Anyone In Virginia? Help With Some Research

B.I · 2nd May 2006, 05:48 PM

this isnt enthno, but is ultimately sword related. i am trying to help a friend, who is researching an english officer's life/records. he has all institutions covered here, for his life and military career in the british forces (navy), but he has recently found out the officer in question was born in virginia. he lived there a few years (i think this period included the start of the civil war) but he/we have no access to virginian records. if i can get the name and dates, can anyone help?
much appreciated.

dennee · 2nd May 2006, 07:39 PM

I assume you mean during "our" (U.S.) Civil War, which would make things much easier in terms of the availability of records. It would really, really help to know what county he was living in. If he shows up in the 1860 census, fine, that's a great start. If there is no idea, then it is much more difficult. Many county records have been gathered at the state archives in Richmond, but a whole state's records, even for a short period of time, are not too easy to review on microfilm. If you can get the county, 'though, it should go easier (they usually have land and tax records, etc.)--unless it was one of the counties whose records were burned in the war.

B.I · 2nd May 2006, 08:54 PM

hi dennee,
thanks for the response. i did mean your civil war, but i have a feeling that my friend doesnt know the county. actually, i am guessing as maybe he didnt think this important enough to mention to me. i didnt think about destroyed records, and i am sure he hasnt either!
i will get the name hopefully tomorrow, and any other details they have. i think that virginia may have been lifted from a birth certificate so who knows.
will post as soon as i know more.

Andrew · 3rd May 2006, 01:02 AM

Brian, if the information is from a birth certificate, it likely also indicates a county, town or city where the individual was born.

Rich · 3rd May 2006, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew

Brian, if the information is from a birth certificate, it likely also indicates a county, town or city where the individual was born.

Here's a link to the VIrginia state government site. Maybe something
useful may be there ???

http://www.vipnet.org/cmsportal/

Rich S

B.I · 3rd May 2006, 11:48 PM

hi,
sorry for the delay, but have just got this information. this is all he has of his early history (before going to england and starting his military career). i have put this straight here, and have yet to delve into the wonders of google's search engine.
i really hope someone can yield some answers.

Francis Laforey, born in Virginia 31st December 1767. Only son of Sir John and Eleanor Laforey. Remained unmarried.
His father was Sir John Laforey, naval officer, owned a number of plantations in Antigua, married Eleanor in Antigua in 1763.
His mother was Eleanor, daughter of Colonel Francis Farley who was a member of Antigua's Council, and a judge.

B.I · 4th May 2006, 12:10 AM

most of the info i have found during a 'light' search is basically to do with his military history. what i am after is as much, or any new info on his life in the US.
from a website -

LAFOREY, Sir Francis, bart., British naval officer, born in Virginia about 1760; died in England in 1835. His great-grandfather was of a noble family in Poitou, France, and went to England with William III. During the American Revolution Sir Francis entered the British navy. In 1791 he attained the rank of commander, and in 1793 that of captain. He was nominated a K. C. B. in 1815, promoted vice-admiral in 1819, and admiral in 1832. He commanded the "Spartiate," of 74 guns, at the battle of Trafalgar, and at one time captured two French frigates. His last duty seems to have been on the Barbadoes station as commander-in-chief. He left no heir, having never married.

nechesh · 4th May 2006, 12:57 AM

There seems to be quite a number of pages that pop up on this fellow with a google search of his name. He was apparently very well known so i wouldn't imagine that finding info on him would be all that difficult. It would seem he entered the British Navy at a fairly young age, so i'm not sure what kind of info one would dig up on a school boy in Virginia. It would seem that his life has been distinguighed by his military career. I'm not sure what he might have done as a child to gain any notice. Can you be more specific as to what kind of info your friend is looking for.

B.I · 4th May 2006, 11:38 AM

hi nechesh,
i suppose i am after any real information of his life in virginia (or US). how long was he there for, before embarking on his british military career. was he an adult before he went.
the main enquiry is whether he was an important figure in US or virginian history in the few years before he left. is his fame purely british, or can he share it with the country of his birth? for this, he would have to have achieved something in the US, even if it was a small matter in comparison to his later achievements in the british forces. unfortunately, as his later accomplishments were well documented, his earlier life has been overlooked, hence the need to search further than general google pages.

Rick · 4th May 2006, 02:48 PM

Hi B.I. following the timeline given he would have been 15-20 years old when he left the States .
Possibly his entire family left the country .

Not much time to accomplish much of note over here .
Most likely he joined the RN as a Mid with his family's influence .

I think you're in for a tough search .

nechesh · 4th May 2006, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

Hi B.I. following the timeline given he would have been 15-20 years old when he left the States .
Possibly his entire family left the country .

Not much time to accomplish much of note over here .
Most likely he joined the RN as a Mid with his family's influence .

I think you're in for a tough search .

