Hugh Gwyn
Hugh Gwyn | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1590 |
| Died | c. 1654 (aged 63–64) |
| Other names | Wynne [sic],[1] "Wing",[2] or "Gwinne"[3] |
| Known for | Gwynn's Island Slave owner of John Punch |
| Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses | |
| Assumed office 1639 | |
| Assumed office 1646 | |
Hugh Gwyn (c. 1590 - c. 1654) was a British colonist who owned the first legally-sanctioned slave in the Colony of Virginia, John Punch. Gwyn served several terms in the Virginia House of Burgesses and was a justice.
Biography
[edit]Hugh Gwyn (sometimes spelled "Wynne",[1] "Wing",[2] or "Gwinne"[3]) likely immigrated to Jamestown with the 1608 second supply, while a possible relative by the same name is recorded c. 1620 on the George as a servant to Captain William Peirce.[4][5]
Gwyn claimed to discover Gwynn's Island in c. 1611.[6] According to legend, Gwynn saved Pocahontas from a sinking canoe near the island.[7][8]
At a January 1624 muster, Hugh Wing [sic] was listed as aged 30 years.[2] In 1635, Gwyn petitioned King Charles I for ownership of the island and in 1640 was given 1,000 acres (4.0 km2).[9] Gwyn built a log cabin and named the area "Gwynnville" [sic].[4]
He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses representing Charles River Shire in 1639 and York County in 1646. He also served as a judicial officer in 1641.[6] Gywn died around 1654.[10] Elizabeth Gwynn and Hugh Gwynn (likely a son) carried on the name in Virginia.[11] A relation, Hugh Gwynn, was the son of Sir Owen Wynn, 3rd Baronet and represented Gloucester in the House of Burgesses from 1652 to 1690.[12]
First slave in Virginia
[edit]
In 1640, indentured servants John Punch ("a negro"), Victor ("a Dutchman"), and James Gregory ("a Scotchman") fled their master Gwyn. The three were captured and returned to Gwyn.[13] The General Court of Virginia ruled that all three be whipped, but Punch would be Gwyn's slave for life as punishment for escaping.[14]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Second Supply". packrat-pro.com.
- ^ a b c Stevens, Sharry Anne. ""Packrat Productions: Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's -- George"". Packrat Productions: Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Gwathmey, John Hastings (1937). Twelve Virginia Counties: Where the Western Migration Began. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 10. OCLC 5777452.
- ^ a b "TIMELINE: Virginia, Mathews County & Gwynn's Island History". www.gwynnsislandproject.com.
- ^ McCartney, Martha W. (2007). Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 770. ISBN 9780806317748.
- ^ a b "Gwynn's Island | The Gwynn's Island Museum". Gwynn's Island Museum.
- ^ "The birth of the nation-jamestown 1607". The macmillan company. 1907.
- ^ "Gwin".
- ^ "Mathews Memorial Library - Timeline". www.mathewslibrary.org.
- ^ "A History of Gwynn's Island". gwynnsislandmuseum.org. The Gwynn's Island Museum. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Historical and Genealogical Notes". The William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine. 18 (1): 59–67. 1909. doi:10.2307/1921075. ISSN 1936-9530.
- ^ du Bellet, Louise Pecquet; Jaquelin, Edward; Jacquelin, Martha Cary (1907). Some Prominent Virginia Families, Volume 4. p. 13.
- ^ Bly, Antonio T. (July 13, 2023). "Indentured Servant and Slave Patrols in Virginia". encyclopediavirginia.org. Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ General Court of Virginia (July 9, 1640). "General Court Responds to Runaway Servants and Slaves (1640)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 8 June 2024.