PLANTATION LIFE IN VIRGINIA

I ate tough chicken for dinner...in the evening I walked about the plantation. I said my prayers. I had good thoughts, good health, and good humor this day, thanks be to God Almighty. ~ William Byrd

plantation life

"The gentleman of fortune rises about nine o'clock; he perhaps may make an excursion to walk as far as his stables to see his horses, which is seldom more than fifty yeards from his house; he returns to breakfast, between nine and ten...He then lies down on a pallat, on the floor, in the coolest room in the house, in his shirt and trousers only, with a negro at his head, and another at his feet, to fan him, and keep off the flies..."

Though this passage was written by John Ferdinand Smith in the eighteenth century, it's probably not far off the mark for wealthy plantation owners in the last half of the seventeenth century. It seems the worst that could happen for these fortunate few was to be "so molested with the heat, and harrassed and tormented with those pernicious insects the musketoes, that he receives very little refreshment from sleep."

By the second half of the seventeenth century, the tobacco industry was firmly established and so was plantation life. The growth of large estates in the south created clear class divisions between the wealthy land owners, small farmers, indentured servants and African and Native American slaves. The contrast between rich and poor was much greater in the South than in the northern English colonies.

Our Eppes family was among the fortunate wealthy and powerful few. These were the men who were elected to civil positions and who enacted laws which governed every facet of colonial life in Virginia. Since Virginia’s entire economic system remained in hands of a few elite families, finding ways to hold onto and consolidate their power was of paramount importance to large plantation owners. For this reason, Virginians relied heavily on family ties to forge community and economic relationships. By marrying their children only to relatives or other families deemed worthy, power remained concentrated among a few wealthy families.

Socializing and conducting business affairs in Virginia differed vastly from that of the Puritan society in the north where homes were clustered around the churches and taverns which made for a close-knit, rich social life. In contrast, towns and plantations were few and far between in the south. Leisure activities for this class mostly included hunting, dances held at various plantations, and church. These events provided opportunities for both doing business and carrying on their legacy by finding suitable mates for children.

Religion and politics were intimately linked in colonial Virginia. The Church of England, spurned by the Puritans of New England, was the religion of choice in the south. Virginians were legally required to attend church services and to financially support their ministers. Sunday, according to the authors of Old Dominion, New Commonwealth, was a time when colonists “came together not only to worship but to exchange business documents, discuss tobacco prices, argue over the quality of horses, catch up on local gossip, and share news of the wider world.”

Upper crust men would have spent the bulk of their time overseeing property, comisserating with other wealthy men, waging war with the Natives and, above all, devising the means to protect their way of life.

slave life

I will leave a description of slave life on a plantation to John Ferdinand Smith, an Englisman who wrote A Tour of the United States of America. Though the book was written shortly after England's colonies did, in fact, become the United States, Smith's description of slave life, which he witnessed first hand, seems one for the ages.

The poor negro slaves alone work hard, and fare still harder. It is astonishing, and unaccountable to conceive what an amazing degree of fatigue these poor, but happy, wretches undergo, and can support. He is called up in the morning at day break, and is seldom allowed time enough to swallow three mouthfuls of homminy, or hoe-cake, but is driven out immediately to the field to hard labour; at which he continues, without intermission, until noon...About noon is the time he eats his dinner, and he is seldom allowed an hour for that purpose. His meal consists of homminy and salt, and, if his master be a man of humanity, he has a little fat, skimmed milk, rusty bacon, or salt herring...which kind masters allow their slaves twice a week; the the number of those, it is much to be lamented, are very few, for the poor slave generally fares the worse for his master's riches...

They then return to severe labour, which continues in the field until dusk in the evening, when they repair to the tobacco-houses, where each has his task in stripping allotted him, that employs him for some hours. If it be found, next morning, that he has neglected, slighted, or not performed his labour, he is tied up, and receives a number of lashes, on his bare back, most severely inflicted, at the discretion of those unfeeling sons of barbarity, the overseers, who are permitted to exercise an unlimited dominion over them.

