Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 1.djvu/138

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\IRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY

England in the summer of 1635. On Jan. 5. 1637, the King appointed him treasurer of \'irginia and a member of the council there. At this time he was "one of the gentlemen servers to Queen Henrietta ^Maria. He came to Virginia in March, but soon returned to Maryland, where he had large interests. He died about Aug., 1638, deeply in debt, and on the 14th of that month the ]^Iaryland author- ities, who spoke of him as "late of St. Maries," appointed Thomas Cornwallis administrator of his estate.

Sibsey or Sipsey, John, is first mentioned on Sept. 2, 1624, when, as John Sipsey, of Kichoughtan, "yeoman." he was granted a tract of 250 acres on the "south side of the river over against Kiccoughtan," as Hampton was then called. He returned to England after this time, for in the w'inter of 1626-27, a ship going to \'irginia carrying some plant- ers and servants, chiefly Irish, ran aground in liarnstable Bay. the principal persons on board being Fell (Felgate?) and Sipsie. In Sept., 1632. and Feb., 1633. John Sibsey was a burgess for the upper parish of Elizabeth City, and in 1636-37, probably in January, he uas made a councillor. He must have been one of the council for a very short time, how- ever, for in 1639 he was burgess for Lower Xorfolk, where he had acquired a consider- able estate. On June i, 1635, he had received tv/o grants of 1500 acres each, one on the western branch of the Elizabeth river, and the other nearby, probably adjoining. In 1640 he was one of the residents of Lower Xor- folk who subscribed to pay the salary of Thomas Harrison, the well known Puritan minister, and in 1641 he was again a burgess for that county. During a long period Capt. Sibsey was one of the leading men in this sec-

tion of \'irginia, and held all of the more im- portant county offices. He was a justice from July, 1637, for many years succeeding, sheriff in 1642 and 1645, commander of Lower Xor- folk in 1645 ^"d 1646, and deputy lieutenant of the county in 1646. From an entry in the Lower Xorfolk records, in 1646, it may be seen that Sibsey then had a son Thomas, and fiom another, dated June 22, 1647, that he was a co-partner in the ships "John and Bar- bary" and "America," and a freighter in the ships "Bellman" and "Blessing."

Hobson, John. On June 2, 1620, and Jan.

30, of the year following, Sir Richard Worse- ley, Bart., Capt. Xathaniel Basse, John Hobson, Gent., and Capt. Christopher Lawne agreed with the \'irginia to transport 100 persons to \'irginia and receive a "confirmation of their old patent." Their settlement was to be called "the Isle of Wight's plantation," and it is pos- sible that all the patentees were, as Worseley certainly was, residents of the Isle of Wight, in England. Hobson came to A'irginia about this time, but exactly when he arrived there or how long he remained is not known. In 1637, Capt. John Hobson, "who hath formerly been in Virginia and is now ready to return," was added to the council. He sailed from England soon after June 4, 1637, upon which day, at the request of "Captain John Hop- sonn, one of his Majesty's Council in Vir- ginia," the seamen of the ship in which he was about to take passage were exempted from empressment. He was present as a member of the council Feb. 20, 1637, and on the 4th of June following, and was included in the commission of councillors under Gov. Berkeley, Aug. 9, 1641. On March 16, 1635. "Captain John Hobson, Esq., one of the Coun- cil of State," received a grant of land extend-