JAMES & ANN HAWLEY
THE STORY AS I KNOW IT
Ann H. Mack wrote an article for The Virginia Genealogist, Volume 28, 1984 entitled Hawley/Halley In Seventeenth Century Virginia. She has since done further well documented research on this family. She presents a full and rich story of these early settlers of Virginia. The material found on this website is from her research. We are very grateful for her careful work.
James Hawley was born about 1610 in England. We do
not know where he was born. The book Some Emigrants to Virginia by
Stanard may have a clue. It states that Jerome Hawley, who
was in Virginia by 1638, was a brother of James Hawley and that Jerome
was of Brentford, Middlesex,. Brentford is on the Thames River
in West London near the M4. It is at least a place to look. We do not
know who his parents were.
The Society of the Ark and the Dove has a partial passenger list on
line. It list Jerome Hawley esq.
as a Commissioner. He is listed in both The
Flowering
of the Maryland Palatinate by
Harry Wright Newman, and Yesterday in
Old St.
Mary's County by Robert E. T.
Pogue. The two small wooden sailing ships set sail from Cowes, Isle of Wight, England
on the 22nd day
of November, 1633.
Ann Hawley was born about 1615. Her approximate age was given in a Northumberland County, VA deposition. She and James immigrated together to Virginia in 1641 with two daughters. Further children were born in the colonies. Cavaliers and Pioneers note from the Isle of Wright County Records page 748, On April 22, 1641, James Hawley received 300 acres for transporting himself, Ann his wife, Francis Ann and Alice, his children, John Foster and Richard Darling.
The known children of James and Ann were:
1. Alice, born pre 1641
2. Francis Ann, born pre 1641. Either Alice or Francis married
a Knight.
3. Henry, born about 1643/4
4. Edward, born about 1645/6
5. Mary, born about 1650 married Jacob Lucas.
James was very active buying and selling land, first in Isle of Wight County Virginia and then Northumberland County and Westmoreland County. It is probable that movement was made by water. Isle of Wight is on south side of the James River near Norfolk. Northumberland and Westmoreland counties are between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers. All are accessible from the Chesapeake Bay
The William and Mary Quarterly Colonial History Magazine refer
to the land transactions:
Vol 7, page 294/5 from Abstracts of Isle of Wright County Records,
James Hawley renewed the patent on 300 acres Sept 28, 1643.
Page 29, April 10 1647 County records described the 300
acres as lying
upon the head of the lower Bay Creek next to land of John
Rowe.
James Hawley was active in county and church affairs, serving in important positions. Between 1654 and July, 1656 he served as a witness and a justice in Northumberland County. At that time the county was all the land between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. It was later divided into 5 counties. But he also served as a vestryman in Wicomoco congregation in 1655. That church is in current Northumberland County which is the most southeastern portion of the land between the rivers.
Cavalier and Pioneer notes that in Oct 1656, Peter Knight claimed 925 acres for transporting 19 people to Petowmach River adjacent to Chappawansicke Creek. This is now in Stafford county Va, but was then Westmoreland county. The people transported included James Hawley, Ann, his wife, 3 children, Jonathan Foster and Ruth Darlinge. They were not transported from England but from Northumberland County, VA. Most likely the 3 children were the young ones born after Alice and Francis Ann. Those two would have been young women by 1656 and very likely married.
Northumberland County notes Virginia Patent book, page 110 list the
sale
June 1, 1664 of 300 acres owned by James Hawley to John Payne.
The Cavaliers and Pioneers lists James Hawley as a person transported in Lancaster County, May 18, 1666. His wife was not mentioned. Lancaster County is part of the old Northumberland Neck, now just south of Northumberland County. It could be that he was "going home".
When James sold land to his son-in-law in 1671, Ann did not sign any dower rights away, implying that she had probably died. It is likely she died prior to May 1666.
The last transaction of James found in existing records was when he witnessed a business agreement in late 1677 in Westmoreland County. Ms. Mack places his death to be between Nov 1677 and 1680.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
If you know the answer please CONTACT US
1. Where were James and Ann born?
2. What was Ann's maiden name?
3. Who were their parents?
4. Were there other children?
5. When and where did they die?
Maier_Associates: © Copyright 2003
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Date Last Edited: 2/5/2003