| Notes |
- {{US Southern Colonist}}
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{{England Sticker}}
[[Category: Northumberland County, Virginia Colony]]
==Biography==
===Christening===
::Date: 18 Jan 1581::Place: ST NICHOLAS ACONS,LONDON,LONDON,ENGLAND<ref>England: Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (Original index: England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. FamilySearch, 2014.)</ref>
===Arrival===1635 in Virginia<ref>Gale Research, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s (Provo, UT, USA, The Generations Network, Inc., 2006), www.ancestry.com, Place: Virginia; Year: 1635; Page Number: 5. Record for John Dennis. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=pili354&h=4087401&indiv=try.</ref>
===Notes=== John Dennis, Sr. was born about 1587 in London, Middlesex, England and he died September 4, 1652 in Wicocomoco, Northumberland County, Virginia. He was buried in Wicocomoco. John married Barbary (maiden name unknown) about 1632-33 in England. .
Barbary/Barbara was born about 1610-13 in England and died after 1653 in Northumberland County, Virginia. Her parents have not been located..
Note: There has been much confusion in the lineage of the Dennis Family, with most of the confusion involving the terms Sr. and Jr. In today’s society these terms usually imply father and son, but in the past they frequently meant two persons (usually in the same family) with the same first and last names, but not necessarily father and son. The John Dennis, Sr. generation will pair a much older John, Sr. with his young wife, Barbary (maiden name unknown). The main confusion arises with a John Dennis, Jr. who was born about the same time as Barbary, but—while he may have been a child of John Dennis, Sr. from an unknown wife or unknown unmarried partner—John Dennis, Jr. is not a child from the marriage of John, Sr. and Barbary (John, Sr. and Barbary will even name a son of their own John Dennis who was born about 1641-47). .
As later notes will detail, the care and attention afforded John Dennis, Jr. by John, Sr. and Barbary indicate the couple’s sincere attempts to assist John, Jr. during his final months of life; care usually provided to a close family member..
Barbary (maiden name unknown) was born about 1610-13 in England. Most likely she and her future husband were both from the London area where they met during the business travels of John who was a shareholder in The Virginia Company. Records show a John Dennis purchasing 20 Virginia Company shares about March 20, 1621, at which time the John Dennis, (Jr.) would have only been about 9-13 years of age..
By sometime around late 1633-34 John Dennis, Sr. had returned to England where he married Barbary. We don’t know where they were married, but it is likely they were married somewhere in the London area. Much of our knowledge of John and Barbary revolves around the scattered events that were recorded of their doings and where they are mentioned in the recordings of their relatives, neighbors, and business associates. John had apparently returned to England for business or family purposes. It is likely that John and Barbary’s first child was Mary, who was followed by the birth of Richard Dennis about 1635 (this date is arrived at because when Richard later turned 21 he was legally permitted to inherit land in Virginia in April 1656). .
The reason it is believed that John Dennis, Sr. returned to England in late 1633 is that on December 27, 1633 a court record in Accomack, Virginia has a Robert Edmunds recording his last will and testament where he wrote that a certain number of pounds of (his) tobacco was in the hands of Thomas Cole, John Dennis, and Robert Swanson. [However, Mr. Edmunds did not die at that time and was apparently just recording it for the financial safety of his family. He was probably aware that John Dennis and Robert Swanson had temporarily returned to England]. .
Now we must take a brief detour from our John Dennis, Sr. to John Dennis, Jr. where there is much more information. From various court and sailing records, it appears that John Dennis, Jr. was born sometime around 1608 and 1613 in England. The scattered records from Accomack County seem to indicate that John Dennis, Jr. remained in Accomack County after John, Sr.’s return to England..
John Jr. appears to have had a rather wild personality as the Accomack Court records show us:.
January 5, 1634:.
At a court in Accomack County John Dennis is ordered to pay Mr. Obedience Robins 24 pounds of tobacco and his wife Mrs. Haynie Robins 166 pounds of tobacco..
February 19, 1634:.
At a court in Accomack County Mr. Obedience Robins filed an order against the goods of John Dennis to value 190 pounds of tobacco due to him and his wife. .
