John Foster & Mary Forest

Sally’s 6-great Grandparents:

John Foster Sr ca 1700 – 17?? | parents
& Mary Forest ca 1710 – 17?? | parents
of Gloucestor [now Mathews] County, VA


We are told the early Fosters owned and commanded their own sailing ships and they brought many early settlers from England to Virginia for which they received land grants. It has been written somewhere that John Foster, Sr. was the son of Richard Foster and his wife Elizabeth. Richard Foster was granted a patent of 200 acres in Gloucester County, VA near what is now Glass Post Office on 1 April 1655. “Richard was the son of Thomas and Mary Baskerville Foster of England.” “Richard was the son of Thomas Foster of Hempshire, England.”

Mary Foster Olive writes in an e-mail to me “My Dad had also talked to one of the historical society members of the Mathews historical society about 15 years ago. He told him about John Foster and Mary Forest. I have only found one mention of them. In an article about prominent men of Virginia, Littleberry Stainback Foster, a physician, is listed. In one of the opening paragraphs it says that he is descended from John Foster Sr. and wife Mary who came from England in 1696. That really confused me. I had always thought that they came over earlier than that.”

Children of John Foster Sr and wife Mary:
[these appear to be siblings to me]

1. John Foster Jr. 7 April 1728 –
married ca 1749 Rosanna ?
2. Capt. Josiah Foster
married 14 Sept 1751 Caty Gayle
a. daughter Foster 9 Feb 1755
b. John Foster 6 Jan 1757 –
c. Mary Foster 10 June 1759 –
married 17 Aug 1775 [bans] John Willis
d. Betty Foster 14 Dec 1761 –
e. Judith Foster 23 April 1764 –
f. Joseph Foster 2 Dec 1766 –
g. Ann Foster 29 April 1769 –
3. Joel Foster
married 17 Mar 1767 Mary Deggs
a. Sarah Foster 30 Oct 1769 –
b. Joseph Foster 24 June 1772 –
c. Elizabeth Foster 1 April 1777 –
4. Betty Foster
married 27 Dec 1767 James Hartswell

Ref: include “Foster of Virginia and Mississippi” in HSF by Bodie Vol XXI,
“Kingston Parish Register, Gloucester and Mathews Counties, Virginia 1749-1827” compiled by Matheny and Yates
“Hudgins, Virginia to Texas” by Edgar H Hudgins

e-mail from William L Foster My Foster research started a few years ago with me trying to make sense of all the Fosters that moved into the region of Guildford Co NC and Old Rowan Co at the Folks of the Yadkin. At first glance, they appear to be all related but after research, it appears the Foster DNA Project might be the only way to sort out how far back the closest Common Ancestor is actually. With the Flood of English settlers coming to the Colonies there does appear a possible link between the Families with the Name ffoster / Foster / Forster between both those who immigrated to Mass and those that immigrated to Va Colony. Yet there still appears the possibility several generations back before Immigration the Head of different Fosters / Forsters may have adopted males who took the Foster / Forster name because of deaths of male heirs due to disease (Plague) and Battle.
Dr. Bill G Foster has been a great support to borrow research from on the Colonial Va Fosters.
The Forsters who first moved to Ireland then to the American Colony put the MRCA Ancestor for many of the Families back to the 1400s when comparing them to Forsters Fosters immigrating directly to The Va Colony or Maryland. Everyone of course wants to be able to brag about linking pedigree back to a noble Knight and a Castle as Internet legends grow and Poetic license / Liberties are taken by family genealogist at inserting possible links which really are not there.
With the Forsters / Fosters of Colonial Va returning to England two or more times to get family ; some staying a couple of years and then returning back to the Colony is over looked by many researchers . There does appear to be a possible common link to the Fosters / Forsters who immigrated via Hampton Roads Ports at Old Hampton (Elizabeth City VA) and also Norfolk. As well as a link of MRCA to those who Immigrated to Colonial Pa – & Maryland to those in Va.
I was surprised with Roy Fosters and my test results being so far apart since it appeared MRCA was a generation or two Pre Immigration rather than over 1000 years.

Would you be interested in joining the project?

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