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Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
John Page (c. 1627 – 23 January 1692) was an English-born planter, merchant, slave trader and politician who spent most of his life in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
. Born in
East Bedfont Bedfont is a suburb in the London Borough of Hounslow, approximately west of Centre of London, Charing Cross. Originally a distinct village, Bedfont has a large central conservation area around Bedfont Green. The majority of the housing was bui ...
,
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
, Page eventually migrated to the English
colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...
, where he lived in Middle Plantation and served as a member of the
House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses () was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia in what was then British America. From 1642 to 1776, the Hou ...
from 1665 to 1677 and a member of the
Virginia Governor's Council The Governor's Council, also known as the Privy Council and Council of State, was the upper house of the legislature of the Colony of Virginia (the House of Burgesses being the other house). It also served as an advisory body to the List of colon ...
from 1677 to 1692. A wealthy landowner, Page donated land and funds towards construction of the
Bruton Parish Church Bruton Parish Church is located in the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. It was established in 1674 by the consolidation of two previous parishes in the Virginia Colony, and remains an active Epi ...
. Page was also involved in the establishment of the
College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...
in 1693, as well as being a chief proponent of Middle Plantation being designated the colony's capital in 1698. His efforts eventually resulted in the renaming of Middle Plantation as
Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...
in 1699, perhaps most well known as the birthplace of democratic governmental principals among Patriot revolutionaries before and during the
American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
. In the 21st century, Page's Middle Plantation residence serves the modern home of the restored colonial-era tourism destination known as
Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, wh ...
, a popular travel destination in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
.


Biography

John Page was born around 1627, likely in East Bedfont, Middlesex, the parish records for which do not survive for that period. He was a son of Francis Page, gentleman, of that parish. John Page became a merchant, and emigrated to the
Virginia colony The Colony of Virginia was a British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colony lasted for t ...
; his sister Elizabeth (wife of
Edward Digges Edward Digges (14 February 1620 – 15 March 1674/75) was an English barrister and colonist who became a premium tobacco planter and official in the Virginia colony. The son of the English politician Dudley Digges represented the colony before ...
) and brother Matthew also emigrated to Virginia. John Page married Alice Luckin of Sandon, Essex, in roughly 1646, and Page claimed her as a headright in 1653, suggesting they were both in Virginia by the mid-1650s. She was a first cousin, once removed of the first Luckyn baronet. The Pages originally lived in the New Towne section at Jamestown. The Pages settled in York County in 1655. In 1662, the Pages had a large brick cross-plan house built in nearby Middle Plantation. A wealthy landowner, Page owned 330 acres (1.3 km2) in Middle Plantation, including much of what is now
Duke of Gloucester Street Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, wh ...
, Nicholson Street, and part of Francis Street in the restored area of
Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, wh ...
. In 1672, Page patented 3600 acres (15 km2) in New Kent County which became Mehixton Plantation. He donated land and £20 for the first brick
Bruton Parish Church Bruton Parish Church is located in the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. It was established in 1674 by the consolidation of two previous parishes in the Virginia Colony, and remains an active Epi ...
which was completed in 1683, and was located immediately adjacent to the site of the present larger restored structure. In 1683, he came into possession of a tract of land which originally belonged to his brother Matthew in
James City County James City County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,254. Although politically separate from the county, the county seat is the adjacent independent city of Williamsburg. Located o ...
known as Neck of Land. It is also known that he owned property at Jamestown in New Towne section. John Page was a member of the Virginia
House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses () was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia in what was then British America. From 1642 to 1776, the Hou ...
starting in 1665. He played a pivotal role in supporting the efforts of Reverend Doctor James Blair in the founding of the
College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...
in 1693, which was located at Middle Plantation. Beginning in 1677, he is believed to have been an early advocate for moving the capitol to Middle Plantation, which eventually occurred in 1699, seven years after his death. (Middle Plantation was renamed
Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...
in honor of
King William III William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...
shortly thereafter). The
Royal African Company The Royal African Company (RAC) was an English trading company established in 1660 by the House of Stuart and City of London merchants to trade along the West African coast. It was overseen by the Duke of York, the brother of Charles II of Eng ...
's agent in Virginia in the 1670s, the Colonel was heavily involved in the
Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...
, not only trading and profiting on the chattel slave trade of human beings (agents received a seven-percent commission on sales), but also enslaving numerous people on his various properties as well. Colonel John Page and his wife Alice Lukin Page are buried at Bruton Parish Church in
Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It had a population of 15,425 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern par ...
.Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia, Richard Channing Moore Page, M.D., New York, 189

