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Archiver > ABERNATHY > 1999-02 > 0919896827


From: (by way of Chris Lamesfield <>
Subject: RE: [ABERNATHY-L] George ABERNATHY, 1600's, Scotland
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 17:53:47 -0500


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Here's another interesting side to that article:

I was in contact with another researcher whose ancestor was
also brought over. (He was not researching Abernethy, but
another name.) He has a copy of a letter from the Governor of
the Jamestown Colony to Oliver Cromwell. It seems that Cromwell
wanted the prisoners processed as SLAVES, not indentured
servants. The Governor, however, chose the latter.

Brian Abernathy

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Non-HP-hutching
> Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 1999 22:14 PM
> To: Non-HP-ABERNATHY-L
> Cc: Non-HP-hutching
> Subject: Re: [ABERNATHY-L] George ABERNATHY, 1600's, Scotland
>
>
> This quote is taken from "Salvation Through Christ" A
> History of the Abernathy
> Family by Laurence Keelan Abernathy. The whole article is
> very interesting and I
> will make you a copy if you send your mailing address.
> "......Returning to the Thomas Perkins account: Our
> ancestory, Robert
> Abernaethy, may have been in one of those battles (talked
> about earlier..the
> English Civil War 1642-1652) and taken as a prisoner of war.
> Scotland was a
> separate kingdom and it's citizens were not allowed to
> legally migrate to the
> colonies as English citizens could. The prisoners taken in
> these battles were
> divided into 3 classes: the common soldier was allowed to
> return to his home, the
> non-commissioned officers and officers below the rank of
> catain were transported
> to the colonies, and higher ranking officers taken to the
> tower. Thus, the only
> legal method for immigration to the colonies was as a convict
> or prisoner of war.
> Robert Abernethy's arrival in Virginia indicates clearly that
> he was a prisoner of
> war; he was sold as an indentured servant. This was the
> fate of captives who
> were to be transported. Indentured servitued was not slavery
> as such...the
> servant could work or buy his way to freedom. In many cases
> a person might sell
> himself or his son into servitude to buy passage to the new
> world, agreeing in
> advance to a specific term of service to pay the debt.
> Robert's term of service
> seems to have been short, for in 5 years after first record
> of his arrival, he
> appears in records as a freeman".
>
> This is of course a secondary source, but I found it to be
> very interesting.
> Enjoy!
> Somewhere in my massive file is written that Robert came from
> George De Barrie of
> Scotland...I will look for those records.
> Donna
>
> wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > I am trying to find out more about a George ABERNATHY who
> was recently posted
> > on here as a possible father to Robert, b. about 1624.
> > This is exciting since I've never known that there was any
> information
> > "beyond" Robert ABERNATHY that would link him to Scotland!
> > Does anyone have any more information on this early line
> that they would share
> > with me?
> > Many thanks,
> > Barbara
> > in NC
> >
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