Land of Rolling Hills:
The Original Abraham Stapp

By Henry Scalf, 1976

Abraham Stapp was probably in search of new tobacco lands when he purchased the land patent between the Rappahannock and Mataponi rivers. Most immigrants had little money but Stapp had enough to buy a one-half interest in a vast land patent and this fact leads us to believe that he had been a successful tobacco planter in Virginia many years before he sought the Rappahannock. The Rappahannock is but one of many rivers that traverse Eastern Virginia, several finding their way to the sea by way of Chesapeake Bay. In 1670 the country of the Mataponi, Rappahannock, Chickahominy and Pamunkey rivers, (all north of the James where the first fledgling settlement of Englishmen was founded in 1603, only 67 years before Stapp bough- land in old Rappahannock) was sparsely settled. There were only about 50,000 people, perhaps less in Virginia in 1670, and only 114,000 people in all of the colonies, a population approximately that of present day Charleston or Huntington, WV.

After tobacco is cultivated six or seven years on the same land exhaustion of the soil is complete and it is necessary to find new areas to exploit. The Virginia planters were pushing northward from the James despite the hostility of the approximately 4,000 Indians scattered along the eastward flowing rivers of the colony. Old Rappahannock County was only 14 years old when Stapp bought his land and the sprawling county lying across bayous, estuaries, swamps and pristine forests was roadless and bridgeless. Rivers were the chief means of transportation and English trade ships. like that of John Stepp D could ride the tides up the Potomac, Rappahannock and James, Landings for the vast plantations were strung all along the rivers and finally became important tobacco loading centers. There was Port Tobago three miles north of what was later the landing utilized by the Brookes and Stapps. There was Cloverfield on Layton's Landing north of the mouth of Occupacia Creek. possibly: a tobacco loading port for Stapp.

Coming out of the hinterland for several miles and trailing toward these riparian ports were the "rolling roads," roadways for the transportation of the great tobacco casks containing 350 to 475 pounds of leaf pulled by oxen driven by slaves. Deeper into the soft soil the rolling roads sank until there were three and four foot walls of earth on the side. These roads were in use for more than three centuries and remnants of them can be found in Tidewater Virginia today.

Tobacco was in almost universal use in lieu of coin. Official salaries were paid by it, ministers collected their yearly stipends in tobacco and land exchanged hands upon the payment of tobacco. Fines were paid in tobacco and the church levied tobacco as a fine for nonattendance as John Stepp found to his dismay when 50 pounds of the weed were exacted for his failure to attend public worship. (12)

The great sailing ships that rode the tides into the interior of Chesapeake Bay brought m any articles of trade from England although fewer than might be expected for the colonists were remarkably self-sufficient in many areas of their economy, especially the household. Many of the ships, pressed for a sufficient tonnage for the Atlantic voyage D used millstones from Wales as ballast. These stones. semi-finished, were welcomed in the colonies for mill erection was going hand in hand with expansion and became critically needed on the Fall Line or long before the Fall Line was reached. These stones were rolled into the interior, often with rude and improvised axles. and finally in a later stage of westward expansion reached Western Virginia, crossed over the Alleghenies and Cumberlands, some to Eastern Kentucky in the early 1800's. One "set" of millstones from Wales, never completely dressed and cut for use, can be seen today in a private collection in Floyd County, Kentucky. (13)

The Sandys brothers, Sir Edwin and George, were prominent benefactors of the colony of Virginia, the former for his fight to procure self-government, the latter because he saw the need for mills and began to construct them in Tidewater Virginia. George came to America in 1621 and a few years later erected the first water mill in America. After that mill construction went hand in hand with progress. It may be that one of the Sandys gave his name to the Big Sandy River in Eastern Kentucky and to say that he did is not too farfetched a probability. (14) Abraham Stapp, prominent in his own right in Old Rappahannock and Essex, knew the Sandys family and was such an intimate that he was called to witness legal instruments by members of the Sandys family. Henry Sandys built a mill on Occupacia Creek in the early 1670's and entered into a joint agreement for its operation with Capt. William Mosley of the Parish of Littingbourne in Rappahannock County and June 20, 1675, they called in Abraham Stapp and Philip Pendleton to witness the agreement. (15)

