Recently I can across some new “old” information regarding John Ware of Gloucester Co. Virginia.  The book “Early Virginia Immigrants, 1623-1666,” by George Cabell Greer has been re-scanned and corrected by Allen Price in 2011.  There are over 17,000 names of immigrants and over 25,000 names including the sponsors. The original book had many alphabetizing errors, which have been corrected with computerized sorting.  Each line contains the last and first name of the immigrant, their date of arrival, their sponsor and the county in which sponsor received land for payment of passage.

I have seen the following information before:

Ware   John    1655    Peter Ford   Gloucester

And have the complete information in the Archives, “John Ware (1655) of Gloucester County, Virginia – Land Deed Research.”

Robert L. Atteberry and Carmen J. Rosado and their research regarding John Graves of Northamptonshire, Revisted, updated 2011 which can be found on-line under that title write the following:  

1. “On 25 Mar 1655 Peter Ford received a patent for 500 acres in Gloucester County (New Kent) situated on the northeast side of the Mattapony River adjacent to lands of Captain Robert Abrall, Mr. Barnhouse and William Wyatt for transport of ten persons, including Patrick Napier, William Belcher, Robert Gibbs, Mary Roberts, William Francis, John Nicholls, John Ware, Anne James, Elizabeth Walker, and Elizabeth Mackrell.”

The BURROUGHS/VASSALL/WEIRE Families of England, New England, Barbados, and Old Rappa. Cos VA echo the same information.

2. “A patent for 500 A land in Gloucester Co VA, dated 25 Mar 1655/6, for Peter FORD included as a headright one John WARE, the land described as “Cacamount on the northeast side of Mettopony [Mattapony] River beginning at a lower tree of Capt. Robert ABRALL, behind land of Mr. BARNHOUSE & Mr. William WYATT…”

Additionally,  an on-line listing in Geni by a private individual:

3. “The immigrant DR. PATRICK NAPIER, progenitor of this family in America, came to Gloucester Co. in 1654 or 1655. One Peter Ford received 500 acres at Cacamount, Gloucester Co., Virginia, March 25, 1655, for transporting ten persons to the colony, among whom PATRICK NAPIER is listed.”

Now at this point we need to know more about Peter Ford.  Marsha Van Ham lists Peter Ford in her tree on Rootsweb with the following information:

• Peter FORD ^{1 2 3 4 4 4}
• Sex: M
• Birth: in Wincester, , , England
• Event: Arrival 1648 Virginia ^{3 1}
• Death: in Jamestown, James, Virginia, United States
• Father: OLIVER WARNEFORD b: in Wincester, , , England
  Mother: Elizabeth BULLOCK b: in , , , EnglandMarriage 1 Dorothy KIRKBYE b: in , , , England
  • Married: in , , , England

  Children

  1. Gerald or Gerrard FORD b: 1690 in Westmoreland, Virginia, United States

  Sources:

  1. Title: Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s
     Author: Gale Research
     Publication: Name: Online publication – Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.Original data – Filby, P. William, ed.. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2009.Original data: Filby, P. William, ed.. P
     Page: Place: Virginia; Year: 1648; Page Number: 117.
     Note: http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=pili354&h=4074987&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt
     Text: Arrival date: 1648Arrival place: Virginia
  2. Title: Ancestry Family Trees
     Publication: Name: Online publication – Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.;
     Note:
     This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.
     Page: Ancestry Family Trees
     Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=16166467&pid=389992718
  3. Title: Ancestry Family Trees
     Publication: Name: Online publication – Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.;
     Note:
     This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.
     Page: Ancestry Family Trees
     Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=16166467&pid=401236571
  4. Title: Ancestry Family Trees
     Publication: Name: Online publication – Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.;
     Note:
     This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.
     Page: Ancestry Family Trees
     Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=16166467&pid=381451077

 

We also need to understand what a headright is.  Wikipedia gives the following explanation:

“A headright is a legal grant of land to settlers. Headrights are most notable for their role in the expansion of the thirteen British colonies in North America; the Virginia Company of London gave headrights to settlers, and the Plymouth Company followed suit. The headright system was used in several colonies, including Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Most headrights were for 1 to 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) of land, and were given to anyone willing to cross the Atlantic Ocean and help populate the colonies. Headrights were granted to anyone who would pay for the transportation costs of a laborer or indentured servant. These land grants consisted of 50 acres (200,000 m²) for someone newly moving to the area and 100 acres (0.40 km²) for people previously living in the area. By giving the land to the landowning masters the indentured servants had little or no chance to procure their own land. This kept many colonials poor and led to strife between the poor servants and wealthy landowners.

The headright system began in Jamestown, Virginia in 1618 as an attempt to solve labor shortages due to the advent of the tobacco economy, which required large plots of land with many workers. The disproportion that existed between the amount of land available and the population created a situation with a low supply of labor, resulting in the growth of indentured servitude and slavery. The headright system was also a way to attract new colonists. Colonists who had already been living in Virginia were each given two headrights of 50 acres (200,000 m²); immigrant colonists who paid for their passage were given one headright, and individuals would subsequently receive one headright each time they paid for the passage of another individual. This last mechanism increased the division between the wealthy land-owners and the working poor. Headrights were given to heads-of-households and because 50 acres were accumulated for each member of the household, families had an incentive to make the passage to the colonies together.

