John Culpeper of Albemarle NC

Male, #10529, (circa 1644 - circa Jan 1694)

Parent*John Culpeper the Merchant (b 26 Oct 1606 - a 1663)
John Culpeper of Albemarle NC|b. circa 1644\nd. circa Jan 1694|p10529.htm|John Culpeper the Merchant|b. before 26 Oct 1606\nd. after 1663|p8384.htm||||John Culpeper of Astwood in Feckenham, co. Worcs.|b. 1565\nd. circa 16 Dec 1635|p8385.htm|Ursula Woodcock|b. before 27 Jan 1566\nd. before 2 Jun 1612|p8455.htm|||||||

Name Variation  John Culpeper of Albemarle NC was also known as John Culpeper Rebel of Albemarle. 
Name Variation  John Culpeper of Albemarle NC was also known as Culpepper of Albemarle NC. 
Birth*circa 1644 John was born circa 1644.1 
 He was the son of John Culpeper the Merchant. 
Court Records*15 Jul 1670 (CCR 179) Att a called Court, held the 15th July, 1670, at ye house of Samuel Davis, for ye county of Albemarle, in ye Province of Carolina. Present, the Honorable Peter Carteret, Governor and Commander-in-Chief. Left, Col. John Jenkins, John Harudy [Harvey], Major Richard Foster, Capt. Thomas Cullen, council.
     Whereas, Mr. John Culpeper, Gent, attorney for Sir William Berkeley, Knight, and Capt. General of Virginia, petition to this Court for letters of administration on ye estate [of] Capt. Sam'l Stephens, deceased, he putting in security to save ye Court harmless, it is ordered yt ye said Culpeper have orders of administration granted to him. 
     Whereas, Andrew Woolward was summoned to this Court of Chancery and being required to give his oath upon injury, of what he knew to be the estate of Samuel Stephens, Esq., deceased, he wilfully denyed and refused to give his oath, wherefore ye Court ordered yt he remain a close prisoner till further orders.2 
Court Records27 Sep 1670 Att a called Court, held the 27 September, 1670, at ye house of Sam'l Davis, for ye county of Albemarle, in ye Province of Carolina. Present, the Honorable Peter Carteret, Esq., Governor and Commander-in-Chief. Left, Col. John Jenkins, John Harudy [Harvey], Mr. Oliver Rithd. Foster, Mr. Francis Godfrey, Mr. John Willoughby, Capt. Thomas Cullen....  
     Mr. John Culpeper, atto. to Sir Wm. Berkeley, and administrator to ye estate of Capt. Sam'l Stephens, deceased, commences suit against Herman Smewin..
     Mr. Jo. Harudy [Harvey], petition against ye estate of Capt. Samuel Stevens.
     John Culpeper, atto. to Sir William Berkeley, Knight, and administrator of Sam'l Stephens, against Andrew Wellwood.....
     John Culpeper, atto., and administrator est. Sam'l Stephens, deceased, moved to ye Court that there is a son of Richd. Felton, by name Richard Felton, attached to said estate of above Wm. Stephens, and since Mr. Stephens, deceased, placed by Mr. John Hill, yt was no will concerned in ye estate to Wm. Luerton, wherefore ye Court orders yt ye said Luerton, deliver ye said Felton, to said atto., he paying yd fees.2 
Marriage*before 1671 He married Judith (?) before 1671. 
Marriage*circa 1680 He married Mrs. Margaret Bird circa 1680. 
Headrights*30 Mar 1680 Albemarle. Ralph Fletcher, 400 a., for transportation of Nine persons, 30 March 1680. Thomas Cullen, Sarah his wife Jno. and Rich, his Sons, Sarah Anne, Mary, Christian, and Martha his Daughters being transportation Rights and becomes due to Fletcher as being assigned by Tho. Cullen (torn) Sir Wm. Berkley and from Berkley by his (torn) Jno. Culpeper to governor Carteret, and by Carteret's attorney Capt. Craford Esqr., to Ralph Coates, and by Coates to Fletcher.3 
Marriage*12 Aug 1688 He married Sarah Mayo at Perquimans Precinct, North Carolina, on 12 Aug 1688.4 
Court Records*8 Jan 1690 Recorded by order of Court -- Received January the 8th 1690 of Mr. Jno. Culpeper the summ of twelve shillings in full of all accounts betwixt us from the Begining of the World to this day I Say Received by Francis Hartley.2 
Headrights3 Mar 1693 Albemarle. Patrick Henley, 1100a., 3 Mar 1693. the persons viz. Jno. Culpeper, Jno. Robison, Jacko, Grace, 2 Negroes Valentine Bird, betty, bes, Mingo, and Tom Negros, Andrew, Jumpo, Maria, Jane, An Farmer, Pa. Henley, Elizabeth Duff, betty negro, Sarah Henley Margrett Byrd Sarah Byrd, 22 Survey for Stephen Scott, assignee of Patrick Henley, 247 a., 12 June 1696.3 
Headrights1693/94 Patrick Henley proved 22 rights, Pasquotank: Jno. Culpepper, Jno. Robison, Yacko and Grace 2 negroes, Valentine Byrd, Sarah Byrde, Betty, Bes, Mingo, and Tom, 4 Negroes, Andrew, Yampo, Marea and (torn) negroes, Anne Farmer, Patrick Henley, Mary Henley, his wife, Mary Henley, (torn), Betty a negroe, my wife Sarah Henley, Margret Byrde. Certified 7 (torn) 1693/4. A warrant given.3 
Death*circa Jan 1694 He died at Pasquotank Precinct, North Carolina, circa Jan 1694. 
Research note* If his own deposition can be believed, then John Culpeper, 'the Rebel' of Albemarle was born between November 1641 and August 1648. This critical fact can be found in the Master's Thesis of William S. Smith, Jr., "Culpeper's Rebellion, New Data and Old Problems, page 19:
     "... while both [Fairfax] Harrison and others list John Culpeper's birthdate as about 1633, a transcript of Albemarle John Culpeper's deposition for the trial of Thomas Miller for blasphemous utterings lists John Culpeper's age as thirty one. Unfortunately, no specific date is given for this deposition although it must have been between November 1673 when the alleged offense occurred and August 1679 when Miller's final trial for these alleged offenses occurred. Reading of a photocopy of the original manuscript of the deposition from which William L. Saunders' Colonial Records data was taken shows that Culpeper's age was correctly transcribed."

