Chapter 3.1
The Sister of Christopher Reynolds of Isle of Wight VA?
by Susan E. Clement and Sybil R. Taylor
© 1992 Reynolds Family Association
The following is a verbatim transcript of the page referenced by W. G. Reynolds as "Ray..., p135."
THE MYSTERIOUS CICELY JORDAN
"Parker Family. In order to convey to the reader of these notes an adequate conception of the VA origin of the Parkers who practically over-ran the old Albemarle Precinct in NC near the close of the 17th century, it will be necessary to present some brief sketches of the families with which they were connected. Thomas Parker of 'Macclesfield' in Isle of Wight Co. VA, married the wife of Peter Montague1. This reference does not give the name of the widow of Peter Montague, so recourse is had to the will of Peter Montague, proved in May 1659 in Lancaster Co. VA, as shown on page 57 of the 'History and Genealogy of Peter Montague' by George William Montague (1894) in which her name is given as Cecily. And thereby hangs a most fantastic tale of marital adventure:"
At or about the same time, if not on the same vessel, in the year 1611, a ten year old girl named Cicely Reynolds, and a comparatively young widower, who had left his small sons behind him in England, arrived at Jamestown in the Colony of Virginia. The young widower was Samuel Jordan, who afterwards established a seat on the James River near its confluence with the Appomattox, which he called "Jourdan's Jorney". Almost contemporaneously with the coming of these two, but perhaps a year earlier, Sir Thomas Gates and his companions of the ill fated 'Sea Venture' had landed, among them being Capt. William Pierce. This was followed by Joane Pierce, the Captain's wife on the 'Blessing.' Capt. Pierce was a relative in some degree of the young girl Cicely Reynolds, and doubtless the advance arrival of Cicely was known to both Captain Pierce and his wife. Besides, Samuel Jordan was a near-relative of Cicely and her mother's cousin, & still another cousin (of her mother) Silvester Jordan, came about the same time, so there was no lack of relatives to look after the ten year old child, whose mother, still living in Dorsetshire, for some reason had consented to her coming. Twelve years later, her brother, Christopher Reynolds, arrived on the 'John and Francis' and may have discovered for the first time that his sister was then married to her second husband Samuel Jordan and the mistress of Jordan's Jorney, with a six year old daughter by her first husband, named Temperance Bailey.
These sudden and swift transitions in the life of Cicely Reynolds were characteristic of one of such adventurous spirit as to undertake a long sea voyage into strange lands, even though accompanied by near relatives. She was ten years of age in 1611, and must have married her first husband ___ Bailey when but about 14 years old, as in 1623-4 her daughter Temperance was seven years of age2. The Christian name of her first husband has not been found, but it is safe to say he was of the same family as the Samuel Bailey who is known to have married a grand-daughter of Capt. William Pierce, her relative. The grandfather of Cicely Reynolds was Thomas Jordan, of Dorsetshire, England, grand daughter, the mother of Cicely married a Reynolds [sic]. Her mother's maiden name was Cicely Fitzpen or Phippen, and she was the daughter of Robert Phippen and his wife Cicely or Cicellie Jordan. Robert Phippen was the son of one Joseph Phippen, whose mother was Alice Pierce, and thus Ciceley Reynolds was related to Capt. William Pierce and his wife Joane. This last couple were the parents of Jane Pierce who married as his third wife another celebrated Virginia character -John Rolfe. But to continue the story:
Samuel Jordan of Jordan's Jorney, became the second husband of this adventurous daughter of his first cousin Cicely Phippen, and at their home on the James [River] he and his wife and their household survived the Indian uprising that occurred in 1622-23. But not long after that Samuel Jordan died. By his first marriage in England he is said to have had three sons: Thomas (b. 1600), Samuel and Robert Jordan3 and in all of the genealogical accounts of these Jordans, each of whom came to Virginia, there continual bobs up the name of a certain Richard Jordan whose parentage is unaccounted for. Incidentally he married before 1654, Elizabeth Reynolds, a daughter of Christopher Reynolds, of Isle of Wight County. [Compare with double underlined portion below.] Very shortly after the death of Samuel Jordan, of Jordan's Jorney, one of the legatees in the will of Abraham Persey, a certain Rev. Greville Pooly, vociferously "woed" the widow Cecily Jordan, who rejected his early advances on the ground that she was with child; but thereafter she married Capt. William Farrar, a prominent man of the Virginia Council. Thereupon the parson brought what has been called by Alexander Brown "the first breach of promise suit in America". The astute third husband, being a lawyer, succeeded in quashing the proceedings, and Parson Pooly went on his way. BUT THE CHILD WAS BORN. His name was Richard Jordan, and he married his first cousin (as they so often did in those days) Elizabeth, the daughter of Christopher Reynolds4. Thus Cicely Reynolds has been married twice and was the mother of one child by each of her first two husbands. By Captain William Farrar, she became the mother of two sons Capt. William Farrar Jr and Lieut. Colonel John Farrar, of Henrico Co. [VA] who left no children and never married, so that the girl-emigrant thus became the ancestress of the numerous Farrars of VA, through her son William Farrar, Jr. Her third husband, Capt. (or Colonel) William Farrar died about 1635-6. But Cicely was not near through.
