John Reynolds

According to Isle of Wight County records and the will of Christopher Reynolds, Sr., he had the following children:

4) John Reynolds, born about 1640, Cypress Creek & Pagan River, Warrosquyoake, Virginia, will dated 11 Mar 1668 and proved on 3 May 1669 in Isle of Wight County

He died, unmarried and without children, sometime in early 1669.  His will, dated 11 March 1669 and proved two months later on 3 May, devised his inherited land to his executor and brother Richard Reynolds and made bequests to “sister” Elizabeth Rivers and her daughter Mary, sister Jane Reynolds, “brother” George Rivers, and sister Elizabeth Jordan and her own son Richard.

(Abstract found in Wills and Administrations of Isle of Wight County, VA, 1647-1800, Chapman)

Reynolds, Christopher, Planter: Leg. Son Christopher land that Richard Jordan liveth on; son John; son Richard; daughter Abbasha; daughter Elizabeth; daughter Jane; George Rivers; unborn child; wife Elizabeth. May 1, 1654. Wit: Sylvester Bullen, Anthony Matthews. Page 46, P.2.

(Transcript from document image by Laura Knight):

In the Name of God Amen the first day of May 1654, I Christopher Reynolds of the Isle of Wight County in Virginia, planter, being healthful in Body and sound in Mind & Memory make this my last Will & Testament in manner and form as followeth: First I give and Bequeath my Soul into the Hands of God my Creator and Maker and my Body to be Buried in sure and certain Hope of Resurection to Eternal Life thro the only Merit & Satisfaction of Jesus Christ my only Saviour & Redeemer.

Imprimis I Give & Bequeath unto my Son Christopher Reynolds all my Land on the Southerly side of the Cypress Swamp that Richard Jordan now liveth upon.

And I give unto my Son John all my Land on the Northerly side of the said Cypress Swamp and one Cow and he to enjoy the said Land at Twenty one Years of Age.

And unto my son Richard I give all my Land I now live upon and one Cow and he to possess this land at twenty one Years of Age.

And my Daughter Abbasha I have given unto her a Portion already which was two Cows and two Calves.

And I give unto my Daughter Elizabeth one Heifer of two Years old besides the Stock I gave her formerly.

And unto my Daughter Jane I give one Cow and on Yearling heifer.

And I give unto George Rivers one Yearling Heifer.

And I give unto the Child my Wife now goeth with if it lives two Cows to enjoy them at three Years old.

And if any of my Children dye my Will is that the other should Succeed what Estate they leave.

And unto Elizabeth my loving Wife I give all the rest of my Estate both Goods & Chattles Movable & Unmovable and Debts that are due to me from any person or persons whatsoever and my two Servants she paying all my Debts truly & justly.

And I do Constitute and Ordain Elizabeth my loving Wife my whole & sole Executrix.

And my Will is that my Wife Elizabeth shall have the ordering & bringing up John & Richard my Sons until they be sixteen Years of Age And Elizabeth & Jane until they be fifteen Years of Age.

In Witness whereof I, the sd Christopher Reynolds have hereunto set my Hand & Seal this Day & Year first above written.

Signed and seal.

Sealed Subscribed and Delivered in the Presence of Sylvester B. Bullen, (mark) Anthony A. Mathews (mark) Examined and truly Transcribed Teste. Ja. Baker Clerk

Baird note: Christopher Reynolds Jr. was the eldest son, according to a later patent [see entry below for 10 May 1679] and was evidently already of age when this will was written. Note that sons John and Richard were to receive their land at age 21, but Christopher received his immediately. The will also tells us that John and Richard Reynolds were under 16, and Elizabeth and Jane were under 15. Abbasha was apparently over 15 but not yet married. The “child my wife now goeth with” almost certainly refers to an unborn child. George Rivers, later called “brother ” in the will of John Reynolds, was apparently a stepson.

LK note: I formerly disagreed with Baird on this point, but after parsing all the records and relationships, I've changed my mind. The probable gap between the birth of the older children and the fact that Elizabeth was again pregnant at the time of the will raises questions. More than that, there is a division between the families of Christopher and Richard (John dies young) that becomes more and more apparent as one looks at the documentary record that is available.

