Robert Adams October 27, 2010

Image by Missy_Schmidt via Flickr

Robert Adams continued  October 27, 2010

It has been a week since my last post.  I have been in Virginia celebrating my Mother’s 80^th birthday.  A good time was had by all.  While we were there Mama, Aunt Judy, my husband Mark and I went to several graveyards.  We visited the Adams graveyard in Brights, Virginia, the Lynch graveyard in Altavista, Virginia on the grounds of Avoca which was Green Level, the Dalton cemetery in Gretna, Virginia and the Ward Cemetery in Campbell County off Mansion Bridge.  Due to the kindness of the neighbors on Mansion Bridge Road we were directed to the Ward cemetery.

In that area around the Ward cemetery was the Stone family home and the Adams family home Monteflora.  Someone directed us to the place where John Ward’s mansion once stood.  There is another house at that location, but the old boxwoods and cedars that stood there during the time of the mansion are still there.  These properties are also near Chile’s creek and if you have read my previous blogs, you will know that the Mansion was built on property that belonged to Henry Chiles and was bequeathed to his daughter Anne.  Anne, of course, was the wife of John Ward.

One of the neighbors told us a story about the Chiles family graveyard which from all reports has been plowed under or covered by time.  No one really knows the real story.  But this is what the neighbor told us.  A farmer decided to plow over the graveyard.  The poor mule that was pulling the plow was struck by lightning while doing the deed.  I don’t know what the story would be about someone that would plow over a graveyard.  Was there more to the story than just another field to plant?  We will never know, but the poor mule paid the price.

Robert Adams Captain

The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography Volume XI page 314

Arthur Pett, master of Ship Unitie of London.  Will 30 August 1609; proved 19 March 1609-10. Sick aboard the Ship Blessing of Plymouth, Captain Robert Adames of Limehouse, master, now riding at anchor before St. James Town in Virginia. Mother now wife unto Richard Nottingham of Ratcliffe. Brother William Pett. Brother William Welch.  Wife Florence Pett. Daughter Elizabeth Pett (under 10) and Thomas Johnson of Ratcliffe, mariner, now master of the Lyon of London now riding in this port of St. James Towne, executors.  Father in law Richard Nottingham, overseer.  Witnesses:  Thomas Johnson, Robert Addames, William Milward.

Commissary of London register 21 (1607-1611) folio 235

Arthur Pett was a member of the Virginia Company under the second charter, in 1609.  He was probably a member of the Kentish family of Pett, so closely connected with English naval affairs in the 16^th and 17^th centuries.

The ships Blessing, Unity and Lion were in Sir George Somers’ fleet which left Plymouth for Virginia on June 2, 1609, was scattered by a great storm, and some of the ships wrecked on the Bermudas while those named reached Virginia.

This will shows that the Captain Adams of whom there is a notice in Brown’s Genesis, II, 812, and who made seven voyages to Virginia between 1609 and 1614, and was afterwards in the service of the East India Company, was, as Mr. Brown suggests, Captain Robert Adams.

This small paragraph about Arthur Pett’s Will tells us so much. 

1. 1.        As stated in the above paragraph, we now know that Captain Adams of the Blessing is Captain Robert Adams.
2. 2.       Robert Adams of Limehouse.  I don’t know anything about Limehouse but that opens up another research point.
3. 3.       Robert Adams was a part of Sir George Somer’s fleet and the Virginia Company
4. 4.       When Arthur Pett was taken ill, Robert Adams boat was where he stayed which may tell us a lot about Robert Adams’ character.
5. 5.       He was a witness to the will which is another character reference or just that he was conveniently at the place that time.

 Note:

During my story of the graveyard hunts I did not mention the name of the neighbors because I did not have permission.