John Biggs, Sr.

Not the same as Richard Biggs, Ancient Planter

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John Bigg(e) , Sr.

• Sex: M
• Birth: 1606 in Hampshire, Southampton, England
• seen as: christened Jan 29 1606 Winterbourne Earls, Wiltshire, England Father: Richard Biggs
• Death: 1694 in Elizabeth River, Norfolk County, Virginia
• Wife seen as Johannah Norsworthy, or Johannah Sawyer

Notes

John Bigg (s) (e) of Norfolk County, Virginia was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England ca 1620. He came to Virginia ca. 1645 and died in Norfolk County, Virginia 1697. The first mention of him in Virginia is 1648/9 when he indicated he was traveling to England. He was undersheriff for Norfolk County, Virginia. He was a Quaker and on 16 June 1675 was finded 2000 pounds of tobacco for not baptizing his children.

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John Biggs (b. 1620, d. 1694) John Biggs (NOT a known son of Richard Bigge and Sarah) was born [1620 in Hampshire, South Hampton, England] and died 1694 in Elizabeth River, Norfolk, VA. He married Johanna Sawyer Norsworthy on Bef. 1638 in England, daughter of Tristam Norsworthy and Ann Lnu. [Is this proven?]

Includes Notes for John Biggs:

From http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/7241/biggsdoc.html: 1 Feb. 1648-9 - These are to certifye that John Biggs according to Act of Assembly, hath sett up his name at the court doore to give notice of his intended voyage for England this present shipping. (Norfolk Co., VA Book B: 107)

1652/53 court records, Certif for 100 acres to John Bigge for transporting Johan Bigge and Joseph Hutt into this Colony (LDS microfilm 0908181 Lower Norfolk abstracts)

Norfolk, Co., VA Book “C” p.34: dated Jan. 17 1652/53. Certificate for 100 acres granted John Bigge for importation of Johan Bigge (his wife) and Joseph Hutt. (Genealogies of Virginia Families, Refs: Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA, 19 Nov., 1695; Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA May 13, 1703; Norfolk Co. Order Bk. Nov. 1739)

Subject: passengers on ship ENCREASE of Youghal, Ireland, 1679 - the passenger list includes a John "Legge" not a Bigge or Biggs. However it is assumed this was a transcription error.

Birth date varies from 1606 to 1620. If born at 1606 father, Richard, was only about 16 years old. Until further clarified, assuming 1620 to be John's birth year

More About John Biggs and Johanna Sawyer Norsworthy: Marriage: Bef. 1638, England.

Children of John Biggs and Johanna Sawyer Norsworthy are:

1. +Dorothy Biggs, b. 1669, Lower Norfolk County, VA, d. Aft. 1749.
2. Thomas Biggs, d. date unknown.
3. +Joanna Biggs, d. date unknown.
4. Ann Biggs, d. date unknown.
5. John Biggs, d. date unknown.
6. Katherine Biggs, d. date unknown.
7. Elizabeth Biggs, d. date unknown.
8. Jeanne Biggs, d. date unknown.
9. Phebe Biggs, d. date unknown.
10. Jabez Biggs, d. date unknown.

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Information below from B. J. Hughes

Thomas Putman, aboard the Increase, bound for Virginia. Will 29 Dec 1647; proved

20 May 1659.... Witnesses: Arthur Bromwell, John Bigge ... Probate Act Book.

Ruthen, 197 (The Virginina Magazine of History and Biography, Jan., 1907, Vol.

XIV: 305-306, Virginia Gleaning in England.)

John Bigge witnessed the will of Thomas Putnam aboard the Increase bound for

Virginia. Will dated Dec. 29, 1647. (Genealogies of Virginia Families, Refs:

Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA, 19 Nov., 1695; Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA May

13, 1703; Norfolk Co. Order Bk. Nov. 1739)

William Bachelor/Batchelor, Richard Berry and John Biggs were arrested and

punished in Buckinghamshire, England in 1648 for being Quakers. All appeared in

MD and VA colonies late that year. It's assumed that they either were deported

or fled for religious reasons.William named his son Richard (for his friend

Richard Berry) and Richard named his son William. Richard married daughter of

John Biggs - Ann Biggs.William arrived in VA on 12-21-1648 on the north side of

the Yorke River.Richard sailed from Bristol England on 8-27-1661 at

approximately 16 yrs of age. He had signed a contract as an indentured servant

to a William Dunning of VA. (a Batchelor researcher)

1 Feb. 1648-9 - These are to certifye that John Biggs according to A

Assembly, hath sett up his name at the court doore to give notice of his

intended voyage for England this present shipping. (Norfolk Co., VA Book B: 107)

Indenture: Made in VA 15 July 1649 between Thomas Sayer of Elizabeth River Lowr

Norfolk Co. & Thomas Meares, Gent ... for 300 acres of land bought by Sayer of

Meares... Wit: Richard Daue, Tho: Ringold, John Biggs s/Tho: Sayer & Seale.

(Walter, Book B., Lower Norfolk County, VA 2 Nov 1646-15 Jan 1651/2 p.141 Folio

149A-150)

15 Aug 1650- Certificate: To Thomas White for 100 acres for trans. of t

srvants John Biggs and George Goodman. (WALTER, Book B., Lower Norfolk Co., VA

1646-15 p.144 folio 153)

Rec. 18 Apr 1651 - A list of what bills Mr. Pigott left with Mr Robte: Eyre...

Bills taken by Mr. Eyre... John Biggs bill 200. (WALTER, Book B., Lower Norfolk

Co., VA 1646-15 p.168 folio 176)

22 Dec 1651 John Biggs was a witness in Elizabeth River, County of Lower

Norfolke in VA, to the receipt from Henery Barlowe æof items to Robte Brice,

marriner, and his wife Judith Hix als Brice in full satisfaction of an Estate of

Stephen Hix deceased in BA in the yere 1648Æ (LDS microfilm 0908181 Low

Norfolk abstracts)

1652/53 court records, Certif for 100 acres to John Bigge for transporting Johan

Bigge and Joseph Hutt into this Colony (LDS microfilm 0908181 Lower Norfolk

abstracts)

Norfolk, Co., VA Book C p.34: dated Jan. 17 1652/53. Certificate for 100 acres

granted John Bigge for importation of Johan Bigge (his wife) and Joseph Hutt.

(Genealogies of Virginia Families, Refs: Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA, 19 Nov.,

1695; Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA May 13, 1703; Norfolk Co. Order Bk. Nov.

1739)

Last of March 1653 - p. 186. Thomas Sawyer, 400 acs. In Pussell Poynt Cr., S.

Branch of Eliz. Riv., Trans of 8 pers: Johan Bigg, Joseph Hutt, Marg. Yellow,

Wm. Heath, Marg. Carter, John Beringe, Anne Sayer, Fra. Ellyott. . (NUGENT,

Cavaliers and Pioneers, Vol.1, 1623-1666 p.275)

20 Aug 1655 p.358. John Biggs, 260 acs. Low. Norf. Co., on Ewd. Side & near the

head of the S. branch of Eliz. Riv., Trans, of 6 person: William Stillard,

William Rends, ___ Piggott, Rich. Day, Thomas Brittaine, Tho. Buckmaster. 40

acs. of the last right due to Mr. Emperor, who assigned these rights to him.

(NUGENT, Cavaliers and Pioneers, Vol.1, 1623-1666 p.311)

15 Jun 1658 - Whereas Christopher Bustion hath given out language tending to

disgrace & disparadgent of Jno. Briggs, undersheriff, It is therefore ordered

that ye said Bustion shall acknowledge his error in open court & pay ye court

Charges also execution. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.150)

15 Jun 1658 - to the worshipful Commissioners of Lower Norfolk: The peticon of

severall of the inhabitants of Lower Norfolk sheweth that Jno. Bigg,

undersheriff, hath acted severall things and oppressions against the subscribers

contrary to law & Justice of his place which he is no way able to make

sattisfacton, severall things will be proved against him, which will noe way

shut with justice, nor ye honor of this court to imploy such an officer. Your

petitioners crave that ye abovesaid Bigg may be dismissed of his place according

to act of assembly, that those that have just accounts against him may have the

proceedinge at common law. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.156)

20 Oct 1658 - An order is granted unto Mr. Tho: Willoughty against Jno. Briggs

undersheriff for ye non-appearance of Simon Peters at ye court with the

reservacon that if he do not appear at ye next court then judgement to passe

against him. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.171)

An order is granted unto Jno. Biggs, undersheriff, against Jno. Godfrey for five

hunred forty-five pounds of tobacco, proved by bills, together with cou

charges also execution. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.179)

It is ordered that Christopher Rivers shall pay unto Jno. Biggs, late

undersheriff, one hundred and seventy pounds of tobacco. Proved due by his oath

for such, together with court charges also execution. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D

(1656-1666) p.228)

An order unto Jno. Biggs, late undersheriff against Rich: Yates for twenty five

pounds of tobacco, rendered due by his oath for such, together with cou

charges also execution. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.228)

An order unto Jno. Biggs, late undersheriff, against Jn. Smith for forty five

pounds of tobacco, proved due by his oath for such, together with court charges

also execution. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.228)

///////////////

Wills of the Biggs Family

Will of John Bigge of Elizabeth River, Norfolk Co. Va (McIntosh, Abstarcts, Bk

6, p77) Will dted Sept 4, 1694, proved March 15,1696 by Joseph Hodges a

others:

To my son John Bigg my lawful heir, land including that left me by my

son Jabez Bigg, held as a Patent 23 December 1688. Should John Bigg die without

heirs, to granson George Whitby.

