Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: User Home Page Book: Norfleet, Campbell, Mayfield and Mortier Ancestors of Philip C. Norfleet: NGS Quarterly Report of Robert Mayfield

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Descendants of Robert Mayfield

Generation No. 1

      1. Robert¹ Mayfield was born Abt. 1630 in England, and died in Old Rappahannock County VA (?). He married Name Unknown Abt. 1652 in Glouster County VA (?).

Notes for Robert Mayfield:
[Descendants of Robert Mayfield of VA Colony.FTW]

ROBERT MAYFIELD THE VA IMMIGRANT

The earliest entry mentioning a person with the Mayfield surname in Virginia, of which I am aware, is found in a list of headrights supporting a 350-acre land grant in Gloucester County to a certain Richard Longe in the year 1652.

I have carefully examined the original of this document from the microfilm at the Library of VA. The grant is found in Patent Book 3, page 135 and I abstract it as follows:

06 Dec 1652: Grant to Richard Longe of 350 acres of land on Milford Haven on westward side of a branch dividing from George Billops. Headrights: Edward Dymont, Henry King, Robert Maiyffelld, Hannah Cotton, Mary James, Thomas Hale, Lt. Col. Griffith, his wife Anne.

The "Robert Maiyffelld" so listed is probably a variant spelling of "Robert Mayfield" as creative spelling is a hallmark of 17th century writing.

It should be noted that while I have transcribed the name as Robert Maiyffelld other researchers have read the name differently. In the old script, when the letter "s"appears in the middle of a word, it was written in a manner very similar to the letter "f." Hence, it frequently is very difficult to determine whether an "s" or an "f" is intended.

Nell Nugent, who abstracted all the early land patents of VA, read the name as "Mansfelld" [see "Cavaliers and Pioneers Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants" (first published 1934), Volume One, page 267]. Furthermore, Polly Cary Mason, who compiled the "Records of Colonial Gloucester County Virginia" (published 1946), at page 49, read the name as "Maysfield."

The identification of Robert Mayfield as a headright, indicates that he probably entered the colony as an indentured servant sometime in the year 1652 or shortly before. Studies of VA headrights indicate that the most common age for male headrights was the 18-25 age group. Assuming Robert was in this age bracket, his year of birth would be somewhere around 1630.

The Colonial VA law, in effect in 1652, concerning the terms of indenture was as follows:

      Under 12 years of Age - 7 Years
      From 12 to 20 Years of Age - 5 Years
      Age 20 Years and Over - 4 Years

Accordingly, the most probable period of indenture for Robert Mayfield would have been four or five years. Thus, it is probable that he would have completed his indenture in about 1656/57. I have not been able to find any record of a Mayfield having received a land grant in Colonial VA during the period 1635-1750. In fact the earliest record of any Mayfield land acquisition was a Rappahannock County deed from Daniel and Robert Gaines to Robert Mayfield for 105 acres of land in the year 1677. My best conjecture is that this Robert is the son of the Robert Mayfield noted as a headright in 1652. My reasons for this conjecture are as follows:

      a) There is evidence that a certain Robert Mayfield of Henrico County VA had died about the year 1692 or perhaps a little earlier. Henrico County Record Book Number 2 (Orders and Wills, 1678-1693), page 429 states the following:

"Com: Henrici pr:o die [torn] 1692 ... Capt Will Farrar being by ye Last Court Appointed to see ye delry of Cattle belonging to Robt Jones an Orph late in ye Wardship of Will Blackman wch were given unto ye said Orph per Rob't Mayfield decd doth Return Acc't That ye sd Order is performed & that ye said Jones hath received in full one Cow, one Calf & one Bull."

I interpret the above statement to mean that the orphan, Robert Jones, was bequeathed or otherwise due some cattle from the estate of Robert Mayfield, now deceased; the orphan was given one cow, one calf and one bull to satisfy said court order. Most certainly this Robert Mayfield was dead by the year 1692, the year of the court order.

