John Nuthall III ¹

  Research Notes:

From: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:3143362&id=I631844490 :

As John Nuthall (variously spelled) was not listed among those "Inhabitants in Virginia, living and dead", in the Musters of 1624/1625, but is known to have been there ante 1630, we may safely assume that he arrived during the period 1626 to 1629, and that he was little more than a child, if not a child, upon his arrival. Since there are absolutely no records indicating other persons of the name in Virginia at that early date, we may also safely assume that the boy John Nuthall, arrived in America sans parents.

What would make a young boy sail away, on his own, from his homeland in England to the then wilds of America. While we shall probably never know the facts, we may certainly speculate that young John was either a runaway who perhaps stowed away on the ship which brought him to America; or, that he may have signed on as a cabin-boy, and later jumped ship once in the new land; or, that he was one of those unfortunate children who, kidnapped from the streets of an English city, by a hard-bitten ship's captain, was later sold by the captain, as a servant in Virginia.

During this period, and for many years thereafter, the only method of obtaining land in the new world, was through the transportation into one of England's Colonies, of oneself or ones family or servants, provided only that the cost of transportation was paid by oneself. Many persons, including servants, whose transportation was originally paid for by someone else, later paid for the transportation of others, and many persons made fairly frequent trips back and forth between England and the colonies, and had the right to claim additional land each time they re-entered the latter; thus, among the old land patents, one may often run across the record of a man who claimed land "for transporting himself 3 times", or "5 times", etc. (The term "servant" did not then have the same connotation that it does today, for many of the early "servants" who were transported, were virtually on an equal social footing with their "masters", or very soon attained such.)

While there is no extant record for anyone having claimed land for the transportation into Virginia of John Nuthall, we do have proof that he was the servant of Hugh Hays, of Accovmacke Co., Va., sometime before 1630...ran away from his said master.. .lived with the Indians (probably in what is now the Eastern Shore of Maryland)...was found there by one William Jones, who paid the Indians "a hoe" for the boy, and who then returned young John to Hugh Hays, "well strapped with yehallyards".

Whatever John Nuthall's life in England had been, it's clear that he came of sturdy, intelligent and industrious stock, and his early years of hardship in Virginia only served to prepare him well for the life he led in his adult years. How or when he obtained his education, we don't know, but we know that he could read and write. We have found no record of John's activities between the late 1620's and 1640... his "growing-up years", (and indeed he may have spent part of the time back in England), but by 1643, he was referred to as "Mr.", a term reserved for the most highly respected, and leading citizens of the colony, and generally, only for those who served His Majestie's government in some capacity.

And only a few months later, or about Jan 1644, he married the widow, Elizabeth (Bacon) Holloway, a "person of quality".

It is certainly apparent that John Nuthall had learned the Indian tongue quite probably at the time he lived among them, for during most of his adult years, and in addition to whatever else he did, he was a trader and merchant. In the latter capacity, he made numerous trips to London and back. We have reference to about five or six such trips, and he may actually have been going over every year or so.

As further evidence of the high degree of respect and trust he was accorded, we note that he was frequently appointed the "attorney" of his friends and acquaintances. While we cannot be certain on John's parents, we do know that John's father, mother and sister were living, and apparently in London, at least as late as August, 1644.

7 Jan 1644 granted 250 acres of land to Mr. John Nuthall and Elizabeth his wife. 27 Jul 1645 300 acres in Northampton Co to John Nuthall and Eliza his wife. Nov 1651 John Nuthall about to transport his wife and himself to England.

Although he was termed "Mr." as early as 1643, the first actual record we've discovered of John's serving as "Commissioner" (same as "Justice", and which office entitled the holder to be called "Mr."), was in Northampton County, VA, in Jul 1653. However, he was one of those leading citizens who, on 25 Mar 1651, signed the "Submission to Parliament", from Northampton County, which leads one to believe he may have been serving as one of the Commissioners at that date, if not before.

John Nuthall was a signer of the Northampton Protest or Instructions to the Virginia House of Burgesses. Whatever may be the claims of other sections of the country to being the first in protesting against Great Britain in the next century, the first organized remonstration against our mother county in the form of protest against taxation without representation was made by the people of Northampton County on 30 Mar 1652.

John's wife, Elizabeth, who by her first marriage was the mother of one child, a daughter, Priscilla Holloway, was several years John's senior, as her age was listed as "26", when on 10 Aug 1635, she embarked from England for Virginia, on the "Safety". After their marriage, Elizabeth made one or more trips back to England with John. While we know that she pre-deceased him, and apparently died before John settled in Maryland about 1661, we do not know exactly when Elizabeth died, but the last record we've discovered in which she was mentioned, was in Northampton County, VA, on 27 Jul 1653.

When in England in 1661, John Nuthall purchased from Thomas Cornwalleys , 4,200 acres of land in Maryland, consisting of the Manors of "Cornwal leys Cross" and "St. Elizabeth's", and additional land, and he automaticaly became the owner of the handsome brick "manor house" at "Cross Manor" built by Corwalleys in 1642 and upon seating himself in MD lived in the house and a few years later, died there. This gracious old home, although having under-gone some alterations and additions in the intervening 300 years, is said to not only standing, but also be occupied.

After John's removal to Maryland, he served as Commissioner of St. Mary's County from at least Oct 1663 through 1664, and during which period he was also referred to as "Justice of the Peace and Quorum". He was several times referred to in the records as "Gentleman" (which title of courtesy was extended him through his service as one of the Commissioners).

In Sept 1668, the Council ordered that the personal estate of John Nuthall, who died intestate, be divided among his three children, John, James and Eleanor, who married, 1667, Thomas Sprigg.

John married Elizabeth Bacon in Jan 1644 in Northampton Co., Virginia, (United States). (Elizabeth Bacon was born about 1609 in Burgate, Suffolk, England and died after 27 Jul 1653 in Northampton Co., Virginia, (United States).)

John next married Jane Johnson on 12 Sep 1660 in Hungar's Parish, Northampton, Virginia (United States). (Jane Johnson died before 1663.)