To my son Thomas Bigg, to my daughters Ann

Faux, Katherine Mercer, Elizabeth Whitby, Jean Sikes, Phebe Bigg, Dorothy Bigg,

each one shilling (twelve pence).

To son-in-law Mathew Caswell, grandchild John

Hefsold, granchildren, Martha, Francis, William, Jabez, Jean nd Mathew Caswell

one shilling each.ö (Refs: Norfolk Co., D.B.5, p. 219; Court Orders Norfolk,

Co., May 13,1703) (Genealogies of Virginia Families, Refs: Court Orders, Norfolk

Co., VA, 19 Nov., 1695; Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA May 13, 1703; Norfolk Co.

Order Bk. Nov. 1739)

19th March 1697 - I John Bigg of Elizabeth River in the County of Norfolk in

Virginia being often sick & Weak in body, but now of good and P[er]fect

Memory... minding to putt in Order al and singuler my Estate both rea

p[er]sonall to the intent there should by Noe Stryfe for the same after my

Decease...

Desire & pray my Children & all Others to bee Contented with my last

Will & TestamÆ without any trouble, buissines, or vexation of any of th

against the Other, for any of my Said Estate; as they will answare for the same

before the Judgmt Seat of God..

I... bequeath to my Son John Bigg (Whom I doe

hereby...apoynt to bee my Sole Only and absolute & lawfull heire..all my estate

both reall & p[er]sonall Except Such leagacyes hereafter Mensoned...I Give him

my said Son John Bigg; all my land I am Now pesessed off (vizt) my Mann

plantacon, and all the land belonging to the Same...Including a Small p[ar]cell

of land that George Whidbey lives upon by my p[er]mission dureing My life;

allsoe the Land wch my Son Jabez held in his lifetime by Pattent bareing Date

the 23d Day of Aprill 1688 Wth Said Land is allsoe my p[ro]per Right; all which

with the land I hold Now by my Owne Patent baring date the 21th Day of Aprill

Ano Dom[ini] 1690;

I give to my Said son Jno Bigg...as is Expressied in the

Pattent aforesaid, To have & to hold the said Plantacon...unot the Said John

Bigg my Son, and the heires of his body...

The heires Male first to take place &

soe in Order, but if my Said Son John Shall Dye Without Issue... then my land

with the Apurtenances, to my Grand son John Whidbey...and for lack of Such Issue

to my Grand Son George Whidby..

then to descend to the rest of my Duaghter

ElizabethÆs children...& for lack of Such Issue, thento my Duaghter katherin

MercerÆs Children, and theire heires, the Male first alwayes to take place, and

for want thereof the ffemale & theire heires

And for lack of Such Issue, to the

Next right heires of mee the Said John Bigg, the ffather forever; Butt if my Son

John Bigg have Children...or in defect thereof, My Grand Son John Whiteby or for

lack therof the Said Geroge Whitebey in defect therof any of the heire Afore

Menconed...are at their owne liberty to give the Said land to which they like

best of theire Children Either Male of female;

Butt if my Son John Bigg have

lawfull Issue & Dye intestate, then my land aforesaide to fall & Descend to his

Children whether male of female, the Male first...the Meaning is that if the

Male Die the female to take place [Note: a dozen words heavily corssed out

here.]

I Give & bequeath to my Son Thomas Bigg, My Daughters Ann Faux, Kather

Mercer, Elizabeth Whitby, Joane Sykes, Pheebe Bigg, Dorothy Bigg to Each of them

I give twelve pence or One Shilling lawfull Money of England or the vallue ther

of...

Item I doe allsoe Give unto my son in law Mathew Caswell & My Grand

Children John Hassold & Martha, Ffrancis, William, Jabez, Jean & Mathew Caswell

to Each of them One twelve pence of One shilling Sterl[ing]...all the aforesaid

legacyes to bee paid in Six Monthes after my Decesase...And this to bee the full

Share...for Each of those p[er]sons, above Names...And the reason why I give

them...Noe More,is for theire Disobendience [sic], and Other material matters

best Knowne to my Self [the line was Raced before Signing]

Item I doe

hereby...Appoynt my Son John Bigg to bee my...Onley Executor...And to take

full...posession after my Decease of all my Estate...to the use of himself and

his lawfull Issue hee paying those Legacys afore bequeathed, and if my Son John

Should die before proof of this Will, his wife to Act as Executorix but On the

behalf of his Lawfull Issue

in Wittness Where of I the Said John Bigg have

Subscribed this my last Will & Testamt wth my Own hand...this 4th Day of Sept

ano Dom[ini] 1694 John Bigg & Seale...in the p[re]sence of us John Portlock Tho.

Nash Tho; Etheridge Joseph Hodgis Wm Maund Wm (his mark) Etheridg, Rebecka (her

mark) Hodgis æand many OthersÆ Proved in Court 15h March 1696/7 by the Oathes of

Joseph Hodgis Jno Portlock Tho: Nash & Thomas Etheridge & is Ordered to bee

recorded Mala[chi] Thruston Cl Curö (Norfolk co., Va. Will Book 6: p.77

[Transcription by David L. Kent]) (Comment: This is a most important will. In

it, JohnÆ Biggs names his three sons: John, Thomas and Jabez (deceased). he

names his six daughters: Ann Falke, Katherine Mercer, Elizabeth Whitby, Jeane

Sikes, Phebe Bigg, Dorothy Bigg. He names his two grandsons: John Whitby and

George Whitby. He mentions his grandchildren by Katherine Mrcer, but does not

name them. He mentions his son-in-law Mathew Caswell. Since John BiggsÆ will did

not mention his wife, Johan, she is presumed dead by 1694.)

Father: Richard Bigg b: 1590 in Hampshire, Southampton, England

Marriage 1 Johannah Norsworthy (or Sawyer)

Married: BEF 1638 in England

Children

Jabez Bigg b: AFT 1638

Dorothy Bigg b: AFT 1640 in Lower Norfolk, Virginia
*Ann Bigg b: BET 1644 AND 1647
John Bigg , Jr. b: ABT 1645 in England
Thomas Bigg b: 1648 in England
Johannah Bigg b: 1653 in Lower Norfolk, Virginia
Katherine Bigg(e) b: 1655 in Lower Norfolk, Virginia
Elizabeth Bigg b: 1657 in Lower Norfolk, Virginia
Jane Bigg b: 1659 in Lower Norfolk,

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John Biggs, (Bigg, Bigge) of Norfolk County, Virginia was born in England probably around the year 1620, came to Virginia about the year 1645, and died in Norfolk County in 1697. The first mention of him in the Norfolk Co. records is on Feb. 1, 1648/9 when he signified his intention of going to England (Norfolk Co. Book "B", p. 107), indicating that he was all ready living in Virginia. It is possible that he was returning to England to get his wife and eldest son, John, for on January 17, 1652/3 the Norfolk Co. Court gave him a certificate for 100 acres for the importation of Johan Bigge and Joseph Hutt, and on April 15, 1653 he was certified for another 100 acres for importing Mary Shurlocke and John Biggs, Junior (Norfolk Co. Book "C" pp. 34 and 44). John Biggs's wife was named Joan, Johan or Johannah as indicated by the above record and by the fact that he had a daughter Johannah mentioned below. He seems to have turned the first certificate above over to Thomas Sawyer, for the latter was granted 400 acres in Norfolk Co. in March, 1653/4 for the importation of Johan Bigg, among others (Nugent "Cavaliers and Pioneer s", p. 275). John Bigg was claimed as an importee by Thomas White and Peter Sexton for a grant the same date (Nugent, p.247). He was himself granted 200 acres in Norfolk Co. August 20, 1655 and 450 acres April 28, 1665 (Nugent pp.311 and 446) and had a large grant of 1200 acres, probably including some of the preceding land on April 21, 1690 as John Bigge, Sr. (Virginia Patent Book No. 8, p.34).

