Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The tragic story of our 11th great Grandfather Thomas Godby!







NOTES ON SEA ADVENTURE AND MURDER OF THOMAS GODBEY


--
Thomas Godby came to America on the Ill fated Sea Venture in 1609. He survived the Shipwreck of the Sea Venture on  Bermuda and then he is listed among the living after the Indian massacre of 1622. Thomas's wife was Ann Beane. He died in a drunken brawl in 1628 at the foot of William Bentley!

According to information provided by the Replica Ship "Deliverence" brochure:

Cpt. Christopher Newport had made two trips to Va. from England to carry settlers and supplies there. On his third voyage he was in charge of the flagship "Sea Venture". Also, on board were several other important people- Sir George Somers as Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Thomas Gates, who had been appointed Lt. General in Va., and William Starchey, Secretary-elect for the Va. Co.

Barely seven weeks out of England, the fleet encountered a tremendous storm and the ships were widely scattered. Four days later, on July 28, 1609, the "Sea Venture" w/ its complement of 150 people was shipwrecked off St. Catherine's, St. George, Bermuda.

Miraculously, all souls were saved; not only that, but the "Sea Venture" wedged between two rocks and did not immediately sink. W/ the help of a longboat, many trips were made out to the ship to salvage everything that could be of use. Scouting parties sent out in search of food returned w/ news that the island was uninhabited, and there was an abundance of wild hogs, birds, berries, fish, tortoise, and their eggs. Although a great many survivors were content to settle on this lonely island, Sir Thomas Gates asserted his authority, insisting that a ship be built to carry them on to Jamestown.

Shortly thereafter, the keel of the ship "Deliverance" was laid at Building's Bay, near St. George. In building, "Deliverance", much of the salvage from the "Sea Venture" was used; not only carpenter's tools, but also the rigging and wood from the wreckage. However, the vessel was not large enough to carry all of the shipwrecked party, together w/ the neccesary provisions, so Sir George Somers took 20 men to another island, Ordnance Island; and built another smaller ship, called the "Patience".

On May 10, 1610, the two ships set sail for Va.---abt. 130 persons on the "Deliverance" and another 8 persons on the "Patience". Two people remained in Bermuda. Fourteen days later, on 24th May, the ships arrived in Jamestown, Va., where they found the struggling colony in terrible straits. Due to inexperience, fire, rats, and worms devouring the precious grain, and a hard winter, the colony was starving and had dwindled from 600 to 50 persons. As the colony was in dire need of food, Sir George Somers offered to return in the "Patience" to Bermuda to obtain fresh meat and supplies. He set sail in June 1610 accompanied by his nephew, Mathew Somers, and a week after arriving in Bermuda, Sir George died. His nephew buried his heart in Somer's Garden, St. George, Bermuda and his body was taken back to England for burial. What happen to the ship "Deliverence", after leaving Jamestown, has never been determined.

When William Strachey later returned to England he wrote a manuscript entitled: "Letter to a Noble Lady". This manuscript so impressed William Shakespeare that he was inspired to write: the play "The Tempest" which concerns itself with the storm, the shipwreck and the enchanted isle of bermuda.

In 1612 Govenor Moore landed in Bermuda w/ 60 settlers aboard the "Plough" and established a seat of government.
--
His property was a 50 acre land grant in what is known today as Newport News Va, just North of Blunt Point.
--

--
ABOUT THE MURDER OF THOMAS GODBEY from Godbey Ancestry.com message board:

On the night of Feb. 8, 1628 the events resulting in the death of Thomas Godby at the hands of William Bentley occurred leading to the trial of William Bentley.

The death of Thomas Godby, in the fourth year of the reign of King Charles, is a fascinating episode in Godby family history. An account of it survives in the
"Journal of Council and General Court of Virginia" (pp. 190-191). A transcription of this is found in The Middleton Family by Beth Engel. Over 370 years after Thomas
Godby’s death, his actual words and actions are preserved in the trial record as reported by two witnesses, Richard Peck and William Parker.

