William NEWSOME

                   NOTE:
      Historical detail in NOTES

William Newsom III was the first Newsom to be born in the New World. As has been seen, he married into the line of the Spencers, among the first settlers of Jamestown, when he married Anne Sheppard-Hart, widow of Thomas Hart, Sr., and daughter of Elizabeth Spencer. While still a young man, several large grants of land were made to him in partnership with a Robert Ruffin and an Arthur Allen. These transactions are recorded in Virginia Land Grants, Grant Book 6, p. 650-654.In 1687, William was listed as a cavalryman in the Surry County Militia (Crozier, "Virginia Colonial Militia," p. 101).Late 17th century Jamestown, the Colonial home of the Newsoms, was the scene of a controversial and well known civil uprising commonly called "Bacon's Rebellion." The following excerpt from Encarta Encyclopedia recapitulates the affair:"Bacon's Rebellion, uprising in 1676 of Virginia farmers against the colonial authorities headed by Sir William Berkeley, governor of Virginia. The rebellion began when a group of former indentured servants led by Nathaniel Bacon, a young plantation owner, accused Governor Berkeley of failing to protect them from raids by Native Americans. Under Bacon's authority, the men formed an army to punish the raiding tribes. Berkeley denounced the men as rebels and accused them of attacking and killing not just hostile Native Americans, but members of friendly tribes.After defeating the Native Americans, Bacon and his men occupied Jamestown, the capital of the colony. The farmers, who were now demanding governmental reforms in addition to protection from hostile Native Americans, forced the governor to flee. Bacon then led another expedition against the Native Americans, defeating them at the Battle of Bloody Run. While Bacon was engaged in this effort, Berkeley began to raise a force to fight him. Marching against Jamestown a second time, Bacon captured the city and burned it in September 1676. In the following month, Bacon died suddenly and his rebellion immediately collapsed. The governor took revenge upon Bacon's followers, executing some and confiscating the property of others." Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.In the frenetic sale of arms following the trouble, it is noted that William Newsom "bought a sword." It is particularly interesting to note the part Roger Rawlings (William's brother-in-law) played in the fracas. It seems that Roger had a "boate that is bigg enough to carry all that is to goe" which was pressed into service by the insurrectionists. Roger Rawlings went along, but when they got to Jamestown and found out that the Baconians had taken the Governor's goods, he decided that things were out of hand. He wryly observed that "they have brought us to keep their stolen goods" and he "wished himselfe at home." After the Rebellion was crushed and Governor Berkeley once more held the reins, Rawlings obtained judgment against the usurpers for "pressing his boate several times during the late Rebellion." Surviving records from the criminal trials which began in Surry County Court, May 1677, show that William served as a "juryman" on one of the juries which convicted the defendants. He served yet again in a subsequent rebellion trial which commenced in September of the same year. One interesting case on which he sat concerned a John Solway's suit of a Richard Atkins for "abusing his horse, breaking open his house, plundering, and drinking his wine during the Rebellion." The jury convicted and fined Atkins. From the above records, it appears that William Newsom III was one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the County.Upon his death, William left a will dated June 10, 1691, and probated September 5, 1691, which is recorded in the Surry County Will Book, Chapter 4, p. 226. His wife Anne and sons William and John are listed as executors. He bequeathed his Rich Neck plantation to son William, and another plantation in Surry County - at which he then resided - to son John. He bequeathed some property called "Hopewell" to sons Robert and T
homas along with "a Negro each." He also bequeathed "a Negro each" to daughters Anne and Elizabeth. The fact that Thomas apparently owned slaves is especially interesting in light of the fact that one of his sons, Moses, married and had children with a woman of African-American descent (see notes for Moses Newsom).As we have seen, Surry was once considered part of the old Jamestown settlement. Like nearby Isle of Wight County, it was one of the original eight shires of Virginia. Southampton, the home of many Newsoms in later generations, was formed from Isle of Wight County in 1749. There is a small town called "Newsoms" which still exists in Southampton.