John Biggs was undersheriff of Norfolk Co. in 1658 when Christopher Bustian and several other men criticized him for what they called oppressive actions against them on June 15, 1668 (Book "D" pp.150 and 156), but he continued to serve throughout the year (same, pp.171 and 179). On October 17, 1659 he is mentioned as late undersheriff (same, p.228). The Quakers were much persecuted in Norfolk Co. in the l660's and 1670's,and some time during this period John Biggs obviously became a Quaker, for on June 16, 1675 John Edwards informed against John Biggs for not baptizing his children and he was fined 2000 pounds of tobacco.

Francis Sayer, a neighbor and probably a relative, also testified on February 16, 1675/6 that he never heard that Biggs had christened his last child, though there was a minister in the Parish most of the time; and the Court ordered John Biggs between that date and May 12 to take his children that were not baptized to some lawful minister, have the rite performed, and produce a certificate to the Court or be fined. That Mr. Bigge was a Quaker, and not a Baptist, is shown by the fact that on February 15, 1675/6 John Biggs "declares, but will not depose" (i.e., will affirm but not swear) that John Porter made his will, and he was ordered to be put in prison until he made the deposition; however, Mary Porter was granted probate on the will by the deposition of the other witness, Richard Hartwell. The above references are from Norfolk Co. Order Book, 1675-86 which is unpaginated. Order Book, 1665-175 shows that on August 16, 1669 John Bigg s was Surveyor of the Highways for the Southern Branch of Elizabeth River (p. 38-A), and he was again Surveyor February 18, 1672/3 (p.89)

On March 15, 1681 John Biggs was named Constable for the Southern Branch (Order Book 1675-86), but it appears as though this was probably John Biggs, Jr. not John Biggs, Sr. as younger men were usually appointed Constable. Whether John Biggs, Sr. left the Quakers or not is uncertain. A reference from Book 5, page 2, Orders 1686-95 which is also unpaginated, mentions on September 18, 1686 "Mr. Butt and Mr. Bigg present" presumably as Justices (the Mr. Butt referred to was Thomas Butt, postively a Justice and later a Burgess).

The last mention of Johannah Biggs in the records was on May 11, 1675, when William Goulson sued John Biggs and "his wife9" the case being dismissed (Book "E" Part 2, Orders 1665-75, p.128). Thomas Biggs, their son, had sued Goulson on the preceding day, May 10 (p.127a). Johannah died some time between this date and 1694, when John Biggs, Sr. wrote his will. The will of John Bigg, dated September 4, 1694, and probated in Norfolk Co. March 15, 1696/7 (Book 6, p.77) leaves to his son John Bigg all the estate and the land, including "the land George Whidby lives on and the land my son Jabez held by patent dated April 23, 1688;" if John dies without issue, it is to go to the grandson George Whidby, and if he dies"to the rest of my daughter Elizabeth's children"; and if tey all die,tomy daughter Katherine Mercer's children; 12 pence or 1 shilling to son Thomas Bigg and daughters Ann Faux, Katherine Mercer, Elizabeth Whitby, Jean Sikes, Pheobee Bigg and Dorothy Bigg; to son-in-law Matthew Caswell 'and grandchildren John Hassold,and Martha, Francis, William, Jabez, Jeane and Mathew Caswell, 1 shilling sterling to each."

The will is remarkable for the number of Witnesses: John Portlock, Thomas Nash, Thomas Etheridge, Joseph Hodges, William Maud, William Etheridge, Rebecca Hodges, "and many others."

Issue of John Biggs, Sr. and his wife Johan or Johannah (Sawyer who d 1704, Princess Ann Co., Va.)

1. John Biggs, b. ca 1645,/probably married the widow Ellinor Reaven and had issue Jabez Biggs and Ellinor Biggs.(she d. Winter 1704)

2. Thomas Biggs, b. 1648-9/(deposition May 17, 1696/7),aged 48, along with wife Mary, aged 40, Norfolk Co. Book 8, p. 88) and had issue: John Biggs (who m. Sarah and had son Joseph Biggs) and probably son James Biggs of Currituck Co., N. C. and possibly William Biggs of Bertie Co., North Carolina.

3. Ann Biggs b. probably ca. 1650-51 m. (1) Richard Batchelor (2) Charles Shaw (3) James Ffewox and had issue: John, Joseph, Edward, Alice and Edy Batchelor. (did not show any children with Shaw)

4. Johannah (Hannah Biggs b. probably ca 1653-4 m. Edward Hassell (2) Madthew Caswell and had issue: John Hassold (Hassell?),and Martha, Francis, William, Jabez, Jeane and Mathew Caswell.

5. Katherine Biggs b. probably ca 1655-6 m. Thomas Mercer and Mary, Christopher, Joseph, Thomas and John Mercer, Jr.

6. Elizabeth Biggs b. probably ca l657-8 m. George Whitby and had issue: Richard,George, John and Nathaniel Whitby, possibly others, daughter Ruth.

7. Jane Biggs b. probably ca 1659-60 m. Walter Sikes and had issue: James, William, Joseph, Costin, John, Thomas, Walter, Jr., Elizabeth and J ane Sikes.

8. Jabez Biggs b. probably ca. 1662-5. Jabez Biggs was granted 95 acres in Norfolk Co. April 23, 1688 (Virginia Patent Book 7, p.648), and died unmarried in 1693 . His will as Jabez Bigg," dated September 18, 1691 and probated January 17,1692/3 by Elizabeth Whidby (Norfolk Co. Book 5, p.188), leaves all of his property to his father John Bigg, Sr. test, Thomas Mercer, George Whidby, John Jennett, Dorothy Bigg.

9. Pheobe Biggs b.probably ca 1665-70 and appears from the records to have m. Henry Foster who d. 1708 in Norfolk Co., Virginia.

10. Dorothy Biggs b. probably ca 1665-70 m. John Jennett and had issue: William, John, Jabez, Elizabeth, Dorothy and Jean Jennett.

Note: The order of the above children is from John Biggs, Sr.'s will and the approximate dates from the will and other records, but the dates are subject to correction.

Note: Records indicate that Johanna Biggs, wife of John Biggs, was a sister of Thomas Sawyer who was Admr. of Stephen Hix, dec'd. of Southampton, Hampshire?, England in 1653.

Research in 1969 by Benjamin Holtzclaw of Richmond, Virginia and Don W. Mercer of Houston, Texas 77082

Compiled from Clayton Genealogy Library in Houston, TX by Bev Casey casey@ezin.net Tecumseh, OK .

__________________

Thomas Putman, aboard the Increase, bound for Virginia. Will 29 Dec 1647; proved 20 May 1659.... Witnesses: Arthur Bromwell, John Bigge ... Probate Act Book. Ruthen, 197 (The Virginina Magazine of History and Biography, Jan., 1907, Vol. XIV: 305-306, Virginia Gleaning in England.)

John Bigge witnessed the will of Thomas Putnam aboard the “Increase” bound for Virginia. Will dated Dec. 29, 1647. (Genealogies of Virginia Families, Refs: Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA, 19 Nov., 1695; Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA May 13, 1703; Norfolk Co. Order Bk. Nov. 1739)

1 Feb. 1648-9 - These are to certifye that John Biggs according to Act of Assembly, hath sett up his name at the court doore to give notice of his intended voyage for England this present shipping. (Norfolk Co., VA Book B: 107)

Indenture: Made in VA 15 July 1649 between Thomas Sayer of Elizabeth River Lowr Norfolk Co. & Thomas Meares, Gent ... for 300 acres of land bought by Sayer of Meares... Wit: Richard Daue, Tho: Ringold, John Biggs s/Tho: Sayer & Seale. (Walter, Book B., Lower Norfolk County, VA 2 Nov 1646-15 Jan 1651/2 p.141 Folio 149A-150)

15 Aug 1650- Certificate: To Thomas White for 100 acres for trans. of two srvants John Biggs and George Goodman. (WALTER, Book B., Lower Norfolk Co., VA 1646-15 p.144 folio 153)

Rec. 18 Apr 1651 - A list of what bills Mr. Pigott left with Mr Robte: Eyre... Bills taken by Mr. Eyre... John Biggs bill 200. (WALTER, Book B., Lower Norfolk Co., VA 1646-15 p.168 folio 176)

