Individual Details

1 Dec 1652. James Crews testified that Francis Gyles lived about one year in Virginia before he died in August or September 1651 at Jordans [Charles City County].
Note: I wonder about any relationship of Francis Gyles to Giles Carter....

James Crews was a merchant trading between Native Americans, Virginia colonists, and the market of London. He frequently appears in lawsuits in Charles City County.

14 Sep 1661. At a court in Westover, licenses to keep Indians were revoked. Mr. John Drayton and Mr. James Crews each is permitted to keep an Indian.
Charles City Co VA, Order Book.
Note: This raises the question of whether the Indian was male or female and how long Crews had "kept" the Indian. Is this Indian the man Tero named in Crews' will or is it the mother of Hannah Carter?

There is a possibility that James Crews married Margaret Llewellyn. On 10 Aug 1654, Margaret witnessed a will signing her maiden name. Margaret Crews witnessed the will of John Rowan [possible stepfather to the orphans John & Daniel Price] on 1 May 1662. On 6 Feb 1664, Margaret's father wrote his will, leaving money for his daughter Margaret Cruse and her husband money to buy memorial rings. If this marriage took place, Margaret had died before 1676 and they had no children. The marriage was also likely too late for Margaret to have been the mother of Hannah as she was likely born circa 1650 - there is a possiblity this is a quesstimate and Hannah was older.

Jun 1676. Members of the Virginia House of Burgesses from Henrico Co: Nathaniel Bacon Jr and James Crewes

Will of James Crewes of Turkey Island, planter. 23 Jul 1676
To Mary Carter, dau of Gioles Carter, 10,000#'s tobacco & bedding
To Susan Carter, 10,000 #'s tobacco & bedding
To my man Tero [often abstracted as Tom], his freedom, for serving 3 years after my decease & to have land to tend for him and another
To Hannah Carter, wife of Giles, negro maid
To Daniel Price, my best suit and coat
To Giles Carter - plantation I let him have for life; yearly account to my executor
If Hannah Carter dies, negro wench to her son Theodorick.
Loving cousin Mattew Crewes to be sole executor.
Wit: Thomas Forehand, Darby Enroughty
Rec. 2 Aug 1680

From: "Karen Wood"
To: "Kay Haden"
Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2003
" In the name of God Amen, I James Crewes of Turkey Island planter in Henrico County being of sound & perfect memory praysed be God doe make and ordaine this my last will testament in manner & forme following first & principle I committ my soule into the hands of Almighty God my creater hoping & assured by beleiving through the merritts death & passion of Jesus Christ my only Saviour and Redeemer to have & obtaine free and full remission & pardon for all my sins, as touchinge concerninge all my worldly estate, either here in Virginia in England or elsewhere dew either by bill bond or accoumpt. Imprimis.
Item I give & bequeath unto Mary Carter daughter to Giles Carter tenn thousand pounds of tobo: & cask one feather bed two blanketts & one good rugge, this to be payd in three years after my decease, the interest hereof to be towards her clothinge. Item I give unto Susan Carter tenn thousand pounds of tobo: & casq: one feather bed two blanketts & one rugge to be payd as above said. Item. I give unto my man Tero his freedome he servinge three years after my decease, and at the expiracon on the said tyme I give unto him one Cow, one sow if I have any left, and as much land as he shall tend for him & another during life.
Item. I give unto Hannah Carter wife to Giles Carter my negroe maid Keate for ever and her increase. Item. I give unto Daniel Price my best suit and coat and hat. [Daniel Price was a step nephew of Margaret Llewelly giving further credence to the marriage of Crewes to her] Item. I give unto Giles Carter what he owns me by bill or book and further the plantacon which I have formerly lett him that he & his wife Hannah Carter shall have it during both their lives rent free, only paying one Graine of Indian Corne when demanded and further it is my will that what I have given to the said Giles Carter's children, that if either of them should dye that it should come to the rest of his children. It is further my will that when the said Hannah Carter wife to the said Giles Carter shall died, then the said negroe wench returne to Theodrick Carter her son and if shee hath any children them to be at her disposing who she will give them too.
Item. I make my loving Cozen [nephew] Mr. Mathew Crewe my sole executor of all my lands here in Virginia, or else where & all the rest of my estate to him or his heirs forever, my just debts being payd. Item. It is my desire that my loving friend Giles Carter shall live here in my said house & comand my servants & make crops or any other thinge as shall be convenient & necessary for the said plantacon, and soe to give an account yearly as my said Executor shall order. James Crewes . . " " Wit: Thomas Forehand, Derby Enroughty.

