Note: Much of the research presented here is based on: John Frederick Dorman, Ancestors and Descendants of Francis Epes I of Virginia (Epes-Eppes-Epps), Volume I (Society of the Descendants of Francis Epes I of Virginia, 1992), pages 105-106 (“11 JOHN2 EPES [1626-1679]”).

As explained in the two problem sections below, 2052John Eppes, son of 4104Francis Eppes, was born circa 1626. His mother's name may have been Marie, but this is uncertain.

Problem: Resolved Who is 2052John's father, and when was 2052John born? On 26 August 1635, Capt. 4104Francis Eppes was granted 1700 acres as a reward for paying to transport his three sons and thirty servants to Virginia. The grant includes the names of all the people who were transported; 4104Francis Eppes and his sons 2052John, Francis, and Thomas are the first four names on the list. Relevant portions of the grant are copied below.1 1635: 4104Francis was rewarded for transporting people into Virginia. Full page.1                   [...] fiftie acres of the said Seaventeen hundred acres of Land being due unto him the said Capt Francis Eppes for his owne p[er]sonall adventure into this Colony and the other Sixteene hundred and fiftie acres by order[?] for the transportation at his owne expense[?] costs[?] and charges of three sonns and thirty Servants into this Colony [...]. A list of the people he transported includes 2052John Eppes. Full page.1 Capt Frs Epes Jon Epes Frs Epes Tho: Epes Jon Long Jon Baker[?] Tho: Warden [...] 2052John was probably born about 1626, judging by the dates of birth of his two younger brothers: His brother Francis deposed on 8 July 1677 that he was 49 years old or thereabouts2 (and therefore born circa 1628). His brother Thomas was baptized in London on 8 September 1630.3 Furthermore, since records from 1625 and 1627/8 suggest that 4104Francis was well-established and respected in colonial Virginia,4 we can surmise that 2052John was probably born there.

Problem: Unresolved Who is 2052John's mother? 2052John's brother Thomas has an extant baptism record, which states that he was the son of 4104Francis and Marie Epes and was baptized at St. Olave Church, Hart Street, London on 8 September 1630.3 Marie was probably also the mother of 4104Francis' two older sons, viz. 2052John and Francis, but no explicit evidence thereof has been found. Unfortunately, little else is known about Marie. Dorman comments that some have suggested her maiden name was Littlebury, but no evidence has been found.5

4104Francis, his wife Marie, and his two sons 2052John and Francis seem to have moved to London in the late 1620's. 4104Francis doesn't seem to be mentioned in Virginia records from this period, and furthermore 4104Francis' third son Thomas was baptized in St. Olave Church, Hart Street, London on 8 September 1630.3 The church still stands today at coordinates N51.51084 E0.07969 and has a church website.

By February 1631/2, 4104Francis (and therefore presumably 2052John, too) had moved back to Virginia, specifically the Shirley Hundred area.7

2052John married Mary Kent8 (as previously explained in 1026Daniel Epes' profile), and their first child was born circa 1646.9 On 3 August 1653 2052John sold sixty acres that had belonged to his late father-in-law Humfrey Kent to "Thomas Rands of Wiynoke" in exchange for 2000 pounds of tobacco. An excerpt from the deed is copied and transcribed below.10

On 30 September 1674 2052John patented 2550 acres (including 1980 acres that originally belonged to his father) on the south side of James River between Gravelly Creek, the city landing, and Causin's Creek ("on ye So[uth] Side Ja:[mes] Riv[er] in Cha:[rles] Cytty Coty [...] bounded as foll.[ows] beg[inning] at ye mouth of Gravelly Creek at ye river & running by[?] ye river [...] to ye Cytty landing from there [...] to Causons Creek [...]"). Part of the patent is copied below.11 The James River is marked on the master map.

2052John seems to have carried a good reputation in his community. Various records describe him with military ranks, so he probably helped lead the area's militia. Below is a chart summarizing records that show his different ranks, along with the dates of those records.

