William Hatcher was born in England 14 Jan 1614 and died in Henrico County, VA. His will was recorded on 1 Apr 1680 in the Colonial Wills of Henrico County 1677-1737 and establishes the year he died. Although his will does not list his sons, it names Burton and Elam men who marry into his family. Because William’s sons—Edward, William, Henry, and Benjamin—are not named in their father’s will, the implication is that what was recorded as his will is a codicil. The identity of his sons is established in deeds wherein the sons identify their father as William Hatcher. William Hatcher outlived his sons William and Henry; and sons Edward and Benjamin equally divided the land their father owned after his death, land called Varina, Pigg in the Bole, Turkey Island Point, and Neck of Land. The name of his wife is unknown. William is known to have been in Virginia by 1636 because he was granted 200 acres on the Appomattox River on 1 June 1636. He received two more parcels 200 acres on the Appomattox River on 1 June 1636. He received two more parcels of land: 850 acres in July 1637 and 150 acres in 1638. His headrights for the 850-tract were the four headrights he submitted in 1636. After Hatcher failed to settle the tract received in 1637, Henry Randolph secured patents for it in 1662. Six years before Hatcher’s death, he patented 227 acres in Henrico County on the south side of the James River next to Gilbert Elam. Hatcher prospered in Virginia and was respected by his neighbors, who elected him to represent them in the VA House of Burgesses during most of the sessions between 1644 and 1652. He was known to speak his mind, and in 1654 he called the speaker of the House of Burgesses a “Devil.” For that offense, he had to apologize on his knees and pay a fine. During Bacon’s rebellion in 1677, a jury found Hatcher guilty of “uttering divers mutinous words . . . and divers oaths” and fined him 10,000 pounds of tobacco. After considering Hatcher’s age—he was in his 60’s—the court reduced the penalty to 8,000 pounds of dressed pork to supply His Majesty’s soldiers. The identity of William Hatcher’s parents in England is unknown. The name “Hatcher” was derived from the Norman-French word hache, a light battle-ax. After the Norman invasion, hache was anglicized to the name Hatcher. Hatcher lived up to his bellicose name, not only in the House of Burgesses and during Bacon’s Rebellion, but also in dealing with his neighbors. He did not like for his neighbors to poach fish from his pond; and he ordered John Lantroope and his other servants to split all the canoes they could find in the swamp, including orders to strike a piece out of the head of Mr. Robert Woodson’s canoe with an ax as well. Descendants of William Hatcher who belong to the First Mississippi Company: John Wycoff Godsey, Ellen Lane McAllister, Constance Ellen Godsey, Dylan Bishop, Dean Bishop .
17 Comments
Ted Kinker
2/13/2019 05:46:29 am
My 8th Great Grandfather. He is also my 4th Jamestowne Society Supplemental.
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Jeffry Hatcher
3/19/2021 02:33:56 pm
Do I qualify as a direct descendant of William to be a member of First Families of Virginia and the Jamestown Society? Trying to research if we had any officers in the Revolutionary War. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Ted Kinker
3/19/2021 04:31:18 pm
The best I can do for you is show you William Hatcher (1613-1680) on the Hatcher Genealogy Association website. You have to be able to connect to him and show proof of lineage.
Ted Kinker
3/19/2021 05:38:39 pm
Send to me by email your email address and lineage to William Hatcher (1613-1680). I will try to help you. My email address: kinker@charter.net
Danny Hatcher
11/13/2021 10:36:36 am
There is a DNA project and website for the Hatchers. Greg Hatcher is very up to date in Lauderdale, MS. 3/14/2021 08:29:40 pm
Is this the same Hatcher family as
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Ted Kinker
3/14/2021 09:47:49 pm
https://hatcherfamilyassn.com/getperson.php?personID=I15921&tree=WmTheIm
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Susan Polk
4/25/2021 08:15:45 am
Thank you Ted! I don’t really know how, but I am trying to find out more about my family history. My great grandfather was the person I was asking about.
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Greg Lamp
10/13/2021 06:51:39 am
He was my 10th great grandfather
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Tina Hatcher
11/1/2021 09:55:21 pm
I am a direct descendant through his son Edward
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Sheila kellner
5/29/2022 03:59:32 pm
Edward is my 8th Great Grandfather
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Ericka
3/20/2023 04:35:14 pm
Edward Hatcher & Mary Ward are my 8th grandparents . Seth Hatcher Edward & Mary’s only son, married too Elizabeth Perrin are my 7th great Grandparents.
Martha Plummer
11/6/2021 09:59:45 pm
Are only male descendants (in this case, of William Hatcher) eligible for membership in the Jamestowne Society? thank you.
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Cheri L Casper
11/13/2021 10:26:00 pm
The Jamestowne Society accepts both males and females. I joined under William Hatcher.
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Sheila kellner
5/29/2022 03:56:10 pm
William Hatcher is my 9th Great Grandfather I am a direct descendent through the the Hatcher website my great grandfather was Albert L Hatcher 1880-1925 married to Rachel Ellen Channel 1888-1915
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Mallory Haskins Young
5/5/2023 08:43:35 am
William Hatcher is my 7th great-grandfather! I have just been connected to this through my great-aunt's family and I am so excited. I have been trying to trace this for years!
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To Our ContributorsWe welcome properly researched contributions of ancestor profiles, vignettes and comments from members that focus on their ancestors’ roles in Jamestown’s history, plus other aspects of their lives, events and experiences in the colony. PLEASE NOTE that all information must be documented and backed up by primary source documents, and not unverifiable information and family and urban legends. Submissions without this backup may be rejected. Please limit contributions and blog entries solely to the ancestors themselves, and do not include subsequent lineage information. Entries should be no more than 400 words. Archives
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