Godby was at William Parker’s house on Merry Point with five others including Richard Peck. After supper, the group shared a bottle of about 5 pints of burnt claret
wine and Thomas Godby had about four cups. William Parker admitted he was a little light headed after eleven o’clock when William Bentley ran aground in Mr.
Conges’ boat on the shoals against Parker’s house.

The impression given is that Bentley was floundering in the water shouting for help to a house of men too busy drinking to pay any attention to what was happening
outside.

In any case, Richard Peck said Bentley came into the house, probably wet and angry, and asked sarcastically if their orders were to hear men call and not come to help
them out of the water. Godby answered him, "Do you think we have nothing to do but to fetch you out of the water?" William Parker’s testimony was that Bentley had
asked why no one in the house had brought light to help him and that Thomas Godby had said, "Was anybody bound to bring you light to fetch you from the
water?" Both Peck and Parker said Bentley told Godby, "Hold your peace, nobody speaketh to you."

This apparently tense moment seemed to pass with all sitting by the fire and "many jesting words" passing between Bentley and Godby but Peck said that Godby "gave Bentley many provoking words" which led to harsher words. After many exchanges, Peck reported that Bently said "Shall we toss some balls?" whereupon Godby said, "If you toss balls to me I will toss the cup in your face." Parker said that Bently called Godby a "cuckold" to which Godby replied, "I would as soon be a cuckold as a cuckold maker." Both witnesses agreed that Godby called Bentley names such as a "rogue", "rascal", and "knave", and Peck said that Bentley replied in kind.

Both witnesses agree that Thomas Godby and William Bentley were sitting beside each other on a bench and at this point, Bentley hit Godby with his left hand on
Godby’s left ear knocking him into the floor. The incident perhaps would have only been a drunken fight except that Bentley then stood and kicked Godby until the
others separated the two.

Thomas Godby then set upon a chest or a chair but cried out, "Oh my belly and my side" and tried to walk two or three turns across the house. Probably in an attempt
to keep the two separate, William Parker advised Godby to go next door to Richard Peck’s house to sleep. Parker and Peck led Thomas Godby outside and Parker went
back to his house leaving Peck and Godby going to Peck’s house. Peck testified that on the way, Godby fell down crying out repeatedly, "Oh, Bentley, thou hast killed
me" and "I am cruelly fixed." Peck and some of the others then carried Godby back to Parker’s house.

Parker said they hadn’t been gone 15 minutes when Godby was brought back and laid on a bed still crying out, "Oh Mr. Bentley, you have killed me" repeatedly and
also saying "Lord have mercy upon us. Lord Jesus receive my soul" before finally laying very quietly. Parker, thinking Godby was now asleep left him but in the
morning found he was dead.

William Bentley was indicted for feloniously killing Thomas Godby against the peace of the King. Bentley pleaded "not guilty" but the 12 jurors convicted him of
manslaughter. When asked what he had to say for himself and why he shouldn’t die for his crime, Bentley demanded his Clergy. A person who could read could claim
"benefit of clergy" and after reading from the Bible as proof be freed from other punishment.

And so Thomas Godby was buried and William Bentley was freed. On October 16, 1629 William Bentley, representing Nuttmegg Quarter (listed next to Elizabeth City),
was seated in the Virginia House of Burgesses along with several of the jurors who convicted him including Richard Kingsmill, John Harris, Thomas Bagwell, and
Thomas Harwood.

Sources
"Lists of the Livinge and Dead in Virginia Febr: 16th 1623"
"Virginia Muster Jan 20-Feb 7, 1624-5"
Cavaliers and Pioneers, Vol. 1, 1623-1666 by Nell Nugent
Colonial Surry: Surry People Before the Council and General Court
Colonial Virginia Register Compiled by William G. and Mary N. Stanard
Journal of Council and General Court of Virginia
The Conquest of Virginia by Conway Sams
The First Seventeen Years: Virginia 1607-1624 by Charles Hatch, Jr.
The Middleton Family by Beth Engel

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Cheeks, Wilkersons, Elliss, and Gilberts, Indian and Jamestown Connections...

