Colonial Virginia

38th Annual Nansemond Indian “Homecoming”

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Some people travel hundreds of miles to experience history. Around Chuckatuck, we only have to look across the creek.

From our home on Cedar Creek, we can look toward Mattanock Town, the ancestral home of the Nansemond Indian Nation. It’s a reminder that long before Suffolk existed — long before Virginia appeared on a map — this land was home to the Nansemond people, whose name means “fishing point.” For thousands of years, they lived along the Nansemond River, fishing its waters, harvesting oysters, hunting its forests, and farming its fertile shores.

English settlement though brought warfare, displacement, and centuries of pressure to abandon their identity. Nevertheless, the Nansemond endured — maintaining their families, their community, and their connection to this land through an unlikely marriage between a 17th century English minister and the daughter of a Nansemond Chief. Today, they remain an important part of our community — not just a chapter in a history book, but our neighbors.

My own appreciation for their story began when I was young. My father shared his fascination with local history after spending his childhood walking freshly plowed fields, finding arrowheads left behind by those who called this place home generations before us. Those small discoveries sparked a lifelong respect for the people who came before us.

One memory has stayed with me for decades: meeting Chief Earl “Running Deer” Bass at a Nansemond Pow Wow. I was just a kid, and he was already in his 80s, but I remember him as a kind, gentle soul – and a man who loved Christ. He was fiercely proud of his Nansemond heritage and of his Christian faith — an example that has stayed with me.

In 1988, the tribe held its first Pow Wow back on their ancestral land, calling it the “Nansemond Indian Homecoming.” This weekend, that history comes alive once again as the 38th Annual Nansemond Indian Pow Wow returns to Mattanock Town. Gates open at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with Grand Entry at noon on Saturday and 1 PM on Sunday. Visitors can experience traditional dancing and singing, Native arts and crafts, food, fellowship, and opportunities to learn about one of Virginia’s oldest living cultures. Admission and parking are free, though donations are encouraged to support the tribe’s ongoing work.

If you’ve never been, I encourage you to go. It’s a chance to celebrate a people whose story has never ended, and whose roots remain firmly planted right here in our backyard.

Sometimes the richest history isn’t found in a museum. Sometimes, it’s just across the creek.
From our Chuckatuck porch where we can still hear the drumbeats of the Nansemond, until next time, that’s another Fred On History Friday.

Chuckatuck Rum Punch

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As we celebrate the Fourth of July, it seems only fitting to raise a glass to one of colonial America’s favorite traditions: rum punch.

Long before the modern cocktail bar, punch was the drink of fellowship — served in bowls, ladled into cups, and shared at taverns, homes, public gatherings, and celebrations. Rum was one of the great spirits of the Atlantic world, connecting the colonies with the Caribbean through trade, taste, and hospitality.

This “Chuckatuck Punch” is my version of that old tradition. It leans into Bermuda (surprise!) with Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, nods to the broader Caribbean with Barbados rum and falernum, and brings in the classic punch elements of citrus, spice, fruit, and a finishing touch of brandy.

Think of it as 18th-century punch bowl tradition meets a summer party — perfect for America 250, or any summer gathering worth remembering.

Chuckatuck Punch Recipe

Serves about 12

Ingredients

1 ½ cups Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
1 ½ cups Barbados rum or another quality amber/gold rum
⅜ cup falernum (Goslings or Fee Brothers)
same as 6 tablespoons or 3 ounces
1 cup fresh lime juice (or half lime & lemon)
1 ½ cups orange (or pineapple) juice
8 dashes Angostura bitters
2 ounces good quality brandy
same as ¼ cup or 4 tablespoons
2 ounces cherry juice and/or grenadine, to taste
Soda water, to top
Orange slices, fresh mint and your favorite cherries for garnish
Crushed ice
Directions

In a large pitcher or drink dispenser, combine the Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, Barbados rum, falernum, fresh lime juice, orange juice, and Angostura bitters.

Stir well and chill until ready to serve.

To serve, fill tall glasses with crushed ice. Pour the punch over the ice, top each glass with soda water, garnish with orange slices, mint & cherries, and finish each serving with a small splash — about 1 teaspoon — of brandy.

So, as we look back 250 years toward the founding generation, “Chuckatuck Punch” offers a small taste of the kind of shared hospitality that would have been familiar in colonial America — bold, bright, convivial, and made for passing around.

Until next time, from our Chuckatuck porch to yours, cheers! 🍹

What’s in a name? King’s Highway Edition

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Welcome to a “Fred on History” Friday here at The Chuckatuck Life….