About this time period: At a court in Accomack County John Dennis complains of John Parramore concerning a sow that Dennis bought from Parramore that evidently went back to Parramore. The court ordered the sow be returned to John Dennis. However, if Dennis has not paid cash for the sow, then Parramore was to have the sow again (or keep it). .
About this time period: John Dennis was court ordered to deliver a sow to John Parramore to replace the one he killed..
About this time period: John Dennis was ordered to receive 20 lashes for contempt of the Accomack County Court..
It appears that after this last event John Dennis, Jr. may have returned to England during the last half of 1634. This is thought may have happened because on June 4, 1635 court records show that another immigrant to that area (Daniel Cugley) was given land for his recent “transferring” of John Dennis and seven others to Accomack County Virginia from England:.
Daniel Cugley paid for the immigrant’s transport thereby earning 400 acres of land [land located in an area commonly called Hog Pen Neck] in Accomack County, for transporting eight persons to Virginia from England: Paschal Crocker, Peter Varlow, Thomas Dymer, George Luckin, Thomas Peak John Champion, Leonard Lenards, and John Dennis. John Dennis was transported from Gravesend, England to Virginia on the ship Ye Merchant’s Hope, but the others sailed on another ship(s) [John’s ship may have began its sail from London and then stopped at Gravesend before crossing the Atlantic]. .
While Daniel Cugley acquired title to his 400 acres on June 4, 1635 (or June 25, 1635 by another Virginia record), other records show Ye Merchant’s Hope sailing in June (or July another record) 1635, making it a little difficult to understand how Mr. Cugley so quickly gained title to his 400 acres. The answer may have been that he could adequately supply the county officials with proper receipts of the eight immigrant’s trip’s prior payment; or they may have all arrived within a few weeks of the land transfer, or perhaps the final signing over of the 400 acres was held up a few weeks. .
It is not known how or where Daniel Cugley gathered his eight Virginia immigrants (especially since they did not seem to have traveled to America together), but it should be noted that one of the eight immigrants, Paschal Crocker, was apparently a friend of John Dennis (Sr. or Jr.). It is possible that Paschal may have been a relative of Barbary/Barbara (maiden name unknown) of England. One of John and Barbary’s children will be given the name “Paschal” Dennis..
John Dennis’ age logged on Ye Merchant’s Hope records was 22, which would make him born about 1612-1613, depending on how accurate the recorded age (early ship’s documents were notoriously filled with errors), but young enough that this was not likely to have been John Dennis, Sr.
On November 26, 1636 it was recorded in the Elizabeth City land records that Georg Sapheir took title to 300 acres of land for transferring to Virginia five persons, one of which was John Dennis. This was likely our John Dennis, Sr. who probably returned to Accomack County sometime around the summer of 1636
December 29, 1639:.
At a court hearing in Accomack County a Thomas Jones testified: While he was in the house of Henry Williams, John Dennis came into William’s house and demanded “What was the reason that Henry William’s wife said that his horns were so big?” William’s wife (apparently in the room) said that she meant not his horns, but the horns of his cows. Then the wife continued by calling John Dennis “knave and base knave.” Dennis then replied that she was a whore and a base whore, whereupon the wife flew at him and threw a pipkin at him [an earth ware cooking pot]. John Dennis responded by turning and pulling down his trousers and bid her kiss….
At this same court hearing John Dennis was ordered to sit in the stocks for his nasty language to Mrs. Williams and to ask her forgiveness.. It appears that John Dennis, Sr. returned to England sometime around 1648 where he apparently began making plans to return to Accomack County with his family. It is thought that while in England his last son was conceived early in 1649, whom he and Barbary named, John Dennis, (we do not know if his name would have been followed by “Jr.” or “III.”). .
Perhaps the second half of 1648 and the first half of 1649 John Dennis, Sr. was gathering together seven persons (including his wife) whom he could claim passage “transference” to Virginia and thus claim land credits. These transferees had to be adults and their transport paid for; minors could be transported, but they did not count toward the land offerings. John Dennis, Sr. was also considered a transferee. The seven persons that John Dennis transported were: Richard Parker, Christopher Walsgrave, Barbery Dennis, Robert Swanson, Thomas Long, and Thomas Octies (Thomas Octies was a servant of Captain Stoner—this was probably Captain William “Stone.” William Stone was from that same area and he could afford a servant(s). William Stone had recently been named the Governor of Maryland. It should also be noted that Robert Swanson and John Dennis, Sr. had probably returned to England together earlier, since they were apparently business associates and had been named together earlier on a recorded will [see December 27, 1633 and November 16, 1635]. .
