the Progenitor
Thomas Leister/Lassiter ca 1590 – bef 1704
& unknown wife ca 1630 – aft 1711
of England and James City VA
research by Skip Lassiter & others
?Children of Thomas Lassiter and wife:
1. Robert Lassiter
a Thomas Leister son of George was born 15 MAY 1586 in Linton, Craven, Yorkshire, England
e-mail from Skip Lassiter
Thomas Leister ( Laster being the English pronunciation of the name) came to James City, Colony of Virginia on the ship “Abigal (e)” with Doctor John Pott (s) and his family in 1620. His arrival is documented “Adventurers of Purse and Person, 1607 – 1625” compiled and edited by Annie Lash Jester in Collaboration with Martha Woodroof Hiden,. FASG (1883-1959) sponsored by “The First Families of Virginia, 1607-1624”. As to whether Thomas Leister is the first “Lassiter” to arrive in the new world and the progenitor of tens of thousands of Lassiter’s is still the subject of on going research, debate and needed documentation.
“Adventurers of Purse and Person, 1607 – 1625” also cites the following “The Muster of the Inhabitants of Virginia was taken between 20 January and 7 February 1624/25 (respective of new calendar decree). The information contained in the muster was sought by the Royal Government
under King Charles I when decision had been reached to abrogate the Charter of Virginia Company and bring the affairs of Virginia under the control of the Crown.
Thomas is cited as follows;
“Thomas Leister as being of age 33 and as one of “Docto’ Pott’s Men in the Maine”. And who is “Docto John Pott” Doctor John Pott is cited in “Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Volume 1, II-Colonial Presidents and Governors”; … (Pott) came to Virginia with Governor Wyatt in 1621 to fill the position of physician general, vacant by the death of Lawrence Bohum slain in a naval battle
between the Spanish and the English…””…Dr. Pott was the first to locate land at the present site of Williamsburg, and he called his place Harrop, after the place of his family in Chesire…”. The above mentioned year dates could be in conflict within calendar dates of the period.
There is significance to the use of the term “men in the maine”. The Jamestown settlement was located on a peninsula that jutted into the James River which afforded protection from being surrounded on all sides.. Settlement protection from the Indians was a primary concern of the
inhabitants. As the colony was being established most of the prominent personages resided on the peninsula along with their families. In the muster the following is cited,
“The muster of Docto Potts men in the maine; Thomas Leister age 33, Roger Stabley age 27, Thomas Pritchard aged 28, Henry Crocker age 34, Thomas Crosse age 22, John Trye age 20, Walter Beare age 28, Randall Holt – the rest of his servants, provisions, ammunition &ct at James City”. Several of these men went on to prosper and acquire property in the colony. This group of men may have had among their duties be a protective force for Doctor Pott(s) and his family as evidenced
further on in this biography.
Further evidence that Thomas Leister held a degree of status in the colony is provided from the following: The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography” – Vol XXII January, 1914 No. 1 – Minutes of the Council and General Court 1624 &c – From the Originals In the Library of Congress:
A courte held in the eight daye of februarye 1624 present Sr Francis Wyatt Gou’nor &c Sr George Yardely Knight M¬Æ George Sandys Threar – (ink folio 83) (pencil 110)
Tho: Leyster sworne and exam’d sayeth that Capt Corshow did owe to Cap’t Tucker fower hundred and twentie pound waight tobacco & Capt” Tucker demandinge the said Tobacco of Capt” Croshow, y(e) said Capt’ Cros. Desired Capt Tucke to forebare him Awhile longer to W(ch-which) Capt’ Tucker
answered y(t-yes) yf he would forebare the other three hundred till the next Cropp, whervppon Capt Croshow did send the one hundred and twenty pownd of tobacco by this Examinant ( note: Thomas Leyster was the Examinant) to CaptTucker.
Note: Captian Raleigh Carshaw, long prominent Colonist
The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography – Vol XXV December 31, 1917 –
Minutes of the Council and General Court 1624 &c From the Originals In the
Library of Congress:
At a Courte held ffebruary 1625 – Thomas Pricharde sworne and Examined sayeth y(t) on Sondye nyght the xix(th) ffebruary 1625, Tho. Leicester cominge in about one hower w’thin night, fallinge in question aboute Tobacco that Mr Docter Pott should owe to Roger Stanley. Lyster said Y(t)
Mr Docter did Not owe the said Stanley so much Tobacco as he said he did, Stanley said he lyed & thereupon Stanley drew owt his hanger, and then Lyster took Another swoorde, but neither of them did strike, after y(t) Leyster laid down his swoorde, And then Stanley struck at him w’th his hanger at his head, and Leyster defended it w’th a Jugg he has in his hande, And after die sett down ye Jugg and close with Stanley to wrench his hanger owt his hand, And in striving w’th him, Leyster tooke hold of his hanger and broke it off w’th a handfull of the hilte, Ande w’th ye blade of ye hanger w’ch he kept in his hand, cutt the said Stanley on the arme, w’ch hanger was a back swoorde. Elias Gale aged 25 years or thereabouts beinge examined affermith as much in effect as Tho. Pritchard hath formerly said.**
Compiler Note: Thomas Pritchard, aged 28, Thomas Lester (Leister) aged 33 and Roger Stanley, aged 27, came in the Abigail in 1620, were among Dr. Pott’s “men in the main” in Jamestown 1624/1625.
To date there are no records to support that Thomas Leister married and had a wife. However the following suggests that there was a Leister/Lassiter older than his undocumented son Robert Lassiter.