Opechancanough
Opechancanough was the brother of Chief of the Powhatan Tribe Wahunsonacock. His wife was the beautiful woman that the Jamestown colonists called Cleopatra the Shawano. Opechancanough had many children, one of his daughters, we don't know her native name, was given the English name "Rachel".. Rachel was first cousin of Rebecca or "Pochahantas" she is reported to have accompanied Pochahantas to England where she had a relationship with her host Lord Delawar Thomas West 1st governor of Virginia From this relationship was born Totopatamoi "Toby". Also on her fateful trip Rachel met and then married Joseph Crowshaw.. Now the family relationships of the Royal Powhaton tribes get complicated as Rachel's mother Cleopatra was the sister of her cousin Pochahantas.. So her mother was also her cousin..
 Cleopatra

Rachel daughter of Cleopatra and Opechancanough was the first wife of our ancestor  Maj. Joseph Crowshaw 1610 -1667..  Here is the line through the Cheeks and Webbs.


Rachel Pamunkey Indian
is your 9th great grandmother
daughter of Rachel Pamunkey Indian
daughter of Ursala Unity Croshaw
son of Ursula Unity Susanna West
daughter of MARTIN Martin
son of Elizabeth Anne Martin
son of William Webb
son of John Webb
daughter of John "Jack" Webb
daughter of Florence Mildred Webb
son of Alma Mae Wilkerson



 

   Emperor Wahunsonacock Big Chief Powhatan (1545 - 1618
is your 10th great grandfather
daughter of Emperor Wahunsonacock Big Chief Powhatan
son of CLEOPATRA the Shawano Powhatan
son of Hokolesqua Opecham Stream Cornstalk
son of Hard Striker Paxinosa Sunfish
son of Ionoco Shawnee Chief
son of Keigh Tugh Quah Cornstalk
son of Absalom Ailstock
daughter of Andrew Ailstock
daughter of Annie Elizabeth Ailstock
daughter of Ellen F Grigsby
daughter of Bessie Jane Ellis
Are you keeping track cousins, thats three out of four of the family lines are Indian.. How about the fourth, the Wilkersons... Well can't leave them out here is a line back to Hannah Crewes and her rebellious father James who was hanged for his part in Bacons rebellion.. Thats four out of four grandparents with indian and Jamestown ties...

 Moriah "Bland" mother of Hannah Crewes

Moriah Bland Native American (1615 - 1676)
is your 8th great grandmother
daughter of Moriah Bland Native American
son of HANNAH CREWES
son of Giles Carter
daughter of Povall Carter
son of Mary Molly Carter
son of Townsend Wilkerson
son of Robert Wesley Wilkerson
daughter of Calvin Walter Wilkerson
son of Alma Mae Wilkerson
There are more native connections, Grandpa Gilbert has a Cheraw ancestor, her name was Jane Etheredge.. The Cherokee side of the Cheeks that was told to us has been the hardest thing to find but I'm sure its out there probably through Anna Olivia Roberts. There are many Roberts Indians just have to find ours...