3 August 1653, captain10
7 April 1671, major12
30 September 1674, lieutenant colonel11
February 1675/6, colonel13

One record (copied below) describes 2052John as sheriff of Charles City County, Virginia in February 1675/6.13

He also served in judicial roles. A Charles City County court record for 4 June 1655 lists 2052John as one of the justices of the court.14

1655: 2052John is a justice of the court. Full page.14

On 23 March 1661/2, Virginia's House of Burgesses ordered Captain Robert Wynne and Captain 2052John Eps to decide a parish boundary dispute.15

On 26 May 1677, Virginia's Lieutenant Governor Herbert Jeffreys authorized 2052John and several other men to take depositions from complainants in the aftermath of Bacon's Rebellion.16

On 5 November 1677, Lt. Gov. Jeffreys appointed Col. 2052John Eppes and several other men as justices of the quorum for Charles City County. The record goes on to state that their duties would include judging suits and controversies and taking depositions. Part of the record is copied below.17

In August 1678, 2052John's younger brother Francis was killed by Indians. One record pertaining to the killing reads in part, "On the 22nd and 23rd of August [1678] some Indians came downe uppon James River to the number of 150 or 200 in Henrico County ... on the 24th some of the Militia officers of Henrico County gott upp a party of forty six horse and march'd imediately upp to [ ] upper plantation of Coll: [Rowland] Place's; The cheife officer Coll: [Francis] Epps and Major [William] Harris were kill'd and two more wounded ..." 18

2052John himself died sometime in the late summer or autumn of 1679, at about age 53. He was still alive when he rendered a judgment in court on 4 August 1679; the record of his judgment is copied below.19

4 August 1679: 2052John is still alive. Full page.19

He must have died by 16 October 1679, though, since on that date, a petitioner "not being satisfied by sd Epps [described earlier in the document as "Coll: Jno Epps"] dying" sued 2052John's son for a debt that 2052John owed him. A record pertaining to the lawsuit is copied below.20

16 October 1679: 2052John had died recently. Full page.20

2052John wrote a will, which is briefly mentioned in a December 1685 court record (copied below),21 but unfortunately the text of the will itself has been lost.

This court record proves that 2052John wrote a will, even though the will itself is now lost. Full page.21

"Jnọ Epes hath liberty to lay out his father's land according to his father's will [...]"

Sources Cited:

1: Virginia Land Office. Patents book 1 (1623-1643), pages 280-281, grant to Capt. Francis Eppes dated 26 August 1635. Library of Virginia, <http://image.lva.virginia.gov/LONN/LO-1/001/201-300.html>, accessed 26 August 2011.

2: Charles City County, Virginia. Orders book for the years 1677-1679, page 200. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4V-J3QW-6?i=60&cat=379935>, accessed 21 November 2021. This record is cited in: John Frederick Dorman, Ancestors and Descendants of Francis Epes I of Virginia (Epes-Eppes-Epps), Volume I (Society of the Descendants of Francis Epes I of Virginia, 1992), page 107.

3: St. Olave, Hart Street, London. Parish Register I, 8 September 1630, baptismal entry for Thomas. Ancestry.com ("London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812" / City of London / St Olave, Hart Street / 1563-1633 / image 32 of 96) accessed 21 November 2021. This record is also indexed in: W. Bruce Bannerman, ed., The Registers of St. Olave, Hart Street, London, 1563-1700 (Roworth and Company, London, 1916), page 40.

4: H. R. McIlwaine, ed., Journals of the House of Burgesses of Virginia, 1619-1658/59, pages 44 and 51.

5: John Frederick Dorman, Ancestors and Descendants of Francis Epes I of Virginia (Epes-Eppes-Epps), Volume I (Society of the Descendants of Francis Epes I of Virginia, 1992), page 109, footnote 32. The footnote reads, "It has often been suggested that her maiden name was Littlebury but no evidence of this has been found."

6: Wikimedia user lonpicman, "St Olave Church" (photographed 15 September 2008). Online image. Wikimedia, <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Olave_Church.jpg>, accessed 24 October 2014. The photographer has licensed this image under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

7: William Waller Hening, The Statutes at Large, Volume I, page 154.

8: Charles City County, Virginia. Orders book for the years 1687-1695, page 209. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4V-J33G-2?i=265&cat=379935>, accessed 21 November 2021. The record in question begins, “Ordered upon request of Jno Epes [...].”.

