Thomas' parentage is undertermined, some say he was the son of Thomas,others of Nathaniel and others William as posted here where he willremain until further documentation has been discovered. However, hewas much older than siblings in this family, is it possible he was theproduct of a first marriage?
One story says it was this Thomas, along with brothers Robert and Johnand 26 others, who was imported to America 11/18/1663 by Capt WmMosley. Other theories place him in America much earlier, by at least1654. He may have traveled back and forth between England andAmerica.
Capt Mosley received 1157 acres of land located on the south side ofthe Rappahanock River in Sittingbourn Parish and also a patent foranother 427.5 acres on 4/18/1670. He sold the latter parcel toRichard Poole, who the following July, through his attorney, GeorgeJones, conveyed it to Thomas Powell for 2500 lbs of tobacco.
Allan L Poe posted at Genealogy.com after a visit to the Caldwell Co,Heritage Museum:
"The most that can be said, with any certainty, about the origins ofthe Powells of Caldwell county, NC. is that they are of Welsh descent.
(The name is a contraction of the Welsh "ap Howell” (son of Howell)and that their first American ancestor migrated from Wales to thecolony of V irginia in the 17th century. Various theories have beenadvanced as to true identity of the immigrant ancestor, but no linehas been proved, so far, back to any individual immigrant. The 1704Quit Rent Rolls of Virginia, a list of landowners, show a number ofPowells in various counties; the following are the most likelyprospect for the ancestor of this family:
Robert Powell--500 acres, King & Queen County
Thomas Powell --460 acres, Ware Parish, Cloucester County
Four brothers ”Honor(ius). Place, Thomas and William Powell”each with72 a cres, Essex County.
The last four men named, residents of Essex County, were the four sonsof Thomas Powell (died 1701) of Essex Co., and his wife Mary Place.
Because of the unusual name Honor or Honorius appeared in a latergeneration in a branch of the North Carolina family that migrated toKentucky, there has been speculation that our line is descended fromHonorius P owell of Essex county, Va., or from one of his brothers.
Sometime after 1734, a Powell family, perhaps of the Essex line,settled in Orange (later Culpeper, now Madison) county, Va. Theybecame residents, or Culpeper when that county was formed from Orange,in 1784, and the names of Ambrose, Benjamin, Elias and John Powellappear in the early Culpeper records. Ambrose Powell (born 1713), wholived and died in Culpeper, was the great grandfather of the notedConfederate general, Ambrose Powell Hill.
About 1755, two brothers, Elias Powell and John Powell, migrated withtheir families from Culpeper to Orange (now Alamance) county, N. C.;they appear in the 1755 Orange county tax lists, John with 3 slavesand Elias with one. This Elias Powell usually called Elias Sr. in therecords--later moved to the Lower Creek section of Burke (nowCaldwell) county, and died there after 1800, at all advanced age. The1800 census shows him as the owner of one slave---perhars the sameNegro
That he had brought with him from Virginia 45 years previously. EliasPowell Sr. is thought to have been the father of Ambrose, Thomas,Elijah and Levin Powell, all of whom were early settlers on LowerCreek; however, they or their families all migrated westward, and noneof them are known to have left any descendants in Caldwell county. Anumber of them went to Kentucky, and later to other states to thewestward.
John Powell, the other immigrant from Culpeper County, Va., to OrangeCounty, N.C. is the ancestor of the present Powell family of Caldwellcounty. He had married in Culpeper County to Mary ONeal (whose familyname was often spelled simply Neal or Neale), and their son Elias wasborn in Culpeper on Sept. 26, 1754, just before the family removed toN. C . Several families who were connected with the Powells inVirginia followed them to NC. Co, among tbem the ONeals and the Holts.From the latter family have sprung the distinguished line of textilemagnates who have done so much for NC. in later generations, includinga governor of the state.
John and Mary (ONeal) Powell settled on a tract of 870 acres on thesouth. side of the Haw River and the Little Alamance Creek (now insouth-central Alamance County, purchased from Henry Eustace McCulloch,one of the principal landlords in the colonial era They deeded a partof this place to their son Elias (called Elias Powell, Jr.) on Jan.19, 1779, and it is is thought that John Powell died later in the sameyear or in 1780. His widow Mary removed about that time, with, herson Elias and his family to the Lower Creek Sometime after Novembcr1795, when she sold a slave to a neighbor, Capt. Peter Thomas (thegrandfather of the second wife of the Rev. John Bowman Powell) andalso a slave to Benjamin Powell on June 13, 1779."