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Absalom Ailstock

Absalom Ailstock

Absalom Ailstock (1753 - 1858)
is your 5th great grandfather
son of Absalom Ailstock
son of Thomas Ailstock
daughter of Andrew Ailstock
daughter of Annie Elizabeth Ailstock
daughter of Ellen F Grigsby
daughter of Bessie Jane Ellis
You are the son of Anna Lourie Gilbert


Julia Scott was the daughter of a Black Slave and a Scotts pioneer, who was along with her brother and sister captured in Pennsylvania in 1740  by a Shawnee Chief named Hintoo-Intu.. Who was some relation to Cornstalk. Hintoo-Intu gave Julia to Cornstalk. Who adopted her into the Shawnee  tribe, and then Married her a year later.. Julia was about 16 very pretty, light skinned and 6 feet tall...Cornstalk was 6' 4" .. The Shawnee's captured many whites and people of other tribes, they were always interested in adding to there numbers. So the healthy and interesting captives would be adopted. One of the most interesting of these adoptees was Daniel Boone, captured and adopted by Black Fish...
Not Absalom Ailstock but representiative of him as Black Revolutionary war soldier.

Julia had at least 5 children with Cornstalk, Sunfish born 1742, Elijah 1744, Absalom 1748, Abraham 1750, and Michael 1752. There were probably other children as well.. At some point Julia's three youngest children returned to the white society after Sunfish was killed in battle.. Absalom, Abraham and Michael ended up in Virginia where they were taken in by the Ailstock family.. Though there is a story that their last name was Adkins for a while... Most of this info comes from Don Greens book "Shawnee heritage II ". There are however similar stories in many lines of the Ailstock family, though some of the details are different.. Take this not as fact but as an interesting starting point for further research..

..
  • ABSALOM AILSTOCK Revolutionary War Record

  • 1780-1781Virginia

  • AILSTOCK, ABSALOM.— Rockbridge, —. Marched from Louisa about Dec. 1, 1780, it being rumored that the British were about to land on the coast, and was out four weeks. Regimental officers were Col. Fontaine and Maj. Winston. Discharged at Hanover C. H. About April 1, 1781, joined the Second Regiment under Capt. William Harris, the superior officers being Col. Richardson and Maj. Armistead. The British burned the tobacco warehouses in Manchester, the ruins of which applicant distinctly saw from Richmond side. Brigade stationed a while at Malvern Hills. The enemy were in the habit of coming this far up the James in boats, each with a gun at either end, their purpose being plunder. Two such boats and seventeen prisoners were taken by the regiment. Discharged in Spotsylvania in June. Called out next month under Capt. Benjamin Harrison and joined Nelson's brigade (called at Yorktown the Louisa Brigade), at Williamsburg, Col. Richardson being a field officer, but Maj. Martin taking the place of Maj. Armistead. After Washington arrived, the brigade marched on to Yorktown. During the siege, applicant was employed digging entrenchments for batteries and making sand baskets. After the French began the battle on Sunday morning, his regiment was put into the poplar redoubt for the purpose of charging into a gun battery.

    Ailstock Indian Story from Kitty Sachs

    This is a story I found on Roots Web from Kitty Sachs. We share Andrew and Phoebe Ailstock as our Great Great Great Grandfather and Grandmother..


    My father's grandmother is Julia E. Ailstock, born in Rockbridge around 1860, daughter of one of Andrew's two wives. Phoebe is listed as mother on Julia's marriage certificate, but was evidently still married to Elihu Morris (not Andrew Ailstock) at the time of Julia's birth, so I don't know who Julia's mother is. That's how I come to be an Ailstock, but the reason for this message is to ask again how Absalom came to be an Ailstock. My father's family's oral history includes a fully-developed American Indian heritage story, which I am aware could easily be contrived to cover up a black history, however, after 3 years of listening to discoveries about Ailstock roots, I have not read a single thing that dispels the myth. His family says that Rebecca was a Scots-Irish woman, kidnapped from her home in the Ohio Valley (which I guess was huge at the time) by Shawnee Indians during a raid. She was taken to a Shawnee town in what now really is Ohio at the age of about 17, had 3 "hal!
    f-breed" (consequently not considered white) sons who were fathered by Shawnees (they'd like to think Cornstalk himself), and repatriated by the army to Louisa to live with Michael Ailstock to help him raise his daughter whose mother had died, and to run his household. Michael Ailstock took them in, gave them his name, and treated them like family for the most part. The three boys left his household as they came of age. Rebecca stayed with Michael and lived as his wife. The three boys married mixed race women, and the extended family took on a variety of colors. End of story. Is there anyone who knows anything about Michael and Rebecca that would render this story totally improbable? If there is, my father would really like to know it, he thinks if he were younger and could just get to some army repatriation records that he'd find something to verify this story. And while I've long-since stopped believing it, I can't disprove it, and I have some indications that there's someth!
    ing to it, such as the way Michael wrote his will, leaving his daughter what little he had, accept for a coin for each of the 3 boys, and that there's no mention of Rebecca being any color, or the daughter, only the 3 boys are listed as "m".

