Richard White

1633 - 1690  (57 years)

• Name	Richard White
  Birth	1633	, Rappahannock, Virginia, USA
  Gender	Male
  Death	1690	, , Virginia, USA
  Person ID	I3092	Master
  Last Modified	28 Sep 2015

  
  

  Family	Addra White,   b. 1637, , Rappahannock, Virginia, USA d. 1700, , , Virginia, USA (Age 63 years)
  Marriage	1658	, Essex, Virginia, USA
  Children	+ 1. Elizabeth White,   b. 1660, , Essex, Virginia, USA d. 17 Aug 1694, , Essex, Virginia, USA (Age 34 years)
  Family ID	F914	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	1 Aug 2015

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 1633 - , Rappahannock, Virginia, USA Marriage - 1658 - , Essex, Virginia, USA Death - 1690 - , , Virginia, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  Indian Raid on Richard & Addra White's Plantation (Elizabeth White's father)Richard White's son, Thomas and two men were brutally murdered.John -Orphaned Inlaws Killed By Indians raised by Stepfather *Original at the bottom, cut-n-pasted to make story easier to read. In 1661 John was only 5 years old when an Indian raid on the neighboring plantation killed Thomas White, brother to his future wife Elizabeth. An Army of 250 men was raised, but proved to be ineffective against the hit and run method of the Indians. Deta il s: 1661 Sep - Old Rap. Deed Book 1:201:"The records of Old Rappahannock County told about a terrible raid that took place in September of 1661 at the plantation of Richard White which layed on the North side of Hoskins Creek in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia.Richard White's son, Thomas and two men were brutally murdered. A committee of twelve men gave an accounting of this gruesome raid: "We, the undersigned being impaneled and sworn to enquire into the deaths of the Englishmen lately murthered at the house of Richard White in the freshes of Rappanhannock County - we went up to the said plantation and viewed the bodies and found the body of ___ massacred in the house of White - his skull splitt on the forehead down to the ___ - His skull beaten in the side of the head over the eyes - moreover near the door of the said house we found the body of Thomas White, Sonn of Richard - striped naked with his skull beaten in over the eye - Also we found the skull of Daniel Pigness, servant to the Lord Richard White beaten in the side of his head with an axe as we conceive by the bigness of hole in the skull...also we found that part of the body of said Pigness was carried away by varments but the hind quarters from the loins we found dragged in a swamp by which said consequences of the said action and by the examination of an English servant of Whites named John Evans that escaped out of the house at that time when the murther was committed - we do all agree in our verdict that it was the Indians - Also by the report of an Indian of Nanzemum named George - a great man of the side towne that went with us to the plantation the same time when we viewed the dead bodyes...he told us that the same day that the murther was committed he found the footing of Divers Indians going from the said plantation" In 1670, John Waggener "tailor" leased from Richard White and Audrey his wife for 99 years 130 acres, the consideration being 2,600 lbs. Tob. and "one valuable pair of gloves to her the said Aubrey in hand paid". with a yearly rent of one capon. A year later, in 1667, Robert Taliaferro purchased two tracts of land totaling 1,000 acres from Richard White in Essex County (later Caroline County). This is the tract of land through which Mount Creek flows. On the west side of Mount Creek, a high promontory rises and juts out above the Rappahannock River. It is still known as Taliaferro's Mount. THE INDIANS and BACON'S REBELLION From the founding of the Jamestown Colony in 1607, relations with the local Indian tribes had been a continuing problem. Resentment of the encroachment upon their traditional tribal lands had led to much unrest among the Indians. The massacres of 1622 and 1644 took a great toll of the colonists. As the migration to the New World increased, the pressure for additional land caused the settlers to force the Indians from more and more areas. Despite many treaties with the natives and restrictive laws by the Jamestown authorities, the occupation of outlying areas continued. For a time, white settlement was forbidden above the Pamunkey River; later this prohibition was only for the land above the Piscattaway and Totuskey Creeks. But many settlers filed claims upon the choice river front lands, and by 1646-1650 (as detailed in the first chapter) grants were being given along the Rappahannock River on these areas. The river valley was occupied principally by the Rappahannock Indians, with a few villages of Mattaponi, Moratticoes, Totuskeys, Portobagoes, and others. These tribes were forced into the forested lands behind the mile-deep grants. Behind the grants to James Williamson, William Underwood, and the land of Thomas Meads and others on the east bank of the river, the Rappahannock Indians had villages at Totuskey Creek, Cat Point Creek, and the present site of Warsaw. Tension between the settlers and the Indians remained high, and there were recurring raids, for which the nearby Rappahannocks received most of the blame. In February, 1654 , a small army was raised, with 100 men from Lancaster Co., 40 from Northumberland, and 30 from Westmoreland to meet the threat. They met at the plantation of Thomas Meades on the eastern shore, and were to march from thence to the village of the Rappahannocks (probably near Warsaw) to ensure peace, without provoking hostilities. The outcome is not recorded, but the Rappahannocks seemingly caused no trouble. Not so with the Doegs, the Susquahannocks, and the Senecas (from Maryland), whose numerous raids into the northern colonies caused great hardships during the 1660's and 1670's. One such raid took place in 1661 at the plantation of Richard White (who later became the father-in-law of John Meador). White's plantation lay on the north side of Hoskin's Creek, opposite that of John Meador. Though Richard White and his wife Addra escaped, their son Thomas White and two men were brutally murdered. An account of the results of this raid, as viewed by a committee of twelve men, forms a gruesome record. "The ninth day of September, Anno Domini 1661. We, the undersigned, being impaneled and sworn to Enquire into the deaths of the Englishmen lately murthered at the house of Richard White in the freshes of Rappahannock Co., we went up to the said plantation and viewed the bodies and found the body of (....) ..amelly massacred in the house of the