Francis ‘the elder’ Toms

Not a known child of John Tomes lll

Francis Toms who "came into Virginia about 1649" and was "age 77 in 1710," lived about nine years in Martin's Brandon on the South Side of James River (Charles City County, now Prince George County), He then moved to the adjoining county of Surry about 1660, and in 1669 moved to North Carolina. He was among the earliest settlers of Albemarle Co., NC.

He and his family were accepted in the Society of Friends in 1672.

Francis Tomes Sr. was very prominent in government affairs in Albemarle Precinct, N.C.; he was a Provincial Councillor under Gov. Archdale, a Justice of the Peace, a magistrate, a deputy collector of customs, and a member of the Higher Court as early as 1683 until at least 1706.

He owned several hundred acres of land on the head of Vosses Creek and was about 2 miles from present-day Hertford, North Carolina.

http://ncgenweb.us/perquimans/toms/

Francis Toms, m before coming to Perq, Pershillah — by whom he had issue: Penelope, b Jan 27, 1670—Francis (2), b Sept 19, 1672—Pershillah, b Mch 19, 1674/5—Joseph, b Nov 16, 1677, died June 6, 1679—Caleb, & Joshua (twins), b Nov 25, 1679.

Toms, Francis, m 2d Abigail Lury (widow of John) Jan 6, 1683, by whom one d Abigail, b Dec 10, 1684. Abigail Toms, Wife of Francis, died Mar 17, 1687.†

Toms, Francis, m 3d Mary Nicholson, who survived him.

Links

• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=gwenbj&id...
• http://heirsandroots.com/MyFamilies/Toms.htm
• http://ncgenweb.us/perquimans/toms/

  ---

Francis Toms / Tomes came to Virginia from England about 1649. He settled on the south side of the James River and in 1669 moved to North Carolina where he was one of the earliest settlers of the Albemarle region.

After the move he was living three miles from the Phelps' house in 1672, when the Quaker minister and missionary, William Edmundson, came to North Carolina and held a meeting there. It was at the meeting in Phelps' house that Francis and his Prishillah became Quakers. Later they also met George Fox the founder of the Society of Friends when he too visited North Carolina. Later the Little River Monthly Meeting, also known as the Perquimans Monthly Meeting was held in the Toms' home for many years before it was shifted to Piney Woods.

Francis was very prominent in government affairs in Albemarle. He was a Provincial Councillor under Govenor Archdale, a Justice of the Peace, a magistrate, a deputy collector of customs, and a member of the Higher Court as early as 1683 until at least 1706. His name appears as a Deputy on many land grants given by the Lords Proprietor in North Carolina.

In 1683 Francis purchased 260 acres of land from Charles
Prows of Pasquotank Precinct. In 1687 he received a grant of 478 acres on the west side of Perquimans River "due him for transportation of 11persons into this country." His land was on the head of Vosses Creek and was about 2 miles from present-day Hertford, N.C. In 1693 he received 510 acres for the importation of ten more people.

In 1705 Francis gave an acre of land to be used for a church building for the Quakers. This is assumed to be Vosses Creek Preparatory Meeting.

Francis Toms was married three times.

The first marriage to Priscilla Nicholsan probably in Virginia about1667. She died sometime between 1679 and 1683.

According to Hinshaw's Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol. I, Minute Book 1680-1774, Perquimans Monthly Meeting, pg. 18,

The children of Francis Toms and Priscilla Nicholson were:

Penelope Toms (Oct 2, 1668 - )
Mary Toms Newby (April 27, 1670 - )
Francis Toms (July 19,1672 - )
Priscilla Toms (Jan 19, 1674 - )
Joseph Toms (Sept 16, 1677- )
Caleb Toms (Aug 25,1679- )
Joshua Toms (Aug 25,1679- )

Francis married Abigail Bailey Charles Lacy a twice widowed woman with eight or nine children in 1683.

The child of Francis Toms and Abagail Bailey was:

Abigail Toms (1684-)

The third wife of Francis was Mary Nicholson.

It is not known for sure where Francis is buried since early Friends graves were unmarked or made of simple fieldstones marked only with initials. He is placed in Welles Monthly Meeting as that is near where he lived.

[Because Quaker headstones do not have individual names on them, PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS].

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/97489332/francis-tomes