the South, and the New England Bates." Therefore it would take «u»further«/u» DNA research to prove if our two Bates lines have a common ancestor.

GEDCOM Note

Book Fuqua by Irwin (Fleming-Bates) A Fight for Freedom (by Fuqua) Alya Dean Smith Irwin State Historical Society of Wisconsin: CS 71 F984
Published by D. Armstrong Co., Houston TX. 1974 Y Y

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John BATES "the Immigrant" ABT 1598 - 13 Mar 1666 ID Number: I29020

   OCCUPATION: Indentured Servant - Merchant - Land Owner

   RESIDENCE: Canterbury, ENG and York Co. VA

   RELIGION: Church Of England - Bruton Parish, Virginia

   BIRTH: ABT 1598, Canterbury, Kent Co, England

  ''' '''DEATH: 13 Mar 1666, Middletowne Bruten Parish, York Co. VA

   RESOURCES: See: [S1117] [S1847] [S1918]'''''' '''''

Family 1 : Elizabeth WINSTON

   MARRIAGE: ABT 1624, York Co. VA 

+Susanna BATES

   +George BATES I of Skemino 

Notes

"Children... 1. M Child: George Bates 1 Birth: 23 May 1625 Place: York Co., VA Death: 24 Apr 1676 Place: Bruton Parish, York Co., VA Occupation: Known As George Bates Of Skemino Religion: Church Of England - Bruton Parish, Virginia Spouse: Mary Smith Marriage: About 1645
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2. F Child: Susanna Bates Birth: 30 Sep 1635 Place: York Co., VA Spouse: Stephen Tarleton 2 Marriage: 21 May 1655 Place: York Co., VA
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3. M Child: John Bates 3 Birth: 29 Aug 1627 Place: York Co., VA Death: 20 Mar 1701 Place: Bruton Parish, York Co., VA Spouse: Joice (_______) Marriage: 25 Apr 1650 Place: York Co., Virginia; Spouse: Elizabeth (_______) Marriage: 29 May 1694 Place: Bruton Parish, York Co., VA
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4. F Child: Anne Bates 2 Birth: 1630 Place: York Co., Va; Spouse: Belbie
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5. F Child: Alice (Alse) Bates 2 Birth: 1632 Place: York Co., VA Death: 1677 Spouse: William Dean
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6. F Child: Elizabeth Bates 2 Spouse: John Roads
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"Seventeenth Century Colonial Ancestors of members of the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century 1915 - 1975," compiled by Mary Louise Marshall Hutton, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, MD 1984, pg 18 - ". . . Bates, John (c1598/99 - 1666) Va.; Elizabeth Winston. Landowner

Ency. of American Quaker Genealogy, Volume VI, Virginia, Hinshaw has many references to the Bates family with whom Tarleton was associated.