Person:John Rouse (4)

John Rouse has been found in St. Ann's Parish, Essex Co. in 1711 (Essex Deed and Wills No. 13 1707-1711, John F. Dorman:120), 1713, 1714 (Essex Wills and Deeds 1711-1714:and a witness to Bartholomew Vawter's will 16 August 1717 (Essex Co. Deeds and Wills No. 15, 1716-18, John F. Dorman, 1963:57-58).

John Rouse emigrated from the Palatinate section of Germany or from Alsace. he most probably settled in Pennsylvania and remained there a few years, then jointed the 1717 colony in Virginia, where he patented land in 1728. John Rouse obtained a patent for 610 acres of land in 1728 on White Oak Run, a tributary of the Robinson River. (For a map showing the location, see the Broyles Family Web pages which George W. Durman maintains. Main Land Patent Map, showing Germanna 1 and Germanna 2 land holdings, and Supplementary Land Patent Map, showing land holdings of later German immigrants.) John Rouse's origins in Germany are unknown, though there has been speculation; apparently he came as a young man without any children.

John Rouse appears in the Hebron Church records of 1733.  By 1739, were two tithables, so one son (presumably) was born by 1723.  John was never naturalized and, when he died, his wife Mary petitioned the Proprietor of the Northern Neck for a transfer of his land to his sons Martin, Matthias, and Adam.  The petition was made 7 Mar 1747 and the land was granted as a life interest to Mary, with the sons as residual heirs.  (In 1728 the land had been considered a part of the Crown's lands, so the deed was issued as a patient.  By 1747, the land was considered to be a part of the Northern Neck, owned by Lord Fairfax.  When he issued a deed in response to the petition, it was called a grant.)

In 1764, Matthias Rausch and his wife Elizabeth transferred the land to Martin Rouse, so Mary must have been dead by then. Since Adam did not particiapte in this, it is presumed that he was also dead. From the petition, the know children of John and Mary (?) Rouse are. 1. Martin 2. Matthias 3. Adam The information on the Rouses (to be continued also) comes from an article by Mrs. Robert (Nancy E.) Rouse, in Beyond Germanna. She is the author of "John Rouse of Virginia and His Descendants, 1717-1980,", a 250 page hardbound book, published in 1982.

These were probably all of the sons. There may have been daughters. Martin Rouse and his wife Elizabeth deeded land in 1762 and 1772. In 1793, Martin and his wife Elizabeth communed at the Hebron Lutheran Church. His Madison Co., VA will, dated 11 Jul 1802, which was probated 26 Jan 1809, names four children: 1.Elizabeth Rouse, m) John Loyd 2. John Rouse, no known heirs 3. Adam Rouse, m) 1795 Tabitha Vawter, d) 1847 in Madison Co., VA 4. Samuel Rouse, d) 1817 in Madison Co., VA and left his property to his brothers John and Adam.