A History of South Quay, Virginia
I recently began a study of this area and enlisted the help of the Know It All (my buddy Grok). I really detest preparing footnotes but the AI does not seem to mind that much… but it does get a bit testy on occasion. I was prompted to do this when I did a cursory study of one Henning Tempte in some research I was doing concerning my map of Halifax County, NC. I ran across South Quay years ago and was intrigued with the history of the place which has been utterly lost to time. I include two articles from JSTOR to prime the pumps… access to JSTOR is free for you folks of the Great Unwashed Masses (myself included) simply by providing your email addy and a PW.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4247939?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4246283?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
The article by The Know It All and Yours Truly:
The History of South Quay: Interwoven Legacies of Godwin, Tembte, Cotton, and Revolutionary Struggles
South Quay, a pivotal colonial trading hub along the Blackwater River in Nansemond County, Virginia (now Suffolk), emerged as a vital economic and strategic center, shaped by land patents, family enterprises, and its role during the Revolutionary War. Its history is rooted in Edmund Godwin’s 1713 land grant, the mercantile prominence of Henning Tembte, John Cotton’s early trading post and marriage to Martha Godwin, and its significance during the Tuscarora War era, culminating in documented wartime events.Edmund Godwin, a cornerstone of Nansemond County’s colonial society, secured a patent on November 13, 1713, for 114 acres on the southwest side of the Blackwater River, adjacent to Thomas Daughtrey’s land (as documented in the primary source: Land Office Patents No. 10, 1710–1719, p. 119, Library of Virginia). Born circa 1651 to Captain Thomas Godwin, an early settler who arrived in Upper Norfolk (later Nansemond) by 1650, Edmund inherited a legacy of land and influence. He married Sarah Bembridge around 1670, producing a large family: Mary, Joseph, Thomas, Edmond, Elizabeth, Sarah, William, Samuel, Martha, Patience, and Margett. Edmund served as a vestryman of Chuckatuck Parish by 1705 and as Sheriff of Nansemond County in the same year, reflecting his civic stature. His early Quaker affiliations around 1682 shifted to the Episcopal Church, indicating adaptability in a shifting religious landscape. After his death on December 15, 1713, his will distributed his estate, including the 114 acres, among his heirs, with subsequent land sales by daughters Elizabeth and Sarah in 1715–1726 evidencing continued family control.
John Cotton, born circa 1660 in York County, Virginia, married Martha Godwin in 1701 in Isle of Wight County, a union that solidified ties between the Godwin and Cotton families. This marriage, documented in Deed Book 2, p. 69, and Great Book 2, p. 52, brought Cotton into the Godwin land network, enhancing his economic prospects. By 1704, Cotton resided in Isle of Wight County, later moving to Nansemond County’s South Quay on the Blackwater River, where he established a trading post by 1712. In 1713, he acquired 91 acres on the westward side, expanding his commercial reach. The couple had numerous children: John, Patience, Martha, William, Anne, Samuel, Joseph, and Alexander Spotswood Cotton, born during a notable visit by Governor Alexander Spotswood in 1711. Cotton’s trading post thrived, trading tobacco, timber, and goods, and South Quay’s role as a boundary commission meeting site in 1711 underscored its importance during the Tuscarora War era. Cotton likely died around 1728 in Bertie County, North Carolina, leaving a legacy that evolved into a shipyard by 1776 for North Carolina navy galleys.
Henning Tembte, born circa 1687 in Maryland to German immigrant parents, emerged as a significant figure in colonial Virginia and North Carolina. Trained as a physician in Europe, he settled in New Kent County, Virginia, before relocating to Nansemond County by 1744, where he amassed over 5,100 acres through land grants and purchases. His holdings included a 1,000-acre plantation along Fishing Creek in Halifax County, North Carolina, and extensive mercantile operations tied to South Quay’s warehouses. Tembte’s wealth grew through trade in tobacco and enslaved labor, with records showing he owned over 50 enslaved individuals by 1760. His will, dated October 9, 1771, and probated that November, distributed his estate among daughters Margaret Tembte Riddick, Elizabeth Tembte Daniel, and Mary Tembte Fisher. Margaret received 1,587 acres upon her marriage, while Mary, widowed after her first husband (likely Fisher), managed the South Quay warehouses as administratrix, sustaining trade during her widowhood. In 1781, Mary anticipated a British raid, moving goods to Southampton County with her teenage son’s help, preserving patriot supplies.