No will of this Robert Mayfield is known to exist; however, the extant probate records of Henrico County are not complete and the records of the adjacent County of New Kent have been completely destroyed for the relevant time period. Also, if this Robert Mayfield died intestate, then under the Law of Primogeniture, Robert's personal property, including cattle, would have been equally divided among all his children. It is quite possible that the orphan, Robert Jones, was a grandson of Robert Mayfield by one of his daughters who had married a member of the Jones family. The later (1720's) Essex County records show a certain Robert Jones associated with the Mayfields in various lawsuits.

      b) There is evidence that a certain Edward Mayfield was living in New Kent County in in 1695. He almost certainly was at least 21 years of age at the time as he was a plaintiff in a successful lawsuit tried in the Rappahannock County Court. I believe Edward is probably a son of the Robert Mayfield who was an indentured servant in 1652 and a brother of the Robert Mayfield who acquired land in Rappahannock County in 1677.

      c) The Robert Mayfield who acquired land in 1677 is almost certainly the same Robert whose will, dated 3 December 1714, was probated in Essex County, Virginia on 16 August 1715. Thus, the year of death for this man was almost certainly in 1715. The will names a wife Sarah; sons Robert, Abraham, John, Isaac and Jacob; and daughters Catherine, Jane, and Anne. All indications are that these children were born in the 1680's and 1690's, i. e. after the 105-acre land acquisition in 1677. If their father was the Robert Mayfield, who was an indentured servant in 1752, he would have been in his fifties or sixties when all his children were born; I consider this to be a highly unlikely scenario.

      d) All demographic studies conducted for 17th century England and Virginia indicate short lifespans. The typical age of death for women was in their forties, and for men, it was in their late forties and early fifties. A recent study done for Colonial Middlesex County VA, a county directly adjacent to Essex County, indicates an expected age at death for men, who had already reached the age of 20, to be only 45 years of age! [see "A Place in Time Explicatus" by Darrett and Anita Rutman, published 1984, page 52] Accordingly, I consider it highly unlikely that the Robert Mayfield who died in 1715 was the same Robert Mayfield who entered VA in 1652.

      e) The Robert Mayfield who acquired land in 1677 is not designated as Junior or Senior or some other differentiating label. This indicates to me that there was no other Robert Mayfield living in Rappahannock County at that time. Robert's father and namesake was probably still alive at this time, but was residing in either Henrico or New Kent County.


Children of Robert Mayfield and Name Unknown are:

Edward² Mayfield, born Abt. 1660 in VA Colony; died in New Kent County VA (?).

Notes for Edward Mayfield:
[Descendants of Robert Mayfield of VA Colony.FTW]

The minutes of Essex County Court for 11 Jun 1695 (pg 246) mention an action brought in New Kent County Court:

" ... Mr. John Lewis of New Kent County against whom one Edward Mayfield of the same County brought his action to New Kent County Court and recovered the said horse as his own. ..."

My conjecture is that this Edward Mayfield is a brother of the Robert Mayfield of Essex County VA whose will, dated 3 Dec 1714, was probated in Essex County Court on 16 August 1715.

SAILOR ON THE SHIP SOUTHAMPTON

The following additional information re Edward Mayfield was obtained online from the Virginia Colonial Records Database maintained by the Library of Virginia in Richmond:

A British Admiralty Muster Book shows that Edward Mayfield was a sailor on the ship SOUTHAMPTON, commanded by a certain James Moodie, shipmaster, during the years 1702-03! The muster, for December-January 1702/1703, was for "Men who left or joined in Virginia."

I wonder what ultimately happened to Edward? Did he die at sea? Edward's naval service was during the early years of the "War of Spanish Succession" between Britain and France. I wonder if the SOUTHAMPTON was a warship or was it a merchant vessel? Since the listing was obtained from the Admiralty Muster Books, it probably was a warship. I wonder if Edward may have been involuntarily pressed into service? Such forced impressment was commonplace for the Royal Navy during the entire 18th century! [Ref: British Public Record Office (PRO) Class ADM 36/3874, Document SR 08692, Admirality Muster Book (1701-1703), page 2]

+	3	ii.		Robert Mayfield, born Abt. 1655 in Glouster County VA (?); died 1715 in Essex County VA.
	4	iii.		Peter Mayfield, born 1652 in England (?); died 1687 in Albemarle County NC. He married Ann _____.

