Newport News; Wm. and Mary Qrtly., Vol. 9, No. 4, 1901 Transcribed by Barb Hill for the USGenWeb Archives Special Collections Project ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** Newport News William and Mary Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 9, No.4 (Apr., 1901) pp 233-237 Page 233 Newport News 861. Thomas Bagwell Nov. 11, 1642. 600 acres. West on the land of Capt. Harris, East on the Land of John Freeme, towards Wards Creek. 893. Thomas Wheeler, Aug. xxiii 1643. 990 acres, at the head of Powell Creek. 910. Symon Sturges, John Sadler, & Richard Quincy of London Merchants Aug. 5, 1643. 4,550 acres. Commonly called and known by the name of Martin Brandon lying betwixt Chippokes Creek and Wards Creek. 933. James Merryman. Dec. 20, 1643. 100 acres called by the name of Martin Brandon opposite against Weyanoake. 951. Pierce Lennon. Feb'y 28, 1642. 200 acres. Between two creeks of Martin Brandon side near to the north of Wards creek opposite against Wayonoak marsh. (End of Book I.) NEWPORT NEWS With the remarkable development of Newport News the origin of its name will have an increasing interest. There are two rival theories. One attributes the name to Sir William Newce, and the other to Capt. Christopher Newport, admiral of the the little fleet which brougt the first settlers to Jamestown. Dr. Alexander Brown, who has made the most patient study of the early history of Virginia, prefers the first theory, and my own examination of the subject compels me to take the same view. Let us lok at the facts of the case. Sir William Newce was and English soldier of large means. He served in Ireland at the siege of Kinsale. In May, 1605, he led a company of Irish to enter the Spanish service, and in 1606 was implicated in a scheme to deliver Sluys, Flushing and other towns to the Archduke. >From these charges he seems to have cleared himself, and was soon after again in Ireland. He was the first mayor of Bandon in County Cork, and was the founder of Newce's Town, a port and suburb of Bandon, on the Bandon River. In April, 1621, he offered to transport a thousand emigrants to Virginia, and his offer was accepted by the London Company, who, on May 2, 1621, chose him marshal of Virginia, and on June 13, 1621, added him Page 234 William and Mary College Quarterly to the Virginia Council. He went over to Virginia with Sir Francis Wyatt, reaching there in October, 1621. He was granted 2,500 acres of land, but died two days after his patent was read in council and before it could have been located. He was preceded to Virginia by his brother, Capt. Thomas Newce, who, in May 17, 1620, was, by the London Company, made superintendent of the company's lands and tenants, and given "600 acres at Kequatan, now called Elizabeth Cittie, 400 acres at Charles Cittie, 100 at Henrico, 100 at James Cittie." He arrived in the winter of 1621, and was made a member of the council in the following July. he died about the 1st of April, 1623, leaving a widow and child in Virginia. The example of the Newces was followed by their friend Daniel Gookin, Esq. On the 15th of November, 1620, he engaged, through Thomas Wood, to ship cattle to Virginia from Ireland at eleven pounds a head, and she-goats at three pounds.* On July 2, 1621, the company, at his request, granted him a particular patent, "as large as that granted to Sir William Newce." The governor and council under date of January, 1622, thus noticed Gookin's arrival in Virginia: "There arrived here about the 22nd of November a ship from Mr. Gookin out of Ireland wholly upon his own adventure, without any relation at all to his contract with you in England, which was so well furnished with all sortes of provisione, as well as with cattle, as wee could wyshe all men would follow their example; hee hath also brought with him about fifty men upon that adventure, besides some 30 passengers. Wee have according to their desire seated them at Newport's News, and we doe conceive great hope, yjj the Irish Plantation prosper, yet from Ireland great multitudes of People will like to come hither." In the General History of Virginia, edited by Capt. John Smith, occurs this reference: "Nov. 22, 1621, arrived Master Gookin out of Ireland, with fifty men of his own, and thirty passengers exceedingly well furnished with all sorts of provisions and cattle, and planted himself at Newports Newes." In March, 1622, occurred the great Indian massacre, but Daniel Gookin successfully defended his settlement at Neport News against all attacks. And the census of Virginia, * As money was five times as dear in those days as now, cows were worth $275 and she-goats $75 in present money. Page 235 Newport News taken 1625, showed that Newport News was occupied solely by "Daniel Gookin's muster." There is a grant dated April 20, 1685, to Hon. William Cole, Esq., secretary of the colony of Virginia, for land partly in Warrick county and partly in Elizabeth City county, "commonly called Newports News," containing, "according to the most ancient and lawful bounds thereof," 1431 acres, "being all that can be found, upon an exact survey, of 2500 acres formerly granted to Daniel Gookin, Esquire, except 250 acres fromerly conveyed and made over to the said Gookin." And Daniel Gookin, Jr., and John Gookin conveyed the said land to John Chandler, who