Duncan Bohannon ca (1637 - 1704)

Dunkin Bohannon may have been born in Scotland in about 1637. He immigrated to the Virginia Colony by way of Barbados and Maryland, possibly from Weymouth, Dorsetshire, England. His parents have not been identified. He married Cecily Collmore in St. Michael Parish of Barbados on or before 5 Jul 1658, and a son, John Bohannon, was born in Barbados and baptized there on 30 Jan 1658, possibly prior to the marriage of his parents (480, 1086). Before 16 Feb 1661, a son, Dunkin Bohannon, Jr. was born to Dunkin and Cecily (Collmore) Bohannon in St. Michael Parish of Barbados (1087). Dunkin Bohannon, Jr. was baptized on or before 16 Feb 1661.

Dunkin Bohannon was in Charles County, Maryland by 5 May 1662 when he was sued for debt by John Neville.

Dunkin Bohannon was in Gloucester County, Virginia before 20 Dec 1667 when along with John Mechen he received a patent for 220 acres of land in Gloucester County “upon the head of the eastermost river, in Mockjack Bay” adjoining the lands of Armistead and Dudley (55, Page 10; 1089). The patent was granted for transport of four people to the colony. Dunkin Bohannon and John Mechen assigned this tract of land to Lieutenant Colonel John Armistead, who obtained a patent on 21 Sep 1678.

On 6 Mar 1674, Dunkin Bohannon was granted 340 acres of land in Gloucester County, Virginia “upon the Easternmost River, adjacent to John Nevell, William Armistead, and due said Bohannon by assignment” (55, Page 10; 1088).

Apparently, Dunkin Bohannon died after he received a patent for land in 1674 and before the 1704 Virginia quit rents were assessed in the Kingston Parish of Gloucester County, Virginia. In 1704, three sons of Dunkin Bohannon were assessed quit rents for near equal parcels of land (140, Page 9):

Dunkin Bohannon, 113 and one-half acres;
John Bohannon, 113 and one-half acres; and
Joseph Bohannon, 148 acres.

The land held by the sons of Dunkin Bohannon appears to include the 340 acres acquited in 1674.

Notes and Comments

It is unclear whether Duncan Bohannon and Cecily Collmore married on 5 Jul 1658, or whether they married earlier and their marriage was simply recorded on that date. If a son John Bohannon was baptized on 30 Jan 1658, then he may have been born before the marriage of Duncan and Cecily Bohannon.

Land held by Duncan Bohannon and John Neville was probably located on the East River in contemporary Mathews County, Virginia. Mobjack Bay lies adjacent to contemporary Gloucester and Mathews Counties at an inlet of the Chesapeake Bay. In 2012, the unincorporated town of Bohannon in contemporary Mathews County, Virginia was along East River Road on Mobjack Bay in the proximity of land originally held by Duncan Bohannon, Sr. in 1667. (Coordinates of Bohannon, Mathews County, Virginia: 37.396667° north latitude, -76.36° west longitude)

Mathews County was formed in 1790 from parts of Gloucester County.

Sources

55. Mason, Polly Cary. Records of Colonial Gloucester County Virginia. 2 vols. Arlington, Virginia: Clearfield Company, 2003.

140. Smith, Annie Laurie Wright. The Quit Rents of Virginia, 1704. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1975.

480. Sanders, Joanne McRee. Barbados Records: Marriages 1643-1800, Volume I. Sanders Historical Publication, Houston, Texas, 1982. Page 57. (Image on file)

1086. Marriage of Dunkin Bohannon and Cecily Collmore, St. Michael Parish, Barbados, West Indies, 15 Jun 1658. Barbados Church Records, 1637–1887, St. Michael’s Parish, Barbados, West Indies. (Images: FamilySearch. Image on file.)

1087. Baptism of Dunkin the Son of Dunk Behanan, St. Michael Parish, Barbados, West Indies, 16 Feb 1661. Barbados Church Records, 1637–1887, Department of Archives, Blackrock, St. Michael Parish, Barbados, West Indies. (Images: FamilySearch. Image on file.)

1088. Patent Issued to Dunkin Bohannan, Kingstone Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia, 6 Mar 1674, 340 acres. Colonial Land Office Patents, 1623–1774. Land Office Patents No. 6, 1666-1679. Reel 6, Page 548. Archives, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia (Image on file.)

1089. Patent Issued to Dunkin Bohannan with John Mechen, Gloucester County, Virginia, 20 Dec 1667, 220 acres. Colonial Land Office Patents, 1623–1774. Land Office Patents No. 6, 1666-1679. Reel 6, Page 102. Archives, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. (Image on file. Image is illegible.)