As for Christopher’s reference to “my sons”, that wasn’t unusual at all as an expression. Also, frequently, a father would assign guardianship away from the wife in his will. The sons were, effectively, the property of the father. That he made no stipulation about George Rivers doesn’t tell us much. Was George under age, but under the guardianship of his mother? Or was he of age to receive an inheritance? The fact that he was only given a cow suggests that he might have had his own inheritance either already in hand or pending. If George Rivers was of age (16 at least), then his mother was probably Reynolds only wife.

The date of birth of Jane Reynolds is completely unknown. We don’t know if she was a very small child, or close to the age of maturity. It may be that there was not such a large child-bearing gap after all.

I agree with Baird that it is interesting that Christopher divided land he did not live on between his sons Christopher and John, and left his home plantation to Richard. This suggests something of favoritism toward Richard; perhaps he was seen by his father as stronger, smarter and more competent. And, referring back to my speculation that there is some fundamental difference between the lines of Christopher and Richard, a difference of character, perhaps the best solution is that Christopher and Abbasha were children of a different mother?

1636 Sept 15 – Land Patent: Christopher Reynolds, 450 acs. Warrisquick Co., 15 Sept 1636, p. 382. Bounded with a back Cr. Running Ewd. Behind the Pagan shore some 3 mi. upwards the land lying on the S. side of the Cr. & old Indian field belonging to the land, also running into the woods S. W. & lying on the main Cr. N.E. Trans. Of 9 servants. (Virginia Patent Book 1, p382, p. 47 Cavaliers and Pioneers, Nugent)

Baird Note: In his will, Christopher Reynolds identified this patent as the land he was not living on. He gave 241 acres of it to his son Christopher Reynolds and 209 acres of it to his son John Reynolds.

1668 Mar 11 – Death of John Reynolds. Leg. My brother George Rivers; brother Richard; sister Jane; sister Elizabeth Rivers; to Robert Driver; to Elizabeth River’s daughter Mary; to my sister Elizabeth Jordan a bill of Robert Clothier’s at her decease to her son Richard Jordan. D. March 11, 1668. R. May 3, 1669. Wit: Anselm Baylie, William Bradshaw. Richard Reynolds executor, with securities Ambrose Bennett and Benjamin Beale. [Isle of Wight County Deed Book 2, p 62] P. 7 Chapman.

Baird Note: We can safely infer that John Reynolds died unmarried and childless. This will seems to clarify that George Rivers was a stepbrother. The use of “brother ” together with the fact that he leaves him a legacy suggests the possibility (but doesn’t prove) that he and George Rivers may have had the same mother. Note also that he mentions four of his siblings but not Christopher or Abbasha, who were perhaps already dead.

The identity of “sister Elizabeth Rivers ” is mysterious, as Christopher Reynolds ’ will doesn’t mention her - his daughter Elizabeth was married to Richard Jordan who is still alive at this time. Elizabeth Rivers could be a stepsister, but she had a child, thus Rivers was presumably her married name. Although the language in this will does not indicate she was the wife of George Rivers, that seems to be the most plausible possibility.

LK Note: I think it is also interesting that John left no legacy to the son of his brother, Christopher, i.e. Richard (b. 1657); after all, he left a legacy to the son of his sister, Elizabeth. Why would he exclude a boy who may have been only 14 yrs old? (Or younger.) Nor did he mention a widow of his brother, Christopher. Again, to me, this suggests two sets of children from different mothers.

1668 Nov 30 - Deed: John Reynolds, planter, to William Boddie, planter, land in lower parish where John Reynolds liveth... to pine on Pagan Creek side... house Arthur Shoomach lately lived in ... to swamp where Roger Waters did live. and other side of Henry King. to red oak standing by a great swamp. to land Andrew Shields lived and land where John Reynolds now liveth. Witness: Wm. Mayo, Mathew Waikley. [Isle of Wight Will & Deed Book 1, no page given, abstracted by Boddie on p554]

Baird Note: John Reynolds had retained all of his inherited land, so this must have been land purchased via one of the missing deeds of Isle of Wight. It appears that a number of deeds before 1688 (the first actual deed book) may have been lost.

LK Note: Was a transaction started before he died completed by his executors? Or was Boddie's date wrong?

[http://reynoldspatova.org/showmedia.php?mediaID=20911&tngpage=8596]