It is late at night before he returns to his second scanty meal, and even the time taken up at it, encroaches upon his hours of sleep, which, altogether, do never exceed eight in number for eating and repose.

When he sleeps, his comforts are equally miserable and limited; for he lies on a bench, or on the ground, with only an old scanty single blanket, and not always even that, to serve both for his bed and his covering. Nor is his cloathing less niggardly and wretched, being nothing but a shirt and trousers, made of coarse thin hard hempen fluff in the summer, with the addition of a sordid woollen jacket, breeches,and shoes in the winter.

The female slaves fare, labour and repose, just in the same manner; even when they breed, which is generally every two or three years, they seldom lose more than a week's work thereby, either in the delivery, or suckling the child.

In submission to injury and insults, they are likewise obliged to be entirely passive, nor dare any of them resist, or even defend himself against the whites, if they should attack him without the smallest provocation; for the law directs a negroe's arm to be struck off, who raises it against a white person, should it be only in his own defence, against the most wanton and wicked barbarity and outrage.

Yet notwithstanding this degrading situration, and rigid severity to which fate has subjected this wretched race, they are certainly devoid of care, and actually appear jovial, contented, and happy. Fortunate it is indeed for them, that they are blessed with this easy, satisfied disposition of mind, else human nature, unequal to the weight, must sink under the pressure of such complicated misery and wretchedness.

It is fortunate for humanity, that these poor creatures possess such a fund of contentment and resignation in their minds; for they indeed seem to be the happiest inhabitants in America, notwithstanding the hardness of their fare, the severity of their labour, and the unkindness, ignominy, and often barbarity of their treatment."

Smith's last observations about the African slaves in America are exactly the kind of rationalization that must have been made a million times over by Englishmen and Americans alike in order to justify the barbarity inherant in the institution of slavery.

Francis Eppes, Jr.

Our most upper crust relatives in the south would have been the Eppes family. Our grandfather, Francis Eppes, Jr, (8GGF) was the son of the immigrant Francis Eppes, Sr. (9GGF) who arrived in Virginia sometime before 1625. From depositions stating his age we know that Francis, Jr. was born ca. 1628 in Virginia. He grew up on his father's large estate called Hopewell. Francis, Jr. and his brothers were groomed to take their place among the movers and shakers of Virginia society and would have understood their roles at a very early age.

As our grandfather Francis, Jr. was the second son born to the Eppes family, he didn't inherit his father's Hopewell estate. Still, belonging to the Virginia aristocracy as he did, Francis made his way in the world. In 1658, when he was thirty years old, he was appointed to the office of justice in Charles City County. By 1660, he was referred to as a Captain in that county but, shortly afterward, records show him living in Henrico County. Francis, Jr. may have acquired new property but he didn't travel far from his childhood home. Only a river and five miles separated Hopewell from Francis, Jr.'s new plantation in Bermuda Hundred.

Red = Hopewell Blue = Bermuda Hundred

military life

By the second half of the seventeenth century, the indigenous people of Virginia had been, for the most part, subdued and parceled out onto reservations. The main role of the military at that time was merely to keep the indigenous people in their place. As fit his social status, Francis, Jr. served in the Virginia Militia rising to the rank of captain and eventually to Lt. Col.

According to Westover Parish records, a minor uprising of Natives in 1661 caused a portion of the militia to be called into action: "At a meeting of the militia at Westover, 12 June 1661, it was ordered that a trained band, with additional horse, report to Fort Henry upon occasion of alarm and there to be commanded by Capt. Francis Epes, one of the captains of ‘the Guards of the Counties.’"

In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon began a rebellion in an effort of take over all remaining Native lands. He promised freedom for African slaves and English indentures if they would take up arms with him against the Natives. It's very possible that the Eppes brothers, Francis, John (8U) and Thomas (8U), took part in the rebllion in its very early stages when young amibitious planters were hoping to frighten the royal governor, Sir William Berkeley, into granting them rights to Native lands they felt should justifiably be theirs.

