Notes
Note for: Thomas* Busby, BET 1655 AND 1665 - ABT 1723 Index
[Master File.ftw]
Thomas Busby Jr., probably son of the previous, was likely born around 165
5/65. He married Mary Simons, and the patents show that on 26 April 1688 T
homas and wife Mary, daughter and heir of Simon Simons, received 539 acr
es in Charles City Co. on the south side of James River (Nugent II:324). T
homas left an undated will, proved about 1723, recorded in the surviving 1
713-28 Record Book of Prince George Co. (p. 595). This names his wife Ma
ry (estate to under care of Henry Peebles), son Simon and daughters Mary M
allone, Sarah Jones, Elizabeth Brewer and Lucy.
Notes
Note for: Thomas* Busby, ABT 1632 - ABT 1707 Index
[Master File.ftw]
On 14 Jan 1656 Thomas Busbie received a patent of 400 acres in Surry C
o. on the head of upper Chipoakes Creek, joining Mosely, Barker, and Jo
hn Barrow, due for the transportation of 8 persons, including "Tho. Busb
y" ( N.M. Nugent, Cavaliers and Pioneers... I:335, from Pat. Bk. 4m p.49
). He sold this tract to Peter Gray on 6 June 1660 (Surry 1:162, witness
ed by Francis Gray, Anthony Allen). Then on 10 May 1667 Capt. Thomas Bus
by received a patent of 1170 acres on Chipakes Creek in Surry and Charl
es City Counties, 520 acres of which had been assigned from Thomas Mudg
et (Nugent II:17). Thomas apparently sold most of the Surry part of this l
and in deeds from 1671 to 1681. The last of these sales was made on 20 De
c. 1681 by Tho. Busby Sr. and wife Susannah to Edward Greene (Surry 2:30
1, witnessed by Robert Wyatt, Beng. Harrison).
Surry records of this period identify two of Thomas' children: On July 16
71 Thomas assigned a bill of tobacco to his daughter Grace Busby, and if s
he died to his nephew Francis, son of Anthony Allen (1:389). On 5 May 16
74 Lt. Tho. Busby registered cattle marks for himself and daughter Janis B
usby (2:56).
In Charles City Co. Thomas had another grant of 194 acres on Upper Chipoak
es Creek on 16 Apr 1669, due for several transportation head rights, inclu
ding a Robt. Busby (Nugent II:69). Robert is mentioned in Charles City C
o. Orders of 1664-5. Thomas Sr. was apparently living in Prince George C
o. (recently created from Charles City) at the time of the 1704 Quit Re
nt Roll, which lists Capt. Tho. Busby for 300 acres and Tho. Busby for 2
00 acres.
it appears that John Barker and Thomas Busby were among the rebels who to
ok possession of Bacon Castle, (Arthur Allen home) during Bacon Rebellio
n. John Barker was ordered to pay Arthur Allen damages in connection wi
th the destruction done to Arthur Allen’s brick house during the rebellio
n. Ben Harrison was the arbitrator in the settlement and his decision per
haps resulted in the foreclosure on Martin Brandon plantation owned by Jo
hn Barker I
Bacon Castle derives its name from Nathaniel Bacon, who in 1676 led a rebe
llion against the rule of Col. Governor William Berkley. Bacon’s forces b
urned Jamestown in Sept 1676 and set up a strong hold in Surry County. Th
ey took over Arthur Allen house and occupied it for four months.
Allen a supporter of the colonial governor later sued the men who had occu
pied the house for the damages incurred.
(Surry p 83 bk 2 by Boddie) Barker and Busby were fined along with 27 othe
rs for not attending church services of the established Church of England.
Notes
Note for: Francis* Gray, 1620 - 13 JUN 1679 Index
[Master File.ftw]
Virginia House of Burgesses
Session of September 10, 1663
Henrico: Captain Wm. Farrar.
Charles City: Captain Robert Wynne, Speaker, Stephen Hamelyn, Captain Fran
cis Gray.
James City County: Captain Robt. Ellyson, Walter Chiles, Captain Edward Ra
msey.
Surry: Thomas Warren, Captain Wm. Cockerain.
Isle of Wight: Major Nicholas Hill, Captain Joseph Bridger, Dr. Robt. Will
iamson
Nansemond: George Wallings.
Lower Norfolk: Major Lemuel Mason.
Elizabeth City: Captain John Powel, Colonel Leonard Yeo.
Warwick: Major Edward Griffith.
York: Lieut. Colonel Wm. Barber.
New Kent: Col. Wm. Claiborne.
Gloucester: Captain Peter Jennings, Captain Thos. Walker.
Lancaster: Rawleigh Travers.
Rappahannock: Thomas Lucas, Captain John Weyc.
Northumberland: Wm. Presley.
Westmoreland: Colonel Gerard Fowke.
Northampton: Lieut. Colonel Wm. Kendall, Major Wm. Andrews.
Accomac: Devoreux Browne, Hugh Yeo
Source: Hening II, 196-197.