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Annie Elizabeth Ailstock, my GrGr Grandma

So who were you Annie?

Annie Elizabeth Ailstock (1852 - 1913)
is your 2nd great grandmother
daughter of Annie Elizabeth Ailstock
daughter of Ellen F Grigsby
daughter of Bessie Jane Ellis
You are the son of Anna Lourie Gilbert - (not you?)
Annie Ailstock was uncharted territory when I first found her in the family tree. She just sat there for a while, I kinda ignored her. I thought with a name like Ailstock she would be Scotch Irish like a lot of the rest of my mothers family.. Then I started looking at her more closely after I had done everyone else I could in the tree.. Momma never told me, she may not have known.. Mommas family was lily white, or so she thought...

 When I think of Annie Ailstock, I think of Grandma Gilbert and Aunt Bettie Gilbert, Bettie braiding my Grandmas long black hair... I think of Bettie, tall statuesque a beautiful woman.. Or my own mother Annie Cheek, strong yet gentle, beat down by life, but knowing she was better than her circumstances.. Granpa Grigsby found something in Annie Ailstock, what was it, was it her exotic looks... her color...

 Annie Elizabeth "Lizzy" Ailstock is listed in the 1860 census as a mulatto.
  So what does that mean. It means she wasn't entirely of the Caucasion race..It could mean she was African, or Native American or both.. Her father Andrew Ailstock 1801, 1862 is also listed as Mulatto. After marrying Grandpa Grigsby in 1869, Annie miraculously appears as white in the 1870 Census...
Who was Annies mother? on her death certificate Phoebe Vess is listed as her mother.. but her father was never married to a Phoebe Vess. He was married to Phoebe Ricketts 1835, 1899. He was also married to Nancy Jane Ailstock his 1st cousin...born in 1806 . There was a Phoebe Vess in the area, only place I've ever seen a connection between Phoebe Vess and Andrew Ailstock is Annies death Certificate...



Thursday, August 8, 2013

Charles Edward Grigsby and Annie Elizabeth Ailstock Grigsby

Mom said " All our people were confederates in the Civil War"

Sorry Mom, you were wrong.. I've been doing this genealogy thing for a few years now and one of my favorite people is, Charles Edward Grigsby.

Charles Edward Grigsby (1847 - 1934)
is your 2nd great grandfather
daughter of Charles Edward Grigsby
daughter of Ellen F Grigsby
daughter of Bessie Jane Ellis
You are the son of Anna Lourie Gilbert -


