[last accessed 9 Nov 2012]
... West died at some date between April 1623 and February 1623/4, being listed in the 1623 census and absent from that of '24, and in the latter year, Frances was living on Virginia Company land at Elizabeth City with her brother-in-law, Francis West. At some time thereafter, Frances Grevill West married Abraham Peirsey, a man of considerable substance who, in addition to a residence at Jamestown, had bought the 1000 acre "Flowerdew Hundred" on the south bank of the James, from Sir George Yeardley. When Peirsey died in January 1627/8, he apparently "left the best estate ever known in Virginia," (12) thus making Frances Grevill West Peirsey a still young and second time widow. That she was by now somewhat used was amply compensated for in the eyes of any colonist by the value of her legacies. Frances was executrix of Peirsey's will and she was charged "to make saile of all the estate as aforesaid to the profit it can be sould for." (13) This she was in no hurry to do, possibly because she was more concerned with her marriage to Samuel Mathews who apparently hooked her very soon after her former husband's demise. The Peirsey estate was still waiting to be settled when she died in 1633.
It has been suggested, without any proof that Samuel Mathews himself discouraged the settlement as he wished to avoid the sale of the Peirsey lands. Abraham Peirsey had two daughters by his first wife, Elizabeth Draper; Elizabeth was born in 1610 and Mary in 1614, both of whom outlived their stepmother. On May 10th, 1633 the latter became the administrator of her father's will and thus came in conflict with Samuel Mathews. Mary Peirsey was then married to Captain Thomas Hill. Peirsey's elder daughter, Elizabeth was married on about 1628 to Richard Stephens (14) and subsequently (prior to 1638) to Governor Sir John Harvey. ...