[James Crewes never stated his relationship to any of the Carter family. There is no wife named. Some suspect Hannah was the daughter of Giles and an Indian woman as the man Tero named in the will was Indian, but I don't believe this necessarily follows. However, Crewes was unusally generous to Tero. Fines & punishment were in place in this time period for free white men and women who had a child outside of wedlock - there has been no court documents found accusing James Crewes of such crime. A relationship between a white man and non-white servant would have been overlooked. Crewes must also have known his life was in peril because of his involvement in Bacon's Rebellion and may have omitted any relationship to protect Hannah. Then again, Crewes may have not been related to either Hannah or to Giles Carter.]

24 Jan 1677. At a Court Marshall held at Green Springs, James Crews was brought before the court for treason and rebellion; the court decried guilty unanimously and the sentence of death imposed to be carried out the Friday next [28 Jan 1677] to be hanged by the neck until dead.

8 May 1677. Inventory of goods of Capt James Crewes. Estate said to be in possession of Mr. Davis Esq. clerk of Charles City County by grant of Sir William Berkeley, the colonial Governor. Quite possibly much of the estate was confiscated by Berkeley. The inventory includes 6141 acres of land with several dwelling houses. Much less will be evident in later years.
Here are additional items from the Inventory:
..one good large feather bed at Giles Carters' [a feather bed was the usual gift to a daughter upon her marriage?]
..Indian boy given to Maj. William White by Sir William Berkeley and sold by White to Mr. Richard Cocke
..one feather bed at William Randolph's [serving as local attorney for Crewes' nephew & niece in England]
..one Negro man about 20 years old
..one Negro woman about 16 years old [Kate, bequeathed to Hannah?]
..one English maid servant named Mary Herringer, 2 years to serve
..one good Indian man named Tero; sold by Sir William Berkeley to Maj. William White for 2000 #'s [Tero was freed by the will. Interesting that he received such generous treatment from Crewes when the other servants received nothing. Obviously Tero was not freed, nor did he receive the livestock & land promised.]
..one sable horse taken when James Crewes was taken and given to Col. William Farrow by Sir William Berkeley

Thomas Forehand & Darby Enroughty deposed that the will exhibited in court by Giles Carter is the same of Capt James Crewes, dec'd, that they were witnesses to. Recorded 10 Dec. 1677.
Note: The presentation of the will to the court was most often done by a family member. Certainly the will was in possession of Carter.

21 Dec 1680. Petition to Court that Capt James Crews, deceased, left no widow or lawful child. The attorneys for Matthew Crews, nephew of James & son of his brother Francis, and for Sarah (Crews) Whittingham, niece of James & daughter of the older brother Edward, made suit that administration be granted them. [The fact that this order states "lawful child" has been cited as indication that Hannah was not born in wedlock. Yet the bequests to Hannah, her husband, and her children are that normally found in the relationship of father to daughter.]

2 Feb 1681. The attorneys of Sarah Whittingham and Matthew Crews, appointed William Randolph of Henrico their attorney to handle the estate.

24 Mar 1681. Inventory of Capt James Crews, dec'd. Value: 19,500 #'s of tobacco. [This does not seem consistent with the gifts to Mary & Susan Carter. He seemed a much wealthier man. It would seem some items have perhaps been previously granted or disposed of or confiscated by Gov. Wm Berkley.


HENRICO CO VA DEEDS 1677-1705
p.27/302 25 Feb 1685 Giles Carter & Hannah of Varina Parish, Henrico, to William Randolph. 50 acres acres given to said Giles & Hannah Carter by Will of James Crewes, dec'd, dated 23 Jul 1676 being part of Crews' land at Turkey Island, which land was since purchased by Wm Randolph 25 Aug 1684. Wit: Wm. Cocke, All. Clerke, James Cocke. Rec. 1 Apr 1685.
Henrico Deeds 1677-1705
p.27/302 25 Aug 1684 William Whittingham of London, Gent., and Sarah his wife, niece of James Crews, dec'd, and Matthew Crews, citizen & haberdasher of London, being heirs and executors of James Crews of Henrico Co, VA, to William Randolph of Henrico, land known as Turkey Island Plantation, 500 acres. Wit: Rich'd Johnson, Zach'y Taylor, Xpher Morgan, John Wynn, Rich'd Starke, Rich'd Fassett
Signed: William Whittingham, Sarah Whittingham, Matt. Crewes
Rec. 1 Apr 1685.

Death

28 Jan 1677

Henrico County, Virginia

Child

Hannah ?Crewes ( - )