An Indexed List of Documented Southern Phelps Emigrants in Colonial America

A compilation by Doug Phelps, September, 2007 - Continuous updates through 2/2008.

Copyright of original comments by Douglas Phelps, 2007.

  While much of this material is available in non-copyright sources, some is not. The structure and organization of this material is copyrighted.   In all cases of copying, please observe copyright and indicate the original source.

The following Phelps emigrant list was compiled using an extensive list of abstract books which are listed and numbered at the end, including a brief book review of most.  A significant number of Phelps came from from those listed in The World Book Of Phelps, pages 1.22-1.29, published by Halbert's Family Heritage, 1995 (Halbert's Family Heritage).   I checked each southern Phelps reference from that book to confirm the listed source was valid.  

Of the many Phelps listed here, several types and terms are worth noting:

• Phelps as "Shippers"  At the Virtual Jamestown web site, the term used appears to be "Agent".    An extremely complete and useful book was the The Complete Book(s) of Immigrants in Bondage 1614 – 1775 by Peter Wilson Coldham, 4 volumns and numbered 21 through 24 below.  That book also names quite a few Phelps as "shippers" who would " carry other immigrants and their labor contracts across the Atlantic and sell them to recover voyage expenses. By guaranteeing the contract terms to the servant before sailing these shippers were essentially speculating in forward-labor contracts"  These Phelps "shippers" appear not to have been listed as immigrants by most genealogy books - I think because of the word used.  Although I am not positive at this time, it appears they immigrated with those they were "shipping" - likely paying for their own transportation to America.  The wording of the event (seen below) is not entirely clear.

• Other terms seen in these records  "immigrated" means paid their own way; "transported" means others paid their way; "service" means served out their indenture time and, I think, given 50 acres. 

• "Under a headright system, the British crown awarded land to individuals for bringing others to the colonies. Typically ship captains and merchants received fifty acres for each indentured servant they transported. In Virginia, the colonial land office and county courts issued headright certificates. As a form of currency, a certificate might have changed hands several times until an applicant submitted it with a request for a land patent. ... Often the applicant submitted the certificate several years after the passengers arrived in the Chesapeake, so the date of the land patent does not necessarily indicate a recent arrival"  See http://www.pricegen.com/resources/servants.htm#_ftn36

•  Phelps in the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685  Two Phelps rebels, John and William, were convicted in the  Monmouth Rebellion of 1685.  This was a Protestant rising led by James, Duke of Monmouth and bastard son of Charles II against the Roman Catholic James II.  Another article is here.     Many were from southwestern England where Monmouthshire was located in Wales.  Wales has been implicated in the origin of a Thomas Phelps of Caswell Co in the 1700s; Thomas and James of that county may have been related.  And of course we know that DNA evidence links the James line with the Thomas d. 1751 line of Albemarle Co, VA and also the Thomas Felps line of early Baltimore Co, Md..  Click the previous sentence to link to the article.

• Thomas Phelps, artizan, of the second supply to Jamestown, but not seen in the later 1624/5 muster census.

• A few other Phelps have been identified in specific counties in Virginia and Maryland.:

  •  Lancaster Co:  James about 1671; 

  • Powhatton Co, VA: John 1777 

  • Rappahanock Co: Joseph 1666

  • Surry Co: Roger  1714

  • Northumberland: Thomas about 1664

  • Anne Arundel ,Maryland: Thomas abt 1668/9

The table below is sorted by first name, then by year.. In many cases the name is repeated with the same or near date of arrival.  I attempted to indicate repeated or duplicate entries which clearly are present.  I have also added the words NOT AN INDENTURED SERVANT or INDENTURED SERVANT when the evidence shows either conclusively.

While it is probably impossible to review every emigrant book of early colonial America, it appears that this list is extremely inclusive. If one reads through the book reviews to note the very large numbers of named immigrants, it becomes clear the sources are persuasive.
 

Due to the very tedious material, it is possible I have made errors in copying information. However the general picture and numbers of Phelps is illustrative.  Most all these books are in the NC Genealogy library and specific Phelps of interest should be reviewed for accuracy.

For those Phelps of interest, the researcher should see the full text of the source book.

Penal system immigrants are highlighted in yellow. 

Note  Abbreviations:

Addresses for the following is available in the referenced book.

AW = American Wills and Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 1610-1857

BR = Bristol Register of Servants sent to Foreign Plantations 1654-1686

BOR = Bristol Record Office, City of Bristol Record Office... References are to manuscript volumnes entitled "Servants to Foreigh Plantations"

PCC = Calandars of wills and administrations in the Prerogative Court of Cantebury

PRO: Public Record Office.