The Culpeper/Culpepper Sisters
Of 17th Century Connecticut

By Lew Griffin

Numerous sources suggest that there were one or more Culpeper (Culpepper) sisters living in Connecticut in the mid 17th century. The reported sisters include Hannah, Susanna and Abigail.

Susanna Culpeper

Susanna Culpeper married Francis Lindsly on 24 Jun 1655 in Branford, New Haven Co., CT.  It is speculated that she was the daughter of John Culpeper the Merchant, born 1606. The speculation is based on the fact that he was the right age to have been her father, and was thought to have had business dealings in New England and Virginia. It is possible that he lived in New England for a while, although he seems to have left few if any records there.

Hannah Culpeper

There appears to be a Hannah who married Edward Frisbee, but her surname is in doubt. She was long believed to be a Culpeper, but see the information below on Edward Frisbee for a different view in which it is suggested that her surname was Rose. If she was a Culpeper, then like Susanna, it is speculated that she also was the daughter of John Culpeper the Merchant.

Abigail Culpeper

Abigail Culpeper probably never existed, but was the subject of some speculation in an old book on the Frisbee line in which Abigail was reportedly the wife of John Frisbee. She is acknowledged here only to try to dispel the myth.

Edward Frisbee

According to the Frisbee-Frisbie-Frisby Family Genealogy, by Olin E. Frisbee, John and Francis Linsley, and Edward Frisbee, were among the first settlers in Branford, CT, in 1644, then called New Haven Colony. But no one named Culpepper was on that list. Edward Frisbee, however, was said to have been born in the Virginia Colony about 1620 and later moved to CT.

According to Bullard and Allied Families, by Edgar J. Bullard (Private Publisher, Detroit 1930), starting at page 79: The surname Frisbie was well established in several counties in England by the middle of the thirteenth century. It is of local origin, showing that those who first adopted it were residents of Frisby, a chapelry in County Leicester, and from there the name has spread into all parts of England. The Connecticut Frisbie's are descendants of Edward and John Frisbie, for whom long established tradition claims a Welsh origin. Both were signers of the Plantation and Church Covenant of the town of Branford, Connecticut, in January, 1668, and both became progenitors of families which have been powerful and influential in the history of Connecticut.

Edward Frisbee, with his wife, Hannah, entered his name for land in Branford in 1645. So far as records show, he had but one known wife, who was named Hannah, whom he married in 1644. There are circumstantial reasons for believing that her maiden name was Culpepper, though absolute proof is lacking. The recent Frisbie Genealogy erred in assigning so many wives to him. As a matter of fact, Frances England, one of the wives assigned to him, was wife of Edward Hitchcock. (Recorded in Branford, Connecticut.) He must have been an extensive landowner and acquired much additional property, since the conditions in his will, dated October 25, 1689, disposes of many valuable tracts in different parts of the town.

He was a Congregationalist of the early Puritan type, though less narrow and apparently more tolerant than many of his contemporaries. His estate was inventoried May 26, 1690, and his signature on the will showed the spelling of the name was "Frisbye." His large family of eleven children displayed marked traits of character and ability, and their descendants in succeeding generations include many distinguished members.

He died May 10, 1690, at Branford, Connecticut. His children were:

1. John, b. July 17, 1650; d. 1694; m. 1674, Ruth Bowers.
2. Edward, b. July 11, 1652; died young.
3. Samuel, b. Oct. 18, 1654; d. 1681; m. Rebecca Potter.
4. Benonia, b. 1656; d. 1700; m. Hannah Rose.
5. Abigail, b. Oct. 7, 1657; m. 1691, William Hoadley, Jr.
6. Jonathan, b. Oct. 28, 1659. (See following.)
7. Josiah, b. Jan. 19, 1661; d. Mar. 3, 1712; unmarried. 
8. Caleb, b. 1667; d. Oct. 12, 1737.
9. Hannah, b. 1669; d. Sept. 27, 1723; m. Nathaniel Harrison.
10. Ebenezer (twin), b. Sept. 5, 1672; d. 1714; m. Mary Harrington.
11. Silence (twin), b. Sept. 5, 1672; m. Joshua Austin. 

Second Generation
Jonathan Frisbee (6), son of Edward and Hannah

Jonathan Frisbie, was born in Branford, Connecticut, October 28, 1659, and died April 7, 1695. He married about 1685, Mary, daughter of William Hoadley of Branford. (See Hoadley I.) Jonathan Frisbie was active in the town's affairs and held many offices in the early days of the settlement. His children, born in Branford, were:

1. Mary, b. Jan. 1, 1686. Daughter of Jonathan and Mary (Hoadley) Frisbie, was born in Branford, Connecticut, January 1, 1686, and died December 8, 1760, in East Haven. She married about 1708, Samuel Goodsell, born February 28, 1864-5, died May 30, 1745, at East Haven, Connecticut.
2. Elizabeth, b. Aug. 17, 1689; m. Samuel Baldwin.
3. Jonathan, b. Aug. 15, 1691; d. 1722; m. 1713, Thankful Foote.
4. Hannah, b. Aug. 14, 1693; m. Nathaniel Foote.
5. Abiel, b. May 26, 1695; d. 1745; m. 1722, Elizabeth Rogers. 