Abraham Stapp lived many years in Old Rappahannock and Essex counties in one of the most troubled times of Virginia. There were times when tobacco prices were depressed by either over-production or exorbitant taxation and night riders destroyed tobacco beds in a vigilante rage. Also, it was a time of Indian trouble and civil disorder. Governor Sir William Berkeley, old, irascible corrupt and cruel, goaded the colonists into open rebellion. Nathaniel Bacon, planter, marched back and forth over the land with his followers and in a burst of anger burned Jamestown. He died in late 1676 and the rebellion ended. The aftermath was a period of atrocious and official execution by Berkley. Those escaping the hangman's noose suffered many indignities. Abraham Stapp, we feel sure, must have been at Old Rappahannock courthouse to view Thomas and Benjamin Goodrich who stood with halters around their necks to express penitence for taking part in the rebellion. Their participation must have been small to merit only such a slight penalty.

Old Rappahannock County, not to be confused with Rappahannock County formed in 1833, was created in 1656 from Lancaster County but by 1692 population had increased until public clamor forced the splitting of Old Rappahannock into Richmond and Essex counties. Old Rappahannock thus ceased to exist and the records were transferred to the custody of the court of Essex. There they are preserved today. copious with the name of Stapp. The new county of Essex was a huge empire itself, forty-one Virginia counties being later created from its original domain. Earlier than 1685 Old Rappahannock had a courthouse in the town of Tappahannock but wines Essex was created the courthouse was erected Dear the present post office of Claret. The building burned and in 1728 a courthouse was built in Tappahannock. The town had been created in 1680, the 50-acre site being purchased for 50,000 pounds of tobacco.

Essex County, upon whose soil the Stapps lived and died for more than a century, has no Stapps or Stepps today but the imprint of the family history is spread on many books housed at Tappahannock.

Children and Grandchildren of Abraham Stapp

Abraham Stapp and his wife, Dorothy Moss Stapp. according to his will probated in 1714, were parents of nine children. Six were sons. All lived either to mature manhood or well into their prime years. The three daughters lived out their natural lives, married and had families we infer from the records. Early these sons of Abraham began to move about on the fast expanding Virginia frontier and left copious notes on the deed and order books of the state.

I. Abraham Stapp, Jr. We can easily infer that Abraham Stapp, Jr. was the eldest of the Abraham Stapp, Sr. children for he is mentioned first in the legatees of his father's will, He was born circa 1678. On the official records of the Virginia counties his name is spelled variously as Stapp, Stepp, even as Stop p.

There is no record that he owned slaves but since he was a tobacco planter he probably did. Under the provisions of his father's will he was given all the land on the north side of the road "of my dwelling plantation." Within a few years, about a length of time necessary to exhaust the soil from continuous cultivation of tobacco, Abraham, Jr. began to alienate his real estate. Curiously, there are no records where he acquired his real estate. Curiously. there are no records where he acquired other lands in Essex or any surrounding counties if he intended to remain a tobacco planter. He may have planned to enter some commercial enterprise connected with shipping or transportation.

In 1718 he sold 250 acres of land he had inherited from his father to John Jones for 60 pounds. It was noted that the land was located where "Abraham Stopp, Sr. formerly lived." The conveyance included "barns, stables, cabans, houses, orchards, gardens, watercourse, timber, woods, underwoods, swamps..." The deed, dated Feb. 17, recorded in Deed & Will Book 16, page 6, Essex County, is indexed as "Stapp" but in the instrument itself the name is written "Stopp." Since Abraham Jr. signed with his mark "a" the clerk or scribe wrote the name as Abraham Stopp. The instrument was witnessed by Nicholas Hawthorne. John Hart, Edward Royles, and James Hart. Dorothy Moss Stapp; widow of Abraham Sr. had probably died before 1718 and Abraham Jr. had thus acquired part of his mother's dower. This would account for the large acreage and the statement that the land was where "Abraham Sr. formerly lived."