Note: We'll have more on Bacon's Rebellion in a future post

family and civil life

Ca. 1658, Francis married for the first time and, shortly after, a son was born, Francis III (8U). Francis' first wife, whose name is unknown, may have died in childbirth because, not long after the birth of his son, he married our grandmother, Elizabeth Littlebury Worsham (8GGM). Elizabeth had been born in England. It doesn't apper that Elizabeth's father, Robert Littlebury (9GGF), ever lived in Virginia. It's probable that Elizabeth came to America with her first husband, William Worsham. When William died, Elizabeth brought six children to her marriage with Francis Eppes. These children ranged in age from sixteen to about a year old. Together, Francis and Elizabeth would have three more children, making a grand total of nine for Elizabeth.

According to Henrico County land records, "on 27 October 1673 Major Francis Epes was granted 927 acres, 2 rods and 16 poles of land in Henrico County on the north side of Appomattock River on Swift Creek." This land, added to the property he already owned in Henrico County, made Francis quite a substantial landowner.

In addition to his own tobacco operation, Francis worked as a mercantile agent for a London firm. His civic duties included his roles as justice, captain of the militia and his eventual election to the House of Burgess.

Note: Originated in 1619, the Virginia House of Burgesses was the first democratically elected legislative body in the British America.

death and will

Francis Eppes' death in 1678 was reported in a letter from Herbert Jeffreys, governor of Virginia, to Sir Henry Coventry: "On the 22nd and 23rd of August some Indians came downe uppon james River to the number of 150 or 200 in Henrico County… on the 24th some of the Militia officers of Henrico County gott upp a party of forty six horse and march’d imediately upp to upper plantation of Coll: [Rowland] Place’s: The cheife officer Coll: [Francis] Epps and Major [William] harris were kill’d and two more wounded …"

Francis did not die immediately of his wounds. We know this because of a noncuperative (oral) will given by him to friends the day before he died. From the depositions of William Randolph and Richard Cocke, Sr:

"On December 2, 1678 Richard Cocke, Sr., aged about 38, deposed ‘that being at Col. ffrancis Epp’s house the day before he died the Col. called his wife and then did equally dispose of his said Estate to his wife and four children...And on the same day Mr. William Randolph, aged 28 years or thereabouts, deposeth ‘That he being at Col. Francis Epes’s house about one or two days before his death at which time he being dangerously wounded he called the deponent by his name and desired him to take notice that he had not time to make his will but would have his estate divided amongst his children..."

Note: Richard Cocke was a great-grandfather to James Cocke who married our cousin Elizabeth Poythress. Elizabeth inherited a portion of the lands belonging to her (and our) grandfather David Peebles. James Cocke then built on that property the estate called Aberdeen which is now listed on the register of historic places.

Francis Eppes was fifty years of age when he died.

Elizabeth's death and wills

Only a few short days after Francis' death, on 28 Aug 1678, Elizabeth Eppes wrote a will referring to herself as ‘I, Elizabeth Epes of Bermudy Hundred widow being very sick and weak....’ Evidently foreseeing her death from illness, Elizabeth further wrote that ‘I do hereby ratify and confirm that part of my estate which I have in this my last sickness given to my children which I had by my former husband Mr. William Worsham deceased...’

The August 28 will, which took care of the children from her first marriage, would not be the only one written by Elizabeth. A month later, on 23 Sep 1678, she made out a second will as "Elizabeth Epes of ‘Burmodii’ hundred, widow and relict of Col. Francis Epes of the County of Henrico," in which she provided for her Epes children, William (8U), Mary (7GGM) and Littlebury (8U). Her step-son Francis III, from Francis, Jr's first marriage, was made executor. Elizabeth died sometime before 1 Oct 1678 when both of her wills were proved.

The death of Elizabeth left her three underage children orphans. Our grandmother, Mary Eppes, was about thirteen when her mother died. Her step-brother, Francis Eppes, Jr., was designated her guardian.

Eight years later, Mary Eppes would marry our grandfather John Hardiman (7GGF).