Col. Thomas Pettus

Thomas Pettus

• Born Feb 1599 in Norwich, Norfolk, England
• Death Date seen as 10/20/1663 in Littleton, James City County, Virginia Colony
• Son of Thomas Pettus and Cicely King
• Husband of Elizabeth (Freeman) Grove — married 1638 in James City County Virginia
• Not a known father of Christian Waddington

Family

In his father's Will dated July 1620, Thomas ("and his heirs and assignes forever") was bequeathed several parcels of land in and around Norwich, both in his own right and from reversionary bequests after his mother Cicely's death.

This Will shows that Thomas was in England in July 1620 when the Will was written, as his two brothers who were abroad (Edward and George) were said in the Will to be abroad, their father not knowing whether they were still living.

Thomas' father made bequests to the spouses and the children of his children in this Will. Thomas was not said to have either a wife or children.

Married Elizabeth, widow of Richard Durant before April, 1643:

The only known wife of Thomas Pettus was Elizabeth Freeman, who was first married to Richard Durant / Durrent, who died before 1643, secondly married to Col. Thomas Pettus. and after Thomas’ death, married thirdly to Capt. John Grove. The dates of Durant’s death and the marriage of Elizabeth and Thomas are unknown. In April, 1643, Thomas Pettus claimed the land she had inherited from Durant so they must have married before that date. Elizabeth married John Grove(s) by 1669 after Thomas’ death. [2]

Thomas and Elizabeth had the following two recorded children:

1. Stephen Pettus born about 1642 in James City County, Virginia, and died about 1677. If he married the name of his wife is unknown. [3]
2. Thomas Pettus born between 1650 and 1653 in James City County Virginia, [4] He died about February 1687/8 in Holland. [5] He married in about 1682, Mourning Burgh daughter of William Burgh of Chuckatuck, Upper Norfolk County, Virginia and his wife Elizabeth Billingsley.

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Warning Against Misinformation re Early Virginia Pettuses

https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/pettus/939/

• Mary Mann and Ann Hunley were NOT daughters of Col. Thomas Pettus
• Christian Waddington was not a known child of Col. Thomas Pettus

By William Pettus September 03, 2014 at 02:02:50

From https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Pettus-331

older notes

The biography as written below seems to confuse two different "Thomas Pettus" individuals, both of whom, according to the attached media paragraph from Linda Buchholz, arrived in Virginia around 1637-1638. Capt. Thomas Pettus served in the Thirty Years war in the "Low Countries" (now the Netherlands and Belgium) and traveled in and out of England. Some accounts have this Thomas being sent to was sent to Jamestown with 40 men to protect the colonists from Indian aggressions, which earned him the title Colonel. Col. Thomas also had a named Thomas.

It appears that one of the two gentlemen (probably the nephew) was involved in a street brawl and accused of murder. It is unclear if there was a trial at which one of them was acquitted, or if the choice was made to flee the court's justice, which in England at that time was a death sentence. The Pettus family was wealthy and influential and managed to arrange the departure of one or both of the gentlemen and have the records obscured.

One of the Thomas's definitely went on to become a prominent figure in James City. It is believed the other Thomas departed Virginia and his whereabouts cannot be traced. However this may not have been right away and some confusion in the records may be due to the presence of both men in the Jamestown area. Further confusion comes in with a son of Col. Thomas also being referred to as Capt. Thomas Pettus.

I do not have enough information to make corrections to the biographies below to sort this out, therefore leave them in place here hoping someone else can make the needed corrections! --R. Mitchell

Col. Thomas Pettus (c.1598-1669) was born in Norwich, Norfolk County, England, and baptized there on Feb. 19, 1598/99 at the St. Simon and St. Jude parish church. He was born into a wealthy, but large family that ultimately grew to include seventeen children, all the progeny of Thomas Pettus, the elder (c.1552-1620) and his wife Cecily King (d. c.1641). The elder Thomas was a draper, who held at various times a number of public offices, including sheriff and mayor of Norwich. He was also the younger brother of Sir John Pettus (c.1550-1614), a Member of Parliament, a wealthy woolen merchant, and an investor in the Virginia Company, with business interests in the American colonies.

Although he was only the seventh son, the younger Thomas still received a considerable inheritance from his father of properties in Norwich. However, he killed a man on March 24, 1628 in a street brawl at a New Year's Eve festival, and following his acquittal in 1629 of the murder, he felt it wise to sell his holdings and relocate elsewhere. This led him in late 1630 or early 1631 to sail to Virginia and begin a new life, possibly at the behest of his family. Thomas apparently was preceded in Virginia by at least one sibling, his younger brother Theodore Pettus (b. c.1600), who arrived in 1623 in James City (Jamestown), but of whom nothing further is recorded.