/ref> Their tombstone, originally located within the church graveyard, was later moved to the church vestibule. It reads: "Here lieth in hope of a joyfull resurrection the Body of Colonel JOHN PAGE of Bruton Parish, Esquire. One of their Majesties Council in the Dominion of Virginia. Who departed this life the 23 of January in the year of our Lord 1691/2 Aged 65" The tombstone carries the coat of arms, arms of Page impaling those of Lukin.


Family

The Page family was one of the
First Families of Virginia The First Families of Virginia, or FFV, are a group of early settler families who became a socially and politically dominant group in the British Colony of Virginia and later the Commonwealth of Virginia. They descend from European colonists who ...
, which later included Mann Page III, his brother U.S. Congressman and Virginia Governor John Page, and later descendants such as U.S. Ambassador to Italy
Thomas Nelson Page Thomas Nelson Page (April 23, 1853 – November 1, 1922) was an American lawyer, politician, and writer. He served as the List of United States ambassadors to Italy, U.S. ambassador to Italy from 1913 to 1919 under the administration of Presiden ...
, and
Virginian Railway The Virginian Railway was a Class I railroad located in Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The VGN was created to transport high quality "smokeless" bituminous coal from southern West Virginia to port at Hampton Roads. History ...
builder
William Nelson Page William Nelson Page (January 6, 1854 – March 7, 1932) was an American civil engineer and industrialist. He was active in the Virginias following the U.S. Civil War. Page was widely known as a metallurgy, metallurgical expert by other indust ...
. Colonel and Mrs. John Page named their eldest son Francis, and he also built a substantial brick home at Middle Plantation. (Present-day Francis Street in
Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...
is said to be named for him). Another son, Matthew Page, was born in Virginia in 1659 and became a planter. He was one of the original board of trustees of the College of William and Mary, a member of the Governor's Council, and was active in public affairs. He died on January 9, 1703. Their grandson, Mann Page I (son of Matthew Page), also became a planter and wealthy landholder in Virginia, owning nearly 70,000 acres (280 km2) in Frederick County,
Prince William County Prince William County lies beside the Potomac River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 482,204, making it Virginia's second most populous county. The county seat is the independent city of Manassas. A part ...
, and
Spotsylvania County Spotsylvania County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a suburb approximately 60 miles (90km) south of D.C. It is a part of the Northern Virginia region and the D.C. area. As of 2024, Spotsylvania County is the 14th most populat ...
among other locations. In 1725, Mann Page I began the construction of
Rosewell Plantation Rosewell Plantation in Gloucester County, Virginia, was for more than 100 years the home of a branch of the Page family, one of the First Families of Virginia. Begun in 1725, the Flemish bond brick Rosewell mansion overlooking the York River w ...
, the Page mansion on the banks of the York River in Gloucester County. Mann Page I's wife Judith Carter was the daughter of
Robert Carter I Robert Carter I ( – 4 August 1732) was an American planter, merchant, and colonial administrator who served as the acting governor of Virginia from 1726 to 1727. An agent for the Northern Neck Proprietary, Carter emerged as the wealthiest sett ...
. Mann Page I son John Page married Jane Byrd, a granddaughter of Colonel
William Byrd I William Byrd I (1652 – December 4, 1704) was an English-born Virginia colonist and politician. He came from the Shadwell section of London, where his father John Bird (c. 1620–1677) was a goldsmith. His family's ancestral roots were in Chesh ...
. One of John Page's great-grandsons was
Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
General Richard Lucian Page. Mary Page, the daughter of Col. John Page, married Walter Chiles Jr., son of Col. Walter Chiles of the Virginia Governor's Council. In his will of March 5, 1687, Col. John Page mentions his grandson John Chiles, as well as his "grandsonne John Tyler, sonne of my grand-daughter Elizabeth Tyler." Elizabeth Chiles had married Henry Tyler of Middle Plantation, and thus became the ancestor of President
John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president of the United States, vice president in 1841. He was elected ...
. Because of the propensity of
First Families of Virginia The First Families of Virginia, or FFV, are a group of early settler families who became a socially and politically dominant group in the British Colony of Virginia and later the Commonwealth of Virginia. They descend from European colonists who ...
(FFV) to marry within their narrow social ranks for many generations, John Page may be legitimately counted as a co-progenitor with many other FFV patriarchs of their genealogically documented descendants, who include descendants of the families Byrd, Chiles, Dilliard, Tyler, Pendleton, Burwell, Nelson, Randolph, Carter, Harrison, Waller and others.