“The Virinia Magazine of History and Biography”, Vol V, June 1898, No. 1, on page 9 there is a reference to a “wido, Lascitter”
BOUNDARY LINE PROCEEDINGS – 1710 – A meeting of a Virgnia group and a Carolina Commissioners group was to take place at Waynock Creek to take the Latitude at Waynock Creek and Curratuck. The Virginia group departed on Tuesday morning on the 15th of May 1711 at Green Spring. The following excerpt is from the daily jounal they kept. – (compiler note – the following information was found on a Virginia Travel Guide website –
“Greensprings Plantation is built on land that was part of a colonial plantation, Green Spring. The plantation was home of Sir William Berkeley, Royal Governor of the Virginia colony. During the civil war, the house was torched by Union Troops.”)
“24th. We sett out from Spikes and travelled 20 mile to bakers mill, soon after we mist our way being wrong directed, and rid 11 mile almost to a myery swamp, almost impassible, called Curripeak where we mett a man that Directed us soe we came strait back the same road (there being no passage
through the Dismall) 5 mile in very heavy rain to the wido. Lascitters where we stayed all night, being very wett this days riding in the rain and being very hott we hurt most of our horses backs, this old woman is above 80 yeares old and verry nimble and hearty.
25th. Being all dryed again we parted from the widos and travelld 6 mile to peros mill at the head of Nansimond river and from thence to Collo James Wilsons at the head of the Southern Branch of Elizabeth river 40 miles, where we lodged all night——” (souce: The above information was contributed to this compiler by Marvin Kjelstrom at the Genforum Website Msg# 1074 08/31/2002) – (Compiler Note: If one could rely on the accuracy of the statement that the “wdo. Lascitter” is above 80 years of age, this could be the wife of Thomas Leister and mother of Robert, George, Thomas
and ?William.
The high probability that Thomas Leister had kinsman in the colony is cited in the following.
The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography Vol XXIV January, 1916 No. 4 – Minutes of the Council and General Court 1622 – 1629 – From the Originals In the Library of Congress
Anthony Burrows, gent, sworne and examined Sayeth that when Capt. Tucker came aboarde the Fleeinge harte he found John Geney aboarde the shipp Contrary to the Governor’s express comands And Capt Tucker Chided him for his soe doinge, And Tucker sentenced (?) servant (?) to by neck and heels for this offence, And when Capt. Tucker was gone the said Geney said that Capt. Tucker would be the death of him as he was Robert Leyster.
George Thompson sworne and examined sayeth, that he heard John Geney say that Capt. Tucker by some woordes he used was the death of Robert Leyester and that the said Glyney said he would certife it before the Governor & Council
Compiler Note: From the “muster” of 1624/25 Anthony Burrows, aged 44 who came in the George in 1617, lived in Elizabeth City. He owned land near Blunt Point in 1628. The ship referred to, the Flying Hart, of Flushing made frequent voyages to Virginia.
Another Leister who appears in the records of the Virginia Colony was one unfortunate Edward Leister. He had come to American Colonies aboard the ship Mayflower and helped establish the Plymouth Colony. Both The Mayflower and the Abagail(e) which brought Thomas Leister to the Virginia Colony sailed from England at approximately the same time in 1620. Edward also was
a signer to “Mayflower Compact”
Edward was a servant to one Stephen Hopkins who sailed on the Mayflower with his wife Elizabeth and his children Giles, Constance and Damaris. Hopkins brought one other servant on the Mayflower that being Edward Doty.
The following information was obtained at the internet website MayflowerFamilies.com: Mayflower – Doty – Leister Duel; The first duel of New England is said to be between Edward Doty and Edward Leister, servants of Stephen Hopkins. They fought with sword and dagger and both were wounded. Having no statute agains the offense, the Pilgrims met in council to determine the punishment. It was, according to observers exemplary. The parties were ordered to be tied together, hand and foot, and to remain twenty-four hours without food or drink. Their intercession of their master and their own entreties procured their release before sentence was carried out. Source: Samuel Drake Adams, “Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast” 1875
William Bradford noted in his recollections of the Plymouth Colony that after one year Edward departed the Colony and went to Virginia and nothing else was know of him. It is thought that Edward arrived on the ship Bona Nova in 1621.
On Friday morning March 22, 1622 there was in the Virginia Colony a great Indian uprising. Edward Leister was residing at Capt Samuel Maycocks’s dividend near Flowerdien Hundred. Many people were killed that morning, nearly one third of the inhabitants, among them Edward Leister.
e-mail from Skip Lassiter
e-mail from Kim Galus: on the Origin of name Lassiter
“The English surname Lassiter is of local origin, being of that category of surnames derived from the place where the original bearer once lived or held land. In this instance, the name simply denotes one who is a “native of Leicester “, a toponym or place name that may be translated either as Roman site “belonging to the dwellers on the River Leire”.
The ancient borough of Leicester, capital of Leicestershire, was a town of the ancient Britons and one of the Five Boroughs of the Danes. Roman ruins are among its features and its Norman castle was the site of county assizes.
It was in Leicester that Richard the III was slain the night before the battle of Basworth field and his body was brought back there for burial. Today this town boasts a university of international repute.
References to this name in written records first occur in the twelfth century, when the “pipe rolls” for Leicester make mention of a Hugo de Legrecestrain 1130.
Later, one Richard de Laycestre is noted in the Register of the Freemen of the city of York in 1305.. . Bearers of this name are chiefly numerous in the midland regions of England today and its documented variants include Leicester, Leycester, Lessiter , and Lisseter.”
Can we visit the grave of the Leister in jamestown VA?