     Thus, it does NOT seem likely, unless the above statement can be disproved, that John Culpeper of Albemarle was John, son of Thomas Culpeper and Katherine St. Leger, as their son John was known to have been born in 1633. This directly contradicts the long held belief that John of Albemarle was in fact their son. Fairfax Harrison suggested this possibility in the 1920's, but did not have the above mentioned deposition at his disposal at the time.

     If John of Albemarle was not the son of Thomas and Katherine, then who was he? No clear and decisive answer has emerged to this question.

     One possibility is that he was John Alleyne Culpepper, who was alledgedly the son of the Rev. William Culpeper of Barbados, and his wife Margaret Alleyne. For additional commentary on this possibility, see the Historical Section of the Culpepper Connections Web Site.

     A second possibility is that he was the son of John Culpeper, born 1606, the "Merchant," who was the son of John Culpeper of Feckenham and wife Ursula Woodcock. This writer currently favors this idea, since both John of Albemarle, and John (born 1606) were known to have been merchants, and both had dealings with merchants in New England. See the articles on John (born 1606) and on his possible son Henry (born circa 1633) for further details.

     For additional details on John Culpeper, of Albemarle, and of Culpeper's Rebellion, see the Historical Section of the Culpepper Connections Web Site.
 

Family 1

Judith (?) (say 1646 - circa 1675)

Family 2

Mrs. Margaret Bird (say 1646 - circa 1687)

Family 3

Sarah Mayo (circa 1672 - before 1726)
Child

Charts Charlemagne's Descendants, Part 2: William Malet to Henry Culpeper of Lower Norfolk
Descendants of William Culpeper of Hunton and Wigsell, from 1509: 7 generations
Last Edited 19 Jun 2008

Citations

  1. William S. Smith, Culpeper's Rebellion, New Data & Old Problems, Culpeper's Rebellion, Master's Thesis, 1990, http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/Rebellion/default.asp.
    p. 19.
  2. From "Records of Courts Held by The Governor and Council, from the North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register, I, (1900), 135 (The original documents are now lost. This source appears to consist in part of abstracts and to reflect many misreadings of the manuscript.).
  3. Caroline B. Whitley, compiler, North Carolina Headrights: A List of Names, 1663-1744, Raleigh, North Carolina: Division of Archives and History -- NC Dept. of Cultural Resources, 2001, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. US/CAN 975.6 R2wc.
  4. J. R. B. Hathaway, North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register.
    vol. 3, p.203.