Residences & other events in his life:
1665 Old Rappahannock Co, VA. "John Mills sold to Thomas, both menbeing from Rappahanncok Co, 50 acres of land beginning at the markedhickory near the mill floodgates bounding on the land of ThomasRooson, now possessed by Philip Saunders, to a creek called Tignor'sCreek, unto a small river going into said creek being part of a grandpatent to John Mills, for 400 pounds of tobacco and two cows."
8/11/1655 Lancaster Co, VA. Francis Place conveyed a tract of landformerly in Isle of Wight County, Virginia containing 300 acrespatented by him September 7, 1654, lying
on the North side of the "freshes" of the Rappahanncok River about tenmiles above Nazemum Town and certain cattle by deed of gift to 'Mydaughter Mary Place when she arrives at 18 years,' if she dies withoutheirs , then 'to daughter Margaret Place, my youngest daughter.'"Mary had married Thomas Powell by 1666 when they deeded this same landto James Coghill. (See next entry.)
9/30/1667 Old Rappahannock Co: "Thomas Powell and Mary, his wife,sell to James Coghill for the valluable consideration of nyne barrellsof good Indian corne as also for Divers other Consideracons 300 acreson the North side of Rappahannock River patented September 7, 1654.Mary Powell, daughter to Francis Place, doth appoint her loving
friend, Mr. Daniel Gaines her true and lawful attorney to acknowledge
sd deed." William Wilton witnessed this power of attorney and a fewda ys later bought the land from Coghill. This deed establishes themaide n name and father of Thomas Powell's wife Mary.
1694 Essex Co, VA "Thomas and Mary Powell convey to their son,Honori as Powell, 100 acres of land beginning at an ash standing 'inthe line o f Colonel Catlett (forest land)' on a branch adjoiningAbraham Stepp."
1704 Isle of Wight Co, VA. Thomas supposedly still owned 100 acresth ere according to "English Duplicates of Lost Virginia Records,"even th ough he had been dead the past 3 years. A Seymon Powell ownedthe same a mount of land.
Thomas' will, dated 3/2/1700, was proved 4/10/1701 in Essex Co, VA. Its aid:
WILL OF THOMAS POWELL:
"In the name of God Amen I Thomas Powell of the Parish of Citingburgin t he county of Essex and the Colony of Virginia being very sick andperfe ct memory blessed and praised by Almight Got for the same dothmake thi s to be my last will and Testament in manner and formfollowing.
First I commend my soule into the hands of Almighty God who gave ithom eing by the meritorious death and passing of our blessed Lord andSavio r Jesus Christ to receive full remission of my sins and a joyfulresurr ection at the last day and my body be decently and Christianlyburyd at t he descretion of my executors hereafter named and as for yeworldly goo ds God has lent me I will and bequeath them as followth,Imprimis,
It is my will that my land be divided in three equal parts and thatm y two sons Place Powell and Thomas Powell have each of them onethird p art of the land and forthwith after the departure of my saidwife out o f this life the third part of my land decend to my sonneWilliam Powell . And it is my will that my land bequeathed asaforesaid to my sons Pla ce Powell and Thomas Powell decend aftertheir or either of their decea se upon the heirs of their bodylawfully begotten & for want of heirs t o heirs till both my name andlineage be extent.
Item: I give unto my son William Powell halfe of my female cattlean d all their male increase and my will is that the sale go to thosepers ons that hath the education of my son William Powell until heshall com e of the age of twenty one years and further:
Item: I give unto my daughter Frances Powell two cows called Rosean d Nanne with their increase.
Item: I give unto my sonne Honnor Powell and my daughter ElizabethS almon and my daughter Ann Coffee each of them one shilling and asfor t he rest of my estate and the other half of my cattle I will andbequeat h it to my loving wife Mary Powell as long as she remains awidow or de ease out of this mortal life then it shall be dividedequally between P lace Powell, Thomas Powell, Elizabeth Salmon, andAnne Coffee. Also Pl ace Powell and Thomas Powell and my son-in lawJohn Salmon be executors o f this my last will and testament herebynullifying and making vvoid al l former wills by me made at any time.Signed sealed and published as w itness whereof I have hereunto settmy and and seale this second day of M arch Anno Dono 1700.
His Thomas XPowe ll Mark
Signed sealed and published in the presence of us Edward Coffee SarahM iller
Proven by oaths of the Witnesses in Essex County Virginia ye 10th dayo f April 1701 and truly recorded. Teste Frances Merriweather Cl. Cur.
Abt 1703. Mary petitioned that the maintenance of her son, William,be a llowed out of her husband's estate, but the court refused this asan "i rregular process."
1705 Essex Co Order Book: William Powell had died and the executorso f his father's estate unsuccessfully petitioned the court that hisesta te be appraised.
1706. John Warden as the greatest creditor, obtained administrationof t he estate of William Powell.