Rick points more directly to what i was implying in my post. Some sites list his birth as late as 1767. If he joined the British navy in the Revolutionary War it sounds like he entered quite young so i highly doubt he had any time to distinguigh himself all that much on American soil, unless it was for an "A" in spelling class at school.

dennee · 4th May 2006, 04:02 PM

I suggest you might first try Prince George County, Virginia. There is a 1766 ad for a runaway slave published for John Laforey at "Maycox" in Prince George. Maycox was an estate on the James River---although it was associated with the John Ravenscroft and David Meade families. The following is a link to folks interested in the Laforey name there and in the Caribbean:

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/s...e+George+Board

You may find some information about the family, but you will be hard-pressed to find anything personal about a young man. Church records seem like the only possibility (apparently, the Laforeys were Huguenots; but who knows what church? You might try Chamberlayne's "Births from the Bristol Parish Register of Henrico, Prince George & Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia, 1720-1798."). Among government records, you may find land transactions ot trusts, but they would presumably relate to Laforey's father. Real and personal property and capitation taxes would almost certainly name only the head of household.

dennee · 4th May 2006, 09:03 PM

I checked the Library of Virginia site to see what they have regarding Prince George County. With regard to those counties whose courthouses were burned or otherwise destroyed during the Civil War, it says:

"Several Virginia counties, most of them in the eastern part of the state, have suffered tremendous loss of their early records during the intense military activity that occurred during the Civil War, and others lost records in fires. At some point, almost everyone conducting genealogical or historical research will face the problem of finding information from a so-called "Burned Record county." Burned record counties might be grouped into three basic categories: Hopeless, Almost Hopeless, and Difficult. Included in the Hopeless category are James City, New Kent, Buckingham, Nansemond, Dinwiddie (before 1782), Appomattox, Buchanan, King and Queen, Warwick, and Henrico (before 1677). Almost Hopeless are Hanover, Prince George, Elizabeth City, and Gloucester."

Mark · 5th May 2006, 03:40 PM

This might be more complicated, but could be less complicated. One of those pieces of information says that his father owned several plantations in Antigua and served on Antigua's Council, etc. There is no Antigua in Virginia, so perhaps (and likely) the reference is to the island of Antigua, a British possession in the Caribbean. In that case, he probably grew up on Antigua, and not in Virginia. It also easily explains why he joined the British Navy and not the Revolutionary army (only one ship in the "Navy"

), though it is possible that his family were Loyalists in the colonies.

By coincidence, Lord Nelson came to Antigua in 1784 to develop Naval facilities on the island: http://www.antigua-barbuda.org/Aghis01.htm. The American Revolution officially ended on January 14, 1784, but perhaps Nelson picked up this young sailor when he left Antigua?

Assuming his family lived first in Virginia, then moved to Antigua, and not the reverse, I suggest extending the search to Antigua. Finding out the exact place of his birth in Virginia will probably not be possible with such scant information, especially if the family moved to Antigua afterwards.

2nd May 2006, 05:48 PM	#1
B.I Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 485	Anyone In Virginia? Help With Some Research this isnt enthno, but is ultimately sword related. i am trying to help a friend, who is researching an english officer's life/records. he has all institutions covered here, for his life and military career in the british forces (navy), but he has recently found out the officer in question was born in virginia. he lived there a few years (i think this period included the start of the civil war) but he/we have no access to virginian records. if i can get the name and dates, can anyone help? much appreciated.

2nd May 2006, 07:39 PM	#2
dennee Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: College Park, MD Posts: 186	I assume you mean during "our" (U.S.) Civil War, which would make things much easier in terms of the availability of records. It would really, really help to know what county he was living in. If he shows up in the 1860 census, fine, that's a great start. If there is no idea, then it is much more difficult. Many county records have been gathered at the state archives in Richmond, but a whole state's records, even for a short period of time, are not too easy to review on microfilm. If you can get the county, 'though, it should go easier (they usually have land and tax records, etc.)--unless it was one of the counties whose records were burned in the war.

2nd May 2006, 08:54 PM	#3
B.I Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 485	hi dennee, thanks for the response. i did mean your civil war, but i have a feeling that my friend doesnt know the county. actually, i am guessing as maybe he didnt think this important enough to mention to me. i didnt think about destroyed records, and i am sure he hasnt either! i will get the name hopefully tomorrow, and any other details they have. i think that virginia may have been lifted from a birth certificate so who knows. will post as soon as i know more.

3rd May 2006, 01:02 AM	#4
Andrew Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: USA Posts: 1,725	Brian, if the information is from a birth certificate, it likely also indicates a county, town or city where the individual was born.

3rd May 2006, 11:48 PM	#6
B.I Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 485	hi, sorry for the delay, but have just got this information. this is all he has of his early history (before going to england and starting his military career). i have put this straight here, and have yet to delve into the wonders of google's search engine. i really hope someone can yield some answers. Francis Laforey, born in Virginia 31st December 1767. Only son of Sir John and Eleanor Laforey. Remained unmarried. His father was Sir John Laforey, naval officer, owned a number of plantations in Antigua, married Eleanor in Antigua in 1763. His mother was Eleanor, daughter of Colonel Francis Farley who was a member of Antigua's Council, and a judge.