22 Dec 1651 John Biggs was a witness in Elizabeth River, County of Lower Norfolke in VA, to the receipt from Henery Barlowe ‘of items to Robte Brice, marriner, and his wife Judith Hix als Brice in full satisfaction of an Estate of Stephen Hix deceased in BA in the yere 1648’ (LDS microfilm 0908181 Lower Norfolk abstracts)

1652/53 court records, Certif for 100 acres to John Bigge for transporting Johan Bigge and Joseph Hutt into this Colony (LDS microfilm 0908181 Lower Norfolk abstracts)

Norfolk, Co., VA Book “C” p.34: dated Jan. 17 1652/53. Certificate for 100 acres granted John Bigge for importation of Johan Bigge (his wife) and Joseph Hutt. (Genealogies of Virginia Families, Refs: Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA, 19 Nov., 1695; Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA May 13, 1703; Norfolk Co. Order Bk. Nov. 1739)

Last of March 1653 - p. 186. Thomas Sawyer, 400 acs. In Pussell Poynt Cr., S. Branch of Eliz. Riv., Trans of 8 pers: Johan Bigg, Joseph Hutt, Marg. Yellow, Wm. Heath, Marg. Carter, John Beringe, Anne Sayer, Fra. Ellyott. . (NUGENT, Cavaliers and Pioneers, Vol.1, 1623-1666 p.275)

20 Aug 1655 p.358. John Biggs, 260 acs. Low. Norf. Co., on Ewd. Side & near the head of the S. branch of Eliz. Riv., Trans, of 6 person: William Stillard, William Rends, ___ Piggott, Rich. Day, Thomas Brittaine, Tho. Buckmaster. 40 acs. of the last right due to Mr. Emperor, who assigned these rights to him. (NUGENT, Cavaliers and Pioneers, Vol.1, 1623-1666 p.311)

15 Jun 1658 - Whereas Christopher Bustion hath given out language tending to disgrace & disparadgent of Jno. Briggs, undersheriff, It is therefore ordered that ye said Bustion shall acknowledge his error in open court & pay ye court Charges also execution. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.150)

15 Jun 1658 - to the worshipful Commissioners of Lower Norfolk: The peticon of severall of the inhabitants of Lower Norfolk sheweth that Jno. Bigg, undersheriff, hath acted severall things and oppressions against the subscribers contrary to law & Justice of his place which he is no way able to make sattisfacton, severall things will be proved against him, which will noe way shut with justice, nor ye honor of this court to imploy such an officer. Your petitioners crave that ye abovesaid Bigg may be dismissed of his place according to act of assembly, that those that have just accounts against him may have the proceedinge at common law. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.156)

20 Oct 1658 - An order is granted unto Mr. Tho: Willoughty against Jno. Briggs undersheriff for ye non-appearance of Simon Peters at ye court with the reservacon that if he do not appear at ye next court then judgement to passe against him. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.171)

An order is granted unto Jno. Biggs, undersheriff, against Jno. Godfrey for five hunred forty-five pounds of tobacco, proved by bills, together with court charges also execution. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.179)

It is ordered that Christopher Rivers shall pay unto Jno. Biggs, late undersheriff, one hundred and seventy pounds of tobacco. Proved due by his oath for such, together with court charges also execution. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.228)

An order unto Jno. Biggs, late undersheriff against Rich: Yates for twenty five pounds of tobacco, rendered due by his oath for such, together with court charges also execution. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.228)

An order unto Jno. Biggs, late undersheriff, against Jn. Smith for forty five pounds of tobacco, proved due by his oath for such, together with court charges also execution. (Norfolk Co., VA Book D (1656-1666) p.228)

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Will:

Will of John Bigge of Elizabeth River, Norfolk Co. Va (McIntosh, Abstarcts, Bk 6, p77) Will dted Sept 4, 1694, proved March 15,1696 by Joseph Hodges and others: “To my son John Bigg my lawful heir, land including that left me by my son Jabez Bigg, held as a Patent 23 December 1688. Should John Bigg die without heirs, to granson George Whitby. To my son Thomas Bigg, to my daughters Ann Faux, Katherine Mercer, Elizabeth Whitby, Jean Sikes, Phebe Bigg, Dorothy Bigg, each one shilling (twelve pence). To son-in-law Mathew Caswell, grandchild John Hefsold, granchildren, Martha, Francis, William, Jabez, Jean nd Mathew Caswell one shilling each.” (Refs: Norfolk Co., D.B.5, p. 219; Court Orders Norfolk, Co., May 13,1703) (Genealogies of Virginia Families, Refs: Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA, 19 Nov., 1695; Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA May 13, 1703; Norfolk Co. Order Bk. Nov. 1739)Will of John Bigge of Elizabeth River, Norfolk Co. Va (McIntosh, Abstarcts, Bk 6, p77) Will dted Sept 4, 1694, proved March 15,1696 by Joseph Hodges and others: “To my son John Bigg my lawful heir, land including that left me by my son Jabez Bigg, held as a Patent 23 December 1688. Should John Bigg die without heirs, to granson George Whitby. To my son Thomas Bigg, to my daughters Ann Faux, Katherine Mercer, Elizabeth Whitby, Jean Sikes, Phebe Bigg, Dorothy Bigg, each one shilling (twelve pence). To son-in-law Mathew Caswell, grandchild John Hefsold, granchildren, Martha, Francis, William, Jabez, Jean nd Mathew Caswell one shilling each.” (Refs: Norfolk Co., D.B.5, p. 219; Court Orders Norfolk, Co., May 13,1703) (Genealogies of Virginia Families, Refs: Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA, 19 Nov., 1695; Court Orders, Norfolk Co., VA May 13, 1703; Norfolk Co. Order Bk. Nov. 1739)

“19th March 1697 - I John Bigg of Elizabeth River in the County of Norfolk in Virginia being often sick & Weak in body, but now of good and P[er]fect Memory... minding to putt in Order al and singuler my Estate both reall & p[er]sonall to the intent there should by Noe Stryfe for the same after my Decease...Desire & pray my Children & all Others to bee Contented with my last Will & Testam’ without any trouble, buissines, or vexation of any of them against the Other, for any of my Said Estate; as they will answare for the same before the Judgmt Seat of God...I... bequeath to my Son John Bigg (Whom I doe hereby...apoynt to bee my Sole Only and absolute & lawfull heire..all my estate both reall & p[er]sonall Except Such leagacyes hereafter Mensoned...I Give him my said Son John Bigg; all my land I am Now pesessed off (vizt) my Manner plantacon, and all the land belonging to the Same...Including a Small p[ar]cell of land that George Whidbey lives upon by my p[er]mission dureing My life; allsoe the Land wch my Son Jabez held in his lifetime by Pattent bareing Date the 23d Day of Aprill 1688 Wth Said Land is allsoe my p[ro]per Right; all which with the land I hold Now by my Owne Patent baring date the 21th Day of Aprill Ano Dom[ini] 1690; I give to my Said son Jno Bigg...as is Expressied in the Pattent aforesaid, To have & to hold the said Plantacon...unot the Said John Bigg my Son, and the heires of his body... The heires Male first to take place & soe in Order, but if my Said Son John Shall Dye Without Issue... then my land with the Apurtenances, to my Grand son John Whidbey...and for lack of Such Issue to my Grand Son George Whidby...then to descend to the rest of my Duaghter Elizabeth’s children...& for lack of Such Issue, thento my Duaghter katherin Mercer’s Children, and theire heires, the Male first alwayes to take place, and for want thereof the ffemale & theire heires And for lack of Such Issue, to the Next right heires of mee the Said John Bigg, the ffather forever; Butt if my Son John Bigg have Children...or in defect thereof, My Grand Son John Whiteby or for lack therof the Said Geroge Whitebey in defect therof any of the heire Afore Menconed...are at their owne liberty to give the Said land to which they like best of theire Children Either Male of female; Butt if my Son John Bigg have lawfull Issue & Dye intestate, then my land aforesaide to fall & Descend to his Children whether male of female, the Male first...the Meaning is that if the Male Die the female to take place [Note: a dozen words heavily corssed out here.] I Give & bequeath to my Son Thomas Bigg, My Daughters Ann Faux, Katherin Mercer, Elizabeth Whitby, Joane Sykes, Pheebe Bigg, Dorothy Bigg to Each of them I give twelve pence or One Shilling lawfull Money of England or the vallue ther of...Item I doe allsoe Give unto my son in law Mathew Caswell & My Grand Children John Hassold & Martha, Ffrancis, William, Jabez, Jean & Mathew Caswell to Each of them One twelve pence of One shilling Sterl[ing]...all the aforesaid legacyes to bee paid in Six Monthes after my Decesase...And this to bee the full Share...for Each of those p[er]sons, above Names...And the reason why I give them...Noe More,is for theire Disobendience [sic], and Other material matters best Knowne to my Self [the line was Raced before Signing] Item I doe hereby...Appoynt my Son John Bigg to bee my...Onley Executor...And to take full...posession after my Decease of all my Estate...to the use of himself and his lawfull Issue hee paying those Legacys afore bequeathed, and if my Son John Should die before proof of this Will, his wife to Act as Executorix but On the behalf of his Lawfull Issue in Wittness Where of I the Said John Bigg have Subscribed this my last Will & Testamt wth my Own hand...this 4th Day of Sept ano Dom[ini] 1694 John Bigg & Seale...in the p[re]sence of us John Portlock Tho. Nash Tho; Etheridge Joseph Hodgis Wm Maund Wm (his mark) Etheridg, Rebecka (her mark) Hodgis ‘and many Others’ Proved in Court 15h March 1696/7 by the Oathes of Joseph Hodgis Jno Portlock Tho: Nash & Thomas Etheridge & is Ordered to bee recorded Mala[chi] Thruston Cl Cur” (Norfolk co., Va. Will Book 6: p.77 [Transcription by David L. Kent]) (Comment: This is a most important will. In it, John’ Biggs names his three sons: John, Thomas and Jabez (deceased). he names his six duaghters: Ann Falke, Katherine Mercer, Elizabeth Whitby, Jeane Sikes, Phebe Bigg, Dorothy Bigg. He names his two grandsons: John Whitby and George Whitby. He mentions his grandchildren by Katherine Mrcer, but does not name them. He mentions his son-in-law Mathew Caswell. Since John Biggs’ will did not mention his wife, Johan, she is presumed dead by 1694.)

