Virginia House of Burgesses Member — Walter Chiles

B. about 1630 In Bristol, England¹
M. (1) before 1665 in (probably) Jamestown, Virginia^1,2
Wife: ______ Page
M. (2) before 15 Feb 1671 in (probably) Jamestown, Virginia¹
Wife: Susanna ______
D. before 15 May 1672 in (probably) Jamestown, Virginia¹

The earliest settlers of the Virginia colony included many who took on a ruling class status. One man was Walter Chiles, who followed in his father’s footsteps.

Walter’s parents were Walter and Elizabeth Chiles, and they were from Bristol, England, where young Walter was born in about 1630.¹ Not much is known about the family in England, except that there was one other son named William.¹ Walter’s father first went to Virginia by himself in 1636, and two years later, he migrated there with his wife and young sons.¹ They took advantage of the headright system, which offered 50 acres to a man for each person who he brought with him. The Chiles family got 400 acres in Charles City County on the Appomattox River,³ and this was young Walter’s first home in America.

In 1642, Walter’s father became a member of the brand new House of Burgesses,³ an elected body set up to handle colony issues on a local level. At some point, this put the family in Jamestown, and from 1649, they lived in a place known as Kemp House; it had been built in 1638 and is thought to be the first ever brick house in Virginia.³ Walter Sr. died just five years later,³ and he passed the house on to son Walter, who added “a brick house 37 feet in length” to the property.¹

Kemp House. (AI-generated image)

Walter was married twice. His first wife was the daughter of John Page,¹ but there is uncertainty about her first name. Some say it was Elizabeth and others believe it was Mary. In either case, John Page was another prominent man in Jamestown, and a marriage to his daughter would further indicate Walter’s status. His first wife gave birth to at least two children during the 1660s, a daughter and son, but she died not long after,⁴ and Walter remarried to a woman named Susannah.¹ The second marriage brought one son.

After the death of his father, Walter became a member of the House of Burgesses, serving in 1653, 1658, 1659 and 1660.¹ In 1660, Governor William Berkeley appointed him and others to “act during the recess of the Assembly.”¹ Walter also was a justice in Jamestown for a time.¹

Walter made out his will on November 15, 1671, and it was probated May 15th of the following year, so he passed away between those dates.¹ His widow Susannah remarried to Reverend James Wadding,¹ who later became an important figure in Bacon’s Rebellion. Through Walter’s daughter Elizabeth, he was the ancestor of President John Tyler.⁵

Children by _____ Page:
1. Elizabeth Chiles — B. before 24 Feb 1665, Jamestown, Virginia;² D. 19 Jan 1703, Williamsburg, Virginia;² M. Henry Tyler, about 25 Jun 1684, York County, Virginia²

2. John Chiles — B. about 1669, (probably) Jamestown, Virginia;⁶ D. before 5 May 1723, King William County, Virginia;⁶ M. (1) Mary ______, before Sep 1693, Virginia;⁶ M. (2) Eleanor Webber⁶

Child by Susanna _______:
1. Henry Chiles — B. before 4 Apr 1671, Jamestown, Virginia;¹ D. after 29 Apr 1718, Hanover County, Virginia;⁷ M. Mary _____⁷

Sources:
1    WikiTree listing of Walter Chiles Jr.
2    WikiTree listing of Elizabeth (Chiles) Tyler
3    WikiTree listing of Walter Chiles Sr.
4    The approximate date of death is based on the fact children Elizabeth and John were known to be grandchildren of her father John Page (per his will).
5    FamousKin.com listing of Walter Chiles Jr.
6    WikiTree listing of John Chiles
7    Tidewater Virginia Families, pp. 224-227, 2004

Link From His Father to His Son — Joseph Sutherland

B. about 1680 in (probably) New Kent County, Virginia¹
M. before about 1718 in (probably) New Kent County, Virginia²
Wife: _______ Chiles
D. before June 14, 1739 in King William County, Virginia¹

There are few surviving records from colonial King William County, Virginia. During the late 19th century, a courthouse fire destroyed nearly everything, making it impossible to track many families. In the case of Joseph Sutherland, only two documents record him by name: a 1699 record regarding his father’s probate, and a 1701 ruling for the same case. With this, we know the name of his father and his two brothers.

