Last Will of my 9th Great Grandfather, Samuel Greenif, 1703

Last Will and Testament of Samuel Greenif (1703); Anne Arundel Co., Maryland

From Prerogative Court Wills, Anne Arundel County, Maryland Libre 11, folio 340, and 351.  Written 14 August 1703, Probate 20 August 1703.

“In the name of God Amen, the 14 day of August 1703 I Sam Greenif of Annarrundle County being Sick and weake in body but of perfect memory praise be Given to God for the Same and knowing the uncertainty of this Life on Earth and being Desireous to Settle things in Order doe make this my last will and testament in forme following that is to say first and above all things I Commend my Soule to Almighty God my Creator Assuredly Beleaveing that I shall Receive pardon for all my sins and be Saved by the precious Death and Merritt of my Blessed Saviour and Redeemer Christ Jesus and my body to the earth whence it was taken to be buried in a Christian manner as to my Executor hereafter names Shall be thought meete and as touching such worldly Estate as the Lord in mercy hath lent my will and meaning is the Same Shall be employed and bestowed as hereafter by this my will is Expressed and I Doe make Brother James Greenif Executor

 Item I give unto Sarah Rockhold my horse Brand and a Side Saddle and the furniture belonging to it

Item I give my baldfaced horse to Morice Baker

Item I give my old horse Snip to Will Baker

Item I give Eighty five pounds Sterling money to be Divided between my Brother James Greenif and my sister Hannah Greenif after my Debts are paid

Item I give by wareing apparel to James Croutch

Witness my hand and Seale  Sam Greenif”

(Sealed)

“Signed and Sealed in the presence of” (Signed)  Phillip Jones, Willm Gosnell, Robert Capele

On the back of which was written, “August 20 1703 Then Came William Gosnell and Richard Capele two of the within witnesses within named and made oath that they see the Testator Sam Greenif Signe Seale publish and declare the within as his last will and that then he was of sound and perfect minde and memory

Jurat Coram me William Taylard Deptyt Comm of AA County"

Some Thoughts on Robert Rockhould

Robert Rockhould (name as on earliest found documentation) was born probably between 1600 and 1605.  He was likely born in England but could have been born in the Netherlands.  While no documentation, there is sketchy information that his father was one Richard Rockwell who died about 1621 in Fitzhead, Somerset, England.  Richard was the son of William Rockwell and Marion Wyke (or Pyke or Kyne); he married Thomazine Littlejohn in Fitzhead September 1593.

Considering the interchanging of the Rockhould, Rockhold, Rockholt, Rockwell names over the years, it is not a long stretch.  History tells us many Puritans were not willing to convert to the religious ilk's of the English royals and some left England for the Netherlands in the early 1600s, before any real colonization of America. Robert married Sarah Greniffe about 1633, probably in the Netherlands where sons Robert Junior and Thomas, and daughter Mary were born.  The family immigrated first to Virginia colony around 1637, as reflected in land records of the time.  Daughter Ann and son John were born in Virginia.  The family relocated to Maryland colony around 1649.

Robert was an armourer (gunsmith) by trade but the family became very successful farmers with several hundred acres, mostly in tobacco.  All of the first generation, Robert Jr., his siblings and their wives died in Maryland.  Their descendants moved eventually to the corners of the new world, as it grew.  Today there are relatives found with three variations of the family name; Rockhold, and Rockholt as well as Rockwell.  The family Rockwell does not always trace back to Robert, there is a separate line of the Rockwell family originating in Connecticut around the same time Robert came to Virginia.

I favor the idea our Robert, son of Richard Rockwell of Fitzhead,  was a brother or cousin of John Rockwell.  If, and it's a very big if, Robert left England under penalty of arrest (which could have occurred over even a trivial matter) he would have changed his name since the arrest warrant would have followed him to the colony.  I support this idea with the documentation of the use of Rockwell be a few of the second generation individuals.

Given the type of information that was being returned to the Netherlands from the Dutch colonies, (It weren't no picnic) I can well understand Robert's choice of Virginia over the Dutch colonies.

Early Virginia History of the Rockhould Family

A good read into the early Virginia history of the Rockhould family.  Compiled by Harry Hagan and self published in 1995, "The Christopher Woodward Family".  It's online in pdf format, www.geocities.ws/hhagan_sma/woodward.pdf   Index on page 38.  Rockhould starts on page 32, with some mention on page 21 and 31.  Also includes information on Howard and Richardson families, which are interactive with the early family.

A bit of family history

The English colony of Virginia, as initially established in the early 1600s, extended north into what is presently the state of Maine, and south to the Carolinas.  Early recorded history is fragmented and in many instances simply does not exist.  Trying to piece together the family tree I have encountered one road block after another.  It has not been easy but it has been fun.  In trying to break through the many road blocks I have uncovered a lot of interesting stuff.
In researching the historical records, early history books and the archives of the LDS Church I have found our surname spelled in many ways.  Rockhold, Rockhould, Rockwell and Rockholt show up.  I find other families genealogy listings under the name Rockwell, while the original document  cited as proof,  so clearly is either  Rockhold or Rockholt.
At first the entire eastern New England seaboard was divided into two economic zones as corporate colonies funded by private investors in search of riches in gold and silver.  The northern half to the Plymouth Company, and the southern half to the London Company.  The lack of riches was the downfall of the companies and the earliest colonial settlements.  England revoked the charters and established the Royal Colonies of 1624.
In the early days of the colonies, life was rough.  Famine, disease and Indian uprisings took a heavy toll and only the hardy souls survived.  Two of our early ancestors were among the early settlers in the new world colony of Virginia.  Robert Rockhould in 1627 and John Boatwright about 1650.
I have not been able to pin down Robert’s origin with any degree of certainty, but it can be reasonably assumed he was “English”, probably from Fitzhead, Somerset County, England.  He was granted land upon immigration to New Norfork, Virginia in 1637 along with his wife Sarah and sons Robert Jr. and Thomas.  Best guess is he left England for the Netherlands, where he married Sarah Greniffe, eventually immigrating to Virginia.
John Boatwright Jr. was born in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England.  He came to New Kent, Virginia Colony as an indentured servant, quickly serving out his indenture and becoming a successful land owner.  The plantation home of James Boatwright (1745-1815) was still standing, though in bad repair, in the late 1960s.
The Rockholts and Boatwrights followed similar routes in the migration, finally joining together in the marriage of Walter William Rockholt and Martha Eugenia Boatwright, my grandparents,  in Arkansas in 1908.