Four Johns vs. a Full House

A Review of the 17th Century John Culpepers
of Virginia and the Carolinas

By Bill Russell, 21 Nov 1998
Subsequently edited by Warren Culpepper, 1999-2011

Which John Culpeper belongs to which specifically dated fact the we have? Many of these are overlapping in time and geographic locations which has caused a great deal of confusion when dealing with several people of the same name. The scope of this is limited to the John Culpepers of 17th Century Virginia and the Carolinas.

The various records associated with these Johns have now been sorted between four distinct individuals:

1. John Culpeper of Accomack Co., Virginia in 1635-1645.
2. John Culpeper the Merchant, b.c. 1606, baptized at Harrietsham (son of John Culpeper of Astwood and Ursula Woodcock) who had business dealings with Virginia and New England during much of the middle years of the 17th Century.
3. John Culpeper, son of Thomas and Katherine, b.c. 1633, nephew of John, the Merchant (#2) above, and brother of Alexander and Frances Culpeper. If John (#3) came to Virginia with the rest of his family, he was only 18 when he left England. He could, of course, have had some training at law in Virginia by reading law - serving as an attorney's clerk while learning the law. He was at least literate enough to serve as clerk and sheriff. It is not clear one way or the other whether or not he was acting as an attorney - he may well have been.
4. John Culpeper of Albemarle NC, b.c. 1644 who was the so-called "Carolina Rebel." Most likely he was the son of John, the Merchant (#2)

Other John Culpepers identified as living in this era appear to be one of the above. Specifically:

5. John Culpeper of Northampton, the sheriff and clerk of court in Accomack and Northampton Counties (Eastern Shore) of Virginia, c. 1671-1675 and died there c. 1674. Most likely he is John, son of Thomas and Katherine (#3) above.

6. John Culpeper of a variety of court actions in Albemarle, New England, and Virginia, including land transactions involving headrights. Most likely he is a combination of the first four Johns above.
7. John Culpeper of Lancaster, whose name appears in documents to divide parishes in Lancaster Co., Virginia, 14 Sep 1659. Most likely he is John, the Merchant (#2) above

Finally, there are various John Culpepers of Barbados, and they are separately covered.