John Stith (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1631–1694) 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 ...

and the

progenitor In genealogy, a progenitor (rarer: primogenitor; or ''Ahnherr'') is the founder (sometimes one that is legendary) of a family, line of descent, gens, clan, tribe, noble house, or ethnic group.. Ebenda''Ahnherr:''"Stammvater eines Geschlec ...

of the Stith family, 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 ...

Early life

John Stith was born in Kirkham in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1625. Stith ancestors were likely from the Kirkham area.

Colonial America

Stith, the first person in

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 ...

with that surname, received a land grant in 1652 with Samuel Eale for 500 acres in

Charles City County, Virginia Charles City County is a county (United States), county located in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated southeast of Richmond, Virginia, Richmond and west of Jamestown, Virginia, Jamestown. It is ...

, where he settled. He also received 500 acres of land in 1663. He was a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

, an attorney, and a justice of the peace, and served in the

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

(1656), a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

(1676), and a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

(1680). In 1676, he participated with Nathaniel Bacon during

Bacon's Rebellion Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion by Virginia settlers that took place from 1676 to 1677. It was led by Nathaniel Bacon against Colonial Governor William Berkeley, after Berkeley refused Bacon's request to drive Native American India ...

. Stith was a supporter of Sir William Berkeley. In 1691, Stith was the high sheriff of Charles City County.

Marriage and children

In 1657, Stith married Jane Drury Mosby, the widow of Thomas Gregory and Joseph Parsons, and had five children according to his will: * John Stith married Mary Randolph, the daughter of

William Randolph William Randolph I (bapt. 7 November 1650 – 21 April 1711) was an English-born planter, merchant and politician in Colony of Virginia, colonial Virginia who played an important role in the development of the colony. Born in Moreton Morrell, W ...

, and had three children:

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

, John, and Mary. * Drury Stith married Susannah Bathurst and had at least two children. He was made a Lieutenant Colonel and died in 1741. * Anne Stith married

Robert Bolling Robert Bolling (December 26, 1646July 17, 1709) was an English-born merchant, planter and politician. and the founder of the Bolling family of Virginia, one of the First Families of Virginia, with at least fifteen descendants (including two of h ...

in 1681 and had at least seven children. * Jane Stith wife of Capt. Daniel Luellin * Agnes Stith wife of Mr. Thomas Wynn

Death

Stith's final will was proved April 3, 1694. He had been living at Westover Parish, Charles City County, Virginia. His estate was divided between his wife, and sons John and Drury. He left money to his daughters Jane, Ann, and Agnes. Before Stith's death, Drury received his third of the estate, which included land on the eastern branch of Herring Creek. John was to receive the land Stith lived on and a mill.

Notes

References

Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown People from Kirkham, Lancashire American people of English descent House of Burgesses members People from Charles City County, Virginia First Families of Virginia {{Virginia-politician-stub