Francis Culpeper of Barbados1,2

Male, #9113, (4 May 1823 - 11 May 1888)

ParentDr. William Francis Culpeper of Barbados (24 Aug 1783 - )
ParentMartha Jane Layne of Barbados (say 1788 - )
Francis Culpeper of Barbados|b. 4 May 1823\nd. 11 May 1888|p9113.htm|Dr. William Francis Culpeper of Barbados|b. 24 Aug 1783|p9107.htm|Martha Jane Layne of Barbados|b. say 1788|p9108.htm|William F. Culpeper of Barbados|b. say 1758\nd. 1817|p9106.htm|Mercy A. Culpeper of Barbados|b. before 29 Jan 1764|p9105.htm|||||||

DNA Test Needed* To help confirm Francis Culpeper of Barbados's descent from Henry Culpepper of Lower Norfolk, we are seeking a descendant of Francis's to participate in our free DNA testing project. For more information, go to: http://gen.culpepper.com/dna. 
Birth*4 May 1823 Francis was born at St. Joseph, Barbados, on 4 May 1823.3,4 
 He was the son of Dr. William Francis Culpeper of Barbados and Martha Jane Layne of Barbados. 
Baptism27 May 1825 He was baptized at St. Joseph, Barbados, on 27 May 1825.5  
Marriage*15 Sep 1842 He married Emily Rebecca Gaskin of Barbados at St. Michael, Barbados, on 15 Sep 1842.5 
Travel*9 Dec 1844 Francis travelled as head of household on 9 Dec 1844 to New Jersey.3  
Portrait*circa 1860 He was New Tag circa 1860 at Barbados.4
Francis Culpeper
Photographed*say 1875 He and Emily Culpeper of Frankleigh in Barbados were photographed Francis Culpeper (b. 1825) with his six daughters: Martha Louisa, Mary Alleyne and Jessie Vinton, Emily and Frances Marion, and Helena (of South Africa). Say 1875 at Barbados.2
Francis & daughters
Death*11 May 1888 He died on 11 May 1888.4 
Biography* "Always very hard up, but never a cross word."

From Glen N. Colepeper, regarding why the Culpepers had emigrated from Barbados: "What my father said in this connexion was that (as far as his own lot, at any rate, were concerned)the reason was as follows. The Francis Culpeper (his grandfather)who married Emily Gaskin was apparently quite a wealthy man, but decided to sink all his money into the building of a sugar refinery, since at the time there was no local refinery, and the sugar had to be sent abroad in the form of treacle, or whatever, to be refined. No sooner had he done this than the sugar beet industry started up in Europe, and the bottom fell out of the sugar market. The old man lost all his money as a consequence, and died, so the saying went, 'of a broken heart'; and his children decided that there was no longer a future for them in Barbados, and emigrated, as you know, to places like Canada, Puerto Rico, New Zealand and South Africa. (I offer this story for what it's worth: I don't know how much truth there is in it.)"

Regarding the prosperity of Francis, I was somewhat surprised at the age of those old photos (taken in the 1860's and 1870's. The family was certainly dressed in a way that suggests prosperity. Also, at this time, wouldn't such photos have been expensive to get? Wouldn't that be something that only the more privileged might be able afford? What I'm getting at is that I suspect that Francis came from a well-to-do family and probably enjoyed prosperity in his earlier days. He may have continued to spend that way after he lost it all (I've certainly known people who did that, running up enormous debts, and then finally selling off what ever underlying hard assets--like land--they may have hung on to for as long as possible. Then,
perhaps by his middle years, his ability to spend was exhausted and he was broke (the investment in a sugar refinery could have been the last straw), and the Canadian reference about how poor he was could have been made by someone who only knew him from that point forwards. And that is probably the point after which the children almost all fled the island to find greater opportunities elsewhere. So I don't know that the two stories are necessarily in conflict.
(Names referenced above: Francis Culpeper of Barbados Francis Culpeper of Barbados).6,2 

Family

Emily Rebecca Gaskin of Barbados (circa 1822 - 1901)
Marriage*15 Sep 1842 He married Emily Rebecca Gaskin of Barbados at St. Michael, Barbados, on 15 Sep 1842.5 
Children

Charts The Culpepers of Barbados and the Colepepers of South Africa (first eight generations)
Descendants of Francis Culpeper of Barbados (bc1822) (South African Colepepers)
Last Edited 25 Mar 2008

Citations

  1. Culpeper of Barbados Pedigree.
  2. E-mail from Glen Nicholas Colepeper (#36393 - deceased 2006), Cape Town, South Africa to Lew Griffin and Warren Culpepper, 1999-2002.
  3. National Archives, compiler, Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1800-1945, Online database at Ancestry.com, 2006.
    http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=List&dbid=8769
    Travelled from Barbados on the Henry G. King, arriving on 9 Dec 1844 in Philadelphia in route to New Jersey: Francis Culpeper (22 M), Merchant, Emily R. Culpeper (22 F), Emily Culpeper (11/12 F) Amelia F. Gaskin (24 F).
  4. E-mail from Ian George Colepeper (#36386), e-mail address, South Africa, +27 31 502 2180 to Lew Griffin and Warren Culpepper, 1999-2008.
  5. Church of Latter Day Saints, compiler, International Genealogical Index (IGI), Intellectual Reserve, Inc..
    http://www.familysearch.org/
  6. E-mail from Mark Layne, e-mail address, Canada and Barbados to Warren L. Culpepper, May 2005.