Key Facts

Snapshot:	immigrated from England to Virginia; had indentured servants; fought Indians; member of Virginia's House of Burgesses and Council of State
Parents:	8208John Epes 8209Thomazine Fisher
Baptized:	14 or 15 May 1597 St. Mary the Virgin church, Ashford, Kent, England Church's coordinates: N51.1486 E0.8728
Died:	between 4 October 1668 and 30 September 1674 Charles City County, Virginia
Buried:	unknown

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 101-104 (“FRANCIS1 EPES [1597-by 1674]”).

4104Francis Eppes' baptism is documented in three separate records. Of these, two state that he was baptized on 14 May 1597,1,2 and the other on 15 May 1597.3 One of the three specifies that his father was 8208John Epes,2 and the relationship is also affirmed by 8208John's will. (4104Francis' mother—8209Thomazine Fisher—is easily identified by comparing 8208John's marriage record4 and will.5) In any case, 4104Francis was baptized in Ashford, Kent, England, probably in St. Mary the Virgin church.1 The church, still active today, is at coordinates N51.1486 E0.8728. For more information on the church's history, see this document starting on page 91.

4104Francis' first baptism record. Full page.1

His second baptism record, which specifies that his father was 8208John Epes. Full page.2

His third baptism record, unique because it shows that the baptism occured on 15 May 1597. Full page.3

Above left: St. Mary the Virgin church, Ashford, Kent, England.6 4104Francis was baptized in 1597,1-3 probably in this church.
Above right: The church's baptismal font,7 perhaps the same one used for 4104Francis' baptism.

By 1625, 4104Francis had immigrated from England to Virginia, although the details of his journey are unclear.

Problem: Unresolved When and how did 4104Francis come to Virginia? Ancestors and Descendants of Francis Epes I of Virginia (Epes-Eppes-Epps), Volume I, page 101, footnote 2 concisely describes some theories on 4104Francis' journey to Virginia and the associated evidence (or lack thereof): He is not in the List of the Living and Dead of Feb. 1623/4 or in the Muster of Feb. 1624/5, but both lists are known to be incomplete. Eva Turner Clark, Francis Epes, His Ancestors and Descendants (New York, 1942), p. 211, repeats a tradition that Francis came on the ship Hopewell and later gave that name to his plantation on the south of James River. A Hopewell, of 60 tons, brought passengers to Virginia in May 1622 and Nov. 1623, and another ship, Great Hopewell, of 120 tons, arrived in May or June 1624 (Avery E. Kolb, “Early Passengers to Virginia; When Did They Really Arrive?”, The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, LXXXVIII, p. 409), but no passenger lists are preserved. If Francis Epes came in 1622, he and his brother Peter may have come together. It would seem that Francis and Peter followed their elder brother William to the New World, perhaps influenced by William's reports of his new home.

4104Francis must have been in Virginia for some time prior to 1625, for in that year he was a member of Virginia's House of Burgesses and as such signed a strongly-worded petition to the King against Sir Thomas Smythe and in favor of Sir George Yeardley to help govern the colony.8

During this period, 4104Francis seems to have helped lead the militia. A court record dated 9 January 1625 names him as “Ensign Francis Epps;” 9 an ensign is a low-ranking military officer. On 4 July 1627, he was appointed as one of several commanders to lead an attack against the Indians on August 1st (“goe vppon the Indians & cutt downe their corne [...] we should sett vppon them all in one day viz, the first of August next”).10 By 7 March 1628/9, he had been promoted to the rank of captain11 and to colonel by 23 January 1653/4.12

4104Francis had an indentured servant named John Joyse who ran away but was subsequently captured. To punish him for his escape, on 8 August 1626 John was sentenced to be severely whipped with 30 lashes, returned to 4104Francis, have his indenture lengthened by six months, and afterwards to serve the Colony for 5 years.13

On that same date (8 August 1626), 4104Francis was appointed commissioner for the Upper Parts of the colony.14 On 7 March 1628/9 he and a few other commissioners were ordered to hold a monthly court in the Upper Parts.11

However, 4104Francis seems to have returned to England not long thereafter, perhaps to receive his inheritance from the will of his father, who had died in 1627.5 While there, he baptized his son Thomas at St. Olave church, Hart Street, London on 8 September 1630.15 The baptism record is copied below. Notably, Thomas' baptism record also shows 4104Francis' wife's first name: Marie. Little else is known about her, but see the problem section below. As explained previously, she was probably the mother of 4104Francis' older sons, e.g. 2052John, but no evidence has been found to prove so.

1630: Baptism record of 4104John's son Thomas. It reads, "[Septem.] 8. Thomas son of Francis Eps + Marie his wife." Full page.15

St. Olave church, Hart Street, London16 where 4104Francis' son Thomas was baptized15

Problem: Unresolved Who was 4104Francis' wife Marie? No known, extant records conclusively indicate Marie's maiden name. Indeed, the abovementioned baptism record of Thomas is the only record that even records her first name. However, some believe she may have been the daughter of Captain Thomas Pawlett. Pawlett's will, dated 12 January 1643/4, left "Mrs Epps" his Bible and 20 shillings with which to buy a ring in his remembrance. Pawlett also left 4104Francis a drum.17

By February 1631/2, 4104Francis was back in Virginia when he served as a burgess for "Both Shirley Hundreds" (basically Charles City County). He would later serve as a burgess for Charles City County again in 1639/40 and 1645/6.18

On 26 August 1635, 4104Francis was granted 1700 acres as a reward for transporting himself, three sons, and thirty servants to Virginia at his own expense.19 On 23 January 1653, he was granted 280 adjacent acres for transporting six people.12 His land was bounded by the Appomattox River and Coson's Creek on the west, by Bailey's Creek on the east, by the James River on the north, and it included what is now the city of Hopewell, Virginia. Bailey's Creek, the Appomattox River, and the James River are marked on the master map. You can see the 1700-acre grant by going here then see pages 280 and 281. Likewise, you can see the 280-acre grant by going here then see page 219.