So, what’s in a name?

Most people driving through Chuckatuck today have no idea they may be traveling over a road system older than our country itself.

Long before there was a State Route 10 or 125, or even a good ol’ U.S. of A., this part of Virginia was tied into what was known in colonial times as King (Charles II’s) Highway.

But the story starts even earlier than that.

Many of Virginia’s early roads followed older American Indian paths — trails that crossed rivers and creeks at the narrowest, most practical points. As English settlers arrived in the 1600s, those paths slowly became primary roads, mail routes, ferry routes, and eventually pieces of a larger highway system connecting communities across the colonies.

By the 1700s, the “King’s Highway” stretched in various forms for more than 1,300 miles, linking Boston, Massachusetts, to Charleston, South Carolina. And here in Tidewater, that route helped connect travelers moving between Richmond and Petersburg east to Suffolk, Portsmouth/Norfolk, and onward into North Carolina.

That made Chuckatuck more than just a quiet village. It made Chuckatuck a crossroads within a much larger network of travel.

Because of its location near both the Nansemond River and Chuckatuck Creek, this area became important for farming, trade, and transportation. Tobacco, corn, cotton, livestock, supplies, mail, merchants, soldiers, and the like all moved through here.

And one of the most important local connections along the King’s Highway was of course, Sleepy Hole Ferry.

Before modern bridges, ferries were lifelines. Sleepy Hole Ferry connected both sides of the Nansemond River and served as a critical crossing point for travelers, commerce, and — at times — armies.

Speaking of, during the American Revolution, Benedict Arnold’s British troops crossed near Sleepy Hole Ferry in January of 1781, as they were returning from a raid on Richmond. Famed Continental General Marquis de Lafayette would do the same, chasing after Arnold. And later that same year, British Commanding General Cornwallis crossed on the Sleep Hole Ferry on his way toward Portsmouth.

Think about that for a second.

British and Continental troops moving through this area — right here near Chuckatuck — during the fight for American independence.

That is what makes local history so fascinating.

History did not only happen in Boston, Philadelphia, Williamsburg, or Yorktown.

It happened along quiet roads. It happened at ferry crossings.

It happened in small communities like Chuckatuck that helped connect early America together.

And as we approach America’s 250th birthday, roads like the King’s Highway remind us that the story of America runs not just through the major cities or battlefields that make the history books, but through the places we pass by every day.

Even right here at home.

So from my porch to yours — cheers to more local history, until the next time!

Image: Excerpt from Map of Isle of Wight and part of Nansemond, made under the direction of A.H. Campbell and J.F. Gilmer, Chief Engineer’s Office, Army of Northern Virginia, 1864. Courtesy of the Archives of the United States Military Academy.

Good Friday, Hot Cross Buns and Bermuda

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Wishing all a blessed Good Friday, and a double dose of #fredonhistory

I had never seen or heard of a “Hot Cross Bun” – spiced buns with mixed fruit and topped with an icing cross – until my travels and research took me to Bermuda 🇧🇲 . One bit of folklore attributes these to have originated in 16th/17th England, due to a ban on the sale of spiced baked goods during Easter and Christmas. Apparently a resourceful baker decided if such buns were “blessed” with a cross it would get around such prohibitions by making their sale one with a religious connotation.

Whatever the origins though, generally after Lent all I have on my mind is the taste of these spicy, fruity, and sweet delectable treats. And in recent years, I am thankful they have made their way to the States.

Today, I was fortunate to find a pan of fresh Hot Cross Buns at Yummaries Bakery in Smithfield.

Which brings me to another bit of history.

The Town of Smithfield also has multiple Bermuda connections. Those who know a little something of Smithfield history will recognize the name Captain Mallory Todd and the stately “Todd House” (aka Nicholas Parker house, built in 1750s) located on Main Street.

Captain Mallory Todd, 1742-1817

Mallory Todd, a noted seaman and merchant, was in fact a native of Bermuda and is believed to have come to Smithfield in the 1760s (likely joining another branch of his family, also Bermudian – the Mallorys) to pursue a variety of financial opportunities in the colonies. In the midst of the Revolutionary War, Todd expanded his business, and is credited as being the father of our famed “Smithfield ham” – curing them so that they would be preserved during their export across the Atlantic to England, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and abroad.

So today, while I enjoy my hot cross buns and reflect on the solemnity of Good Friday, I am also mindful of the great irony that these same Smithfield-made cross buns were likely being enjoyed by the Mallory and Todd families some 250+ years ago as well.

