John Markham HERBERT^{[1, 2]}

- 1799

• Name	John Markham HERBERT
  Gender	Male
  military service	20 Mar 1760	Norfolk Co, Virginia Colony   [3]
  	John qualified as a Lieutenant in the Norfolk County Colonial Militia on 20 March 1760.
  anecdote	9 Dec 1775	Great Bridge, Norfolk Co, Virginia Colony
  	John, a Loyalist, raised a company of local men to fight on the side of the British at the Battle of Great Bridge on 9 December 1775. The complete defeat of the British at the Battle of Great Bridge, seven months before the writing of the Declaration of Independence, ended the rule of the British in Virginia.
  Prop	22 May 1783	Shelburne, Shelburne Co, Nova Scotia   [4]
  	John, "accompanied by his family of six and six servants", arrived in Shelburne, Nova Scotia during the summer of 1783. John was granted Town Lot Q10 and Water Lot M4, both in the Paterson's Division of town. During 1783, the British general Sir Guy Carleton, who was in New York, oversaw the extraction of the British Military and those who had supported the British crown in its fight with the colonies. Thousands of Loyalist refugees and provincial troops sailed from New York to Port Roseway, Nova Scotia, soon to be renamed Shelburne. By 22 May 1783, the Loyalists were drawing for town lots in the recently surveyed area that was to become the town of Shelburne.
  comment	27 Feb 1786  [5]
  	On 27 February 1786 John submitted a claim to the British government for property losses in Norfolk County, Virginia "due to confiscation", estimated at £2500.
  Death	1799
  Will	9 Mar 1799	Shelburne, Shelburne Co, Nova Scotia   [6]
  	John signed his will on 9 March 1799. No executor was named. His signature and seal were witnessed by William Milby, Thomas Ridgeway & Robertson. The will noted that John was a "Ship carpenter".
  letters of admin	30 Apr 1799	Shelburne, Shelburne Co, Nova Scotia   [6]
  	Letters of Administration on John's estate were granted to Thomas Herbert on 30 April 1799 by the Shelburne Court of Probate.
  Will Recorded	30 Apr 1799	Shelburne, Shelburne Co, Nova Scotia   [7]
  	John's will was proved by the oaths of Thomas Ridgeway and Alexander Robertson on 30 April 1799 before Judge Colin Campbell and duly recorded.
  Person ID	I1223	mason
  Last Modified	22 Jul 2026

  
  

  Father	Markham HERBERT   d. 1761
  Mother	Mary WHIDDON   d. Aft 17 Apr 1762
  Marriage	Bef 9 Nov 1748  [8]
  Family ID	F52	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Sarah SUMMERELL
  Marriage	Between 5 Aug 1755 and 29 Jan 1763  [6, 9, 10]
  	Confusion as to whether Sarah, or her sister Jane, married John Markham Herbert has existed for years due to an erroneous entry, dated 2 August 1765, in the records of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. The clerk incorrectly noted "Jane" as the wife of John Markham Herbert when listing a Chancery Suit against John Wills. An examination of the listing of the same suit on 6 April 1764 and then on 5 October 1766 makes it evident that the wife of John was Sarah, and not Jane. The couple married after 5 August 1755, the settlement date of Sarah's guardian account, but before 29 January 1763, the date on which John and Sarah sold 200 acres of property to Charles Driver in Isle of Wight County. The property was part of Sarah inheritance.
  Children	1. Thomas HERBERT,   b. Virginia Colony   2. George HERBERT,   b. Virginia Colony   3. Mary HERBERT,   b. Before 25 Feb 1764, Virginia Colony
  Family ID	F57	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	22 Jul 2026

  
  

• Sources

  [S169] Charles Fleming McIntosh, compiler, McIntosh, Brief Abstracts of Norfolk County Wills 1710 - 1753, ((1922, Rpt. Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press, 1982)), ISBN 0-89308-324-0. pp. 224-225: Margaret Herbert will. [S4868] will / Herbert, Markham, Norfolk Co, VA. [S2003] Rogers Dey Whichard, Ph.D. (author & editor), Whichard, The History Of Lower Tidewater Virginia, ((New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co, 1959) ), Vol. 1, p. 300. [S5064] Lorenzo Sabine, Sabine, Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution, Volume II., ((1864, Rpt. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co, 1979)), p. 529. [S4477] Loyalist Claim of John Markham Herbert, VCRP Survey Report No. 2399, p. 3 & Survey Report No. 3244, pp. 1-2. [S4826] John Markham Herbert will (1799), Shelburne, Shelburne Co, Nova Scotia original estate papers "A", #112. [S4786] John Markham Herbert probate & administration bond (1799), Shelburne, Shelburne Co, Nova Scotia Will Book 1, pp. 300 - 302. [S169] Charles Fleming McIntosh, compiler, McIntosh, Brief Abstracts of Norfolk County Wills 1710 - 1753, ((1922, Rpt. Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press, 1982)), ISBN 0-89308-324-0. pp. 266-267: John Whiddon will. [S4825] John Markham Herbert et ux to Charles Driver, deed (1763), Isle of Wight Co, VA Deed Book 11, pp. 126 - 129. [S4827] Sarah & Jane Summerel, guardian accounts (1752, 1754, 1756), Isle of Wight Co, VA, Guardian Accounts.