1952John Garner
Key Facts
Snapshot:lived in colonial Virginia
Parents:unknown
Born:circa 1633
location unknown
Died:between 22 January 1702/3 and 1 January 1703/4
Westmoreland County, Virginia
Buried:unknown

1952John Garner was born circa 1633.1

On 18 October 1650, a man named Lewis Burwell was rewarded with land for helping to transport newcomers into Virginia; 1952John Garner was one of the people he helped transport.2 Unfortunately, we don't know where 1952John was transported from. (Interestingly, Burwell also helped transport 1952John's future stepfather-in-law, Thomas Broughton.2)


1650: 1952John's name on a list of people transported into Virginia. Full page.2

1952John probably left Virginia soon thereafter, since on 6 September 1654 another man (Thomas Hobkins) again was rewarded with land for helping to bring 1952John back into Virginia.3

1952John settled in Northumberland County, Virginia and appears in various court records there, as summarized below. (Ruth Ritchie's and Sudie Rucker Wood's book Garner-Keene Families on pages 2-4 describes a few other records that I have not included below. However, in a few cases I've had difficulty finding the records they've cited.)

1952John in Northumberland County, Virginia
Date Summary Image Transcription Source
20 September 1658 This deed is in poor physical condition, so many of the details are missing/illegible. However, one can see that 1952John obtained some land, probably by purchasing it.
 
This transaction and the land (or at least part of it) is described in a later deed; see the entry below dated 20 June 1663.		 link link 4
26 September 1661 1952John inventoried the estate of William Little. link link 5
21 October 1661 William Hopkins gives 1952John half of his land "at Yoacomico" for free, on the condition that 1952John must settle on the land by 1 March 1661/2.
 
That Hopkins would give away his land for free is peculiar. Perhaps he wanted other Englishmen to move into the area to help lessen the threat of Indian attacks.		 link link 6
8 October 1662 1952John signed as a witness to the will of Thomas Orley. link link 7
5 May 1663 1952John is appointed constable of Cherry Point Neck. link n/a 8
5 May 1663 1952John is appointed guardian of Thomas Keene, orphan of (1952John's father-in-law) 3906Thomas Keene. link n/a 8
20 June 1663 Of the land he'd obtained on 20 September 1658, 1952John transfers 500 acres to his son John and to another man named John Bailes. link link 9
20 December 1664 1952John is granted 250 acres as a reward for transporting five people into Virginia. link n/a 10
1 October 1667 1952John is ordered to a build a house for the workmen near the place for the Fort on Yeocomico River. The house was to be 40 feet long, 9 feet tall, and 20 feet wide. n/a link 11

Also from 1952John's time in Northumberland County comes the following court record, perhaps the funniest and most peculiar document I've ever come across while doing genealogy research.1


"[1952]John Gardner aged 30 yeares or thereabouts sworne & examined sayeth yt: he came to ye House of Esqr: ROCKE, & saw JOHN SHAW very ill accordinge to his Judgmt. & called me to see his Stoole ( ) just like froath & farther sayeth not." Full page.1

1952John married 1953Susanna Keene sometime between 10 October 1659 and 2 January 1662/3, as explained below.

Problem: Resolved
Whom did 1952John marry, and when?

The will of 3906Thomas Keene (1953Susanna's father) mentions "my daughter Susanna" as an heir,12 and a court record dated 10 October 1659 mentions "Susanna Keene" as an orphan of 3906Thomas. Therefore, we know that 1952John and 1953Susanna had not yet married as of 10 October 1659.

The will of 3907Mary ___ (1953Susanna's mother), however, mentions a "Daughter Susanna Gardner." This will is dated 2 January 1662, so we know that 1952John and 1953Susanna had married by that time.13

1952John's own will mentions "wife Susan," so we can be confident that they remained married until his death.14

Around the early 1670's, 1952John relocated to Westmoreland County, Virginia, where he would apparently remain for the rest of his life. He first acquired 100 acres there in October 1672,15 then gradually acquired more in February 1673,16 July 1687,17 and January 1694.18 (Again, the book Garner-Keene Families on pages 3-4 describes a few other records pertaining to 1952John in Westmoreland County. I haven't attempted to find/verify the book's citations.)