Joseph was born in about 1680 in colonial Virginia, likely in the county of New Kent.¹ He seems to have been a third-generation American of Scottish and English descent. Joseph’s parents were George and Elizabeth Sutherland (his mother’s maiden name is thought to be Norment),¹ and he was their oldest surviving son. New Kent County was tobacco country, and just about everyone who lived there either grew it, or traded it. Joseph’s father had acquired a vast amount of land from the Pamunkey Indians between two small rivers,³ and this was likely where Joseph grew up. 

On a tobacco farm. (AI-generated image)

George Sutherland died by June of 1699, leaving behind Joseph and two younger brothers, Phillip and George.³ None of them were of age, and their situation seemed ominous: the courts were questioning the legality of their father’s property title. Basically the authorities said that since it had been acquired directly from the Indians, the Sutherlands had no right to it because only the King of England or his representative could grant land in the colony. The issue was appealed, with Joseph Norment serving as the boys’ guardian, and on September 4, 1701, this order was made by the Virginia House of Burgesses:

Resolved: That it is the opinion of this house that no patents be issued to any persons claiming land within the bounds assigned the Pamunkey Indians, and for this reason no patents to be issued unto Joseph Norment in behalf of Joseph Sutherland, Phillip Sutherland and George Sutherland, orphan sons of George Sutherland, deceased, for 300 acres.³

The issue of ownership of this land was mentioned again on October 28, 1702 when a grant of 312 acres was now approved for the “orphans of George Sutherland,” but only Phillip and George were mentioned, not Joseph.¹ Researchers believe that this indicated Joseph had come of age, thus establishing a rough birth year of 1680. They also think that as an adult, he had received his land separately.

In January 1705, Phillip and George were paid money for their claim on land they inherited.³ Later that year, another document used the phrase “heir of George Sutherland, deceased,”³ and this exact wording was repeated in a grant dated June 14, 1739. The recipient of the grant was Fendall Sutherland, grandson of George.¹ Unfortunately, the generation between George and Fendall wasn’t named, but since Phillip and George had sold out, this would leave Joseph as the father of Fendall.

Some have inferred from the uncommon name of “Fendall” that Joseph had a wife with that surname, but this does not seem to be true. Instead, evidence suggests that Joseph’s wife was the daughter of John Chiles (~1666-~1723). The case is made for this because of son Fendall’s later connection to the Chiles family in probate and land records,³ and a document saying that John Chiles had two daughters, one of whom married a Sutherland.⁴ Besides Fendall, three other children have been tied to Joseph, all born between about the years 1718 and 1734; this age range fits with a John Chiles daughter being the wife of Joseph.

The June 1739 land grant does have one conclusive fact about Joseph: he was deceased by that date. Most likely his death occurred earlier that year, although the timing of the grant may also be linked to his son Fendall coming of age and Joseph may have died up to about 5 years earlier.

Children:
1. Fendall Sutherland — B. about 1718, King William County, Virginia;¹ D. before 24 Aug 1789 in King William County, Virginia;¹ M. (1) UNKNOWN, about 1740;¹ (2) Mary Coleman (?-1818), about 1757¹

2. John Sutherland — B. about 1720, (probably) King William County, Virginia;⁵ D. before 21 Mar 1771, Carteret, Virginia;⁵ M. Ann _______, 1745, Virginia⁵

3. Elizabeth Sutherland — B. 2 Feb 1726, Prince George County, Virginia;⁶ D. about 1819, Amelia County, Virginia;⁶ M. Thomas Whitworth (1726-1801), 1745, Virginia⁷

4. Joseph Sutherland — B. about 1734, (probably) Virginia;⁸ D. 16 May 1807, Louisa, Virginia;⁸ M. Grissell Mallory (1744-1807)⁸

Sources:
1    Sutherlands and Their Tangled Branches, Robert J. Walsh, 1985
2    Approximate marriage date based on estimated birth year of oldest child. See paragraph 7 for explanation of his wife’s surname.
3    “Southerland Family of King William County, Virginia,” Winston of Virginia and Allied Families, Clayton Torrence, 1927, pp. 390-396
4    Reports of Cases in the General Court of Virginia, 1829, p. 133
5    WikiTree listing of John Southerland
6    Find-a-Grave listing of Elizabeth (Southerland) Whitworth
7    WikiTree listing of Elizabeth (Southerland) Whitworth
8    Geni.com listing of Joseph Sutherland