Thomas & Susan Snead, York Co VA
by Justus "Jud" Dandridge Reynolds Jr.
© 2019 Reynolds Family Association

Thomas Reynolds Sr. is affectionately known in American Genealogical History as " Thomas Of York ". More particularly in the records of the Reynolds Family Association annals as the progenitor of a long line of Reynolds descendants in America. Specifically, Thomas Reynolds Sr., is listed in the Reynolds Family Association annals as the progenitor of line # 29 as Thomas of York, based on the York County, Virginia deed record of the gift to him as the husband of Susan Snead Reynolds by her father Samuel Snead in 1652. Soon after marrying Susan Snead, Thomas received forty-five acres of land as a gift from her father Samuel Snead as noted in Deed Book # one pg. 142, York County Virginia, on March 23, 1652. The Queen's Creek, sometimes referred to as Queen's Brook in contemporary times of the 17th Century, was an interesting place for the early Reynolds line of " Thomas of York Reynolds ". The original population of the Jamestown settlement in 1607 with Capt. John Smith et al, was 90 males. The Colony had grown to about 500 by 1609. When Smith returned from a trip to England in that year, only 60 males were still alive. This period was recorded as " the starving time ". The next eleven years saw more settlers arriving, including 90 women in 1619, and the colony had grown to about 2500 persons. " Ann Harrison married William Reynolds c 1620 and lived with him on the Queen's Creek in York County, Virginia with the rest of the kin " so says Worth Ray, in his " Tennessee Cousins ". (pgs 536 &537 ). Author Ray also states that Reynolds Clan on Queen's Creek were kinsmen of the Claires or Cleres. Richard Claire was the Executor of Wm. Reynolds will 1633. The will referred to Ann Reynolds, a daughter who survived him. With the colony so small at the time and the reference to a Reynolds clan in that specific area would indicate that our Thomas Reynolds of York, who married a girl on the same creek and received 45 acrea of land as a wedding present from her father, Samuel Snead, the very same " Queen's Creek " was not merely a coincidence, but was indeed related to Ann Harrison's husband William Reynolds. An important fact, a rough map reconnaissance of the Queen's Creek reveals that it is only 3 miles long as it meanders in a southwesterly direction from its confluence on the York River. Thomas Reynolds Jr. was not a brother of William, as speculated by some genealogists, but more likely his son. Needs more research, however, intriguing. Son or brother, they were related! An important note regarding the original Snead and Reynolds plantations along the Queen's Creek is that said Queen's Creek was at one time, the boundary between York County and James City County. Records for these families and their perspective land may be found in either county courthouses and/or related parish Vestry books, that is providing the Yankees did not burn them in the American Civil War. Another interesting note: There was a Thomas Reynolds listed as a passenger on a boat that landed August 10, 1635. Samuel Snead was awarded 200 Acres of land by patent on August 4, 1635 for transporting him self, his wife Alice Snead, their son, William, and a servant Henry Vincent under what was known as the headright system. Was it possible that Thomas and the Sneads were on the same ship. I have not determined what ship the Sneads were on but Thomas Reynolds was married to the Sneads daughter Susanna not later then Seventeen years after 1652, and was given forty -five acres of the above noted land patent as a wedding present or a dowry. The pursuit of this avenue may help pin down where our Thomas Reynolds known as Thomas of York, came from. ( The three original ships carrying the first English to the New World in 1607 were the Discovery, Susan Constant and the Godspeed.) These ships were owned by a business venture chartered by King James l as the London Company under auspices of Sir Walter Raleigh and continued to pay the London/Virginia passage for several years thereafter. It is easy to speculate that Thomas Reynolds Sr., used the 45 acres, given to him by his FIL Samuel Snead, to raise tobacco and therein became the original Reynolds Plantation owner. This profession lasted down though Philip Reynolds lll and Washington T Reynolds at the outset of the Civil War, When the land was taken away from the Virginia Reynolds during the Reconstruction Period and given to there slaves. The disenfranchisement as it was known, drove thru Reynolds families west to farm in land and livestock. Sanford Reynolds Jr., my second cousin, still farms in Geneva, Indiana working the land as did all of his ancestors for the last 380 years in this country. Sanford owns some of the land originally settled by these Virginians in 1837 along the Wabash River. In doing more research with this special family one must keep in mind the geographical and political peculiarities of this Queen's Creek location. At one time it fell under different parish names as well as different counties. It was at one time Hampton Parish, Chiskiak (spelled several ways too) Parish, Bruton/Brewton Parish, Marston Parish and St. Peter's Parish. County name changes included York County, New Kent County and James City County. This area's also the most likely place to find the graves of the first two generations of this Reynolds line. All of the graves of the subsequent Reynolds generations save those of Thomas Reynolds Sr., his wife Susan, and Thomas Reynolds Jr., and his wife Mary have been located and recorded by this writer. I have discovered three different Thomas Reynolds arriving in Virginia, 1620, 1637, 1645. The most likely fellows are the first 2. My money is on the 1637 gent.

Susan Snead Reynolds', father Samuel, mother Alice and her brother William came to Virginia Colony in 1635. Since there was no mention of Susan coming on the ship and the first reference to her was when Samuel Snead gave the 45 acres to Susan and her husband Thomas Reynolds it is determined that she was born in Virginia soon after the arrival of the Sneads. She would have been between fifteen and seventeen years of age when she married Thomas since the land gift occurred in March of 1652. It was common for a young girls to marry in their mid teens during this period of colonial development in America. Susan Snead Reynolds apparently remarried after Thomas Reynolds Sr.' death before October 1671. In October 1671 we find Thomas Reynolds Jr. requiring his mother's approval to sell the exact 45 acres noted above as a wedding gift to his parents. At the time of this sale, Susan Reynolds is referred to as Suan Peace, Mother of Thomas Reynolds Jr. Susan was a durable matriarch as she is mentioned again in St Paul's Parish Vestry Book pg 234 as having her land processioned (surveyed) along with her youngest son Jonas Reynolds in Hanover County . This reference states that she is now the widow Peace. The date of the survey or procession was February 16, 1715. This procession or survey is very important in identifying Susan's latest husband. In a land survey/procession conducted 1708, see pg 214, item 20, Vestry Book of St. Pauls Parish, the land of John Peace is processioned along with his neighbors living " adjacent to each other and made into one processioning precinct ". These neighbors were listed as Samuel Waddy, George Marr, and John Guntin. There are subsequent processions of these identical parcels as one precinct on pg 234 and 246 of St Pauls Vestry Book with John Peace name missing but with the " Widow Peace " in his stead. The last processioning entry of Widow Susan Snead Reynolds Peace's land was March 7, 1719 making her approximately eighty four years old at the time of the survey., Her father Samuel Snead had been born in England around 1600. This processioning entry was made during a Vestry Meeting in the Lower Church, which also helps to identify the geographical location of the events described herein. The meeting was in the " Old Brick Church " of the previous Parish St Peters. It is most likely that Susan Snead Reynolds Peace is buried in that vicinity in New Kent County, Virginia, Her sons Thomas, Jonas/Jonah, and Samuel maybe nearby! More intrigue... for search and fun. I love you Gramma, I'm still looking. A map reconnaissance of this area of New Kent County, Va., reveals that the location of Susan Snead Reynolds Peace's property and that of three sons Thomas, Jonah and Samuel are not more then eight to ten miles apart. The children of two of Susan's sons, Thomas Jr and William were baptised in St Peters Church which is most likely where they all worshiped. (See St.Peters Parish Vestry Book, pg 388 though 392.