Capt. Tobias Felgate early developed ties in the Colony and lived here, though seemingly he never became the fixed and longtime resident that his brother, Robert, did, despite the fact he was to die here. He was in Virginia on "the good ship of Bristol called the Margaret" that put in to Jamestown in early December 1619. He was in fact the ship's pilot at the rate of 4£ 10s "by the month".
He was back in Virginia late in the next year, but this time as master, or captain, of "the good ship called the supply of london of the burthen of 60 tons or thereabouts." He was then noted as one who was capable of shouldering '"a grete trust."" [2] He is said to have made five voyages to Virginia as early as 1623 and a number followed this. [3]
For a time in the late 1620s and early 1630s Toby (Capt. Tobias Felgate) seems to have established a residence, or home, in Virginia though he remained a mariner.
Some time before February 8, 1627, he had married, becoming the third husband of Elizabeth, [4] widow of Ralph Hamor, [5] who had played an important role in Virginia. At a court on this date:
Elizabeth Fellgate the wife of Tobias Fellgate, Mariner, Administratix of all the goods debts & chattles of Capt Ralfe Hamor, deceased (haveing formerly according to the Order delivered - uppon her oath an inventory of all the estate of the said Capt Ralfe Hamor) did at this time present ooto the Court uppon her oath like wise a perfect & true account of the same: And the said Elizabeth Fellgate, intending shortly to goe for England did there uppon desire to have her bond now lyeing in the Court
Thereupon the Court gave her a discharge and returned the bond. [6]
In November 1626 Tobias Felgate sought, through court action, to collect the remaining unpaid charges, "seventene pounds in readye monye of England" from the estate of Richard Bennett for whom he had brought over in "this vioadge ... in his shipp the James" "divers goods & marchandise." Likely, too, he was the "Mr. Felgate", who two months earlier, in a charge of "witchcrafe", was told by "good wife Wright" (the investigated) that "he should bury his wiefe (wch cam to pass)." Captain Felgate was not always free of involvement with various rules and regulations. There was, for example, the day (January 14, 1627) when he forfeited "forty waight of Tobacco11 for failure to appear in court even though "he was warned by ye provost Marshall." [7]
In all probability "Capt. Tobye Felgate, Marniner" was working in unison with his brother Robert when he moved into the wilderness at Chiskiack. He was granted 150 acres, "Due unto him as an Adventurer into this Colony", as a result of the same (December 7, 1630) court order cited in the patent of April 25, 1632. It was in "Kiskeyacke upon Pamunkey" River westward along the Maine River towards a small creek and "abutting East upon land of his brother Capt. Robert Felgate." [8] Since he cited Robert's land as a bound and Robert made no mention of him in his patent, it might indicate that Robert was actually the first in the woods. It seems highly unlikely that Tobias built a home here and established himself with Elizabeth and her children. He continued as a mariner to the last, as brief mentions testify.
There is the note that four persons were transported to Virginia in 1634 "in Capt. Tobias Felgates shipp the Defense." [9] It seems, too, that he could hustle for a cargo. In June 1632, for example, John May and John Cumber appeared with "two Boates" at "the late dwelling house of Thomas Forlowe" to pick up "8 tun of Tobacco", but they found the tobacco had already gone, "shipt aboard the ship defense Mr [Master] thereof Capt Tobyas Felgate." [10]
His wife Elizabeth died before 1633, probably in England, and Tobias took another, a third, wife as his will in 1635 shows. He made his will "at Westover in Virginia ... [where he had] been for the space of eight days ... sick." It was duly proved, but in England where his now family likely was. The will provided for his "eldest son William" (150£} and for "daughter Sarah at marriage" (250£). His wife Sarah was named administratrix. [11] There was no mention of his Chiskiack lands which may have been forfeited through non-development. ...
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1. Alexander Brown, The Genesis of the United States (Boston, 1890), l, 217, 468 and 2, 770, 889; Records of the Virginia Company of London edited by Susan Myra Kingsbury, 3 (Washington, 1933), 6 , 83, 324. It is of record that in February 1622 an Erasmus Felgate of the "Parish of St. Buttolphes withoute Aldergate London Taylor" willed his four sons and one daughter 20£ each from his estate which his wife, Margerie, administered. Since there was a London Felgate family actively engaged in the settlement of Virginia and as Capt. Robert Felgate had a son named Erasmus, it is speculated that the brothers William, Tobias, and Robert were possibly the sons of this Erasmus. (Va. Mag. Hist. Biog., 19, 400.)
2. Virginia Company Records,]_, 207, 230, 382. (Hereafter cited as Va. Co. Records.) Both of these voyages had to do with the establishment of Berkeley Hundred up the James River from Jamestown and in the various documents Felgate is noted variously as "gent", "maryner", pilot, and master. He also had a hand in getting the cargoes together and in other de tails of the voyage. In the latter instance, the Supply in 1620, he, too, had personal interests in getting passage for three persons as well as in the return of some "fraight of Tobacco." (Va. Co. Records, 3, 178, 183, 199, 207, 230, 382-85, 388-91.)
3. Va. Mag. Hist. Biog., 29, 297-298.
4. Elizabeth had come to Virginia as Mrs. Elizabeth Clement in the George in 1617 with four children and two servants and as "Mrs. Elizabeth Hamor" was listed in the muster of Jamestown, taken in early 1625, when two of her children were still with her and her husband Ralph. (Annie Lash Jester and Martha Woodroof Hiden, Adventurers of Purse and Person: Virginia 1607-1625 (1656), pp. 28, 138; Va. Mag. Histu. Biog., 20, 195.)
5. Hamor, who had come to Virginia in 1609, was a subscriber to the Virginia Company. He was made a member of the Virginia Council in 1611 and later served as Secretary of the Colony, writing "An Account of Virginia, 1611-1614" which was duly published. He remained prominent in colony affairs, being naval officer ("Vice-Admiral") in Samuel Argall's administration, and in 1621 being returned to the Council where he sat until his death in 1626. (Jester and Hildren, Adventurers of Purse and Person, p. 138; Va. Mag. Hist. Biog., 29, 297.)
6. Ibid, 29, 297-98.
7. Minutes of the Council and General Court of Colonial Virginia, pp. 111-12, 124, 159.
8. Nugent, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents, p. 15.
9. Nugent, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents, p. 56.
10. Minutes of the Council and General Court of Colonial Virginia, p. 201.
11. Jester and Hiden, Adventurers of Purse and Person, p. 138; Va. Mag. Hist. Biog., 29, 297.