Thomas Pettus acquired land soon after his arrival and built a large plantation house, which he named Littletown, at a location on the James River about four miles down river from the Jamestown settlement. He also, in time, acquired the adjacent Utopia Plantation, a nearby tract called the Burnt Ordinary, and some unsettled lands in New Kent County, which was the next county up river from Jamestown. His Littletown plantation house has since been excavated, and the site can be visited at the modern Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Although some accounts attribute to Thomas a wife named Elizabeth Mouring, and possibly four children with her, there is no documentation for this in either the Norwich or Jamestown town and church records. However, his son Thomas did marry a woman with the similar name of Mourning Burgh, which might be the source for some of this confusion. Some accounts also claim that Thomas fought in the Thirty Years War, and was sent to Jamestown with 40 men to protect the colonists from Indian aggressions, which earned him the title Colonel. Again, there is little evidence for this either. However, his name does appear in one 1642/43 document as "Capt. Thos. Pettus", when he was serving on the King's Council for the colony and all of the councilors received appointments as captains in the colonial militia. He also appears in a 1652 document as "Coll. Thomas Pettus", when British warships sent by Oliver Cromwell appeared in Jamestown Harbor and fears were raised of a possible confrontation.

Thomas Pettus, due to his wealth and family connections, received in 1641/42 an appointment to a life term on the King's Council of State for Virginia, and served until at least sometime after July of 1661, which establishes him as the longest serving member of the council. He is known to have had at least one wife, Elizabeth Freeman (b. c.1608), the widow of Richard Durrent, whom he married about 1638 in Jamestown when he was 39 years old.

[There is also evidence for an earlier Indian wife named Ka-Okee (a daughter of Pocahontas), with whom he may have fathered four or five children, but this is somewhat speculative. - [sic: no evidence]

Col. Pettus is known to have had at least two sons - the Stephen Pettus, who follows, and a younger son named Thomas, who inherited his father's Littletown and Utopia plantations. He died sometime between 1663 and 1668.

(Pettus, 2011 - v. I, p. 107-120, no. 31; Pettus, 2013 - v. II, p. 1349-1360)

Source: http://www.mikesclark.com/genealogy/pettus/pettus.html

Capt. Thomas Pettus, one of his Majesties Councill of State, 886 acs., James City Co., Apr. 11 1643,..., by intermarriage with the relict & Exix. of Richard Durrant, &........ ( complete text see sources

• https://pettusheritage.wordpress.com/2016/11/07/misinformation-on-t...

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Biography

1640-1660 Member of VA Governor's Council 'til death.

Soldier in Low Countries during the 30 YEAR WAR/immigrated 1637

Colonel Thomas PETTUS (aka Councilor) came to America in 1638-1641, after serving on the Continent in the Thirty Years War, for the Virginia Company in command of forty men to assist the colonists in their struggles with the Powhatan Indians at Jamestowne. Colonel Thomas built a substantial residence on the James River on a tract four miles downriver from the Jamestown settlement not long after his arrival. He named the seventeenth century plantation house Littletown. Colonel Thomas, son of William Pettus, sought a lifestyle different than was offered in his native environs. He found Virginia an attractive alternative lifestyle. He quickly became a member of the emerging provincial elite. Colonel Thomas PETTUS became a Governor's councilor in the mid-seventeenth century, serving on the prestigious Governor's Council from 1641 until 1660. Colonel Thomas probably was entitled to some Jamestowne property through investments made by his granduncle Sir John PETTUS, who had purchased stock in the company holding the third charter to Virginia, The Third Virginia Charter Company. 11 The marriage of Colonel Thomas to the widow, Elizabeth ( Mrs. Richard) DURRANT, added substantial holdings to the estate which eventually encompassed 1280 acres. The PETTUS plantation left a lasting imprint on the Jamestowne and Williamsburg landscape. About 1972 the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission located and began excavation of Colonel Thomas PETTUS' Littletown 15 site at Kingsmill (right) and determined the layout and size of the buildings from discolored earth where dwelling supporting postholes existed. Several plantation sites comprised the Kingsmill area. The Pettus Littletown Plantation archaeological site, uncovered by historical archaeologist William M. Kelso, is located near the marina on the private Kingsmill Resort property south of Williamsburg, VA. An article entitled "The Virginians" in the November 1974 National Geographic Magazine 8 gives an account of this archaeological find and excavation and further insight into the development of Colonial Virginia. Below is the complete four paragraph excerpt from the section on pages 593-596, under the subtitle "Post Molds" Reveal a Colonial Saga, which pertains to Colonel Thomas PETTUS. Author Mike W. Edwards writes: "Thomas Pettus was one of those hardy settlers - a land clearer and housebuilder. When, he arrived in 1641, land was available near Jamestown. He built on a tract four miles downriver from the settlement." "I came on Pettus's holdings on a hot July afternoon and met half a dozen young people who had cleared the land again - at least, a little of it. They scraped the earth with trowels; one brushed with a whisk broom." "From beneath his yellow hard hat - protection from the sun - archeologist William Kelso of the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission explained that the team sought 'post molds' - discolored earth that would disclose where posts had stood. Judging from the ashes here, this had been Pettus's smokehouse. 'As you can see,' Bill said, waving a hand toward rows of holes, ' we've found the other buildings of the homestead.' " "It was not a grand manor. Pettus built a T-shaped house and haphazardly added outbuildings, all of wood. 'It was almost a medieval layout,' Bill continued. 'In the 17th century, men like Pettus were concerned more with survival than pleasing architecture.' He apparently possessed little china or crystal. 'Mostly we've found items of local clay, crudely formed and crudely fired.' " Later findings and thinking can be found in William M. Kelso's "Rescue Archaeology of the James - Early Virginia Country Life" 3 and Kingsmill Plantations, 1619-1800, Archaeology of Country Life in Colonial Virginia, Studies in Historical Archaeology 12 which is an extensive study of the Kingsmill Plantations and contains many references to Thomas PETTUS' Littletown Plantation. Colonel (Councilor) Thomas PETTUS was an active participant in the affairs of Jamestowne and Old Fields at Middle Plantation, Williamsburg's name until the 66-year-old community was incorporated in 1699, and he is mentioned in many documents of the period. After Colonel Thomas died in 1660, the plantation house and land passed to his son Captain Thomas PETTUS, Jr.

