Thomas Uzzell

1680-1750

Thomas is first in Isle of Wight, VA records when he buys land in 1713.This deed is on file Book 2 page 258 in Clerks office of that county. Itis worded quite unique.

This indenture made the fifteenth day of March in the thirteenth year ofthe Reign of our Sovereign Lady Anne by the Grace of God of GreatBrittain, France and Ireland. Queen, defender of the Faith... Ano DomSeventeen hundred and thirteen between Henry Tanner of the lower parishof Isle of Wight County, yeoman of the first part and Thomas Uzzell ofthe parish and county aforesaid of the other part. Witnesseth thataforesaid Henry Turner for the valuable consideration of five thousandpounds of tobacco to him in hand paid by the Thomas Uzzell and thereceipt whereof the said Henry Turner do hear by acknowledge for him hisheirs... do by these presents likewise exonerate and discharge over thesaid Uzzell.... for ever hath given, bargained sold, leased and made overand the said Henry Turner for him his heirs... all that plantation andtwo parcels of land both lying and being in Lower Parish of Isle of Wightsituated upon the Cypress Swamp, the first being a parcel of land grantedby pattern (patent) to William Body (Boddie) conveyed to Turner by deed10th March 1683. Thomas Joyner is on one side, this being about 50 acres.The other parcel on the north side of Beaverdam branch with Thomas Joynerand William Bodies being about 50 acres. Witnesses: Henry Turner, ThomasFloyd and John Long.

At court in Isle of Wight 26 April 1714 Henry Turner acknowledged thedeed.

Later in Deed Book 7 page 472 he acquired 222 more acres on CypressSwamp. This land passed to his son James and James son Thomas and onthrough that line. Later 1 1/4 acres of this tract was donated in 1800for the site of the Uzzell's Church, near Smithfield, VA.
page 55 John Hall estate, Thomas Uzzell one of appraisers 24 Oct. 1716,599
page 60 Wm. Wetherell estate, Thomas Uzzell one of the appraisers 27April 1719, 658
page 83 John Watts same 22 August 1720, 49
page 86 Pool Hall Witness to will 20 Nov.1720 page 95
page 88 John Watts estate appraised same 25 Feb. 1722, page 128
page 89 Edward Goodson same 25 March 1723 page 125
skips to 1728,1729 (2) 1737,

James also acquired the tract bought in 1713 as he makes a deed of giftto his "loving sister Martha Daniel" on 2 Sept. 1756.

Thomas was known as French Thomas or Thomas, the Huguenot.
I have been told by a Uzzell family member that this is only oraltradition, probably derived from the wording in that deed from Book 2page 258, given at beginning of these notes.

I have a copy of the original will from Isle of Wight Co. Book 5 page345-346 and the inventory page 354-355

In the name of God, Amen. I, Thomas Uzzell of the parish of Newport,county of Isle of Wight being sick and weak of body but of perfect mindand memory praise be given therefore, to almighty God for it. In mannerand form following that is to say First I commend my soul into the handsof almighty God that gave it and hoping through the merits death andPassion of my Savior Jesus Christ to have full and free pardon andforgiveness of all my sins and my body I commit to the earth to bedecently buried at the discretion of my executors hereinafter named.
First I will that all my debts and funeral charges be paid and dischargesand all my worldly goods I give and dispose of as follows ...

Imprimis: I give to and bequeath to my daughter Martha Uzzell the bed andfurniture she lies on, 2 cows and calves, 2 sows and piggs, 2 ewes andlambs and 1 iron pot, 1 hard pewter plate, and a gold ring to her and herheirs forever.

Item: I give to my son James my young horse, and all my hooping furnitureto him and his heirs forever.

Item: I give to my son Thomas my small gun, two cows and calfs, two ewesand lambs, two sows and pigs, 1 feather bed and furniture to him and hisheirs forever.

Item; I give and bequeath to my loving wife Sarah Uzzell my riding horseand saddle to her and her heirs forever.

Item: I give and bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth Newman 1 cow and calf.

