In 1673 the political life of the Virginia colon), was stable. The indians seemed content and the government was seeking settle

The Bobbitt Family In America

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In 1673 the political life of the Virginia colony was stable. The Indians seemed content and the government was seeking settlers for the vast areas of land.

This serenity did not last long and in 1674 the small planters were much aggravated by the parish taxes the quitrents, and poll tax. In fact it was the taxation problem that started Nathaniel Bacon junior on his "rebellion". By the year 1675 William Bobbitt was in the exact middle of Bacon's Rebellion and the Indians had become hostile.

There is nothing in the records to indicate that William Bobbitt had anything to do with Bacon's Rebellion. William paid his taxes and held on to his land grant of 95 acres.

Not far from where William Bobbitt lived, was the small plantation of Thomas Jefferson, the great grandfather of our president Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson lived on 167 acres of land near the so called falls of the James river and near the plantation of William Byrd. The William Byrd plantation was the real trading center of the area and it was the place that most of the small planters took their tobacco for market and shipment to England.

Robert Beverly gives us a picture of the time, "They have in each Parish a convenient church, built either of timber, brick, or stone, and decently adorned with every thing necessary for the celebration of divine service."

"If a Parish be of greater extent than ordinary, it hath generally a chapel of ease; and some of the Parishes have two such chapels besides a church, for the greater convenience of the parishioners. In these chapels the minister preaches alternately, always leaving a reader, to read prayers and a homily, when he can not attend himself."

"The people are generally of the Church of England, which is the religion established by law in that country, from which there are very few dissenters. Yet liberty of conscience is given to all other congregations pretending to Christianity, on condition they submit to all Parish duties. They have no more than five conventicles amongst them, namely, three small meetings of Quakers, and two of Presbyterians. "

"The maintenance for a minister there is appointed by law at 16,000 pounds of tobacco per year."

William Bobbitt lived on land located in Bristol Parish and he and his family attended one of the "chapels of ease" which was then located near present day Petersburg Virginia and called the "Ferry Chappel" mostly because it was near a ferry that crossed the Appomattox river.

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