http://www.communique.net/~pepbaker/pethop00.htm

Colonel (Councilor) Thomas PETTUS, a Qualifying Ancestor for the Jamestowne Society, was an active participant in the affairs of Jamestowne and Old Fields at Middle Plantation, Williamsburg's name until the 66-year-old community was incorporated in 1699, and he is mentioned in many documents of the period. After Colonel Thomas died in 1660, the plantation house and land passed to his son Captain Thomas PETTUS, Jr. (1646-ca 1690). Captain Thomas PETTUS' relict, Mourning Glenn PETTUS, married James Bray, II. In 1700 the heirs of Colonel Thomas released the Littletown estate to James Bray II 17 for the traditional sum of "five shillings and rent of one ear of corn a year." In the Williamsburg, Virginia, Bruton Parish Church 13 (at right) a memorial pew bears Captain Thomas PETTUS, Jr.'s name and some say he is buried at the church. He served as a Vestryman of Bruton Church. Thomas PETTUS, Jnr. is listed as a headright on a 450 acre land grant 19 awarded Colonel Thomas PETTUS in January 1643.

Liz : found a Norwich baptism record for a Thomas Pettus, son of William (transcribed by Maureen Tokely):

Thomas PETTUS Baptism 18 Dec 1610 Norfolk Norwich : St Peter Hungate : Parish Register Row 5

Source: Entered by Travis Wagner, May 16, 2012, WikiTree for Thomas Pettus IV
Birth 19 FEB 1598 Norwich, Parish, Norfolk, England

Marriage 1645 VA

Death 1669 LIttleton, James City Co., VA

Immigrated to Virginia; established family seat at "Littleton", James City Co.,

Soldier in Low Countries during Thirty Years War

Mayor of Norwich, England

A separate source lists the ancestors of Thomas Pettus but some of the descendant information is in conflict with other sources: https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Pettus-188

Married to Elizabeth Durant

Surname has also been reported to be Patey.

Date of birth might be 1608.

https://genealogyadventures.net/2017/10/23/playing-genealogical-hid...

William Pettus says:

27/10/2019 at 5:08 PM

My forthcoming book will show that the line of descent from Col. Pettus and his English wife (in Virginia) ended in 1700 upon the death of his unmarried granddaughter Elizabeth, who may also have been a minor. Soon after her death, her plantations, including Littletown, were sold to Elizabeth’s stepfather, James Bray, Jr. The grantor in the sale was Stephen Pettus, His identity is the real puzzle. The tribal historian, Bill Deyo, believes that Stephen was the son of Col. Pettus and his first wife,Ka-Okee. Maybe so, but there was an SP of the right age on record in London who may have been the SP named as a Virginia headright in 1637. I think he was the progenitor of the family in America. There is no real question about the identity of Col. Pettus. One of his nephews in England went to court in Norwich to prove his relationship. He had witnesses, including a family member, appear on his behalf. There is only one solution to the question of identity, given the testimony of witnesses and the parish registers he subnitted as evidence. He used the St. Simon and St. Jude register which has the baptism in 1599 of TP, son of TP, mayor of Norwich in 1614 and his wife Cecily King. Others have claimed that Col. Pettus was the son, baptized in 1610 at St. Peter Hungate Church of William Pettus and his wife Mary Gleane. The St. Peter Hungate parish register was not even mentioned in the evidence submitted to the court.

https://pettusheritage.wordpress.com/2016/11/07/misinformation-on-t...

