Harshbarger line: John Wyatt 1663-1714

 It's time to leave the Harshbargers of Switzerland, Germany and Pennsylvania, and head south to Virginia.  I am pretty sure this man has roots in England, perhaps even noble roots, but I've not been able to find the connection (if any) to my satisfaction.  So what we have is just a glimpse here and there of a man who was born and died in Gloucester County, Virginia.  

We don't know who John Wyatt's parents were.  The "information" on line (unsourced, hence the quotes) is about equally divided between John and Jane Osborne Wyatt, or William and  unknown wife (possible first name of Anna) Wyatt.  I suspect that the John and Jane theory is more one of wishful thinking, because that John does appear to tie back to nobility.  William must have had something on the ball, because he was referred to by the end of his life as "Major".  A 1944 article in Tyler's Quarterly Magazine does state that John is Major William's son, but I don't know the source that author used to draw that conclusion.  At any rate, William is currently a brick wall, too. 

If the birth year of 1663 for John is correct, he would have been 13 years old when Bacon's Rebellion broke out.  That was an attempt, briefly successful, to overthrow the colonial governor of Virginia, fueled partly by dislike, fear, and hatred of native Americans, and partly by economics.  Most of those who were rebels were farmers, indentured servants, and slaves, so it was partly a class war also.  I don't know where this left the Wyatt family, but due to William being a Major who survived the rebellion, my guess is that this family was on the side of the governor.  Further adding to that speculation is the fact that Governor Berkeley retreated to Gloucester County, north of Jamestown, when the town was burned.  He must have felt safe there, or at least safer than other places would have been.

We know that John married Anne Jones, daughter of Rice Jones, because her father's will specified John and Anne's son, John Jr., by name..  The marriage took place before 1693.  The couple is thought to have had at least three children-John, Thomas, and Ann.  Other children have been assigned to John but they are generally located in a different part of Virginia and unless John was a traveling man, they are unlikely to be part of this family.  

Most of the crops raised in Gloucester County fed the family and their slaves or servants.  We don't know if John held slaves, or indentured servants, but since the main cash crop of Virginia was tobacco, it is likely that John was part of that social strata.  

Many sites say John died in 1684, but this would be a different John, because our John wasn't married until 8 or so years later.  (The John who died in 1684 may be the John who is erroneously supposed by some to be our John's father.)  The correct date for our John's death appears to be August 3, 1714.

There is still much to be learned about John, and it's possible that some of this blog post is not entirely correct.  Records seem to be muddled and I've done my best to not report those things that clearly tie to another John Wyatt, due to impossible dates.  But most of all, I'd like to know whether John ties in, in any way, to the famous Wyatt family.  Meanwhile, we need to remember that part of the family line goes to Virginia and England, and appreciate the different cultures in our blood.

The line of descent is

John Wyatt-Anne Jones

Thomas Wyatt-Sukey Edmondson

John Wyatt-Alice Gordon

Jean Wyatt-William Farmer

Margaret Farmer-Solomon Eliot Bennett

Mary Bennett-John Harter

Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger

Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers

Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks

Their descendants