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John Biggs Sr. Born 1620 in Southampton, Hampshire, Englandmap Ancestors ancestors Son of Richard Biggs III and Sarah (UNKNOWN) Biggs Brother of Richard Biggs IV Husband of Johannah Sawyer — married 1638 in Shoreditch, London, , Englandmap Descendants descendants Father of Elizabeth Biggs, Ann (Biggs) Fewox, John Biggs, Thomas Biggs, Dorothy Biggs, Johanna Biggs, Katherine (Biggs) Mercer, Elizabeth Biggs, Jeane Biggs, Jabez Biggs, Phoebe Biggs and Dorothy Biggs Died 1694 in Elizabeth River, Norfolk, Colony of Virginiamap Profile managers: Carolyn Haywood private message [send private message] and Charles Sterling private message [send private message] Profile last modified 22 Sep 2018 | Created 31 Mar 2011 This page has been accessed 2,626 times. Hampshire flag John Biggs Sr. was born in Hampshire, England. John Biggs Sr. was a US Southern Colonist.

Flag of England John Biggs Sr. migrated from England to Virginia. Flag of Virginia Contents [hide]

   1 Biography

       1.1 Birth

       1.2 Death

   2 Sources

Biography

John Biggs was born in England and emigrated to New England in 1635. [1] He eventually settled in Virginia. Birth

1606, Southampton, Hampshire, England. [1] Death

1694, Elizabeth River, Norfolk, Virginia.

Notes from Helen Sharpe

John's will was dated 4 Sep 1694 and probated 15 Mar 1696/97, Norfolk, County, Va.

He was married in St. Leonard's Parish, Shoreditch London.

He came to Virginia in Jan 1647/48 aboard the ship "Increase". vvvFrom: "William D. Lindsey" <indsch19@idt.net> Subject: Re: John Biggs

JB's date of birth is not known definitely. It has been estimated by many researchers at around 1620. This appears to be based on the assumption that JB came to Va. about 1645, and on the fact that when he wrote his will in 1694, all his children seem to have been married, and he had grandchildren.

Presumably, JB would have been born in England, since Lower Norfolk Co., Va., (hereafter, LNC) records show him going to England in 1648/9. Alternatively, if he was a descendant of Richard Biggs of West and Shirley Hundred (see below), he may have been born in Va.

JB's date of death is based on the dating of his will. The will was written on 4 Sept. 1694, and was probated on 15 March 1696/7. The will identifies JB as of Elizabeth River in Norfolk Co., Va., at the time it was written. Various other records place JB in the vicinity of Deep Creek in LNC, near the Batchelor family into which his daughter Ann married, as well as the intermarried Caswell, Hassell, Cherry, Creekmore, Maund, Etheridge, Yates, etc., families.

A JB married Joane Grubb in Little Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire, England, on 5 Nov. 1645 (LDS IGI version 3.05, film 991365, batch M072611). Could this be the JB who came to VA with wife Johannah? Note that Little Berkhampstead is near the southern border of Hertfordshire, where Herts. borders Co. Middlesex. See below, re: a John Biggs bapt. in 1620 in Stepney, Co. Middlesex.

A Joane Grubb was baptized 9 July 1617 at St. Peter, Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire, according to the IGI. Note that the IGI also lists a Mrs. Thomas Putnam, b. abt 1639 in Berkhamstead--on Thomas Putnam, see below.

Note, too, that the British Vital Records Index (LDS) shows a John Biggs marrying a Joan Wall at St. Michael's, Bishops Stortford, Herts., England on 24 June 1637. A John Biggs was christened on 30 May 1602 at St. Michael's Bishops Stortford, son of Thomas, and another John, son of Thos., was christened on 2 Dec. 1604 at St. Michael's.

The first record I have for JB is his witness to the will of Thomas Putnam on 29 Dec. 1647. I do not have definite proof that the JB who witnessed this will is the JB of LNC, but I think that this is likely, since the John who was a son of Richard Bigge of West and Shirley Hundred (see below) had died by that date. The will of Thomas Putnam was written aboard the ship Increase, as it was bound for Va. from Eng. It names wife Dorothy, son Thomas, father William, a dwelling in Chessam parish, Buckinghamshire, debts to Sara Miller of Holbourne in Middle Rowe, John Salter, money due from Henry Bolton of St. Clements Church, and Mr. Coxyn, the ship's surgeon. The other witness of the will was Arthur Bromwell (for a transcript, see VA. MAG. HIST. BIOG. 14 [1906-7], pp. 305-6). According to VA Colonial Records Project, the will is in Principal Probate Registry, Calss Will, Register Bks. 197 (Ruthen).

Note that Chesham is in the Hundred of Burnham, Buckinghamshire, near the Hertfordshire border.

A Thomas Putnam, son of Wm. and Jane, was bapt. 3 Dec. 1623 in Chesham, according to the LDS IGI. This may be the Thomas, son of William, whose will was made 11 May 1647 at Hawridge, Buckinghamshire, England, according to the IGI. Could this be the Thomas of the ship's will? Was he making a codicil in Dec. 1647?

The IGI also lists a "Mrs. Thomas Putnam," b. abt. 1639, of N. Church, Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire.

Note that the given name Dorothy is found in a Bigg family of Hertfordshire in this period (as well as in JB's family). The IGI shows a Dorothy, d/o Richard Bigg, bapt. at St. Paul's Walden, Hertfordshire, 24 Sept. 1606, and a Dorothy, d/o Richard Bigg, bapt. on 3 Aug. 1610 at Kimpton, Hertford, England.

JB was in LNC, Va., by 15 Feb. 1648/9. On that date, LNC records note that he had placed his name at the court door to give notice of his intended voyage to England at the present shipping (see LNC Bk. "B," 2 Nov. 1646-15 Jan. 1651/2, p. 107; this document has been transcribed and published by Alice Granbery Walter, 116B Pinewood Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23451).

JB appears in two 1650 records in this same volume. The first, dated 19 June 1650, is an indenture between Thomas Sayer of Elizabeth River and Thomas Meares for 300 acres Sayers bought from Meares in LNC. JB witnessed the deed, which seems to have been originally made on 15 July 1649 and recorded on the 1650 date (ibid., p. 150A).

This record is significant, because there seems to have been a kinship connection between Thomas Sayers and JB. As will be seen below, when JB was accused in 1657 of not having had his children baptized, TS's son Francis testified in the ensuing case, identifying himself as a kinsman of JB.

The record cited above is important for another reason. Southeastern Va. seems to have been a stronghold of Puritanism--if not a congregational Puritanism that wanted to establish a separate church, then a Puritanism that wanted to establish a strongly Calvinist form of Anglicanism in the area. For a number of reasons, I believe that JB was associated with this Puritan movement, and that, as the Quaker movement got underway in southeast Va., he joined that movement as an expression of his disaffection from the established church, as a number of other Puritan sympathizers in the area did. For more on this, see the file of Richard Batchelor, and below.

