Catherine Barrett of Early James City County

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Catherine Barrett of early James City County has been a perplexing individual to research. Some of the confusion has to do with very early assumed familial connections for her which have been accepted without documentation. So, if you've found yourself looking at the evidence pertaining to Catherine Barrett's life, you too have probably wondered when looking at various online lineages, "How do they know for sure that was Catherine Barrett?"  Let's look at what we do know of her early life in James City County, Virginia. 

What We Can Document

1713

Catherine Barrett's debut into the world of records was on November 13, 1713 when Simon Jeffreys received a 167 acre land patent. Jeffreys acreage was described in the patent as being on the west side of the Chickahominy River in the parish of Wilmington, James City County. Water courses that bounded Jeffreys' acreage included Webbs Run and Tobacco House Run. Adjacent landowners were Thomas Rogers and Catherine Barrett.

Jeffreys, Simon, Virginia. Colonial Land Office., and Library of Virginia. Archives. Land Grant 13 November 1713. N.p., 1713. Print.

1714

A little over a year later, on December 23, 1714, Catherine Barrett received a land patent for 400 acres that she inherited. This amazing land patent provides a wealth of family information by outlining how Catherine came into possession of the land. The patent describes how Catherine's 400 acres were part of an 850 acre tract that was originally granted to William Barrett (Catherine's paternal grandfather) in June 1648. William Barrett then passed the 850 acre tract on to his son, James Barrett. And when James Barrett died, his will directed that 800 acres of the original tract be divided equally between his two daughters, Catherine and Edith. The land patent goes on to state that Catherine's sister Edith was the wife of Henry Gilbert. An amazing amount of family information!

Barrett, Catherine, Virginia. Colonial Land Office., and Library of Virginia. Archives. Land Grant 23 December 1714. N.p., 1714. Print.
The 400 acres which Catherine patented were described as being on the west side of the Chickahominy River in Wilmington Parish, James City County (the same location as mentioned in Simon Jeffrey's 1713 patent which mentioned Catherine Barrett as an adjacent land owner). The tract was located directly along the marsh of the river with adjacent property owners including Sackfield Brewer, Simon Jeffreys, and brother in law, Henry Gilbert. A watercourse called "Raroper Branch", with its mouth at the river, was included in the description as a dividing line between Catherine's and Gilbert's land. 

Although Catherine inherited the 400 acres from her father, it was important in colonial Virginia, for an heir to patent inherited land to establish a clear, undisputed title from the Crown. By completing the patent process, Catherine formally registered the property in her name, and gained the right to sell it. To receive a land patent, a person had to be of legal age, 21 years or older. And perhaps Catherine turned of age in 1714 which would explain why she was listed as an adjacent landowner in Jeffrey's above 1713 land patent, but she didn't receive her own patent until the end of 1714. What we know for sure is that Catherine was 21 years of age by December 23, 1714, which would give her a birth year of  December 1693 or earlier. 


1715

Eight months later, Catherine's brother in law, Henry Gilbert, received a land patent for the 400 acres of land that his wife, Edith Barrett, inherited from her father, James Barrett. The August 16, 1715 land patent describes the tract as being on the west side of the Chickahominy, in Wilmington Parish, James City County.  Adjacent property owners included Simon Jeffreys, Catherine Barrett, and Sackfield Brewer. Besides the Chickahominy River, the only other watercourse mentioned was "Raroper Swamp", or "Raroper Branch" as referred to in Catherine's patent. Edith is mentioned in the patent in so far as to explain her inheritance and Gilbert's possession. 

Gilbert, Henry, Virginia. Colonial Land Office., and Library of Virginia. Archives. Land Grant 16 August 1715. N.p., 1715. Print.

What Happened to Catherine's 400 Acres of Land Located?

Sometimes, one of the best ways to learn more about an early ancestor is to "follow the land". Unfortunately, it has been impossible for this researcher to determine what happened to Catherine's 400 acres. Did she hold on to her inheritance and live on the land? Or did she sell it after receiving the 1714 land patent which gave her the legal right to do so? 

Catherine Barrett's land patent, as well as Henry Gilbert's and Simon Jeffrey's, were all located "on the west side of the Chickahominy, in Wilmington Parish, James City County". But, unfortunately, what happened to Catherine's land after she received her patent is not evident in extant James City County records. 

However, in 1720, the lands of James City County that were on the west side of the Chickahominy River became part of Charles City County. The Chickahominy River has remained the dividing line between the two counties ever since.  Then, in 1723, Wilmington Parish was dissolved by an Act of Assembly where the lands "...lying on the west side of Chickahominy River be added to Parish of Westover in the County of Charles City". So, eventually, Catherine Barrett's 400 acres fell within the boundaries of Charles City County and the Parish of Westover, official bodies that both experienced great loss of records over time. But again, no clues in helping to "follow the land" in order to learn more about Catherine. 

Below is a Civil War era map which illustrates how Charles City County was, and still is, bounded on the east and north by the Chickahominy River. 

Hotchkiss, Jedediah. Charles City, Pr. George and Surry counties, Virginia. 1867. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2005625179/.

What we DO Know about Catherine Barrett and her Family Based upon her 1714 Land Patent
Since there doesn't appear to be an existing breadcrumb trail for Catherine's land after 1714, perhaps following the lands of Henry and Edith Barrett Gilbert, Simon Jeffrey, and Sackville Brewer in follow up entries will help shed some light on what happened to Catherine Barrett. 

copyright@2025 Deborah Thurman Parks




Location: Charles City County, VA, USA

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