1952John dated his will on 22 January 1702/3, and it was recorded 1 January 1703/4. His will names John, Henry, Vincent, 976Thomas, Parish, Benjamin (age <21), James (<21); daughters Mary, Susan, and Martha; and wife 1953Susan. It also mentions what seem to be three separate tracts of land: 800 acres; the "plantation and land I now live on together with the lands adjoining;" and land on Horn Point. Other personal property mentioned are a long gun, a yoke for oxen, tobacco, and a sloop named Outcry. You can see the record copy of the will, or a transcription.14

Sources Cited:

1: Northumberland County, Virginia. Records book for the years 1658-1666, page 162B (the right page of the two shown). FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99P6-YCSR?i=323&cat=363009>, accessed 10 August 2021. You can read a transcription.

2: Virginia Land Office Patents and Grants, Patents book 2 (1643-1651), pages 250-251, entry for Lewis Burwell dated 17 October 1650. Library of Virginia, <https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990007306620205756>, accessed 11 August 2021. You can also read an abstract. 1952John's name is on page 251.

3: Virginia Land Office Patents and Grants, Patents book 3 (1652-1655), page 374, entry for Thomas Hobkins dated 6 September 1654. Library of Virginia, <https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990007704520205756>, accessed 10 August 2021.

4: Northumberland County, Virginia. Records book for the years 1658-1666, page 10B (the right page of the two shown). FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99P6-YHS4?i=163&cat=363009>, accessed 10 August 2021. You can read a transcription.

5: Northumberland County, Virginia. Records book for the years 1658-1666, page 67A (the left page of the two shown). FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99P6-Y41D?i=221&cat=363009>, accessed 10 August 2021. You can read a transcription.

6: Northumberland County, Virginia. Records book for the years 1658-1666, page 66A (the left page of the two shown). FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99P6-Y4B4?i=220&cat=363009>, accessed 10 August 2021. You can read a transcription.

7: Northumberland County, Virginia. Records book for the years 1658-1666, page 81B (the right page of the two shown). FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99P6-Y4BX?i=241&cat=363009>, accessed 10 August 2021. You can read a transcription.

8: Northumberland County, Virginia. Orders book for the years 1652-1665, page 414 (using the numbers at the bottom of the page). FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4X-4SFD-C?i=215&cat=401620>, accessed 11 August 2021.

9: Northumberland County, Virginia. Records book for the years 1658-1666, pages 100B (the right page of the two shown) and 101A (the left page of the two shown). FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99P6-YC77?i=261&cat=363009> et seq., accessed 10 August 2021. You can read a transcription.

10: Northumberland County, Virginia. Orders book 1 (1652-1655), page 411 (using the numbers at the bottom of the page). FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4X-4SF2-8?i=213&cat=401620>, accessed 10 August 2021.

11: William and Mary College Quarterly, Volume 9, page 238.

12: Northumberland County, Virginia. Records book for the years 1652-1658, pages 15b and 16a. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99P6-YH8K?i=18&cat=363009>, accessed 28 July 2021.

13: Northumberland County, Virginia. Records book for the years 1658-1666, page 93A and 93B. You can read a transcription here.

14: Westmoreland County, Virginia. Deeds & wills book 3 (1701-1707), pages 153-154. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9PX-V9K3-Q?i=175&cat=399056> et seq., accessed 11 August 2021. You can read a transcription here.

15: Westmoreland County, Virginia. Book of deeds, patents, wills, etc. for the years 1665-1677, page 157A (the left page of the two shown). FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9PR-RBC3?i=355&cat=399495> et seq., accessed 11 August 2021. In October 1672, Nicholas Jenkins and his wife Ann deeded 100 acres of land on the Yeocomico River, which had been purchased of Samuel Earle in 1669, to John Garner and Robert Middleton.

16: Westmoreland County, Virginia. Book of deeds, patents, wills, etc. for the years 1665-1677, pages 177B (the right page of the two shown) and 178A (the left page of the two shown). FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9PR-RB6J?i=377&cat=399495> et seq., accessed 11 August 2021. 1952John and Robert Middleton buy land on 25 February 1673.

17: Westmoreland County, Virginia. Deeds & wills book 2 (1691-1699), pages 125a and 126. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9PX-F4L1?i=259&cat=399056> et seq., accessed 10 August 2021. This record is dated 20 July 1687.

18: Westmoreland County, Virginia. Deeds & wills book 2 (1691-1699), pages 24 and 24a. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9PX-F4N4?i=58&cat=399056> et seq., accessed 10 August 2021. This record is dated 15 January 1694.