Thomas Meares, of the 1649-1650 deed, was a leader of the Puritan movement in southeast Va. On 25 May 1640, a number of Puritan Anglicans in Norfolk Co. covenanted to request that Thomas Harrison, a Puritan divine, be appointed pastor of the parish church at Sewell's Point. These included Thomas Sayer and Thomas Meares (on this, see John Bennett Boddie, SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA [Chicago, 1938], pp. 55-6). Boddie identifies Thomas Meares as a leader of the Puritan movement in LNC, and a justice of the county (p. 58). He also notes that Thomas Harrison was banished from Va. in 1648 because of his Puritan sympathies (p.59). When a migration of Puritans left the colony for Maryland as the established church persecuted nonconformists, Meares accompanied them (p. 79). As the Quaker movement absorbed these Puritans and those remaining in Va., Meares joined the Quakers (p. 80). (On the Puritan quality of Anglicanism in Virginia prior to William Berkeley's assumption of the governor's position in the colony in 1642, and on his attempts to stamp out non-conformity between 1642-8, especially in southeast Virginia, see Carl Bridenbaugh, JAMESTOWN: 1544-1699 [New York: Oxford, 1980], pp. 61-6).

Rufus M. Jones, THE QUAKERS IN THE AMERICAN COLONIES (New York: Russell & Russell, 1962), p. 277, contains information about Meares' fate in Maryland. Jones notes that the minutes of the Council of Maryland for 22 July 1658 show that Thomas Meares refused to take the oath as a commissioner and justice of the peace, holding that it was never lawful to swear (citing ARCHIVES OF MARYLAND, vol. 3, p. 348). Jones adds that TM later appears in Md. colonial records as a "full-fledged Quaker" (ibid., citing ARCHIVES OF MARYLAND, vol. 3, p. 394).

The will of Henry Eltonhead of London, 27 July 1665 (Prerogative Court of Ireland, WB 1668-72, f. 166), names Thomas Meares as a brother (i.e., in-law) of Henry Eltonhead (see Lothrop Withington, VIRGINIA GLEANINGS IN ENGLAND [Baltimore: Geneal. Publ. Co., 1980], p. 393, for an abstract).

LOWER NORF. CO. VA ANTIQUARY vol. 2, pp. 83-8, transcribes LNC court records that name Thomas Meares as a "seditious sectarie" of the county. At court 15 Aug. 1649, he was accused of not attending church, and ordered to conform. On 1 Oct 1649, he was ordered to give bond for his irreligious behavior.

The second 1650 record I have for JB is a 15 Aug. 1650 certificate to Thomas White for transporting John Biggs (LNC Bk. "B," p. 150) to Va. On last of March 1653, TW and Peter Sexton's received a headright grant for this (Va. Pat. Bk. 3, p. 40; Nugent, CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS, vol. 1, p. 247).

In 1651, on 22 Dec., JB witnessed an estate record involving the estate of Stephen Hix/Hicks. This record notes that one Henry Barlowe, attorney for Judith Hix, alias Brice, of Southampton, received 2000 pounds of tobacco from the estate for the use of Robert Brice, mariner, and Judith Hix Brice, in full satisfaction of the estate of Stephen Hix, deceased in Va. in 1648 (LNC Wills and Deeds Court, p. 30).

This record, too, links JB to the Sayers family, because other LNC records show that Thomas Sayer administered the estate of Stephen Hix/Hicks on behalf of Stephen Hicks' mother (LNC Bk "B," 15 Dec. 1648). A 6 Nov. 1651 record in the same volume shows TS indebted to Henry Barlowe, and ordered to pay Barlowe for the use of Judith Hix, alias Brice, in England.

Other entries in LNC Bk. "B" shows that Stephen Hicks was son of Michael Hicks, and that he was baptized 23 Sept. 1620 in St. Michael's church, Southampton (p. 204). An entry dated 18 Dec. 1651 identifies Robert Brice, husband of Judith Hicks, as a mariner of Southampton, and appoints Ralph and Henry Barlowe, merchants of Elizabeth City, as Judith Brice's attorneys (p. 202A). A 14 July 1650 affidavit by Charles Walleston, mayor of Southampton, says that Stephen Hicks went from Southampton to Virginia about 1633-4.

One William Barlowe of Easton, Hampshire, England, left a will dated 21 Feb. 1617 (see Withington, VA. GLEANINGS, p. 393). Withington's note to the will states that a Ralph Barlowe was living in Northampton Co., Va., by the middle of the seventeenth century, and that he, too, came to Virginia from Hampshire). The Hicks estate may indicate that the Sayers and Biggs family also originate in Co. Hants, England.

E.G. Swem, VA. HIST. INDEX, vol. 1 (Roanoke, VA: Stone, 1934), p. 102, has several references to Henry Barlowe that may lead to information casting further light on the Biggs family. Swem's INDEX notes that information on Henry Barlowe is to be found in VA. MAG. HIST. BIOG., vol. 5, p. 330, 32, p. 145, 34, p. 371; WM. AND MARY QUART., ser. 1, vol. 7, p. 210, 26, p. 241; LNC ANTIQ., vol. 1, p. 126, vol. 5, p. 28; TYLER'S QUART., vol. 1, p. 198. Some of references pertain to a Rev. Henry Barlowe. The fact that LNC ANTIQ. has information on him leads me to think that this man is probably either the Henry Barlowe of the estate record above, or a close relative.

Swem's INDEX also has several references to Judith Hix/Hicks. I do not know whether these are to the same Judith Hix mentioned above. The first of these is in WM. AND MARY, ser. 1, vol. 7, p. 38. The second (to Judith Collier Hicks) is in TYLER'S, vol. 6, p. 58; WM. AND MARY, ser. 1, vol. 8, p. 256; vol. 9, p. 184, and vol. 11, p. 131. The third (to Judith Watson Hicks) is in VA. MAG. HIST. BIOG., vol. 28, p. 265.

According to Swem's INDEX, a Stephen Hix appears in CALENDAR OF VIRGINIA STATE PAPERS, vol. 2, p. 604.

LNC records mention a 1652 case involving JB. In that year, he was sued by one Lewis Farnall; I have no further information on the case (see LNC Wills and Deeds Ct., p. 23).

The next record I have for JB is his importation of his wife, Johannah Biggs, to Va. by 17 Jan. 1652/3. On that date, he received from the Norfolk Co. court a certificate for the importation of Johannah Biggs and Joseph Hutt. This must have been turned over to Thomas Sawyer, since he received a headright grant on last of March 1653 for importing this group (VA Pat. Bk. 3, p. 186; Nugent, CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS, vol. 1, p. 275).

On 15 Apr. 1653, JB received another certificate for 100 acres for bringing to Va. his son John Biggs, along with Mary Sherlock (for this and the 17 Jan. 1652/3 record, I do not have transcripts; my information is from Smallwood, SOME COLONIAL AND REVOLUTIONARY FAMILIES OF NORTH CAROLINA, vol. 3, p. 11, citing Norfolk Co. Bk. "C," pp. 34, 44).

The Sherlock name is interesting, since it also may link JB to Hampshire, England. The will of Robert Parker, 13 Nov. 1671, pr. 4 Apr. 1673, of Southampton, England, names an apprentice Margaret Sherlock. Withington's notes to the will state that this RP was brother of George Parker of Northampton Co., Va. John Parker, who seems to be the son of RP and his attorney in Northampton Co. in a 1658 estate settlement, petitioned the Northampton Co. court for John Elzye, executor of Ralph Barlowe, to pay Jane Elzye, in conformity to the will of Barlow (Withington, VA. GLEANINGS, pp. 238-9).

My next record for JB is a 20 Aug. 1655 patent for 260 acres on the east side of the Elizabeth River, near the head of the south branch, in LNC. The land patent notes that this patent is one that a Mr. Emperor had assigned to JB (Va. Pat. Bk. 3, p. 358, as cited in Nugent, vol. 1, p. 311).

On 28 Apr. 1665, JB patented 450 acres in LNC on the east side of the southern branch of the Elizabeth River, bordering a draft to Tristram Norsworthy; 100 of these acres had been granted to TN on 10 June 1654 and assigned by Tristram's son Thomas to JB 4 June 1661; the other 350 acres were due to JB for importing 7 persons to Virginia (Va. Pat. Bk. 5, p. 161, as cited in Nugent, vol. 1, p. 446).

According to Caswell, CASWELL FAMILY (on this source, see file of Matthew Caswell), JB also received 450 acres on 1 Apr. 1661 for bringing 7 persons to Va. (citing LNC Bk. "C," p. 34). This may be a reference to the land patent cited above.

