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The DePriest Family Journal | Title Page
Robert DePriest and
Elizabeth
Robert DePriest was born in France about 1665. Robert died between 1708 and 1711 in VA, at about 43 years of age.
He married twice. He married Elizabeth unknown bef 1689. Elizabeth died 27 September 1689 in the St. Peter's Parish in VA shortly after childbirth. He then married Mary unknown abt 1690.
Robert was a French Huguenot who immigrated to VA before 1689. The earliest mention of him in Virginia recoreds is in the St. Peter's Parish Vestry Book when the land of Robert Deprosse was among the property to be processed. Based on the date of immigration, he was probably among the group of Huguenots sent to the New World by the British government to quiet unrest in England over the Huguenots who had arrived from France taking prime English jobs.
Where in France he emigrated from is uncertain. Virginia DePriest said in June, 1990 that he came from a village between Nimes and the Mediterranean coast. This was a very active Huguenot area and several villages were designated "free cities" for Protestant worship in the Edict of Nantes. Robert most likely left France for England in 1685 when the Edict of Nantes was revoked and violence broke out against the Huguenots.
When Robert arrived in Virginia, he acquired land in New Kent Co., VA. On the 1704 Quit Rent Rolls he has 354 acres of land there. In Colonial Virginia the planters (small farmers) generally had 100 to 200 acres; the gentry had 500 to thousands of acres. Obviously, in a world where a man's place in society was partially determined by the amount of land he owned, Robert was not a part of the gentry, but he was considerably better off than most of the common planters. The early records of this family are contained in the St. Peter's Parish records. When St. James' Parish was formed from St. Peter's, Robert and his family were in the new parish on land that eventually would become Hanover County. At the time of Robert's death, the family lived on or near the Pamunkey River. They were near the juncture of the present day boundaries of Hanover, New Kent and King William Counties. Among their closest neighbors were Jerome Dumas, a fellow French Huguenot, and John Shelton, whose daughter would marry Patrick Henry. The name was spelled variously as DuPresse, DePress and DePrest. It was only in the generation of the children that it became DePriest.
Robert's Huguenot heritage has always been assumed, but within the last 25 years has been proven to the satisfaction of the National Huguenot Society. He is one of about 450 out of thousands whose origins have been proven to their standards. All of Roberts descendants are eligible for membership in the Society.
Robert DePriest and Elizabeth had the following child:
i. William DePriest was born 24 Oct 1689.
William DePriest was born 24 Oct 1689. Robert DePriest and Mary had the following children:
i. Mary DePriest was born in New Kent County, VA 9 November 1690.
Mary DePriest was born in New Kent County, VA 9 November 1690.ii. Sarah DePriest was born 4 September 1698.
Sarah DePriest was born 4 September 1698.iii. Elizabeth DePriest was born in New Kent Co., VA 19 July 1702. She died 27 September 1789 at 87 years of age.
Elizabeth DePriest was born in New Kent Co., VA 19 July 1702. She died 27 September 1789 at 87 years of age.iv. John DePriest was born in VA probably between 1704 and 1711. John lived in Louisa Co., VA.
John DePriest was born in VA probably between 1704 and 1711. John lived in Louisa Co., VA. v. Robert DePriest was born probably between 1704 and 1711 in New Kent Co., VA. Robin married Susannah Snead 1740 and they lived in Hanover Co., VA.
Susannah Snead 1740 and they lived in Hanover Co., VA.Elsewhere on the Web
Descendants of Robert DePriest (DePress) of New Kent County. Kathy Waggerman's comprehensive site on the DePriest family.
National Huguenot Society. The web site of the National Huguenot Society includes the list of all certified Huguenot immigrants. Also contains a wealth of information and links on Huguenot history.
Brief History of the Huguenot Migration to Virginia A particularly interesting site on the history of the Huguenots migration to Manakintown. It focus on those Huguenots who immigrated around 1700. It was this group of Huguenots whom Robert joined in the early 18th century.
DePriest Family Genealogy Forum GenForum
New Kent County, Virginia VAGenWeb Project This link contains full text of the St. Peter's Parish Registry and the St. Peter's Parish Vestry Book which are our earliest records of the Robert DePriest family.