Patrick Hamrick

Preface

Patrick Hamrick (1684 - 1764) was the first of my direct ancestors to step foot on American soil. He arrived in Virginia as a young teenager, without his parents, when the English colony was still very young. At the time he stepped ashore, Virginia was comprised of a vast wilderness, mostly occupied by native Americans. There were very few settlements, and they were located solely along major waterways such as the James, York, Rappahannock, and Potomac rivers. The non-native population of these combined settlements was only about fifty to sixty thousand inhabitants, and most of them were males.(1) At that time, Virginia's economy was based almost completely on tobacco trade with England. As was the case for many other young men who came here from England during that period, Patrick paid for his voyage by entering into an agreement to work in the tobacco fields as an indentured servant.

Patrick was born more than 300 years ago, at the time Isaac Newton was working on his theory of gravity. Charles II reigned over England, Louis XIV over France, and Peter the Great was Czar of Russia. Other historic individuals who lived during Patrick's long lifetime include the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), and American statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706-1783). Patrick had lived for nearly a half century by the time George Washington (1732-1799) was born. Although he certainly never gained the stature or fame of these historic individuals, Patrick unquestionably bettered his station during his lifetime. He left England at a time when the economy was depressed and opportunities were few. Most likely (as was the case for many others), he came to America because it offered a chance to make a better life. Once here, he worked hard, acquired land (which was a highly valued social status), and raised a family that has widely proliferated to modern times.

While I have defaulted to the spelling Hamrick throughout this collection of information, many of Patrick's modern descendants spell their name Hambrick. The spellings are equally correct. Colonial records have it both ways, sometimes even within the same document. (There are also numerous other variations that one encounters when studying the history of the family, but these two occur most frequently by far.) It seems that as Patrick's sons and grandsons migrated to various regions and raised their offspring, one spelling or the other eventually began to stick.

Visitors to these pages will find facts and conclusions presented in chronological order based on the dates of specific events concerning Patrick's life. For those new to genealogy, certain dates are written with two separate years specified (e.g. January 7, 1724/25). This is commonly referred to as old style/new style dates. It stems from the fact that January 1 did not begin a new year until 1752. Prior to that time, the new year began on March 25. Consequently, events occurring during the months of January, February, and up to March 25th in years prior to 1752 are often specified in this old style/new style format. For the example cited (January 7, 1724/25), Patrick would have known the year as 1724. However, the year would be 1725 in relation to the calendar we know today. The Table of Contents lists the events by date, along with a short description of what is contained on each page. Clicking on a date will take the reader to facts and discussion concerning that specific event. Verbatim transcriptions are shown in bold blue characters such as this. Each page has a link to the next page and the previous page, as well as a link to the Table of Contents and the home page. Often, there are hyperlinked references on a page that will direct the reader to another page in order to assimilate related information. If one of these links are followed, the back button on the browser will return the reader to the page where the reference link was located. Sources of information are footnoted on each page. If a footnote link is clicked, the reader will be taken to the appropriate footnote at the bottom of the page. Clicking the return arrow at the end of the footnote will return the reader to the location where the footnote link occurred in the text.

I am not a professional genealogist, although I have had a dedicated interest and have been collecting genealogical information on my family for many years. I seriously began studying Patrick's life when I moved to the Washington, DC area (Northern Virginia) in 1984. Of course, I do it part-time, in spurts, as time allows. This work is the result of that effort. I have attempted to consolidate all known facts regarding Patrick's life and to base logical conclusions upon these facts. In the process, whenever possible, I have reviewed original documents in my research instead of using microfilm copies or published transcripts. I have also personally visited important locales where Patrick lived and worked in Westmoreland, Richmond, King George, Stafford, and Prince William Counties. In this regard, it is fortunate that I reside in the area where Patrick lived. (I am only about ten miles from where Patrick is buried.) I have also consulted numerous texts in my quest to develop an accurate view of Patrick's life. All of my information sources are clearly identified within this work. While I have made every effort to not make errors or draw unfounded conclusions, I would be surprised if there were none. Please let me know if I have omitted something of importance or if you believe I have made an error. My e-mail address is ron@hamricknet.com. In fact, I encourage feedback so that an accurate view of Patrick's life can be established.

For those who are interested, I am descended from Patrick's son John. Over the years, I have collected a significant amount of information about each of these families and my research continues. A synopsis of information concerning each is available by clicking on the couple:

If you are interested in further information concerning any of these families, I would be more than happy to share what I know. Again, my e-mail address is ron@hamrick.net. I sincerely hope that everyone who is interested in Hamrick genealogy will enjoy this collection of information concerning Patrick.

(1) Warren M. Billings. The Old Dominion in the Seventeenth Century. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1975. pp. 105 & 188.

© 1999 Ronald K. Hamrick, Burke, VA