After paying for the passage of an individual to make it to the colonies, one needed to obtain a patent for the land. First, the governor or local county court had to provide a certificate that certified the validity of the importation of a person. One would then select the land one desired and have an official survey made. The two basic surveying instruments used to mark plots of land were a chain known as Gunter’s chain and a compass.The patent’s claimant would then take the description of this land to the colony’s secretary, who created the patent to be approved by the governor. Once a headright was obtained, it was treated as a commodity and could be bought, sold, or traded. It also could be saved indefinitely and used at a later date.

Individuals who could afford to do so would accumulate headrights by providing funds for poor individuals to travel to Virginia. (During the 17th century, the cost of transport from England to the colonies was about six pounds per person.) This system led to the development of indentured servitude where poor individuals would become workers for a specified number of years and provide labor in order to repay the landowners who had sponsored their transportation to the colonies. The claimaints to headrights could receive grants for men, women and children since anyone could become an indentured servant. Early documentation from the Virginia Company seems to suggest that a landowner could receive a headright even if the indentured servant whose trip they sponsored did not make it to Virginia alive. While the majority of headrights distributed were issued under the names of British immigrants, as time went on, indentured servants who provided the heads-of-households with land came from throughout Europe and could be used as headrights, as could slaves from Africa.”

Robert L. Atteberry and Carmen J. Rosado claim in their research about John Grave of Northamtonshire,

“John Ware was claimed as a headright by John Pate and Robert Beverly in a patent on 15Jul1669 for 6,000 acres situated upon north side of Mattapony River for the transport of 120 persons. Whether this John Ware was the same person claimed by Peter Ford in 1655 is unknown, but probable. John Ware was recorded as an adjacent land owner on a patent on 22Sep1682 for 300 acres granted to Nicholas Ware along the north side of Mattapony River. These John Wares are believed to all have been the same person, and the son of Peter Ware, born about 1638. John Ware, Peter Ware Jr. and Nicholas Ware were brothers, who settled along the south side of the Peanketanke (Dragon) Swamp in the area that became St. Stephen’s Parish, King and Queen County.       On 21Aug1665 Nicholas Ware and John Garrett [presumed brother-in-law of said Nicholas] received patent for 386 acres in New Kent County on north side of Mattapony River upon head branches of Hartequack [Heartquake] Creek for transport of eight persons. This tract was situated within a couple of miles from the tracts filed by Peter Ford, and found later to abut lands in possession of Nicholas Ware’s brothers: Peter Ware Jr. and John Ware.”

Their is also this information in the Immigrants Book:

Ware	John	1653	William Johnson	Lancaster		
Ware	Jon Jr	1653	John Ware	???		
Ware	Jon Sr & wife	1653	John Ware	???		
Ware	Nicholas	1648	George White	Lower Norfolk

Judy C. Ware writes the following information:

Complete Lineage of the Ware Name to the Present Generation (through descending males)

“PETER WARE SR. (1608 – 1650)

Married: Mary Hickes (1599 – 1659)
Had: Thomas, Nicholas, John, Elizabeth, 2 children who died young, Edward, and descending son Peter Jr.
In 1636, Peter sold his Munster leases (probably obtained through his father, John) in County Cork, Ireland and left for England and then Virginia.
[** Interesting point – “In 1641, just 5 years after Peter and his family left Ireland, the Irish were intent on the murder of the whole Protestant population…”

This states the Ware children were born in Ireland and came to America before 1655.  Therefore why would John Ware, an immigrant, be sponsored by Peter Ford to come to America in 1655?  First, we know there are several Ware lines in Virginia at this time living in close proximity to each other.  We also know that the names James, William and John are common for Ware men.  My 4th great-grandfather, John Ware lived in Goochland Co.,  and though he had property in adjoining Fluvanna Co. he is often confused with the other John Ware of Fluvanna Co.  And thirdly, we know John Ware of Goochland Co. was born in Gloucester Co. and his father was James Ware.

I recently did my DNA testing through Ancestry.com and I have a distant cousin who descends from Nicholas Ware, the son of James Ware and brother to John Ware. He states in his tree James’ father was Edward Ware (also in the research by Robert L. Atteberry and Carmen J. Rosado and Judy C. Ware.)  My contention is that this in not true.  I have closely followed the descending generations from James and no children are named Edward.  James last son is named “Edmund.”  So you are asking why does this matter.  Because names are a road map to follow when you are researching.  Names are repeated several times from generation to generation.  Specifically in my lineage descending from James, there is John, William, Robert, Thomas and John.  Again, James, John and William being the more popular.

Therefore, I believe that the John Ware who arrived from England in 1655 would have been too old to have been the father of James Ware born in Gloucester Co., Virginia in 1714, but not too old to be James’ grandfather.  Hopefully more information might come to light someday to prove this and the identity of his child the father of James Ware.