Finally, a breakthrough on this vexing “brick wall” problem occurred when Mr. C. H. C. Whittick of the Norfolk Record Office in Norwich whom the writer had retained to look for further evidence relating to the problem, happened by chance to find a previously overlooked record made in 1699, long after the death of Thomas Pettus of the Virginia Council. The key record shows that a certain John Pettus appeared before the Mayor’s Court in Norwich seeking to prove that “Capt. Thomas Pettus of Virga in America, dec’d” was his late uncle! To prove his case, John submitted two parish records and brought with him witnesses who knew his relationship to Capt. Pettus. The parish records were from the registers of St. Simon and St. Jude parish and St. Lawrence Parish in Norwich. As previously mentioned, the older candidate was baptized in St. Simon and St. Jude parish. The St. Lawrence Parish register has the baptism of John, son of Henry Pettus. Henry was the younger brother of the elder candidate mentioned previously. John did not offer the St. Peter Hungate parish register in evidence. The only logical conclusion is that Capt. Thomas Pettus of Virginia was the elder of the two candidates; i.e., he was the son of Thomas Pettus of Norwich and his wife Cecily King!
The long-standing “brick wall” problem was finally solved by the chance discovery of a record made years after the death of the Virginia Councilor. Stacy was correct in identifying Thomas Pettus of Virginia as the uncle though for the wrong reason!

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References

• The main source of this biography is the excellently researched and sourced "Thomas Petyous of Norwich, England and his Pettus Descendants in England and Virginia (Volume 1)" by William Walker Pettus IV. Pub. Otter Bay Books 2011. The original print run was limited to 300, but pdf copies may be purchased by contacting the author directly.
• http://www.pettygenealogy.com/HMTL%20files/pafg06.htm#296
• https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L269-YNB/colonel-thomas-pettu...
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/183044086/thomas-hubert-pettus
• https://pettusheritage.wordpress.com/2016/11/07/misinformation-on-t...
• http://www.mikesclark.com/genealogy/pettus/pettus.html
• https://genealogyadventures.net/2017/10/23/playing-genealogical-hid...
• https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Pettus-188
• http://www.mikesclark.com/genealogy/pettus/pettus.html
• http://www.communique.net/~pepbaker/pethop00.htm

1. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Pettus-8 cites
   1. Due to the change of the date of the New Year in 1752 from 25 March to 1 January, the date 19 February 1598 is would be at the end of the year 1598 and is in now what we would call 1599.
   2. Baptism of Thomas Pettus: Transcription of the parish registers of St Simon and St Jude, Norwich, Norfolk, England made by E.A. Tillett in 1895 Image on FamilySearch
   3. Virginia Council cn; Virginia General Court cn; McIlwaine, H. R. (Henry Read), 1864-1934 ed. cn; Virginia State Library cn, digitized on Internet Archive [1]
   4. Pettus, Thomas - A6106; died ca. 1669; James City Co.: 1642-61 (Councillor). accessed 15 October 2021
   5. McIlwaine, H. R. and J. P. Kennedy, Editors. Journals of the House of Burgesses of Virginia. 13 Volumes. Richmond, Virginia, 1905-1915. Editors: vols. 1-9, H. R. McIlwaine; v. 10-13, J. P. Kennedy. [https://archive.org/details/journalsofhousb1619virg/page/68/mode/2up Vol. 1, Page 66-69, 82 ff 1619-1658/59 (1915)
   6. “Tylers Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine” Vol. iii p. 180 Internet Archive
   7. "Thomas Petyous of Norwich, England and his Pettus Descendants in England and Virginia (Volume 1)" by William Walker Pettus IV.
   8. "Thomas Petyous of Norwich, England and his Pettus Descendants in England and Virginia (Volume 1)" by William Walker Pettus IV. - page 158 reference 323
   9. General Court, 7 Apr 1671
   10. “Tylers Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine” Vol. iii p. 180 , available on Internet Archive [2]
   11. General Court, 25 Nov 1671
2. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L269-YNB/colonel-thomas-pettu...
3. https://m.imdb.com/name/nm10872904/trivia
4. http://www.southern-style.com/Pettus.htm