And that little idea of Captain Todd’s – curing and shipping local hams 🐖 – well it seemed to take off pretty well, too!

Gravestone of Captain Todd, Wrenn’s Cemetery, Isle of Wight County, Virginia

The Parker/Todd House, along Main Street, Smithfield, Virginia

The 250th Anniversary of South Quay Baptist Church

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Memorial table and portrait of South Quay’s longest-serving minister, Rev. James E. Jones.

I had the distinct privilege of speaking at the homecoming celebration held on Sunday, March 16, recognizing South Quay Baptist Church for its 250th anniversary. It was a packed-house, with standing room only and just a wonderful day of sharing history, fellowship, and worship!

The pictures below are courtesy of South Quay’s Facebook page.

Additionally, the following resolution was passed by the Senate of Virginia as SR219 commending South Quay on this great honour and outlining the Church’s history:

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 219

Offered January 23, 2025

Commending South Quay Baptist Church.

—————

Patron—Jordan

—————

WHEREAS, South Quay Baptist Church of Suffolk, one of the oldest Baptist congregations in the Commonwealth, will celebrate its 250th anniversary on March 1, 2025; and

WHEREAS, South Quay Baptist Church was a mission church of Mill Swamp Baptist Church and located originally along the Blackwater River on the border of Southampton and Nansemond Counties; the church was organized with a bi-racial congregation of 42 members on March 1, 1775, under the leadership of the Reverend David Barrow, a noted anti-slavery and liberty advocate; and

WHEREAS, South Quay Baptist Church moved to its current location in then-Nansemond County in 1835, becoming commonly known as “Reedy Branch Church” due to its location along Reedy Branch in the South Quay community; and

WHEREAS, during the Civil War, by order of Governor William Smith, South Quay Baptist Church served as the temporary courthouse for Nansemond County during its military occupation between 1864 and 1865; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Putnam Owens of South Quay Baptist Church ordained former slaves Israel Cross and Joseph Gregory, both members of the church, who went on to establish Cool Spring Baptist Church, now First Baptist Church of Franklin, in 1866 and Mount Sinai Baptist Church located in Nansemond County in 1868; and

WHEREAS, South Quay Baptist Church, in the wake of Reconstruction, erected a new building in 1889 after the church was destroyed by a fire, and said building comprises today’s present church building; and

WHEREAS, over the course of time, South Quay Baptist Church has greatly expanded in membership and completed a parsonage, fellowship hall, and Sunday school classrooms to better serve the growing community; and

WHEREAS, South Quay Baptist Church has provided the community uplifting spiritual guidance, proclaiming the word of the Lord and encouraging deep, personal relationships with Jesus Christ, and these efforts have been complemented by joyful occasions for worship, fellowship, and abundant opportunities for charity and outreach, making the church an integral and cherished part of the City of Suffolk and Southampton County; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That South Quay Baptist Church hereby be commended on the occasion of its 250th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to South Quay Baptist Church as an expression of the Senate of Virginia’s high regard for the church’s history, heritage, and contributions to the Commonwealth.

Celebrating the Return of General Lafayette

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Today, I am still reveling in the excitement of the at-capacity, 250+ person banquet commemorating the February 25, 1825, visit of General Lafayette to Suffolk.

Packed house at the Hilton Garden Inn

We were blessed to have the General himself – portrayed by the talented Mark Schneider, and numerous dignitaries locally and abroad, the Mayor and members of City Council, French military personnel, Virginia American Revolution 250, scholars of the The American Friends of Lafayette, Daughters of the American Revolution, and so many more!

“The General” addresses the crowd.

Of course, it would take such a significant event to cause me to abandon my beard of years, in order to channel my inner 1820s gentleman! Not the least of which was the high honour of serving as the Master of Ceremonies for a wonderful evening of history, and the celebration of our timeless bond with France.

Viva la France & General Lafayette!

What’s in a Name? The Search for Lewis B. Taylor of Brunswick County, Virginia

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LBT Signature

By Fred D. Taylor

For decades, a number of Taylor family researchers have worked tirelessly to determine the parents of Lewis B. Taylor of Brunswick County, Virginia, who was born circa 1772 and died before December 1831.