In 1621 Peter Montague, then a very young man, came to Jamestown [VA] in the 'Charles' and was living in James City in 1624 aged 21 years. He was two years younger than Ciceley Farrar, the widow after 1636. He too, had been previously married and had two daughters, then very young, named Dorothy and Sarah. He married the widow Cicely as her fourth husband. His will in Lancaster co. [VA] names seven children, all obviously her children, but obviously also, not all of his family, this reflecting his previous marriage. It was proven in 1669. Sarah Montague, one of the daughters of his first marriage married James Bagnall5 and the same authority tells us that the widow of Peter Montague became the wife of Thomas Parker. As Cicely was born in 1601, she was 58 years old at the time of the death of Peter Montague, therefore it is patent that this latter marriage was one of convenience, and that no children resulted. But this alliance with Cicely Montague, alias Cicely Jordan, nee Cicely Reynolds readily suggests an explanation of the persistent intimacy which through the long years existed and continued to exist between the Jordans, Farrars and Reynolds families as reflected by these records6 and other items throughout the list. [sic]
It is claimed by one writer7 that the Peter Montague of Lancaster (will 1659 and the one in Isle of Wight, whose un-named widow married Thomas Parker were different persons. This statement is refuted by our records. The author of the Montague Genealogy did confuse the parentage, but not the identity of his subject. Our records disclose that both Thomas Parker, who first patented lands in Isle of Wight Co. in 16588 who married the widow of Peter Montague, and James Bagnall, who married his daughter Sarah Montague were living in Lancaster Co. after 1659. All of the records we have examined, however, tend to show that perhaps not only James Bagnall and Thomas Parker but also Peter Montague had been previous residents of Isle of Wight Co, and further shows that Thomas Parker and James Bagnall were living in the latter county towards the latter end of the century. James Bagnall was the son of Roger Bagnall, who died leaving will in Isle of Wight in 1647, at which time his son John Bagnall was not of age.10
These early emigrants to VA moved about a great deal in their furious search for vast tracts of land and for social and economic advantage, just as people of this day and time and it would perhaps be a misnomer to say that Peter Montague, or James Bagnall or Thomas Parker were either "of Isle of Wight" in a strict sense, until they had finally settled down at an advanced age. In 1624 Peter Montague, then 21 years of age was in Jamestown (Hotten) and in 1631 he was witness to a will in Yorktown, or in York County11. He was perhaps "of York County" at the time he married the widow of Capt. William Farrar, and he was certainly "of Lancaster County" when in 1658 [53?], a year before his death, he was a Burgess from that county... Add to this the fact, as shown by these records, that Peter Parker of Chowan [NC], before 1714 had married Grace Copeland, the daughter of William Copeland and his wife Christian, and that this same Peter Parker sold lands to William Copeland in 1716 with John Jordan and Jane Jordan as witnesses12 and little room is left for doubt as to the fact that Thomas Parker of "Macclesfield" who married as his second wife Cicely Montague alias Cicely Jordan, nee Cicely Reynolds, was the ancestor of the Parkers of North Carolina." in brackets added by S.R. Taylor.]
References:
1. VA Magazine of History & Biography 6:420
2. VA Magazine of History & Biography 51:384-385 [age of Temperance]
3. Va Magazine of History & Biography 7:121
4. See Boddie's 17th Century Isle of Wight
5. VA Magazine of History & Biography 6:420
6. VA Magazine of History & Biography 1:16; 1:8; 1:628; 2:619
7. Boddie's 17th Century Isle of Wight p239
8. VA Magazine of History & Biography 6:420
9. Fleet's Colonial Abstracts 22:8, 9, 78
10. Boddie's 17th Century Isle of Wight p514
11. Fleet's Colonial Abstracts 24:11
12. VA Magazine of History & Biography 2:456; 2-619