Legacy

Several sites of the Page family in Virginia and West Virginia have historical and archaeological significance. *The site of their property at Jamestown has been identified by the
Jamestown Rediscovery Jamestown Rediscovery is an archaeological project of Preservation Virginia (formerly the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities) investigating the remains of the original English settlement at Jamestown established in the Virg ...
project. *
Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, wh ...
has an extensive archeological study underway at the John Page home site at Middle Plantation (now
Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...
). Col. John Page owned much of what is today's Williamsburg, including Duke of Gloucester, Nicholson and part of Francis Street. *The ruins of
Rosewell plantation Rosewell Plantation in Gloucester County, Virginia, was for more than 100 years the home of a branch of the Page family, one of the First Families of Virginia. Begun in 1725, the Flemish bond brick Rosewell mansion overlooking the York River w ...
, the home of early members of the Page family and one of the finest mansions built in the colonies, sit on the northern bank of the York River in Gloucester County. In one of its rooms, which are all of cubic dimensions,
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
, a friend and the college classmate of John Page (Col. John Page's great, great grandson) is locally rumored to have drafted the U.S. Declaration of Independence. In 1916, a fire swept the mansion leaving a magnificent shell which is testament to 18th century craftsmanship and dreams, and the site ongoing archeological studies. *The Page-Vawter House, a large Victorian mansion, was built in 1889 in
Ansted, West Virginia Ansted is a town in Fayette County, West Virginia, Fayette County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The population was 1,303 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is situated on high bluffs along U.S. Route 60 in West Virginia, U.S. ...
on a knoll in the middle of town. Industrialist and mining manager William and Emma (née Gilham) Page raised their four children there, attended by a staff of 8 servants. In the 21st century, it still stands as evidence of the once-thriving
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...
business and was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1985.


See also

* John Page *
Mann Page Mann Page (1749–1781), sometimes referred to as Mann Page III, was an American lawyer, politician and planter from Spotsylvania County, Virginia, who served in the House of Burgesses and first Virginia House of Delegates as well as a d ...
*
Rosewell plantation Rosewell Plantation in Gloucester County, Virginia, was for more than 100 years the home of a branch of the Page family, one of the First Families of Virginia. Begun in 1725, the Flemish bond brick Rosewell mansion overlooking the York River w ...


References


Sources


Virtual American Biographies
*
Colonial Williamsburg

USGenealogy.net


External links


The John Page Site: Excavation of a Major House Site on the Bruton Heights Property by Colonial Williamsburg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Page, John 1620s births 1692 deaths British planters 17th-century English slave traders Founders of cities in the Thirteen Colonies 17th-century English merchants Merchants from colonial Virginia 17th-century American merchants People from Wembley People from Bedfont John Page House of Burgesses members English emigrants Burials at Bruton Parish Church English slave owners