Major John Starke or Colonel John Starke?

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While researching the Starke family of early Hanover County, it became clear that there is a lot of "online confusion" involving Major John Starke and Colonel John Starke. Online trees showed that their military ranks were so interchangeable that I began to wonder if the two men were actually just one man. To know for sure, I decided to do a land tax analysis for Major John Starke and Colonel John Starke. 

But before we get to the results of the land tax analysis, a quick summary of military rank should be explored. Today, a Colonel holds a higher officer rank than a Major. But did the same hold true during the 1780s? Fortunately, Steven A. Bingaman's The History of American Ranks and Insignia provides an excellent description of military rank during the Revolutionary War and confirms that as early as 1775, Colonel was a higher officer rank than Major. With this in mind, please take a look at the land tax analysis displayed in the below table followed by a descriptive summary of the findings. 
Source: Hanover County VA Land Tax Records (Library of Virginia)

Summary of Land Tax Analysis
The above table begins with the land tax records for 1782, the earliest year of which a complete set of land tax records exist for Hanover County, including both St. Martin's and St. Paul's Parishes. Notice that both Major John Starke and Colonel John Starke are listed in the 1782 land tax record with separate tracts of land. Colonel John Starke not only has a higher military rank, but he also owned significantly more land than Major John Starke (by almost 300 acres). Based upon the 1782 entries alone, one might assume that Colonel John Starke was the elder of the two men; he held a higher military rank and possessed more land. It isn't until you view the 1790 and 1791 land tax entries that you realize that Colonel John Starke is actually John Starke Jr.  And that Major John Starke was also known as John Starke Sr. 

Major John Starke died sometime before the 1793 land tax records were recorded for Hanover County.  After Major John Starke's death, Col. John Starke was recorded as being John Starke Sr. in 1796 and died sometime before the 1800 land tax record was recorded. 

Following the land tax records for each John Starke was a helpful method in separating the two men. 


copyright©2024 Deborah Thurman Parks 




Location: Hanover County, VA, USA

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