aforesaid White (....) his skull splitt on the forehead down to the (....) his skull beaten in the side of the head over the eyes. Moreover near the door of the said house we found the body of Thomas White, Sonn of the aforesaid Richard (....) stripped naked with his skull beaten in over the eye, also we found the skull of Daniel Pignell Servant to the lord Richard White beaten in the side of the head with an ax as we conceive by the bigness of the hole in the skull, also we found that part of the body of the said Pignell was carried away by varments but the hind quarters from the loins we found dragged in a swamp by which said consequences of the said action, and by the examination of an English Servant of the said Whites named John Evans that escaped out of the house at that time when the murther was committed we do all agree in our verdict that it was the Indians, also by the report of an Indian of Nanzemum named George, a great man of the said towne, that went with us to the plantation the same time when we viewed the dead bodyes -- he told us that the same day that the murther was committed he found the footing of divers Indians going from the said plantation." Perhaps 300 settlers were killed in these raids. Demanding protection, the settlers petitioned the Jamestown Government for arms, forts, and soldiers. From Rappahannock County was sent a "Petition of 15 Grievances" signed by, among others, Henry Awbrey and Col. Thomas Gouldman. They begged that "the war was the heathen...may be prosecuted effectually and managed in such sort that some Counties may not be totally ruined whilst others live in...peace and quietness, whilst poore Rappahannock lies ableeding whose number of people murthered and estates destroyed can find no parallel in Virginia...for wile we are tending corn to feed our wives and children, the Indians...would butcher us in our fields, they being so frequent about us that we dare not stir from our plantation." Governor Berkeley ordered the colonists to band together, ten men to a house, and ordered a 500-man army raised to defend the frontiers. To support this army, a tax of 500 pounds of tobacco per poll was levied. This was a very dear tax, as in that year (1676) there had been a severe drouth and crop failure. An army of 250 men was raised under the command of Major Thomas Truman of Maryland and Col. John Washington of Virginia, but proved ineffective against the hit-and-run tactics of the Indians. Dissatisfaction with these measures led the colonists to raise a volunteer army of their own, and a wealthy, cocky newcomer from England, Nathaniel Bacon, was chosen as their leader. Bacon's request to the Governor for a commission to lead this army was refused, so he determined to set out on his own. With his little army he raided some "tame" Pamunkeys, then assaulted some friendly Occaneeches, killing 30 of them. Governor Berkeley declared him a rebel, whereupon Bacon seized Jamestown and forced Berkeley to grant him a commission. Bacon then issued a "Declaration of the People,” which has since been hailed as democracy proclaimed a hundred years before the American Revolution. Protesting the colonial government even more than the Indian situation, Bacon decried the unjust taxation, the favoritism shown by the authorities, the monopoly of trade, and the poor defense of the colonies. Governor Berkeley fled to lands east of the Potomac River, but his fortunes soon changed and returned to Jamestown. Bacon then laid siege to the town, recapturing it, and burned it. Thus matters stood when Bacon died in October, 1676, and support for his "rebellion" faded away. The colonists had been severely divided over support for Bacon or for the royal governor, and this division was pronounced in the outlying colony of Rappahannock County. In reprisal, Governor Berkeley seized much of the property of the rebels, and awarded the loyalists with huge grants of land. Some of the seized property was later returned by the courts, but 23 rebels were hung. At this time our ancestor, John Meador, was less than ten years old, and records do not reveal the details of how his step-father, Henry Awbrey, fared during these times. But it is a matter of record that Col. Thomas Goodrich and his son Benjamin were supporters of Bacon, for which they were fined 50,000 pounds of tobacco each and ordered to recant before the court with a rope about their necks. This Col. Goodrich did, but with a token cord instead of a rope, to demonstrate his contempt for the Governor's orders. Since the county court (of which Henry Awbrey was a member) permitted this display, it probably concurred. Some support for Goodrich came from Col. Thomas Gouldman (father of Francis Gouldman, who married Mary Meador). Gouldman proposed that half the debt be paid by selling to the government 50 acres of land near Hobb's Hole for the establishment of a warehouse center and shipping port. As Burgess for Rappahannock Co., Gouldman used his influence in the Jamestown Assembly and the port was established. Joining in the venture also were Henry Awbrey, Col. William Loyd, and Col. William Stone. The port was called "New Plymouth", after the Puritan colony in New England, a testimony to continuing Puritan influence in the area, and was so known until 1705, when it was renamed Tappahannock in honor of the Indian villages that had once stood there. It is still the county seat of Essex County. Thus, some of the families allied to the Meadors were influential in founding this city. Meanwhile, the Rappahannock Indians had fled from their villages behind the settlers on the east bank of the river to sanctuary several miles upstream. In their absence, the lands were taken up by white settlers, and the Indians could not return. Decimated and broken, though having remained peaceful during the whole affair, their cause was championed by Henry Awbrey, the senior member of the county court. Enlisting the help of about a dozen settlers, they were relocated, probably on Henry Awbrey's large grant lands, where there is a place which is till called Indian Neck. There is also a Rappahannock Indian church at Beasley; and there are reports that traces of an Indian settlement have been found on the Meador plantation , but no records have been found to this effect. Participating in the resettlement in January, 1684 were Henry Awbrey, who served as overseer and go-between as well as furnishing his boat; Robert Tomlin, Jr., who supplied a sloop and a smaller boat; and several men including John Meador. John was reimbursed by the court for 9 days service and the use of his horse. SOURCE: "Our Colonial Meador Ancestors" by Victor Paul Meadors