Mr. Thomas CURLE, , Gent.^{[1, 2, 3]}

1640 - 1700  (59 years)

• Name	Thomas CURLE
  	Mr, an abbreviation for Master, was the title given to English gentlemen. In the 17th century it was a courtesy title for any man of the respectable upper class. The suffix Gent added to the name of a 17th century Englishman indicated a way of life, more than his prosperity. A gentleman did not work with his hands, so his household included personal servants. A merchant would fall into this category.
  Title	Mr.
  Prefix	Mr.
  Suffix	, Gent.
  Birth	c. Nov 1640	Lewes, Sussex, England   [4]
  	The date 24 November 1640 noted on Thomas' grave stone as his birth date was, in fact, his baptismal date.
  Baptism	24 Nov 1640	St. Michael's Parish, Lewes, Sussex, England
  	Thomas was baptized on 24 November 1640 by the Anglican priest of St. Michael's Parish Church in Lewes, Sussex County, England. NEED CONFIRMATION FROM BOUND TRANSCRIPT AT EAST SUSSEX RECORD OFFICE. SEE S180.
  Gender	Male
  Emigration	Before 1685	Lewes, Sussex, England   [5]
  	Thomas and his brothers, Pasco and Samuel, emigrated from England and settled in the Virginia Colony. The actual dates of their departures are not known. Their moves were likely a result of the stipulations in their mother's will that had coerced each of them to release his interest in the estate of their brother John and of their father Nicholas in favor of their brother Joshua.
  Immigration	by 1685	Elizabeth City Co, Virginia Colony   [6]
  	Thomas appears to have been firmly entrenched in the day-to-day life of Elizabeth City County by 1685. This conclusion has been deduced from the many entries that mention his name in the Court records.
  COIM	18 Mar 1694/95	Elizabeth City Co, Virginia Colony   [7]
  	There is no proof that Thomas used this certificate to patent land. He may have traded the certificate, or he may have sold it. The trading and the selling of importation certificates was legal in the Virginia Colony. A certificate was granted to Thomas for 1550 acres of land for the importation of thirty-one people into the Colony of Virginia by the Elizabeth City County Court held on 18 Mar 1694/5. Thomas, himself, and a Joshua Curle were among those listed as transported. There are no extant Land Patents to Thomas Curle. His extensive ownership of property in Elizabeth City County is known only through his mention in the patents of other individuals and through the 1742 Ejectment Suit, Denn v. Wilson, et al.
  land patent	prior to 20 Apr 1685	Elizabeth City Co, Virginia Colony   [5]
  	Thomas' ownership of land in Elizabeth City County prior to 20 April 1685 is proved by a land patent of that date to Mr. Pasco Dunn. The description of Dunn's property is stated thusly: "Beg. neare the maine swamp; to Mr. Thomas Curle; by path to sd. Dunn's howse".
  never married	There is no indication that Thomas ever married. He left no children.
  OFFH	Nov 1692 - Aug 1695	Elizabeth City Co, Virginia Colony   [8]
  	Indication of Thomas' service as an Elizabeth City County Court Justice appears in the Court records of 18 Nov 1692, 12 Dec 1692 and 3 Aug 1695.
  Death	30 May 1700	Virginia Colony   [9]
  Will	31 May 1700	Elizabeth City Co, Virginia Colony   [10]
  	There is an obvious error concerning either the date of Thomas' will, the date of his death, or, perhaps, the dates of both. There is no extant copy of Thomas' will. The supposed date for its signing, 31 May 1700, is based soley on information set forth in John Denn adv. Richard Wilson, an Infant by William Tucker, his Guardian, William King and Judith Curle an Ejectment suit settled in Elizabeth City County, VA in February 1741/2. Wording in the Elizabeth City County Court record of this case suggests that a copy of Thomas' will was attached to the papers filed with the Court. The only source for Thomas' death date is the ca 1852 transcription of the inscription on Thomas' slab stone. As it is unknown when the stone was actually carved, it is possible that the day and or month noted thereon may have been incorrect.
  probate	18 Sep 1700	Elizabeth City Co, Virginia Colony   [11]
  	Probate on Thomas' estate was granted to his Executor Nicholas Curle on 18 September 1700 by the Elizabeth City County Court.
  Occupation	Elizabeth City Co, Virginia Colony   [12]
  	Thomas is referred to as Merchant in Virginia Land Patents dated 28 October 1697 and 13 November 1713. On 18 Oct 1696, the County Court granted Thomas an "ordinary license." Possession of such a license allowed an individual to operate a tavern and restaurant open to the public.
  Burial	Elizabeth City Co, Virginia Colony   [9, 13, 14]
  	Thomas' body was interred in the burial ground of the third Elizabeth City Parish Church [1667-1728]. The site of this burial ground and its church were rediscovered ca 1852 by the Rev. John McCabe, then minister of St. John's Church in Hampton. A number of tombstones, their inscriptions still legible, were also discovered. Rev. McCabe transcribed the inscriptions from four black marble stones, each six feet by three feet. The stones were those of our Thomas Curle; John Neville, Esq. Vice Admiral of His Majesty's West Indies Fleet; Peter Hayman, Esq. Customs Collector of the Lower District of the James River; and the Rev. Mr. Andrew Thompson, minister of Elizabeth City Parish from 1712 until his death in 1719. Later excavations, made during the early 20th century, uncovered the Flemish bond lain brick foundations of the church, revealing that it was a frame building about fifty by twenty-seven feet. The building's destruction by fire, after its abandonment ca 1728, was evidenced by charred wood and melted window glass found during the excavations.
  Person ID	I1143	mason
  Last Modified	22 Jul 2026

