Following The Trail To An Original Record – Or As Close As I Can Possibly Get
My Hatfield research is what initially spurred my interest in genealogy. As far as exciting family tree branches go, this branch has not disappointed. The Hatfields have taken me on many interesting paths, and I have learned a lot about research methods along the way.
A couple of years ago I came across a beautifully written article published in Lapham’s Quarterly – “Love’s Labors Lost: The resolution of America’s best-known feud,” by Jayne Anne Phillips, professor of English and director of the MFA program at Rutgers University. The article is a poignant piece about the Hatfields and McCoys – the infamous feuding families. Not only does the article provide a sense of humanity for those Hatfield and McCoy family members that are often ridiculed in southern lore, critical to Hatfield research is the following reference –
“Both the Hatfields and McCoys were long established: Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield was descended from one William Hatfield, born around 1600 in England – first immigrant of his line, he was part of the Jamestown Colony, established in Virginia in 1607.”
To gain more information regarding William and his residence in early Jamestown – when, where, how – I searched in a well respected reference book, Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1800, Volume 1. Published in 1934 and indexed by Nell Marion Nugent, this is an excellent resource for research. William Hatfield’s entry in Volume I reads –
Vol I, pg. 96 of Cavaliers and Pioneers
“Willam Hatfield, 300 acs. in Nansamund Riv., Up. Co. of New Norf., 22 Aug. 1638, p. 592. Adj. land of Percivall Champion, runing [sic] up the E. side of Dumpling Island Cr. Due for trans. of 6 per: Samuell Firmant, Jon, Sheppard, Tho. Browne, Tho. Fisher, Jon. Sharpe, John Morgan.
SAME. 100 acs., same Co. & page 593, 24 Aug. 1638. Upon S. br. of Nansamund Riv. Due by right of trans. of 2 pers: Symon Griffen, Ann Griffen.
SAME. 200 acs., same location, date & page. Due in right of trans. of 4 pers: Joane Ashton, Eliza, Edes, Thomas Georg, Richard Walter.”
Vol. II, pg. 152 of Cavaliers and Pioneers
“This Booke [sic] was Transcribed by Edward Harrison in the yeare [sic] 1683.”
The headright system was implemented around 1618 to encourage settlement in Virginia. The Virginia Land Office distributed fifty acres of land to individuals who paid for the passage of individuals emigrating from other countries – 50 acres per person transported.
While Cavaliers and Pioneers is a substantive source, a continued search for the original patents is needed to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS).
Below are images of the patents for William Hatfield found at the Library of Virginia in Richmond.
To meet the GPS, it is essential to obtain evidence from records that were recorded by reliable scribes soon after an event occurred. This practice provides a solid foundation for current and future research. What ancestral records would you like to locate that will substantiate your research?
