You remember this map? It’s an overlay of a Surry Land Patent Map from 1614 – 1666. It showed where John Roger’s held 200 acres of land he was granted on May 14, 1666. He later deeded this property (highlighted on the map where it is likely to be) to Edward Grantham where 1694 he was the subject of a presentation by the Grand Jury for “Entertaining Indians contrary to Law & for not comeing to church.”

Edward bought 200 acres in Surry County on September 23, 1682, from John Rodgers, Sr., and his wife Mary.  The land was purchased for 1,000 pounds of tobacco with the contract written on the back of the land patent that had been issued to Rodgers in 1666 by Governor William Berkeley.

Edward sold 100 acres of this land to William Jonson in 1684 for 1,650 pounds of tobacco. The other 100 acres and “40 foot dwelling” was sold to Thomas Davis in 1686 for 3,500 pounds of tobacco.

Edward received a land patent of 300 acres on May 29, 1683. The land was located in Southwarke Parish, Surry County, on the branches of Cypress Swamp adjoining Thos. Jordan. The patent was granted for the transportation of six persons into the colony: Isabel Huberd, Jon. Bincks, Tho. Peel, Jon. Anderson, Jon. Walker, & Timo. Jackson. Edward Grantham’s property on Cypress Swamp was known as Grantham’s Reeds. Many of the deeds concerning this land mention the “cart path,” which was actually a well traveled road leading from North Carolina to Southwarke Church and the warehouses at Gray’s Creek.

Here’s a passage about John Rogers from Southside Virginia Families, Volume 2 by John Bennett Boddie noting his role in Bacon’s Rebellion.

Here’s a much longer account of Sir Thomas Grantham’s role in the Bacon Rebellion shared with me today by someone who shared an interest in Edward Grantham in particular.

The first time I read about the “Lousy Evil” was this weekend in distant relative Sir Thomas Grantham’s personal account of how he ended Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 on behalf of Virginia Governor William Berkeley.

Grantham said in his book An historical account of some memorable actions, particularly in Virginia that Nathaniel Bacon, the leader of Bacon’s Rebellion, “died of the Lousy Evil,” known medically as Phthiriasis. But you might know the Lousy Evil by its more modern name: crabs.

According to Grantham (who worked on behalf of the Governor), he basically showed up at one of the rebel meetings and convinced them to surrender in the wake of Bacon’s death. He provides an interesting account of the entire affair.

History may prefer the narrative that Nathan Bacon’s untimely death was for the cause and by the cause, but there it is tucked away in a distant relatives notes on the first American rebellion. Nathaniel Bacon died of crabs. Now, maybe it was just an insulting jab, but now I know why people wore merkins in the 1600s.

Today I’m reading Sir Thomas Grantham’s account of his role in Bacon’s Rebellion and how he got the rebels to surrender to Virginia Governor William Berkeley. The introduction described Berkeley as “uncompromising.”

Virginia groaned beneath the accumulated oppressions of Charles the Second and his insatiate minions. The profligate monarch found a fitting viceroy in the choleric and uncompromising Berkeley, who gives infamous testimony to his own character in his memorable reply to an inquiry of the English Council: “I thank God there are no free-schools, nor printing, and I hope we shall not have these three hundred years; for learning has brought disobedience into the world, and printing has divulged them and libels against the best government. God keep us from both!”

Governor Berkeley sounds a lot like some politicians today. Berkeley commissioned Sir Thomas Grantham to intercede in Bacon’s Rebellion on Virginia’s behalf. It was America’s first rebellion by colonists. Grantham took advantage of Nathaniel Bacon’s death to quickly convince rebel leaders they’d be treated with mercy, and they surrendered. Once in the custody of Governor Berkeley, the rebels were hung.