After gathering together his transferees, they successfully made the trip to Virginia and on September 15, 1649 John was awarded 350 acres of land situated at Great Wicocomoco; “bounded on the northern parts with a branch of the Wicocomoco River, on the southern part by a small branch of said river, parting same from land of Thomas Gascogne and making this a neck of land.” There were two dates for John Dennis’ being granted this 350 acres: September 15 and October 15, 1649, probably due to some paperwork adjustments. Their land was situated in Northampton County, Virginia [renamed from Accomack County in 1643: to make it more European and less American Indian]..The children of John Dennis, Sr. and (wife or unmarried partner unknown:.
John Dennis, Jr. …….b. between 1607-1614 in England and died July 31, 1652 in Northumberland County, Virginia. There is no recorded marriage. See above pages for additional information on John, Jr..
The children of John Dennis, Sr. and Barbary (maiden name unknown) include:.
Mary…………….….. b. about 1633-34 in England and died in 1654 in Baltimore County, Maryland. Mary married Francis Garrett in 1649 in Northumberland County, Virginia. Mary and Francis had their first son, Dennis Garrett, in 1650 in Baltimore County and they were living in Baltimore County in 1652 when their second son, William, was born and Mary’s father, John Dennis, Sr. died in Virginia [See The Garrett Family History].
Richard ………….…..b. about 1635 in England and died after June1664 [In another man’s deed dated June 21, 1664 it was mentioned that one of the people he transported to Virginia was Richard Dennis—Richard must have made a trip to England to visit relatives?] See above pages for additional information on Richard..
Paschall………………b. about 1636 in England and died before 1675 in Northumberland County, Virginia. Paschall married Barbara Jones and they had a daughter named Mary Dennis who was born about 1680. Daughter Mary married Bartholomew Schrever. He died March 21, 1720 (will date) and they lived in the Parish of Great Wycomico, Northumberland County. Mary and Bartholomew had a son named Dennis Schrever, b. c1700 who died May 15, 1717 (probate date). Bartholomew had a 2nd wife (also named Mary) before he died. She was the widow (or daughter) of Captain William Lee. Barbara had a 2nd husband named Mr. Salisbury, and a 3rd husband named Thomas Fearn (there may have been one or more children with this 3rd marriage)..
John, 3rd………………b. about 1649 in Virginia) [Birth: Virginia Colonial Abstracts, Vol. 1, Northumberland County, Virginia]. John died before March 19, 1679 in St. Stephen’s Parish, Northumberland County, Virginia. He married Elizabeth (maiden name unknown). Elizabeth was born in 1645 in Wicocomoco, Virginia and died 1725 in St. Stephen’s Parish, Northumberland, Virginia. On March 19, 1679 Mr. George Bledsoe was appointed as one of the appraisers of the estate of John Dennis of which Elizabeth Dennis, the widow, administered his final will. Elizabeth Dennis afterwards married George Dameron. The children of John and Elizabeth Dennis included: John Dennis, 4th, b. 1667 in St. Stephen’s Parish, and d. 1687 or 1700; and Sarah Dennis, b. 1677, and d. April 18, 1716, she married Phillip Tignor on September 25, 1699..<ref>[http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/16410631/person/375312516/story/99865584-f81a-47de-bebc-3f40733cc6ab?src=search&ftm=1 Dennis family history link]</ref>
==Sources==
<references />This person was created on 19 May 2010 through the import of My Family File.ged.
*The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Pedigree Resource File," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:ST8T-35N : accessed 2015-09-21), entry for John /DENNIS/.
* [[Ferguson-1251 | Michael Ferguson]], firsthand knowledge. See the [http://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Special:NetworkFeed&who=Dennis-692 Changes page] for the details of edits by Michael and others.
== Acknowledgments ==
Thanks to [[Ledford-465 | Roy Ledford]] for starting this profile.
Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Roy and others.
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My Family History
Abt 1582 - 1652 (70 years)