Item: I give and bequeath to my son James Uzzell the lower part of myplantation beginning on Cypress side running to Miry Branch, up thebranch to the fork, from the head of the fork of said branch to the firstfork of the Reedy Branch, down the branch to the Cypress, down theCypress to the first station containing 186 acres. He shall let hisbrother Thomas have timber from it, for his plantations use to him thesaid James Uzzell to him and his heirs forever.

Item: I give to son Thomas Uzzell the upper part of my plantation where Inow live containing 186 acres.

Item: I give to my loving wife Sarah Uzzell my Negro woman Mole to herand her disposing and I give her my plantation I bought of Henry Turner,that lies on the south side of Cypress to her and her heirs forever.

Item: I give to my daughter Mary Lowry 1 heifer.

Item: I give and bequeath to my loving wife Sarah Uzzell the use of therest of my estate during her life and after her death to be equallydivided amongst my children.
I nominate and appoint my loving wife Sarah Uzzell and my sons JamesUzzell and Thomas Uzzell to be whole and sole executors....and hear byrevoke, disannul and make void all former wills and Testaments heretoforeby me made. In witness whereof I have set my hand and fixed my seal this14 April 1748.

Signed and sealed in presence of John Smelly, Theophilus Joiner,Bartholomew Lightfoot. Thomas Uzzell (made his mark.)

At court held for Isle of Wight June 1751 the will was presented in courtby James Uzzell and Thomas Uzzell, two executors and sworn to bywitnesses and ordered to be recorded.

Appraisement was made of personal property 6 June 1751 for a total of 49pounds 4 shilling and 5 pence by Bartho. Lightfoot, Christopher Reynoldsand John Joiner.
Appraisement was returned to Court August 1 1751 and ordered to berecorded.

Sarah is possibly an Artimore. Some of the statements are from the bookUzzell Ancestry by Minter Uzzell unless another source given.

The Uzzells were originally French Huguenots. The earliest note of thename is found at Angers, France. Civic Archives show an abstract thatJean Ozzelle owned a measure of land in 1254 A.D. Family preachers pointout many Biblical references, notably Uzziel in 1st. Chronicles, Ezek,and Exodus, always quick to say they were Levites. The Uzzells leftFrance, along with 500,000 countrymen as a result of the revocation ofthe Edict of Nantes in 1685. (That Edict was a Royle guarantee of therights of protestant to live and move about without fear). The loss ofalmost a million by flight or from persecution between 1685 and 1750 hasbeen compared to the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt.

Derivations of the name "Uzzell" is found in most European countries andin Ireland, England and Wales.

Though the Uzzells fled from France, their mark remains. Ten towns namedUzzelle, Uzsi and Ussel are listed. The ruins of an old castle, Uzzelin,in the Valley of Aosta, proclaim one branch of the family prominent inthe 13th century. The oldest of four different known Uzzell coat-of-armsshows three coins. They are believed to be a Crusading emblem. When theCrusaders journeyed to Palestine, they were forced to cross from Europeto Asia at the Straits of the Dardanelles. These straits were guarded bypeople who claimed to be Christian. Supposedly, they could aid thecrossing Crusading warriors. They not only charged the Crusaders forferrying them but imposed a crossing tax. The Uzzells adopted the coinemblem, Byzantium, upon their shields to "commemorate forever the infamyand avarice."

The named Uzzell, is derived from the old French term "Oisel" meaning"bird." It is the shortened version of the surname Ozelleure orOusellere meaning "seller of game or poultry". The Name is spelledUzelle, Uzzle, Uzel, Uzzel, and in Italy, Uzeellie, Uzeilli. One familymember used to say "Doesn't matter how you spell it or even pronounce it,anybody by that name is bound to be kin, even those spelled with an "s".

During the persecution they dispersed to Holland and England, where theylived for many years. The ruins of an old castle in the Valley of Oastaproclaim one part of the family prominent in the 13th century.
One of the Uzzells, who had become Anglicized, emigrated to America andsettled in the tidewater section of Virginia. One of his sons moved toNorth Carolina at a very early date and today these descendants in theTar Heel State are legion. Variant spelling of the name include Usel,Ezzle, Oisel, and Youell.

The earliest known record of Thomas Uzzell, the Huguenot, is a deedshowing that he bought 100 acres of land from Henry Turner in 1713 forthe sum of five thousand pounds of tobacco. This land was in the Isle ofWight County, Virginia.