JB's land appears to have bordered that of Edmund Creekmore, whose descendants have been much intermarried with the Batchelor and Biggs family. According to Todd Creekman, CREEKMAN FAMILY GENEALOGY, p. 2, in 1659, EC bought 200 acres from JB on the east side of the southern branch of the Elizabeth River bordering JB (citing LNC DB D, p. 353). EC's will notes that the land lay at the mouth of Deep Creek (for information on the Creekman source and on Edmund Creekmore, see file of Edmund Creekmore). A creek named Biggs Creek appears in various descriptions of the Creekmore land. According to Naomi Shick (1825 W. Eugene St., Hood River, OR 97031) in a letter dated 9 March 1988, Biggs Creek was also on the land owned by JB.

A 6 Nov. 1665 patent to Francis Prescott notes that the land Prescott was patenting lay on the east side of the southern branch of the Elizabeth River, bounding the land of Edmond Creekmore and the line of John Biggs (Va. Pat. Bk. 5, p. 532, as cited in Nugent, CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS).

Smallwood's account of JB and his family states that JB was undersheriff of LNC in 1658, when Christian Bustian and others accused JB for what they called oppressive actions against them on 16 June 1658 (Smallwood says 1668, but the context indicates that she means 1658 (p. 12, citing LNC Bk. "D," pp. 150, 156). On 17 Oct. 1659, JB appears in these records as "later undersheriff" (ibid., citing Bk. "D," p. 228).

According to Smallwood, LNC Order Book, 1665-75, shows that JB was surveyor of highways for the southern branch of the Elizabeth River on 16 Aug. 1669 and again on 18 Feb. 1672 (ibid., citing Order Bk., pp. 38A, 89).

The next record I have for JB is a petition of John Edwards about 1670 against JB, on the grounds that JB was abusing his office of surveyor of the highways in LNC. The petition is addressed Governor William Berkeley and the Va. State Council. JE alleges that, before JB took office, he stated that he did so to serve his own ends, and that JB had been neglectful of his duties after he became highway surveyor, using his position to benefit only himself. The petition asks that JB be penalized for behavior "unbecoming a good Christian, a loyall subject, and a true Englishman." A transcript of this document is to be found in VA. MAG. HIST. BIOG., vol. 10 (1902-3), p. 376. Another transcript is in William P. Palmer, ed., CALENDAR OF VIRGINIA STATE PAPERS, 1652-1781, vol. 1 (Richmond: R.F. Walker, 1875), p. 2; this volume dates the petition in 1660, rather than 1670.

On 10 Oct. 1670, Lancaster Lovett received a headright grant in Lower Norf. Co. for transporting various persons to VA, including JB VA Pat. Bk. 6, p. 321; Nugent, CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS, vol. 2, p. 83).

Evidently John Edwards had quite an animus against JB, since, by 16 April 1675, he informed against JB for not having had his children baptized (on this, see Smallwood, p. 12, citing LNC Order Book, 1675-86; an account of the case is also in Philip A. Bruce, INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, vol. 1 [New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1910], p. 221). In addition, CALENDAR OF VA. STATE PAPERS, vol. 1, p. 9, transcribes Edwards' complaint. On 16 Apr. 1675, Major Francis Sayer, "a neighbor and kinsman" (who had been appointed county sheriff in April, 1672) testified in court that he had never heard that JB had christened his youngest child, even though the parish church had had a minister at the time.

When asked if this were true, JB refused to swear, and was judged guilty and ordered to have any of his children that were not baptized to be christened before 12 May.

According to Bruce, INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY, JB apparently refused to have the baptisms done, since on 18 Aug. 1675, he was fined 3500 pounds of tobacco for his obduracy (p. 221). Smallwood notes that on 16 Feb. in the same year, JB had refused to swear an oath in court to prove the will of John Porter, and was imprisoned for his refusal (p. 12, citing Order Bk., 1675-86). CALENDAR OF VA. STATE PAPERS, vol. 1, p. 9, contains a 12 June 1675 note by William Harne, minister of Elizabeth River parish, stating that Biggs did not obey the order to have his children christened by 12 May.

Because of his refusal to swear an oath, and his apparent unwillingness to have his younger children christened, historians have concluded that JB had become a Quaker by 1675. Bruce notes that, as early as 1645, Rev. Thomas Harrison (who had been brought to LNC by Thomas Sayer and Thomas Meares, as we have seen) was indicted by the Va. grand jury because he refused to perform the sacrament of baptism according to the canons of the Church of England. In Bruce's view, this instances Harrison's Puritanism (INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY, p. 221, citing LNC ANTIQ., vol. 2, p. 12). A full account of the Biggs case, which apparently places it in the context of the rising Quaker movement in Norfolk Co., is to be found in John W.H. Porter, "Norfolk Quakers," RICHMOND DISPATCH, 3 Dec. 1892 (see also William Wade Hinshaw and Thomas Worth Marshall, ENCYCL. AM. QUAKER GENEAL., vol. 6: VA. [Ann Arbor: Edwards Bros., 1950], which states that Quakers appeared in Norfolk Co. by 1660, and that JB, Robert Spring, and Richard Yates were early Quakers in the county). The Quaker movement began in Virginia in 1656 with the arrival of several Quaker missionaries in the colony from England (see Bridenbaugh, JAMESTOWN, p. 67). JB appears with his wife Johannah in another 1675 case in Lower Norfolk Co.--this time on 11 May, when William Goulson sued them, the case being dismissed (Smallwood, p. 12, citing LNC Bk. "E," part 2, Orders 1665-75, p. 128).

Negative attention began to be drawn to Quakers in Virginia in 1660, since, in that year, the Virginia legislature criminalized Quaker meetings (see Rufus M. Jones, THE QUAKERS IN THE AMERICAN COLONIES [New York: Russell & Russell, 1962], pp. 270-1). In 1662, the legislature leveled even more serious fines for participating in Quaker gatherings and for refusing to have one's children being baptized--the fine for the latter offense being 2,000 pounds of tobacco for every refusal, half going to the informer.

Jones notes that "there was a large convincement to Quakerism in Lower Norfolk Co.," and that the county records show that the Friends in this region were much persecuted. In 1663, Governor Berkeley appointed a commision to extirpate Quakerism in the county (ibid., p. 274).

Jones notes that there was another period of Quaker suffering in Virginia from 1675 to 1680, spurred by an act of the Governor on 15 June 1675, ordering the justices of the lower counties of Virginia to proceed against Quakers in their region, since the governor had been informed that the sect was thriving in Nansemond Co. (ibid., p. 290).

According to Jay Worrall, Jr., THE FRIENDLY VIRGINIANS (Athens, GA: Iberian, 1994), a good many of the settlers of southeast VA were plain people of Puritan inclination, who wwere dissatisfied with the high church style of the Cavaliers. These Puritan Anglicans were the first Virginians to become Quakers in large numbers (p. 6). Worrall notes that the Puritans predominated in Elizabeth River Psh. in the 1640s (p. 20).

JB is mentioned in a 15 March 1675 headright grant to John Prescott in Lower Norf. Co.; the land was east of the s. branch of the Elizabeth, adj. JB and Edmond Crickmore (VA Pat. Bk. 6, p. 598; Nugent, CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS, vol. 2, p. 173).

Smallwood notes that JB was named constable for the southern branch of the Elizabeth River on 15 March 1681, but thinks that this may refer to JB, Jr., since younger men were usually named constables (ibid., citing Order Bk. 1675-86). She also states that a Mr. Bigg appears in LNC Bk. 5, p. 2, Orders 1686-86 on 18 Sept. 1688; she thinks this reference indicates that the Mr. Biggs was a justice. If it were JB, she suggests that this would mean that he had left the Quakers by that date, since a Quaker would not have been made a justice.

JB received a grant of 1200 acres not long before his death, on 21 Apr. 1690 (Va. Pat. Bk. 8, p. 34; Nugent, CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS, vol. 2, p. 341). The land was on Cormorant Poynt on the east side of the southern branch of the Elizabeth River. Smallwood (p. 11) suggests that some of this land may have been land that appears in previous patents, and, in fact, the grant notes that 450 acres had been granted on 28 Apr. 1665 and the rest was for importing 15 persons.

Mercer, MERCER FAMILY RESEARCH, p. 7, cited in file of Thomas Mercer, says that a Wm. Hayley who left a will 13 May 1694, LNCVA, was imported by JB and was his servant.

The final record I have for JB is his will, which is dated 4 Sept. 1694, and was proven by Joseph Hodges, John Portlock, Thomas Nash, and Thomas Etheridge on 15 March 1696/7. The will names his son John as his "Sole Only and Absolute & lawfull heire." The will leaves JB, Jr., all his father's real and personal estate, except for legacies specified for other heirs. To JB, Jr., his father bequeaths all his land, including his manor plantation and a small parcel of land on which George Whitby was living during the lifetime of JB, and the land that had belonged to JB, Jr.'s, deceased brother Jabez.

