MADDERA James

Other Events and Attributes:

• Land: 1681, Isle of Wight County, VA; Purchase

Notes:

James Maddera ca. 1650 (?) - after 1712.
Isle of Wight County Will and Deed Book I records the following: John Murray sells to James Maddera 100 acres in U. P. (Upper Parish) adjoining Thomas Took. Elizabeth Murray also signs. 20 Jan. 1681.
A James Maddera married Mary Gray, daughter of Richard Gray (widower) of ye Upper Parish in Isle of Wight County. In Richard Gray's will written in 1722 he mentions daughter Mary and her husband James Maddera and various young grandchildren. This is 42 years after the original land purchase above. Therefore, it is probable that the James Maddera who married Mary Gray is the son of the James Maddera who first purchased land in Isle of Wight County.
On 30 December 1712 James Maddera witnessed the will of Peter Deberry. The will included a legacy to daughter Priscilla, wife of Zacharias Maddera. The marriage of Zacharias Maddera and Priscilla Deberry, daughter of Peter Deberry is recorded in 1712. W. &D. B.2p. 554. The marriage date being given in the same year as the will of Peter Deberry may indicate that the marriage occurred earlier but was not recorded until proved by the information in the will. This James Maddera was probably the father of Zachariah and James n.
At present this is all we know of James Maddera/Maderas. The name is spelled in many different ways in the early records. We assume that James Maddera I is the son of Domingo Maderas and father of James Maddera U and Zacharias/Zachariah Maddera, about whom we know a considerable amount. The dates fit comfortably.

Land:
Purchased 100 acres in the Upper Parish in Isle of Wight

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. MADDERA Zachariah was born about 1680; died in 1752 in Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Lived(s) In: King & Queen County, VA

Notes:

He was probably born on the island of Madiera, Portugal or possibly his father was. He may have been brought by the Dutch, who imported skilled cattle ranchers from Portugal.

Ancestry.com in their Ancestry World Tree > Individual View section provides the following sketch concerning Domingo Maderas, the progenitor of the Maddera family in America.
Domingo lived in Essex and in Kings and Queens County, VA in the mid 1600's, wife unknown, but suspected to be "Sarah ". Domingo shows in several Virginia Records. One where he witnessed the sale of property in Virginia in 1658/59. Domingo Madeiras cattle mark (registration), two crops and two holes in the right ear. It is believed that around 1620, Domingo Madeiras was born, likely on the Portuguese Island of Madeira. The circumstances of his arrival to the New Colonies of America are not yet known. There are several theories to consider. He may have come here on a Dutch ship in the 1640'a to be a rancher. The Dutch, having the foresight to realize they would need to grow and produce their own food, brought farmers and ranchers from areas all over the world. Among their group, cattle ranchers from Portugal. This foresight allowed them to prosper and succeed much easier than the early English Colonists. It is also possible that Domingo was born in this country in 1620 in the area of the newly settled Jamestown. The Portuguese were traders with the new Colonists, as there was a treaty between Portugal and England. They traded furs and tobacco.

In fact, it was the production and trade of tobacco from the Portuguese settled West Indies island ofBarbadoes, that created the financial success of the new Colonies. The Virginia Colony nearly failed before the importation of this fine tobacco, which replaced the Indian (domestic) tobacco which most Englanders found to have a "bite ". Did Domingo come to America as a rancher? Was he a child of a Jamestown settler? Was he a son of a Portuguese tobacco trader? Was his family here before the establishment of Jamestown? I doubt that we will ever know the answer to these questions. (Copyright 1998-2000, MyFamily.com Inc. and its subsidiaries.)

Essex Co., VA Deeds Book p. 292, date 1660 - Domingo Medaris - cattle mark two cropps and two holes in right ear.
Cavaliers and Pioneers Patent Book No. 6 - Domingo Mederis & James Johnson awarded 1000 acres in New Kent County for transportation of 10 persons on 8 April 1668. On 24 April 1694 500 acres of the same tract, identified as formerly granted to Domingo Maderas and James Johnson and since deserted, was granted to Zachary Lewis. It is quite possible that James Johnson may have been the father-in-law or brother-in-law of Domingo, making his wife speculatively "Sarah Johnson". Partnerships with a non-family member were uncommon. Domingo named one of his sons James, and his daughter Sarah.
Margi Wagner-Farley at web site blitzen@iw.edwpub.com lists the following as the children of Domingo Madeiras. These same children are also listed in Ancestry World Tree on Ancestry .com. The sources of the information are not given.
Carlos/Charles Maderas
Bolivar Maderas
Jonas Maderas
James Maderas
Sarah Maderas
These tantalizing bits of information are just enough to suggest that Domingo Medeiras was a settler with means enough to be a player in the business of patenting major land grants in return for paying the transportation expenses for new immigrants from England. The grants and his business partnerships indicate that he was well integrated into the colony.
The family name is spelled in a myriad of ways before settling into Maddera, pronounced Madrey, a century later. Some of the variations found in the records are: Medeiros, Medeiras, Medaris, MadoraSjMaderis, Maderas, Maddarra, Madderra, Madera,Maddra,Madray, Maddera. Anglicizing the family name seems to have presented an ongoing problem for the clerks who kept the records.

Lived(s) In:
Lived in Essex and King & Queen Counties in the mid 1600s

Domingo married MADDERA Sarah --LNU--. Sarah and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: Sarah JOHNSON

Notes:

Cavaliers and Pioneers Patent Book No. 6 Domingo Mederis & James Johnson awarded 1000 acres in New Kent County for transportation of 10 persons on 8 April 1668. On 24 April 1694 500 acres of the same tract, identified as formerly granted to Domingo Maderas and James Johnson and since deserted, was granted to Zachary Lewis. It is quite possible that James Johnson may have been the father-in-law or brother-in-law of Domingo, making his wife speculatively "Sarah Johnson". Partnerships with a non-family member were uncommon.