When my father and I first began our own family tree quest in the early 1990s, this mystery was a source of almost heated debate among our cousins, spanning from family researchers very close to the source in Brunswick County, all the way out to the West Coast, and everywhere in between.  To say the search was both dedicated and committed is an understatement.  Countless hours were spent by dozens of individuals in libraries and courthouses across Virginia and North Carolina in hopes of untangling this genealogical roadblock.  From there, professional genealogists were employed to put an independent set of eyes on the project.  When that failed (or rather, did not succeed), researchers in the family decided a new route – that of DNA testing, at that time (the mid 2000s) a research tool in its infancy.

Through all of that, the ultimate goal of learning more about Lewis B. Taylor, and more importantly his parents, remained elusive.  During this time and up to recent years, I remained in the peripheral of this research, occasionally touching base with family across the country to see if they had uncovered any new leads of interest.  We also discussed the DNA aspect, as it was becoming trendy, but that seemed to be nothing more than the latest rabbit hole for genealogists.

For some years, I remained out of the loop, but in 2013 decided to renew my own research on the family.  My first objective was to not simply rely on everyone else’s records, or rather, their assumptions about certain information.  This is something I see all too often in the genealogical world.  Instead, I wanted to find the actual documentation of a certain fact, or at least be able to back-track a source to its origin.  The best example I can offer in this scenario is the name itself of our subject, Lewis B. Taylor.  For years, I had been told that his full name was Lewis Ball Taylor.  However, when it comes to the records for him, no court record, legal document, or other period account supports this.  Instead, what we find is Lewis B. Taylor or Lewis Taylor or L.B. Taylor.  So where did the Ball name come from?  From what I can now tell, it came from an assumption within the family that the “B.” in Lewis B. was Ball, because of the fact that he had a grand-daughter whose name was Minerva Ball Taylor and a great-grandson named Benjamin Ball Taylor.  Down the road, while we certainly may learn that Ball is his middle name, without more at this time, it is only conjecture.

But I digress from the main topic of this story.

In addition to starting from scratch on the research aspect of Lewis B. Taylor’s history, I finally convinced myself that it was time to do more with the DNA angle.  At that time, there had been one Lewis B. Taylor family descendant to contribute to the Taylor Family Project at Family Tree DNA.   To give those of you a little background on this project, I will quote from their website directly:

“The Taylor Family Genes Project (TFG) — with more than 700 members — is the largest and best Taylor Surname DNA project offered by any DNA testing company. For a common, multi-origin surname like Taylor, database size matters; it increases your chances of finding a match within the project. Having begun in late 2003, we have members with various DNA tests and are growing daily. Among our >550 members with more than 12 markers of Y-DNA results, we have identified ~80  genetic Taylor families and more than 300 unique haplotypes (individual family lines).”

When it comes to DNA research like this, size matters, and this project is THE project if you want to be serious about your Taylor family origins.

Unfortunately though, even with this kind of resource at our disposal, our one Taylor DNA submittal had turned up no matches to any other Taylors.  Despite this, I decided that it would not hurt for me to submit as well, so at the very least we would know that our “control” subject for descendants of Lewis B. Taylor was accurate.  We also decided to upgrade the test for our early DNA submission.  Originally, he had only been tested at the Y-25 level, which while cutting edge at the time, was a less than helpful tool a decade later.

So what did we find out?  Well, not surprisingly, our original submission and I came back as the highest matches for each other.  For easier reference, I will refer to him as Taylor Test One.

To give you an idea of how this works, of Taylor Test One’s 111 Y markers tested, I tested as an exact match for 108 of them.  This is highly significant, as in scientific terms it carries a 78% chance of a common ancestor within the last 8 generations and 91% within the last 10 generations.  This testing also confirmed some of our “paper” genealogy, as we came from two different branches of the Lewis B. Taylor line, specifically: Taylor Test One was a descendant of William Ney Murat Taylor (1816-1896) and I am a descendant of John W. Taylor (1797 – ca. 1870s).

I will also note for you DNA nerds out there that we are labeled as Group 81 in the Taylor Family Genes Project, with the R1b group designation, and the R1b1a2 sub-clade.  Advanced Y-DNA testing also has the ability to dig beyond the R1b1a2 designation into further sub-classes, and specific SNP mutations that we share with smaller groups of people.  Think of it as a family tree descendancy chart.  Now I can go into a lot more detail here about the various sub-clades (and their designations) that we match up to (there are thousands), but at the end of the day, our classification comes down to a group designated as Z-253 and below that, FGC3222.  [Now, end of the scientific/DNA details.]