Charles E Grigsby served on the USS Springfield
Springfield Eighteen states have a town, city, township, or an incorporated area named Springfield. (StwGbt.: t. 146; l. 134'9"; b. 26'11"; dph. 4'4"; dr. 4'; a. 6 24-pdr. how.) The first /Springfield-/a stern wheel river steamer built at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1862-was purchased by the Navy at that city on 20 November 1862; and was commissioned at Cairo, Ill., on 12 January 1863, Lt. Henry A. Glassford in command. The light draft gunboat operated on the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers escorting transports and protecting Army lines of communication and supply, from time to time engaging guerilla forces on the river banks. On 3 April 1863, /Springfield /accompanied gunboats /Lexington, Brilliant, Robb, /and /Silver //Lake /on an expedition up the Tennessee to destroy Palmyra in retaliation for the attack by a Confederate battery there the day before which damaged Union gunboat St. /Clair /and Army transports /Eclipse /and /Luminary./ Pehaps /Springfield's /most exciting service came in July when she joined a number of other gunboats in chasing a large Confederate force led by General John Hunt Morgan. The daring Southern raider crossed the Ohio River on 8 July, entered Indiana, and commenced a wild ride east. While Union home guards pursued him, the Union gunboats moved up the river and prevented him from recrossing to safety in the South. Finally, after a 10-day chase over some 500 miles, the pursuers caught up with the raiders and forced them to attempt to cross at Buffington Island. Federal steamers /Moose /and /Alleghany Belle /repeatedly frustrated Morgan's efforts to move his troops south of the river. Pressed from both directions, most of the raiders surrendered. Morgan and a few followers managed to retreat into the hills and rode on for another week through theNorth before they were surrounded and captured near New Lisbon, Ohio. Almost a year of routine convoy and patrol service went by before /Springfield /could report any more excitement. On 3 June 1864, as the tinclad was descending the Cumberland, she came upon a band of guerrillas attempting to ford the river at Shelly Island. The gunboat opened fire on the Confederates who fled on foot leaving behind four horses, a few pounds of horseshoe nails, and a “contraband” blacksmith whom they had impressed “to shoe rebel horses.” /Springfield /served on upper rivers through the end of the Civil War. On 29 April 1865, she was ordered down to Mound City, Ill., where she was decommissioned on 30 June. The steamer was sold at public auction there on 17 August 1865 to R. G. Jameson. Re-documented as /Jennie D. /on 1 April 1866.

Charles suffered a Knee injury during the war and ended up in Bath County Virginia after the War...Where he was one of Two US veterans applying for a pension.. Bet that was rough...US veteran in formerly confederate Virginia..In 1869 Charles married Great Great Grandma Annie Elizabeth Ailstock...

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Great Grandma was full blooded Cherokee

Great Grandma was full blooded Cherokee

 No she wasn't!!!

We were told the Cheeks were Cherokee, they looked Indian, except for the Blue eyes. Mom always said "your daddy can't hold his liquor because those Cheeks are Indian" Great Grandma Sarah Jane Wees was supposedly mostly Cherokee.. Well I've looked into Great Grandma Sarah Jane Wees Cheek Kincaids family, and the one thing I'm sure about her is that she wasn't Indian.. Her family comes from good German and English Stock.. Father was George Washington Weese, mother was Clementine J. Godby.. Neither one of whom were Indian.. The Godbys were one of the earliest familys in Virginia at Jamestown and the Weese's were german, and possibly have Jewish roots.. Weese is a modification of Weise which I think means White in German...and is a known Jewish name.. George Washington Weeses parents were David Wees and Elizabeth Niday The Nidays come from the Von Nida family that I have traced back to the 1400's in Germany.

Beginings

American History Through Cheek Family Eyes

You are Cherokee, your dad is a quarter and you are an eighth that's what I was told when I was a small boy. That's what I believed and how I looked at the world through most of my life. Didn't really know what it meant to be Cherokee, but I was one.. My family was from southern WV. we were Hillbilly's and proud of it. We lived near a sign that said Sundial. High up on the side of a mountain.. Dad was Clarence, mom was Annie, big brother Willie and sister Jane Ann. Dad worked in the mines as did most men down in the hills.. Earliest memories are of chasing butterflies and lizards, and riding the giant hobby horse down the road at the Beckners..Dad built the house we lived in though he only had an eighth grade education.. He was a veteran of WW2, given  a commission to 1st Lieutenant in the field in Europe..Mom went to bussiness school in Charleston, so she was over educated for the area.
Sundial WV Coal River Road Hulda Loop
Up the hill then turn left at the top, last place on the right. That was the Cheek home till 1959