Notes for Peter Mayfield:

It should be noted that I don't really believe that Peter is the son of Robert Mayfield (d. c. 1792) of Virginia; however, I have placed him here so that he can be included in this report. I feel that it is more probable that Peter Mayfield was another immigrant who came to North Carolina directly from England. I am not aware of any use of the name Peter by any of the Mayfields of the 18th and early 19th centuries.

It would appear that Peter, at the time of his death in 1687 at age 35, left a wife but no children except a god-child.

I know of only two documents, which are still extant, that pertain to this Peter Mayfield:

1) DEPOSITION OF PETER MAYFIELD MADE DURING THE TIME OF THE CULPEPPER REBELLION [Circa 1680 - see "North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register," Volume 3, Number 1, January 1903, page 43]

"The Deposition of Peter Mayfield aged Twenty Eight yeares or thereabouts saith that he asked Thomas Harrison what Tobacco yt was he had a shore in his house & he told yor depot it was Capt Harrons tobacco & he doubted he had donne himself a great deale of Injury in Lending his Tobacco house. For he did not know how long it might be before Capt Harron would take it away & Thomas Harrison desired your depot to Ask Capt Harron if he would remove it before new Tobacco came. Ye sd Capt Harron told yor depot he would have Paul Latham his Attorney to see if he could gett any thing for it of ye New England Men. For it is so rotton it is not worth two shillings a hhd. Afterwards Mr Holden came with Capt Harron & recd ye aforesaid tobacco wch was Shipt on board ye said Harron. Afterwards yor depot met with Capt Harron & he desired yor Depot to goe about with him & coming ashoare to Capt Craford's Capt Harron told yor depot he would see what a Devil made Mr. Holden send this rotton tobacco ofer Engld for ye King which he had turned on shoare, then he desired his men to go ashoare to complaine to Capt Craford yt he might be secured of his freight for it was soe rotton he doubted they would receive it in Engld. For he did not care to be seene in it for fear of gaining Mr Hardin's Displeasure & he said Capt Craford would not take any notice of them & further yor Depot Saith Not. Sworn in Court.

Peter Mayfield his Mark."

2) WILL OF PETER MAYFIELD

"Albemarle In The Province of Carolina

"In the name of God Amen. I Peter Mayfield being weake of body but of perfect and sound memory - praise be to almighty God for the same - Do make appoint and Constitute this my Last will and testament in manner and form following viz.

"Imprimius I bequeath my soule to God who gave it hoping through the merit of Jesus Christ to have full and free pardon for all my sins Committed in this transitory life & I commit my body to the ground from whence it was taken to be decently buried as my Executrix hereafter named shall think Convenient & as for what worldly goods it hath pleased God to Invest me with, all I bestow as followth, viz.

"After my just debts which of right I owe to any persons be fully satisfied, I bequaeth unto my God Daughter Ann Lowd the value of eight Pounds Sterling in Current Commodities to be valued when She is of age or on the day of marriage and one chest [and] two iron pots I also bequeath unto the aforesaid Ann Lowd. And all the rest of my Estate both real and personal, plantation, housing, fencing, orchard and all my estate whatever I give and bequeath unto my loving wife Ann Mayfield and her heirs forever. And also I have my Loving wife to be Exectrix of this my Last will and testament hereby Revoking all other wills by me made and I doe appoint Robert Wallis and Thos Rolfe as overseers appointing this to be my only Last Will and Testament where unto I set my hand and seal this 13th day of June 1687.

The marke of
Peter Mayfield

"Signed, sealed & delivered in the presence of:

The marke of
John Larance

Robert Wallis

Tho. Rolfe

"Proved in Court the 6th day of October 1687 before me.

[Signed] Seth Sothell, Governor"

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