The will specifies that if John Biggs, Jr., should die without issue, his portion will then go to John Biggs , Sr.'s, grandson John Whitby; if John Whitby should die, then the legacy will go to George Whitby, another grandson; otherwise, to the children of JB's daughter Elizabeth; otherwise to Elizabeth's sister Katherine Mercer; and so on, down the line of descent.

To JB's son Thomas and his daughters Ann Faux/Fewox, Katherine Mercer, Elizabeth Whitby, Jean Sykes, Phebe Bigg, and Dorothy Bigg, the will leaves twelve pence, or one shilling, each. To his grandsons John Hassell, Martha, Francis, William, Jabez, Jeane, and Matthew Caswell, the will leaves the same amount. John Biggs, Sr., is appointed the will's executor. This, and the fact that the will makes no mention of JB's wife Johannah, makes it apparent that she had died between the 1675 case cited above and the writing of the will.

Smallwood (vol. 3, p. 13) notes that the will is remarkable for the number of witnesses it has. These include the four men who proved the will, as well as William Maund, William Etheridge, Rebecca Hodges, "and many others." JB's will is recorded in Norfolk Co. Will Bk. 6, p. 77. Perhaps JB's concern to have numerous witnesses to his will stems from fear that his Quaker sympathies might have caused those inimical to his family to contest the will, if it were not well attested.

The witnesses to the will appear to have been neighbors and friends of JB. A number of these had Quaker backgrounds, which suggests that, even if JB had renounced his Quakerism before his death, his contacts with the Quaker community continued to be strong. In some cases, the witnesses may provide clues to the English background of JB.

Two of the witnesses, John Portlock and Thomas Nash, also witnessed the 2 Sept. 1700 will of George Ballentine, Sr., of the southern branch of the Elizabeth River in LNC. GB's daughter Frances was married to John Creekmore, son of the EC who bought land from JB, and whose land appears to have lain adjacent that of JB. The Creekmore family was for many generations intermarried with the Batchelor family of LNC; JB's daughter Ann married as her first husband the progenitor of this family, Richard Batchelor, the immigrant. For more on this, see files of Richard Batchelor and Edmund Creekmore.

4 Sep 1694--proved 15 Mar 1696/7--will of John Bigg--all of estate & land, except otherwise mentioned, mentioned including land of son, Jabez--mentions grandsons, John & George Whidby--says John is my sole & only absolute & lawful heir, but then mentions son, Thomas Bigg and daughters--Ann Faux, Kathern Mercer, Elizabeth Whitby, Jean Sikes, Phebe Bigg, Dorothy Bigg and son-in-law Matthew Caswell & grand children---Martha Francis &John Hafsald-- William Jabez, Jeane & Martha Caswell--wit: John Portlock, Thomas Nash, Tho Etheridge, Joseph Hodges, William Maud, William Etheridge, Rebecka Hodges & many others--Bk 6, f. 77

Another daughter of George Ballentine, Mary, married Roger Hodges, of the Hodges family that witnessed JB's will. GB's wife Frances Yates was the daughter of John and Joan Yates of Lower Norfolk Co. Frances's brother Richard was one of the leaders of the Quaker movement in Norfolk Co. The article on Norfolk Quakers by John W.H. Porter cited above states that when the Quaker movement began in Norfolk Co., RY was immediately active in the movement. He was arrested several times in the years 1662-4 for attending Quaker meetings, and on 15 Dec. 1663 was fined for absenting himself from public worship (see also ENCYCL. AM. QUAKER GENEAL. vol. 6). For further information, see the file of John Yates, who is also my ancestor, through the Cherry line.

A daughter of Richard Yates, Elizabeth, married Marmaduke Etheridge, son of the Thomas Etheridge who witnessed JB's will. As we have seen, Robert Parker of Northampton Co., Va., who appears to have come to Va. from Southampton, England, transported one Henry Etheridge to Virginia in 1650. The Etheridge connection may point to a Hampshire background for JB.

William Maund, another neighbor of JB's who witnessed his will, appears as a witness to the 1690 will of John Falke in LNC. The executors of this will were Roger Hodges, husband of Mary Ballentine (above), and Thomas Mercer, husband of JB's daughter, Katherine (see Norfolk Co. WB 5, f. 154). I wonder whether John Falk is the father of James Faux/Fewox, who married Ann Biggs, JB's daughter, as her third husband?

William Maund, George Ballentine, and Roger Hodges also witnessed the 1698 will of Henry Culpepper (Norfolk Co. WB 6, p.---[torn]), which specifies that HC had bought land from John Creekmore, the husband of GB's daughter Frances. The Maund family was connected as well by marriage to the Cherry family, a neighboring family in the Deep Creek area of Norfolk Co., which intermarried with Biggs descendants in N.C. John Cherry, daughter of the immigrant John Cherry, married Rebecca Maund, who appears to have been a sister of WM. Their son Samuel Maund Cherry married Frances Ballentine, a daughter of GB, Jr. On these families, who are all my ancestral lines, see files of John Cherry, Jr., Samuel Maund Cherry, and George Ballentine, Jr. John Cherry, the progenitor, was brought to Va. by Oliver Sprye, who was one of the members of the Puritan colony of southeast Virginia that left Va. for Maryland as the state began to eject Puritan clergy at mid-century. On this, see file of JC.

The fact that most of JB's children moved to the Albemarle region of North Carolina may strengthen the hypothesis that JB was a Quaker, since, according to Robert Young Clay, VIRGINIA GENEALOGICAL RESOURCES (Detroit: Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, 1980), p. 47, Quakers in southeast Virginia began to leave that area for the Albemarle region after Virginia sought to expel Quakers from the colony in 1659 (as cited in Carol McGinnis, VIRGINIA GENEALOGY, SOURCES AND RESOURCES [Baltimore: Geneal. Publ. Co., 1993], p. 47).

A Timothy Biggs is in the Albemarle region, Perquimans Pct., as early as 1673/4, when he was married to Mary, widow of George Catchmaid. He was appointed in 1676 by the NC Proprietors to the Albemarle council as deputy of the Earl of Craven, probably through the influence of Thos. Miller. In 1677, in the Culpeper Rebellion, Biggs was imprisoned and accused of murder, escaping to VA and then going to England, where he was appointed comptroller and surveyor general of customs in Albemarle. His biography by Mattie Erma E. Parker in DICT. OF NC BIOG., pp. 154-5, cited in file of Wm. Christmas, says that he made significant contributions to the early history of NC, preparing documents for the crown.

Notes taken from Biggs1 database on rootswebb world connect:

William Bachelor/Batchelor, Richard Berry and John Biggs were arrested and punished in Buckinghamshire, England in 1648 for being Quakers. All appeared in MD and VA colonies late that year. It's assumed that they either were deported or fled for religious reasons.William named his son Richard (for his friend Richard Berry) and Richard named his son William. Richard married daughter of John Biggs - Ann Biggs.William arrived in VA on 12-21-1648 on the north side of the Yorke River.Richard sailed from Bristol England on 8-27-1661 at approximately 16 yrs of age. He had signed a contract as an indentured servant to a William Dunning of VA. (a Batchelor researcher)

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References

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Nov 19 2016, 22:06:47 UTC
• Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary By Martha W. McCartney. Richard Bigg (d 1626), Ancient Planter. Wife Sarah, children were Richard ll & William (died young). No son JOHN.
• P. William Filby, editor. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale Research, 2009. (Gale Research. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [online database], Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2009). Place: New England; Year: 1635; Page Number: 400.
• Thomas Putman Will: Will dated 29 Dec 1647; proved 20 May 1659. Witnesses: Arthur Bromwell, JOHN BIGGE...Probate Act Book. Ruthann, 197 (The Virginina Magazine of History and Biography, Jan., 1907, Vol. XIV: 305-306, Virginia Gleaning in England.)
• Carol McGinnis, VIRGINIA GENEALOGY, SOURCES AND RESOURCES [Baltimore: Geneal. Publ. Co., 1993], p. 47 Robert Young Clay, VIRGINIA GENEALOGICAL RESOURCES (Detroit: Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, 1980), p. 47 Mattie Erma E. Parker in DICT. OF NC BIOG., pp. 154-5, cited in file of Wm. Christmas
• GEDCOM Note Immigrated to Virginia Colony from England in 1635
• SOURCES (2) U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900, Source number: 145.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: RDT : Ancestry Family Trees, Ancestry.com :

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