In 1717 Abraham Jr. sold another tract of land to a Thomas Jones. ''Abraham Stapp (Jr.) of St. Ann Parish within Co. of Essex in the Colony of Virginia of the one part and Thomas Jones..... Sum of 60 pounds sterling ..... where upon Abraham Stapp (Sr.) dec'd formerly Dwelt..... containing by information 250 acres." This accounts for 500 acres of land Abraham Jr. inherited from his father. The deed, recorded in Deed Book 18, page 288, Essex County, was witnessed by three members of the Sale family.

Robert Brooke, who lived across the road from Abraham Stapp, Sr. and alongside the Mataponi Trail, and with whom the senior Stapp had been so long associated, was in contrast to the junior Stapp enlarging and improving his estate. He bought 100 acres of Abraham "purchased by Abraham Stapp, Sr. of Mosley" for the consideration of 1500 pounds of tobacco plus ten shillings in coin. Date of this conveyance was July 16, 1728 and it is recorded in Deed Book 18, pages 355-356, Essex County. This instrument was witnessed by Thomas Howard and Wm. Dickory. (James Stapp, brother of Abraham. Jr., sold Robert Brooke, same day, 100 acres of the once Mosley tract for five shillings. In this deed James Stapp is noted as of King William County.)

With this conveyance of land to Robert Brooke the junior Abraham Stapp disappears from the record. If he was ever married or had any descendants we do not know.

II. William Stapp. Probable second son of Abraham Stapp, Sr. and born circa 1680, died circa 1720. The dates are deduced from fragmentary records. From hi. father he inherited all the land the senior Stapp owned on the "south side of the road." This road was west of the old Tidewater Trail. The road referred to was the old Mataponi Road of early Essex County, its location in the area not definitely defined but it was probably west of Occupacia Creek and trailed north toward the present town of Hustle.

At the time of the probable death of Dorothy Moss Stapp, mother of William Stapp, the latter, with his brother Joshua, owned 100 acres of land on the south side of the Mataponi Road adjoining the line of Robert Hayfield, John Bates, Nicholas Falkner and up on Hoses Branch. location of the stream not certain today. The two brothers following the death of their mother decided to sell their land the next year. John Foster, Sr. offered 20 pounds sterling and the two brothers executed a power of attorney to John Wridings to make the deed. Date of the power of attorney was Dec. 8, 1719. The deed executed for William and Joshua, witnessed by William Mason and Anthony Foster, was delivered to John Foster Jan., 19, 1720, indicating that the grantors and grantee lived a considerable distance from each other.

With the execution of the power of attorney William Stapp leaves the colonial record, He was probably never married nor is it assumed or known that ho owned any slaves. His disappearance on the early records is a mystery for the most intensive research was programmed to find other evidence of his life. He may have died in early adulthood or like thousands of others of the period found anonymity in the vast reaches of the western woods.

III. Jacob Stapp. This probable third son of Abraham Stapp, Sr. was born circa 1681, died circa 1720.

Abraham Stapp, Sr. realized when he was making his will that he was unable to leave an adequate amount of land to each of his children and while he devised "to son Jacob Stapp the upper part of the land bought of Edward Mosley" he directed that Jacob and his brother Joshua who received the "lower part bordering on Mr. Robert Brooke" to buy "them 100 acres each elsewhere." This creates an inference that the elder Stapp had made a provision now unknown to us to enable Jacob and Joshua to buy "land elsewhere."

