• General Notes

  John lived in New Kent and Nansemond Co. VA, and Chowan (now Gates) County, North Carolina. There must have been a John Langston present in the colonies before our him as there are records of an "importation headright" for a John Langston of New Kent County, Virginia, on July 11, 1635, mentioned in the Edward Pleasant Valentine papers published by the Valentine Museum, Richmond, Virginia. This seems too early for our ancestor unless he immigrated as a child. Possibly John is a little older than we thought.
  
  At any rate, many records were lost to fire in the Revolution and later during the Civil War, but several records exist regarding our John Langston I. One which is of great interest is his participation in Bacon's Rebellion.
  
  Nathaniel Bacon was the leader of Bacon's Rebellion in colonial Virginia. Dissatisfied with the mismanaged government of Sir William Berkeley, the British colonial governor of Virginia, and his neglect of frontier defense, Bacon organized a rebellion in which John Langston I was a colonel. Because of repeated Indian attacks on the settlers, the pioneers joined Bacon. They nearly succeeded in capturing the entire colony of Virginia. They captured the village of Jamestown and destroyed nearly all of it. Then Nathaniel Bacon became ill with malaria and died. Shortly after Bacon's death the revolt fell apart. Colonel John Langston surrendered with or shortly after the capitulation of Bacon's successor, Joseph Ingram.
  
  Several of the leaders of the movement were hung by Governor Berkeley. Thankfully for his descendants, John was not one of them. However, John was elected to represent New Kent County in the colonial assembly, the House of Burgess. The record states, "John Langston, Joseph Ingram, Gregory Walklett, Thomas Whaley, and John Forth (are) prohibited from ever holding office in the colony... have failed capture and execution with the other adherents of Nathaniel Bacon Jr." Another document mentions John being pardoned by act of the Assembly in January 1680, but forbidden to ever hold public office.
  
  John Langston I received a land grant for 1,316 acres on September 28, 1681, 1,300 acres of which were found to be in escheat from Mrs. Hannah Clarke, and 16 acres for one right (not named). The land was located on the south side of the Yorke River. He didn't settle on this land though, because a month later the land was granted to someone else. After 1681 he was no longer found in New Kent County and was thought to have removed to Nansemond County, Virginia.
  
  The last mention of John I occurs on April 20, 1694. Katherine Langston, widow of John Langston... granted 380 acres on Cyprus Branch of Sarum Creek in Nansemond County, Virginia. So John died sometime between 1681 and 1694; he must have had the land grant pending when he died. A woman was allowed to inherit land only if she had a male heir to leave it to. In the event she didn't have a male heir the land reverted to government control. An example of that law at work was the previously mentioned Hannah Clarke being found to be in escheat. John Langston was granted her land in New Kent County.
  
  The last mention of Katherine Langston was in a land grant issued June 6, 1699. "John Nichols was granted 249 acres in Upper Parish, Nansemond County at the Cyprus Swamp, joining Katherine Langston." After 1699 no mention of Katherine or any Langston on the "Quit Rent Rolls in 1700."
  

Details of John's family with Catherine Mountford