Not surprisingly, 4104Francis' accomplishments as a burgess, commissioner, and militia leader won him recognition in the colony. In June 1637, he was recommended to be appointed to the Virginia Governor's Council (also called the Council of State or simply the Council),20 a group of no more than twelve men who were typically among the wealthiest, most prominent men in Virginia. They composed the colony's upper legislature, advised the governor, and also served as the colony's highest court. Once appointed, members held their position for life; this may partially explain why 4104Francis, despite being recommended in June 1637, seems not to have been actually appointed until years later, by 30 April 1652.21

4104Francis was alive when his land was repatented on 4 October 1668,22 but he'd died by 30 September 1674 when his son 2052John received a patent for a large tract of land that included his father's 1980 acres.23

Sources Cited:

1: Kent History and Library Centre archive reference P10/1/A/1 (composite register of baptisms, marriages and burials for the parish of Ashford, St. Mary the Virgin), an entry for the baptism of Franncis Eppes on 14 May 1597. FindMyPast, <https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBPRS%2FKENT%2FP10_1_A_1%2F18>, accessed 15 February 2022. FindMyPast restricts access to this image, so see a copy here.

2: Kent History and Library Centre archive reference P10/1/A/2 (composite register of baptisms, marriages, and burials [1628-1693] for the parish of Ashford, St. Mary the Virgin), an entry for the baptism of Frannceis Epps on 14 May 1597. FindMyPast, <https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBPRS%252FKENT%252FP10_1_A_2%252F15>, accessed 15 February 2022. FindMyPast restricts access to this image, so see a copy here.

3: UK National Archives record CCA-DCa/BT/4/33 (Canterbury Cathedral Archives / Canterbury Archdeaconry / Archdeacon's Transcripts of Parish Records). FamilySearch (FHL microfilm 1751481, "Archdeacon's transcripts, 1560-1812; Bishop's transcripts, 1603-1896," image 435 of 1342), accessed 29 December 2017. This is 4104Francis' baptism record. FamilySearch restricts access to this image, so see a copy here.

4: UK National Archives record CCA-DCb/BT1/74/7 (Canterbury Cathedral Archives / Diocese of Canterbury / Bishop's Transcripts of Parish Registers). FamilySearch (FHL microfilm 1736692 item 3, "Bishop's Transcripts for Debtling, 1571-1904," images 412 and 413 of 1203). FamilySearch restricts access to these images, so see copies here: 412, 413. The marriage record itself is on image 413, but the year is shown on image 412. This is 8208John Epes' and 8209Thomazine Fisher's marriage record.

5: Kent, England. Archdeaconry of Canterbury, wills, 1627, John Epes of Ashford. FamilySearch ("England, Kent, Wills and Probate, 1440-1881" / Archdeaconry of Canterbury / Wills / 1627 A-Z / image 190 of 657), accessed 23 October 2014. This is 8208John Epes' will.

6: John Salmon, "St Mary's Church, Ashford, Kent" (photographed 14 May 2008). Geograph, <http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/809018>, accessed 9 November 2013. Mr. Salmon has licensed this image under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 generic license.

7: Photograph of the baptismal font inside St. Mary the Virgin church, approximate coordinates N51.148636 E0.872807. Photograph taken by 1Bryant Knight, 16 May 2017. The sign on top of the font reads, "THE FONT. This was placed in the church by the Fogge family in the 15th Century [sic]. It was saved from destruction by Cromwell's army during the Civil War (1642-1659) by being removed and hidden in a private house."

8: H. R. McIlwaine, ed., Journals of the House of Burgesses of Virginia, 1619-1658/59 (The Colonial Press, E. Waddey Co., Richmond, Virginia, 1915), pages 43-44.

9: H. R. McIlwaine, ed., Minutes of the Council and General Court of Virginia: 1622-1632, 1670-1676 (The Colonial Press, E. Waddey Co., Richmond, Virginia, 1924), page 88.

10: ibid., page 151.

11: ibid., page 193.

12: Virginia Land Office. Patents Book 3 (1652-1655), page 219, grant to Col. Francis Epps dated 23 January 1653. Library of Virginia, <http://image.lva.virginia.gov/LONN/LO-1/002-2/201-300.html>, accessed 26 August 2011.

13: McIlwaine, Minutes [...] 1622-1632, 1670-1676, op. cit., page 105.

14: ibid., page 106.

15: 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.

16: Wikimedia user lonpicman, "St Olave Church" (photographed 15 September 2008). 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.

17: Lyon G. Tyler, ed., William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Volume IV (Richmond, Virginia, 1895), page 152.

18: McIlwaine, Journals [...] 1619-1658/59, op. cit., pages xii, xv, and xviii, respectively.

19: 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.

20: William Glover Stanard, ed., The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Volume IX (The Virginia Historical Society, 1902), pages 181-182.

21: McIlwaine, Journals [...] 1619-1658/59, op. cit., page 82.

22: Virginia Land Office. Patents book 6 (1666-1679), page 203, grant to Capt. Francis Epps dated 4 October 1668. Library of Virginia, <http://image.lva.virginia.gov/LONN/LO-1/006/201-300.html>, accessed 26 August 2011.

23: 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.