From "Historical Southern Families, Vol. XVII, Thomas Gray (Ancient Plant
er ) of Surry County, Virginia, Page 102":
"It has already been mentioned that Capt. Francis Gray, who, on Nov.23, 16
61, receipted Nathaniel Stanton of all debts (Surry Book 1, p.175), was pr
obably of Charles City County, instead of Francis Gray #6 of the Thomas Gr
ay family. This Francis Gray (his name is frequently spelled Grey rather t
han Gray in the old records) was granted 750 acres in Charles City Co. Nov
.24,1653 (Nugent, p.231). A Grace Singleton whom he claimed as one of h
is transportees in this grant was probably his wife Grace. Capt. Francis G
ray appears a number of times in the surviving Charles City Co. Order Boo
k, 1655-66, and was a prominent man, being a Justice of the County and sev
eral times a Burgess. In 1665, Mrs. Grace Gray appealed to the Charles Ci
ty Co. Court about her husband's (Capt. Francis Grayts) treatment of he
r. According to her testimony, she had been married to Francis Gray for tw
enty-four years, had brought him a good dower at the time, though he was p
oor, and had borne him six living children, names not given, of whom thr
ee were married in 1665.
Capt. Francis Gray does not appear in the scanty Charles City County recor
ds after 1666, and probably died before 1677, the next records extant. T
wo of his and Grace Gray's children are known and two others very probable
.
On April 3,1663 Capt. Francis Gray of Martin's Brandon, Gent., leased 1
00 acres to Thomas Mudgett for 21 years, and "if Thomas has issue by his w
ife, daughter of Capt. Francis Gray", the land is to become Mudgett's O.B.
?p.381). The daughter was probably Ann Mudgett, widow of Thomas,decd., ,w
ho died in Surry County in 1690. Ann Muggett's will, dated Sept.4,1689 a
nd probated in Surry, July 1, 1690 (Bk 4,p.144) mentions Philip Shelley, J
r., and his youngest brother John Shelley; Elizabeth Sugars; granddaught
er Ann Shelley; and Philip Shelley, Sr. Another daughter of Francis and Gr
ace Gray was Elizabeth Gray, of whom nothing further is known.
On Aug.3, 1664 Capt. Francis Gray and Mrs. Grace Gray testified in rega
rd to the property of Shelby Sparrow, decd., and said that Sparrow
left a small Bible to their daughter Elizabeth (probably then unmarried) (
Charles City County O.Bk. 1655 66, p.491).
The "eldest child of Francis and Grace Gray was probably Peter Gray, to wh
om on June 6,1660 Thomas Busby of Surry County deeded his house and 300 ac
res on Chippoakes Creek, the deed being witnessed by Francis Gray (Surry 1
62). On Nov. 10,1660 Thomas Busby and peter Gray made an agreement that Th
omas should have the use of the tobacco house for a year (same reference
). This is the on1y appearance of Peter Gray in the Surry Co. records, tho
ugh he appears a number of times in the Charles City Co. Order Book 1655-6
6. One record there shows that Peter Gray sued Francis Hogwood (who lat
er moved to Surry Co.) for being responsible for the death of Peter's wif
e, Mary Gray. If, as seems likely, Peter Gray was a son of Capt. Fran-t
is Gray, he must have been only about 18 years old when he was deeded t
he land by Thomas Busby in 1660, for Francis and Grace Gray were not marri
ed until 1640-41.
The fourth known or probable child of Francis and Grace Gray was probab
ly the wife of Thomas Busby of Surry County, whose name was Susannah. On J
uly 22, 1671, Thomas Busby made a deed of gift to his daughter, Grace Busb
y, of a mare filly, to come to Grace when she was ten years old, and menti
on is made in this document of 150 pounds of tobacco, which Thomas ow
ed to Capt. Gray, deceased (Book 1, p.389).
Another daughter of Thomas Busby was Jane
Busby, whose mark for cattle was handed in along with that of her fath
er in 1674 (Bk.2, p.55). A son was Jeffrey Busby, who appears as a tithab
le in his father's family in 1687, so born ca 1670-1671.
On April 20,1680 Thomas Busby and Susannah his wife deeded 100 acres to Da
niel Roome,George Foster and Thomas Flood being witnesses (Book 2, p.273
), and they made a deed Oct.20,1681 to Edward Greene (Book 2, p.301). In t
he latter deed the husband is called Thomas Busby Sr.,
indicating that he had a son named Thomas, as well as a son Jeffrey. Thom
as Busby Sr. was b. ca 1632 as he gave his age as 59 in a deposition
in 1691 (Bk.6, p.228). He was Interpreter to the Southern Indians 1682-16
91 (Journal of the House of Burgesses) He seems to have had two other da
ughters, Mary and Sarah, who as Mazy Malone and Sarah Jones, "daughte
rs of Thomas Busby, decd." made a deed in Prince George County in the 1720
's (Prince George D. & W. 1713-28, p.595). The records regarding Thomas Bu
sby and his family, above, show that Capt. Francis Gray died
1671 or earlier. Though not immediately connected with the family of Thom
as Gray of Surry, Capt. Gray may have been a kinsman, since Thomas Gray na
med one of his sons Francis."