9: Charles City County, Virginia. Orders book for the years 1672-1673, page 527. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4V-J3Q6-R?i=20&cat=379935>, accessed 21 November 2021. Cited in: John Frederick Dorman, Ancestors and Descendants of Francis Epes I of Virginia (Epes-Eppes-Epps), Volume I (Society of the Descendants of Francis Epes I of Virginia, 1992), page 106. Dorman describes "Francis3, aged 27 when he made a deposition, 3 June 1673 [...]."

10: Charles City County, Virginia. Orders book for the years 1655-1665, pages 4-5. Copied from microfilm 4602, Genealogical & Historical Room, Washington Memorial Library, Macon, Georgia. The same record is also available on FamilySearch: <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSLS-KTL7?i=24&cat=379935>.

11: Virginia Land Office. Patents book 6 (1666-1679), page 62, grant to Lt. Col. John Epes dated 30 September 1674. Library of Virginia, <http://image.lva.virginia.gov/LONN/LO-1/006/1-100.html>, accessed 27 August 2011.

12: Virginia Land Office. Patents book 6 (1666-1679), page 350, grant to Richard Moore dated 7 April 1671. Library of Virginia, <http://image.lva.virginia.gov/LONN/LO-1/006/301-400.html>, accessed 27 August 2011.

13: Charles City County, Virginia. Orders book for the years 1677-1679, page 210. Copied from Charles City County microfilm 13, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. The same record is also available on FamilySearch: <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4V-J3Q8-8?i=66&cat=379935>.

14: Charles City County, Virginia. Orders, deeds, depositions, 1655-1665, page 1. Copied from microfilm 4602, Genealogical & Historical Room, Washington Memorial Library, Macon, Georgia. The same record is also available on FamilySearch: <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSLS-KTPH?i=21&cat=379935>.

15: H. R. McIlwaine, Ed. Journals of the House of Burgesses of Virginia, 1659/60-1693 (The Colonial Press, E. Waddey Co., Richmond, Virginia, 1914), page 19.

16: UK National Archives record CO 1/40 (Letters and Papers Concerning American Plantations, 20 April - 22 June 1677), folio 191. Summarized in: John Davenport Neville, Bacon's Rebellion: Abstracts of Materials in the Colonial Records Project (The Jamestown Foundation, 1976), pages 74-75. Neville's summary reads, "Warrant of the King's Commissioners in Virginia. 26 May 1677. Whereas grievances presented at the County Court of Charles City were not fully proved and whereas the complainants live so far away, Colonel John Epps, Mr. James Bliss, Captain Nicholas Wyatt and Mr. John Stith are authorised to take the depositions of witnesses. Note by Herbert Jeffreys mentioning 15 June 1677 as the date to bring in the depositions. 7 June 1677."

17: Charles City County, Virginia. Order book for the years 1677-1679, page 228. Copied from Charles City County microfilm 13, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. The same record is also available on FamilySearch: <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4V-J3Q3-Z?i=73&cat=379935>.

18: Letter from Col. Herbert Jeffreys to Sir Henry Conventry describing Indian attacks. UK National Archives record CO/VOL. LXXVIII (Longleat House / The Conventry Papers / Volume LXXVIII), folios 293-294. Indexed in: William H. Gaines, Jr., compiler, Bacon's Rebellion: Abstracts of Materials in the Coventry Papers, Longleat, page 19. (Also see page 14, which states that the record is in volume 78.). Dorman, op. cit., page 108 contains a partial transcription of the record, and this transcription was used in the article above.

19: Charles City County, Virginia. Order book for the years 1677-1679, page 395. Copied from Charles City County microfilm 13, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. The same record is also available on FamilySearch: <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4V-J3Q9-M?i=166&cat=379935>.

20: ibid., page 410. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4V-J33B-6?i=174&cat=379935>, accessed 21 November 2021.

21: Charles City County, Virginia. Fragment of an orders book for the year 1685, n.p. [microfilm image 4 of 8, where image 1 is the title card], the left-side page. Copied from Charles City County microfilm 13, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. The same record is also available on FamilySearch: <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4V-J33Y-Y?i=190&cat=379935>. The record in question begins, “Jno ̣ Epes hath liberty to [...].”