References--Frisbee

Exchange of E-mails regarding the Frisbies and Culpepers

From Bill Russell, 17 Nov 1998

Interestingly, Frisbies were neighbors of Henry Culpeper, Sr. in Lower Norfolk County, VA during the mid-17th Century. We know that Henry Culpeper owned land on the Western Branch of the Elizabeth River in Lower Norfolk County (see deeds posted on the Culpepper Connections website).

The following abstract from Cavaliers and Pioneers, vol. II, p. 286 is very interesting:

MR. THOMAS HODGIS, 707 acs., Low. Norf. Co., on N. side of the W. br. of Eliz. Riv., 21 Oct. 1684, p. 430. A branch dividing this & land of Richard Powell; adj. Thomas Hollowell; & John Bowles; on Langworth's Creek; 600 acs. granted Jonathan Langworth, 6 Dec. 1638; assigned to Osmond Colchester & Walter Mitchell, 3 Oct. 1640, who gave letter of Atty. to Mathew Phillips, who sold to John Watkins, who gave by will to his wife Frances, & his son John, & by their consent sold to James Frisby, who bequeathed to his son James, who sold to said Hodgis; 107 acs. for trans. of 2 pers: Wm. Ward; Best, a Negro.

Two observations:

1. Hannah and Susanna would have been of the same generation as our estimated age for Henry Culpeper, Sr., and, therefore, not his daughters. 
    
2. John Culpeper, b. 1606, co-owner of the ship "Thomas and John" with his brother Thomas, and trading merchant, was the only John that I know of with interests in New England (as well as Virginia). 

On 19 Nov 1998, Lew Griffin responded:

In your recent post... you mentioned James Frisbee / Frisby, a near neighbor of Henry Culpepper of Norfolk Co, VA. As a footnote to your comments, I note that this James Frisby was himself a "merchant." This is from the Norfolk Co VA records compiled by Beverly Fleet back in the 1940's. This fits in nicely with your idea that Henry Culpeper of Norfolk and the two alledged Culpeper daughters of Branford, CT, among others, may have been children of the John Culpeper the Merchant, born 1606.

Dick Culpepper, of Utah, also thinks that the first Henry Culpeper of Norfolk was a son of John (born 1606) and thinks that Henry was involved in his father John's
mercantile business.

On 19 Nov 1998, Bill Russell responded:

The Frisbie family shows up in English shipping records as being merchants engaged in the tobacco trade. Anne Frisby of Cambridge, England is the earliest woman I have seen identified as a merchant and she was importing tobacco. I suspect that the she was related to the Frisbies in Norfolk, VA and the is part of the pattern of establishing relatives at points in the colonies to act as agents.

James Frisby show up in 1672 as a Virginia merchant bringing tobacco into England and a James Frisby of Virginia is mentioned as master of the ship Young Merchant in 1709. That ship was engaged in trade with America, England, and Africa. There is still a lot to find out there. 

On 3 Jan 1998, Jim Taylor of Santa Barbara, CA wrote:

Edward Frisbee was the son of Richard Frisbee of London who moved to Virginia in 1619. Edward, called "the Immigrant" was driven from Virginia because he was a Puritan; moved to Branford, CT; entered his name for a lot in the town in 1645. Died there May 10, 1690. His first wife was Abagail----; his second Hanna Rose with whom he had eleven children. Hanna Rose was the daughter of one Robert Rose of Ipswitch, England who settled in Watertown Mass in 1634 and moved to Wetherfield, CT in 1637.

The records on this were compiled within the last 50 years by my father's mother or sister, I'm not sure which, and handed on to me. There is no ambiguity about Edward and his two wives however, nor about the lengthy list of their children and their descendants, though of course there's always the possibility of an error. Interestingly, Edward's home, which he left to his two daughters Silence and Abagail in his 1689 will, still stands in Branford, CT and is a state landmark.

On 6 Jul 2005, Pat Clare submitted the following:

From Maryland Calendar of Wills
Frisby, Jas., Sr., Sassafras River, Baltimore Co., 22nd Dec., 1673; 12th Oct., 1674. To wife Mary, home plantation during life. To 3 sons, viz, James, William, and Thomas, equally, “Swan Point;” 150 A. on n. side Sassafras R., and 600 A. on Elizabeth R., Va.; also home plantation at death of wife afsd. To dau. Mary, personalty. Ex.: Wife Mary and son James afsd. Test: Abraham Stran, Nich. Dorell. 2 11.

This puts his land on the Elizabeth River in VA... I follow several Norfolk families and think they were part of an exodus to MD early on....

On 9 Jul 2005, in response to the above, Bill Russell, said:

Interesting will. This Frisby/Frisbie family were merchant traders with shipping interests. That they are found around areas of seaborn trading is not unusual. Although the will says Baltimore County, the Sassafras River runs between Cecil and Kent Counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore and a Swan Point was in Kent County. Parts of Baltimore County and Kent County were taken to form Cecil County in 1674. I am assuming that the land on the Sassafras may have been in what became Cecil County as it says north side, but that could be checked against deeds and is outside the scope of my interests. It would indicate, however, that anyone wanting to follow these people in Maryland may want to look at Cecil County instead of Baltimore County as the land apparently changed counties within months of the will.