4th May 2006, 12:10 AM	#7
B.I Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 485	most of the info i have found during a 'light' search is basically to do with his military history. what i am after is as much, or any new info on his life in the US. from a website - LAFOREY, Sir Francis, bart., British naval officer, born in Virginia about 1760; died in England in 1835. His great-grandfather was of a noble family in Poitou, France, and went to England with William III. During the American Revolution Sir Francis entered the British navy. In 1791 he attained the rank of commander, and in 1793 that of captain. He was nominated a K. C. B. in 1815, promoted vice-admiral in 1819, and admiral in 1832. He commanded the "Spartiate," of 74 guns, at the battle of Trafalgar, and at one time captured two French frigates. His last duty seems to have been on the Barbadoes station as commander-in-chief. He left no heir, having never married.

4th May 2006, 12:57 AM	#8
nechesh Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 940	There seems to be quite a number of pages that pop up on this fellow with a google search of his name. He was apparently very well known so i wouldn't imagine that finding info on him would be all that difficult. It would seem he entered the British Navy at a fairly young age, so i'm not sure what kind of info one would dig up on a school boy in Virginia. It would seem that his life has been distinguighed by his military career. I'm not sure what he might have done as a child to gain any notice. Can you be more specific as to what kind of info your friend is looking for.

4th May 2006, 11:38 AM	#9
B.I Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 485	hi nechesh, i suppose i am after any real information of his life in virginia (or US). how long was he there for, before embarking on his british military career. was he an adult before he went. the main enquiry is whether he was an important figure in US or virginian history in the few years before he left. is his fame purely british, or can he share it with the country of his birth? for this, he would have to have achieved something in the US, even if it was a small matter in comparison to his later achievements in the british forces. unfortunately, as his later accomplishments were well documented, his earlier life has been overlooked, hence the need to search further than general google pages.

4th May 2006, 02:48 PM	#10
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,262	Hi B.I. following the timeline given he would have been 15-20 years old when he left the States . Possibly his entire family left the country . Not much time to accomplish much of note over here . Most likely he joined the RN as a Mid with his family's influence . I think you're in for a tough search .

4th May 2006, 04:02 PM	#12
dennee Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: College Park, MD Posts: 186	I suggest you might first try Prince George County, Virginia. There is a 1766 ad for a runaway slave published for John Laforey at "Maycox" in Prince George. Maycox was an estate on the James River---although it was associated with the John Ravenscroft and David Meade families. The following is a link to folks interested in the Laforey name there and in the Caribbean: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/s...e+George+Board You may find some information about the family, but you will be hard-pressed to find anything personal about a young man. Church records seem like the only possibility (apparently, the Laforeys were Huguenots; but who knows what church? You might try Chamberlayne's "Births from the Bristol Parish Register of Henrico, Prince George & Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia, 1720-1798."). Among government records, you may find land transactions ot trusts, but they would presumably relate to Laforey's father. Real and personal property and capitation taxes would almost certainly name only the head of household.

4th May 2006, 09:03 PM	#13
dennee Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: College Park, MD Posts: 186	I checked the Library of Virginia site to see what they have regarding Prince George County. With regard to those counties whose courthouses were burned or otherwise destroyed during the Civil War, it says: "Several Virginia counties, most of them in the eastern part of the state, have suffered tremendous loss of their early records during the intense military activity that occurred during the Civil War, and others lost records in fires. At some point, almost everyone conducting genealogical or historical research will face the problem of finding information from a so-called "Burned Record county." Burned record counties might be grouped into three basic categories: Hopeless, Almost Hopeless, and Difficult. Included in the Hopeless category are James City, New Kent, Buckingham, Nansemond, Dinwiddie (before 1782), Appomattox, Buchanan, King and Queen, Warwick, and Henrico (before 1677). Almost Hopeless are Hanover, Prince George, Elizabeth City, and Gloucester."

5th May 2006, 03:40 PM	#14
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	This might be more complicated, but could be less complicated. One of those pieces of information says that his father owned several plantations in Antigua and served on Antigua's Council, etc. There is no Antigua in Virginia, so perhaps (and likely) the reference is to the island of Antigua, a British possession in the Caribbean. In that case, he probably grew up on Antigua, and not in Virginia. It also easily explains why he joined the British Navy and not the Revolutionary army (only one ship in the "Navy" ), though it is possible that his family were Loyalists in the colonies. By coincidence, Lord Nelson came to Antigua in 1784 to develop Naval facilities on the island: http://www.antigua-barbuda.org/Aghis01.htm. The American Revolution officially ended on January 14, 1784, but perhaps Nelson picked up this young sailor when he left Antigua? Assuming his family lived first in Virginia, then moved to Antigua, and not the reverse, I suggest extending the search to Antigua. Finding out the exact place of his birth in Virginia will probably not be possible with such scant information, especially if the family moved to Antigua afterwards.