Unfortunately, while our DNA testing (at this point) has turned up no other direct Taylor family matches, it has allowed us to start eliminating some other Taylor families who resided in and around Brunswick County in the 18-19th Century.  This is a biggie for genealogical research, as it allows us to exclude some of those rabbit holes we had been chasing for decades.   So here is who we are NOT related to or descended from:

  • The Edward Taylor (1722-1784) and Jesse Taylor (1752-1800) Families of Brunswick County… In a prominent and often cited discussion on Genealogy.com, Taylor family historian Ed Dittmer theorized that Lewis Ball Taylor could be a son of Jesse Taylor. This was a great lead, based on the dates, location, and the fact that LBT had a son named Jesse.  However, DNA data proved this to be incorrect, as confirmed “paper” genealogy and later DNA showed that descendants of Jesse Taylor (specifically, Jesse Major Taylor (b. 1798) and George Edward Taylor (b. 1797/98)) are from the Y-DNA group I-M253.  They have been separately designated in the Taylor Family Genes Project as I1-001 Group 01, and appear to descend from Robert Taylor of Rappahannock County, Virginia, circa 1688.  See http://www.taylorfamilygenes.info/groups/grp_001.shtml for more information about this line.
  • The Thomas Taylor (1750/60–1820) and Benjamin Taylor (1780-1853) Families of Lunenburg, Brunswick, and Mecklenburg Counties and Elsewhere… Again, another prominent family that we originally believed that LBT may have had a connection to due to ages and similar family names.  Upon the submission of a Y-DNA sample from a descendant of this line, however, it was determined that this line has a Y-DNA of I-M270, and appear to descend from the Rev. Daniel Taylor, Sr. (ca. 1664-1729) of New Kent and King William Counties, Virginia.
  • The James Taylor, Jr. (1770-1827) of Mecklenburg Family. This was another potential “hope” of ours, as this family spread across Brunswick and Mecklenburg Counties, as well as into Halifax County, NC, in the late 18th  Again, we met a roadblock, as the DNA submission from a descendant of this line determined that this family has a Y-DNA of R1b-M269, with the Western Atlantic Modal Haplotype, and have as their most distant paternal ancestor, John Taylor (1627-1702) of Northumberland County, Virginia.  This line has been separately designated in the Taylor Family Genes Project as R1b-091 Group 91.
  • The James Taylor (1642-1698) Family (which includes the Rev. Lewis B. Taylor of Granville County, North Carolina). This is probably the most notable of Taylor families, and the one that many Taylors claim and wish to be descended from, as this includes the lines of such notables as Presidents James Madison and Zachary Taylor, among many others.  However, the reality is that very few are connected to this line, and ours is one of them that certainly is not.  This line is designated as group R1b-002 Group 2 in the Taylor Family Genes Project, and more information about this line can be found at:  http://www.taylorfamilygenes.info/groups/grp_002.shtml

[Note:  *Currently, we are testing two possible Taylor candidates through DNA submission (and with Brunswick & Mecklenburg County ancestry), with the hope that we may find a match to our Lewis B. Taylor family line.*]

Now, where does that leave us?

Much like those dedicated researchers before us, I and many other continue on our quest to discover new information about Lewis B. Taylor.  This has come with some reward.  For one, we have been able to locate the lands owned by Lewis B. Taylor that were situated in the White Plains area of Brunswick County, and discovered that his home place still exists.  While we do not know for sure, it is very likely that he is buried on this property.

Similarly, focused research on those period documents that relate to Lewis B. Taylor help to tell us more about the man himself, and his family.  For instance, an inventory of his Estate after his death, and recorded at the Clerk’s Office of the Brunswick County Circuit Court on December 31, 1831, relate that his personal property included such items as English furniture, numerous books, pictures, and a looking glass.  Based on other Court records, we also know that Lewis B. Taylor could read and write, had vast vocational skills that included carpentry and farming, and that he was very active in his community.  Unfortunately, those bits of information do not answer for us where and when he was born, his family, or even details about his upbringing.  Our earliest record of him comes to us from Brunswick County in 1793, so we can presume he was “of age” at that time, but we know little else.

For now, I have kept a log of “field notes” about Lewis B. Taylor, of which I share with you today in the file Lewis B. Taylor Notes – Jan 10 2016.

With this story, I hope to not only draw more interest from those already researching the Taylor family (and specifically Lewis B. Taylor), but cross my fingers that this information and that which remains to be discovered will lead us to eventually unraveling the mystery of Lewis B. Taylor of Brunswick County.

Have questions?  Want to aid in the search?  Please contact me! fred.taylor.va@gmail.com