  
  

  Father	Nicholas CURLE,   b. England d. late Sep 1666
  Mother	Judith HAVOLL,   b. England d. Aug 1678
  Family ID	F2271	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  RESEARCH: 21 Nov to 10 Dec 1672 (PRO: E190/54/1). Shippers by the Madras; London for Virginia: Thomas Russell, Thomas Curle. RESEARCH: 13 Aug 1679 (PRO: CO1/44/47) By the Hopewell; Mr. Thomas Curle, Barbados to Virginia.

  
  

• Sources

  [S1900] Terrick V. H. FitzHugh, FitzHugh, The Dictionary of Genealogy, ((London: A & C Black, 1991)), pp. 116 & 204., ISBN 0-7136-3348-4. [S4347] Nicholas Curle will (1666) Archdeaconry of Lewes Will Register 1660-1700: A30, ff. 297-298. . [S4348] Judith Curle will (1679) Archdeaconry of Lewes Will Register 1660-1700: A35, ff. 101-102. [S221] Church of England, Parish Church of St. Michael (Lewes, Sussex)., Church of England, "Parish registers, St. Michael's, Lewes, Sussex, Baptisms & Burials 1653 - 1690", Baptisms: 24 Nov 1640. [S3966] Nell Marion Nugent, abstractor, Nugent, Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, Volume Two: 1666 - 1695, ((Richmond, VA: Virginia State Library, 1977)), p. 287., ISBN 0-88490-009-6 v.2.. [S2916] Rosemary Corley Neal, C. G., compiler, Neal, Elizabeth City County, Virginia Deeds, Wills, Court Orders, Etc., 1634,1659, 1688-1701, ((Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, Inc., 1986)), ISBN 1-55613-014-7. [S2916] Rosemary Corley Neal, C. G., compiler, Neal, Elizabeth City County, Virginia Deeds, Wills, Court Orders, Etc., 1634,1659, 1688-1701, ((Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, Inc., 1986)), p. 148., ISBN 1-55613-014-7. [S2916] Rosemary Corley Neal, C. G., compiler, Neal, Elizabeth City County, Virginia Deeds, Wills, Court Orders, Etc., 1634,1659, 1688-1701, ((Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, Inc., 1986)), pp. 90, 93, 157., ISBN 1-55613-014-7. [S223] Cornell University Library, Making of America, Electronic Library, 31 May 2006. [S4800] John Denn v. Richard Wilson et al, Elizabeth City Co, VA ejectment suit (1742/3). [S4830] Thomas Curle, Gent., Elizabeth City Co, VA probate (1700). . [S2916] Rosemary Corley Neal, C. G., compiler, Neal, Elizabeth City County, Virginia Deeds, Wills, Court Orders, Etc., 1634,1659, 1688-1701, ((Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, Inc., 1986)), pp. 34., ISBN 1-55613-014-7. [S2003] Rogers Dey Whichard, Ph.D. (author & editor), Whichard, The History Of Lower Tidewater Virginia, ((New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co, 1959) ), Vol. 1, pp. 120-121. [S300] St. John's Episcopal Church, website, 2 Jun 2006, Our History.