Jacob and Joshua Stapp disposed of part or all of their land they owned by inheritance by deed executed to Thomas Cooper Dickinson, Oct. 18, 1718. The grantors are identified as "Jacob Stepp and Joshua Stepp of St. Ann's Parrish, Essex County, planters." Consideration was 15 pounds sterling and 500 pounds of tobacco. The acreage, probably a guess, was listed as fifty. If there was a residue of this tract still belonging to Jacob and Joshua we are uncertain of it and find no alienation. The tract sold to Dickinson was identified as having been bequeathed to them by their father Abraham Stapp, "the lower part of which is divided from Mr. (Robert) Brooke's land by the main road, the other parts adjoining to the land now in the possession of the Wido. Halbert, Edward Mosley and others." (16)

The sons of Abraham Stapp, Sr. lived in a time of important economic and historical events in Virginia: The population was increasing and settlement was edging westward. Alexander Spotswood became lieutenant governor in 1710 as representative of the Earl of Orkney who remained in England and drew his lucrative salary from the colonies without ever seeing Virginia. The population of the colony was approaching 100,000 people, 10,000 of them slaves and twenty-five counties had been formed. Seven years before Spotswood became lieutanant governor, a postal system was initiated.

Few families had dared to settle in the region between the Falls of the James River and the mountains, most preferring to build homes along the James, Rappahannock and Appomattox rivers. A small number had pushed westward. however, to the foot of the Blue Ridge but no white man had been known to cross these mountains into the great Shenandoah Valley. In 1716 Spotswood decided to explore the uncharted wilderness west of the Blue Ridge. With a chosen group of men, some of them from the Rappahannock and may have included Jacob or Joseph Stapp, he set out from Williamsburg and traveled by coach to Germanna. Shifting to horseback with his followers he moved up the Rappahannock River and after five weeks came to Swift Run Gap. Continuing to the west bank of the Shenandoah-they took possession of the country in the name of the King of England. They returned to Williamsburg after three more weeks through the forest. They had traveled 440 miles in eight weeks. To each of his companions Spotswood gave a small golden horseshoe as a souvenir of the expedition. From this historic incident sprang the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe. One or more of the sons of Abraham Stapp, Sr., probably Jacob, William and Joseph, were possible members of the famed expedition.

The year 1718 was an important date in the annals of the children of Abraham Stapp, Sr. for in that year or the next William and Jacob Stapp slip into the limbo of unrecorded history. We are inclined to speculate that William and Jacob may have moved west or northwest to another region of the fast expanding America and that either could be the forbears of Michael Step (Stip) who is mentioned on the Frederick County, VA record in 1782 or ancestors of the Pennsylvania Stapps.

IV. Joseph Stapp. Born ca 1690/91, died just previous to May 20, 1735. It appears that Joseph, a planter and slave owner, never married. His name was variously spelled Stapp, Steep, Step, and Stepp.

Under the terms of his father's will, written in 1710 and probated in 1714, he was devised 25 acres of "the lower land" as was his brother James. He and James had no control over the property until 1718 when their mother Dorothy Stapp probably died because their father had stipulated in his testament that she was to have the land her lifetime.

Joseph Stapp probably owned much more land than he inherited from his father and he had at least two slaves, probably more. In an appraisal of Joseph's estate made in 1735 in Orange County, Virginia, it was noted by Robert Green, administrator, that a Mr. Kertley owed the estate wages for two months use of the slaves.

In 1726 Joseph Stapp sold the 25 acres of "the lower land" to Thomas Cooper. The consideration was seven pounds, ten shillings and 250 pounds of tobacco. (17) Sometime between 1726 and 1732, probably following sale of the land to Cooper, Joseph moved to Caroline County, Virginia. Actually, he could have only been moved on the map for Caroline County, created in 1728 by the House of Burgesses "on the heads of Essex, King and Queen and King William Counties," for the land sold to Cooper very probably lay in the vicinity of the A.P. Hill military reservation at a point where Essex, King William and Caroline now merge. We learn that Joseph was in Caroline County in 1732 for he was sued in that year by Benjamin Rennolds. Joseph failed to appear and judgment was rendered by the Caroline court for two and one-half pounds against him and Rice Williams, his surety, The judgment, rendered July 13, 1732, was confirmed for execution in April of 1733. (18)

