Locating Three John Phelps Lines of Central VA & Others Who Remained

REVISION, map revised 11/3/06)   yDNA revisions 7/2017

(Map is revised adding Pond and further comment on John of Goochland)
 

Information for this article was supplied by Mary Galgan and JC Rogers for the VA Phelps; and Mark Phelps of Snow Camp, NC and Doug Phelps for comments on the Caswell, NC and Halifax Co, VA Phelps; JR Rand (Pond information). Please send corrections to Doug Phelps.

The early John Phelps lines in central VA were: John Phelps d. 1772 Bedford; John Phelps d. 1794 Halifax; John Phelps d 1747 Goochland. Another major Phelps line was Thomas Phelps d 1751 Albemarle.

As JC commented, "The easiest way to distinguish the Johns is to use land records." As you look at the VA map showing the approximate locations of these lines, you may want to see the VA county formation maps over the years clicking this http://www.myvirginiagenealogy.com/va_maps/va_cf.htm

John of Goochland (d. 1747) was first found in Henrico Co. but by the 1730s he moved to the area that is present day Cumberland & Pohatan counties. His lands and patents are centralized in that area. One can follow his sons William and Samuel into the Lunenburg records.

The John of Bedford d. 1772 first appears in Henrico records (present Buckingham Co.) patenting in 1725. In 1736 he sold to Thomas Sr. He sold the balance of his lands in that area to the Babers. He can be proven to be the same John as we refer to as John of Bedford due to his wife's mark on land transactions from Goochland records as well as Brunswick. His area of Bedford was first Brunswick Co. at his arrival and then became Lunenburg from 1746-1754. It is possible that this John was either the father, cousin or brother of Thomas of Albemarle. This John had a son, John, d. 1801.  2017 SNP testing clearly shows this line was unrelated to any other Phelps line.

The John of Halifax d. 1794 had sons John and William who lived in Halifax and Pittsylvania counties.

2012 update:  Research uncovered a NC Sec of State filed paper  stating the  John Phelps who witnessed James will was the  John of Halifax co, VA.  This John was stated to have written the the will of James who directed the wording.    2017 SNP testing clearly shows the Halifax Phelps had a common ancestor with the James of Caswell line.
 

To the knowledge of JC Rogers - confirmed by others - OTHER THAN the above - no other  documentation exists to date to show that any of these different lines even knew the other people existed except for records concerning the John of Bedford and AlbemarleThomas lines.