Thomas Uzzell was the first Uzzell in America. He fled with his parents,who spelled their name Usilie, either through Holland or the FriesianIslands to England. Then they migrated to Northern Ireland where sonThomas is said to have married an Irish girl named Sarah Artimore. Wehave no proof, only family stories. Record keeping was difficult forthose on the move.

William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Volume 10, page 59 has astatement to the effect that a Thomas Uzzell was in the Convoy ofCromwell's Ulster Colony, and that he owned land in Isle of Wight County,Virginia.

Records show Thomas Uzzell purchased land adjacent to his grant from thecrown. In 1713 he bought 100 acres from a Henry Turner (Book # 2, Page #258, Clerk's Office, Isle of Wight County, Virginia). Family members whohave read the will and copies of the deeds in their original form haveenjoyed the quaintness of spelling, abbreviations and landmarkdefinements typical of that era.

According to a letter from Robert Lee Uzzell (dated 2-5-19) a horndrinking cup and a china sugar dish are two items said to have beenbrought by the original Thomas from France. He said the horn cup "hasbeen handed down through all Thomas', as follows: French Thomas,"Nature's Beauty" Thomas, Revolutionary Thomas, "Big Tom", Thomas Wood,Thomas Dunn, from whom it goes to "Tom Billy" his son.

Tom Billy Uzzell passed it on to Atlas Thomas Uzzell, Jr., Raleigh, whereit is today. (1982). It is brought out and admired by family membersand taken to family reunions. A. Thomas Uzzell will pass it on to hisson, Nelson Thomas.

The largest family treasure is "Uzzell's Methodist Church". Built in1888, it is still in use. Family folklore relates Thomas Uzzell, theHuguenot, came over on a private ship. The small party included JohnWesley, founder of the Methodist Church. On this long voyage, Wesley issaid to have converted "French Thomas", ex-French, and then Anglicanprotestant, to the Methodist faith. The fact his grandson, Thomas, gaveland for Uzzells Methodist Church gives credence to the story.

Uzzell's Church operated as a religious institution long before thestructure was built. In the late 1700's Thomas Uzzell, grandson of"French Thomas" used his own home for services. About the same time (c.1771) Wesley sent from England, Francis Asbury, later Bishop. He oftenvisited with Thomas Uzzell in his home. Thomas built a wooden pulpit forhis friend, Bishop Asbury. It can still be admired today. It was givento the Virginia Methodist Conference. This same Thomas Uzzell, preacher,did an unheard of thing for his time, 1794, he freed his slaves.

The below was from Jerry R. Witt :
"I contacted the VA Conference of the UMC and shared the story aboutCapt. Thomas Uzzell and Francis Asbury; the pulpit built by Thomas forAsbury allegedly being in the archives there. I received a response fromthe office that the curator of the Archives would give me a call if Iwould send my number. Well, she did call and said that she did not knowof any such pulpit in the Archives there, nor had she heard any storyabout Uzzell-Asbury relationship. However, she said that if she found outanything new, she would contact me. I thanked her for her time andeffort.

The time period for the Francis Asbury story is right, but have no proofit happened.

John Wesley made only the one voyage to America in 1736, not receivedwell and went home discouraged. I know he went to GA but not at momentwhat route he took. I do not know that Thomas Uzzell did or did not makeanother voyage besides the pre 1713 when he bought land but the statementappears to mean his first voyage over."

A great number of Uzzells through the years have become preachers. One ofthe most famous was "Parson Tom" Uzzell (1848-1910) during rough miningdays in Colorado. In this area, Dr. Carl Uzzell, is pastor of FirstPresbyterian Church in Wallace, N.C. (1982). Uzzells traditionally arevery devout or don't darken the door. Religious convictions drove theUzzells from their homes in Europe. A strong religious belief descendedto many of their posterity - Quoted from article by Lib Uzzell Griffin inthe heritage of Wayne North Carolina, 1982. Her sources were French &English Archives, Trade & Commerce Registers, wills, letters, shiplists. William & Mary Quarterly (Virginia) and family stories.