Joseph was in Spotsylvania County, Virginia in 1734 for he was a witness with Joseph Henderson and August Smith to two deeds executed Jan. 30 of that year and recorded May 7, 1734, The conveyances were from Isaac Norman to Nathaniel Hillin and James Turner. The land lay in St. George Parish which was the lower half of Spotsylvania County. This indicated the general area in which Joseph lived. (19)

Joseph Stapp died before May 20, 1735, probably early in the month. On that date Robert Green appeared in the Orange County, Virginia court and executed an administrator's bond for 50 pounds. Benjamin Cave signed as surety with Green before Justice Goodrich Lightfoot. As one family researcher has said, "Joseph Stapp opened up the books in Orange County," for the administrator's bond of Robert Green was entered in Will Book I, page l. An estate account filed subsequently is recorded on page 19. No evidence of wealth is inferred or deduced from the estate accounting. Green noted the receipt of tobacco from debtors, the sale of "sundry cloaths sold at auction" for 111 pounds plus and the collection of sundry other debts, one of them being 49 pounds collected for the two months services of the two slaves. One final indebtedness paid by Green was "To one bottle of wine to receive the sacrament by the deceased''

At the time of the death of Joseph, while he was actually living in Orange County, he may not have moved from Spotsylvania County where the record noted he was a witness to two deeds on Jan. 30, 1734, for in that year Orange was created from Spotsylvania, embracing that part of the county lying in Saint Mark's Parish, "Bounden southerly by the line of Hanover County, northerly by the grant of Lord Fairfax and westerly by the utmost limits of Virginia." This "utmost limits" was the Mississippi River.

V. James Stapp. We have no evidence as to when James Stapp was born but it is believed he was one of the middle sons of the family group. He was of age in 1728 when he sold land in Essex County so he was born prior to 1707, probably much earlier for his father and probably his mother were elderly in that year. One family student thinks James was born about 1693. James' name, like his brothers, is spelled variously on the colonial records. At first it was Stapp, then it became Stap, Step, Stepp under the careless pens of clerks.

James and his brother Joseph were devised 25 acres each of "the lower tobacco land as James became a planter. By 1728 James was in King William County, whether by juggling of county lines through creation of new counties or by removal we do not know but we are inclined to believe the former. The Brooke family, whose estates adjoined the Stapps, looked with covetous eyes upon this tobacco land and bought it of James, July 15, 1728. Robert Brooke, "of Essex," paid "James Stapp of the county of King William" five shillings, the low price either attesting to the scarcity of coin or to the eagerness of James Stapp to sell. The land. it was noted in the conveyance, was purchased by Abraham Stapp, James' father, from Edward Mosley. The acreage is puzzling as it calls for 100 acres, four times as large an amount as James had inherited so he must have acquired land in the interim between his father's death and 1728. Although the records of Essex are in good condition we cannot assert they are complete. (20)

James Stapp was a permanent resident of Caroline County by 1736, we are led to believe from the official records. He sued a Williams Munkas, subject matter of the controversy unknown, in the Caroline court. He was awarded a judgment, Aug. 13, 1736, for 800 pounds of tobacco. (21) James was in the same court a year later when he had Kate, a slave girl, adjudged to be 13 years old. (22) There may have been some connection between the slave and the judgment. Sept. 9, 1737 the Caroline court ordered "John Brown to pay James Stapp 120 pounds of tobacco for two days attendance and coming and going 20 miles twice as an evidence for him a. Desmukes." (23) His son, James, Jr., was in the Caroline court in the summer of that year for he appeared June 10, 1737 and asked the court to dismiss an action for trespass he had instituted against a James Collins. (24) Richard Stapp was probably another son for in 1747 Thomas Burdette, a mulatto bastard, was bound to "Richard Step.