sold the same to Capain Benedict Stafford, from whom the said land was found to excheat by a jury April 3, 1684, and was then granted to Col. William Cole and Capt. Roger Jones, which last made over his interest to said Cole, the patentee in 1685. About 1790 Newport News was owned by Col. William Digges, who was a descendant of Col. Wiliam Cole. The location offered a port surpassingly fine. The Newces and Gookin, all three in Virginia in November, 1621, came from County Cork, Ireland, where there was a Newce's Town. Therefore, in the spirit of alliteration which then prevailed, and which found expression in such places as Pace's Pains, Jordan's Jorney, etcl, they called it New Port Newce. Dr. Alexander Brown says in his noble and interesting work, The First Republic in America, "I have always found the name spelled 'New Porte' in original documents, but in prints and copies it is sometimes spelled Newports; the last name, however, is spelled 'Newce,''Newse,' 'Nuce.'" Hailing from Ireland, Daniel Gookin, like the Newces, was nevertheless an Englishman. He was of an ancient family from Kent,* and with his brother, Sir Vincent Gookin, went to Ireland. Soon after the massacre, Governor Wyatt and his wife paid him a visit at Newport News, and he returned to England in the ship which brought the news of the slaughter of more than three hundred of the English. It is probable that he did no return to Virginia, but carried on his plantation at Newport News through his son, Daniel Gookin, Jr. One of the two was living at the place when DeVries, the Dutch captain, anchored *See the Visitation of Kent. Page 236 William and Mary Quarterly. at evening on the 20th of March, 1633, before the place, which he called Newport Snuw. Daniel Gookin, Jr., had been a soldier, and became a Puritan. In 1642 he signed a petition with John Hill, Richard Bennett and sixty-eight others, addressed to the General Court of Massachusetts, for three able ministers to occupy parishes in his neighborhood. In answer John Knowles, William Thompson and Thomas James were sent to Virginia. But Governor Berkeley and the General Assembly of the colony came down so hard upon the Puritas that the ministers soon returned to Massachusetts and Daniel Gookin went also. He became one of the leading men of Massachusetts. His tombstone is at Cambridge with this inscription: Here lyes interred ye body of Major-General Daniel Gookin, Aged 75 years Who departed this life ye 19th March, 1686-87 John Gookin, who was presiding magistrate of Lower Norfolk county, was his brother. As to the other theory of origin of the name, I have never seen any contemporary authority for it. The most respectable, and, in fact, the only authority, is Robert Beverley, who, however, wrote with anything but exactness, and was separated from the event of which he wrote by three-quarters of a century. In his history we read: "It was october, 1621, that Sir Francis Wyatt arrived governor, and in November Capt. Newport arrived with fifty men, imported at his own charge, besides passengers, and made a plantation on Newports News, naming it after himself." What is to be said of this authority when it is learned that prior to September, 1617, more than four years before his reported settlement at Newport News, Capt. Newport had died at Java, thousands of miles distant from Newport News. The language used by Beverley shows that he mistook Newport for Gookin. In almost the same words Captain Smith describes Gookin's settlement at Newport News. He came in the same month, and brought fifty men besides passengers. There is no evidence that Capt. Newport himself ever owned lands in Virginia. he died, in fact, two years before any allotment of land took place. The Virginia Company gave the noble Fort on Yeocomico River William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol.9, No.4. (Apr., 1901), pp.237-239 Page 237 Fort on Yeocomico River old sea-dog a bill of adventure for 400 pounds in consideration of his services, but it was not till November, 1619, that his son and heir, John Newport asked leave to lay out some part of the same in land. On July 10, 1621, the company further ordered that Sir Francis Wyatt should be entreated to set out for Mrs. Newport 32 shares of land heretofore bestowed upon Capt. Christopher Newport, her late husband, deceased, in reward of his service, with an addition of three whole shares for the persons of six men transported at her charge in the Jonathan in 1619, in any place not already disposed of, and that Capt. Hamor should see it done. But it is not believed that even these orders were consummated. We have a list, in 1626, of all the lands granted out, and there is no mention of either Mrs. Newport or her son. Their interest in Virginia was probably assigned to others. We have lists of all the persons living in Virginia in 1624 and 1625, and neither Mrs. Newport nor her son John is mentioned among them. Authorities: Brown's Genesis of the United States, Brown's First Republic in America, neill's London Company, Neill's Virginia Vetusta, Neill's Virginia Caroloum, Conway's Abstract of the Proceedings of the London company, Calendar of State Papers, Colonial, 1574-1660, Hotten's Lists of Emigrants to America, Virginia Land Grants MSS., Smith's General History, Robert Beverley's History of Virginia.