Research into John Lawson’s potential visit to South Quay circa 1710 reveals a plausible connection. Lawson, a surveyor and naturalist, was a North Carolina commissioner in 1710–1711, tasked with settling the Virginia-North Carolina boundary. On August 1, 1711, he wrote to Virginia commissioner Benjamin Harrison from “Nansemond Indian Town,” proposing a meeting at John Cotton’s house at South Quay, suggesting prior familiarity. While no definitive record confirms a 1710 visit, Lawson’s 1709 journey through the Carolinas (documented in A New Voyage to Carolina) and his boundary work place him near South Quay by 1711, making a circa 1710 visit likely as he scouted the region.South Quay existed in dual forms—Old South Quay in Southampton County and New South Quay in Nansemond—with Godwin’s patent and Cotton’s post aligning with the latter. Its Revolutionary War significance peaked in July 1781, when British troops under General Cornwallis targeted the area. A letter from Colonel Gideon Lamb to Governor Thomas Burke, dated July 25, 1781, details the destruction: approximately 700 troops burned houses and warehouses at South Quay, destroying private stores, and later razed a dwelling at “One Manings” with 150 barrels of sugar, rum, and rigging. This raid, following the port’s use as a patriot supply point, ended its wartime utility. Record losses from fires in 1734, 1779, and 1866 obscure details, but the intertwined legacies of Godwin’s land, Tembte’s family enterprises (including Mary’s widow-led efforts), Cotton’s trade, and its historical roles illustrate South Quay’s enduring impact in modern Suffolk.
Footnotes
[1]: Land Office Patents No. 10, 1710–1719, p. 119 (Reel 10), Library of Virginia.
[2]: Nansemond County Historical Records, 1650s (Virginia State Library).
[3]: Godwin Family Genealogy, Nansemond County Wills, 1713 (FamilySearch Catalog, Suffolk, Virginia).
[4]: Chuckatuck Parish Vestry Book, 1705 (Suffolk Independent City Courthouse).
[5]: Nansemond County Deed Book, 1715–1726, surviving fragments (Suffolk Independent City Courthouse).
[6]: Isle of Wight County Marriage Records, 1701 (Virginia Historical Society).
[7]: Isle of Wight County Deed Book 2, p. 69; Great Book 2, p. 52 (Virginia State Library).
[8]: Nansemond County Land Records, 1704–1712 (Suffolk Independent City Courthouse).
[9]: Bertie County, North Carolina, Land Records, 1713 (North Carolina State Archives).
[10]: Bertie County Birth Records, 1711 (North Carolina State Archives).
[11]: Virginia Colonial Records, Boundary Commission Minutes, 1711 (Virginia Historical Society).
[12]: Bertie County Will Book, 1728, John Cotton (North Carolina State Archives); North Carolina Navy Records, July 1776 (North Carolina Department of Archives and History).
[13]: Tembte Family Immigration Records, Maryland, 1680s (Maryland State Archives).
[14]: Halifax County Land Grants, 1744–1760 (North Carolina State Archives).
[15]: Tembte Plantation Records, Halifax County, 1750s (North Carolina Historical Commission).
[16]: Slave Schedules, Nansemond County, 1760 (Virginia State Library).
[17]: Tembte Will, October 9, 1771, Probated November 1771 (Halifax County Will Book, North Carolina).
[18]: Fisher Estate Administration Records, Nansemond County, circa 1750s (Suffolk Independent City Courthouse, surviving fragments).
[19]: Oral histories, South Quay Historical Society, 1781 (unpublished, cited in Suffolk Museum archives).
[20]: North Carolina Colonial Records, Boundary Commission, 1710–1711 (North Carolina State Archives).
[21]: Lawson to Harrison, August 1, 1711, Nansemond Indian Town (Virginia Historical Society).
[22]: John Lawson, A New Voyage to Carolina, 1709 (London edition, British Library).
[23]: Historical Map of Nansemond and Southampton Counties, 18th Century (Library of Congress).
[24]: Colonel Gideon Lamb to Governor Thomas Burke, July 25, 1781, North Carolina State Archives (Colonial and State Records Collection).
[25]: Nansemond County Fire Loss Reports, 1734–1866 (Virginia State Library).
I’m curious what you folks think of this Borg inspired monstrosity… I am impressed actually. If you folks are not inclined to fire up torches and grab pitchforks then I will assume you are not particularly irritated by reading from a robot. I shall experiment further… I think, perhaps I have found a powerful research assistant. And relatively cheap, although this SuperGrok version does cost $40 a month. Feel free to buy me an occasional cup of coffee to keep me out of the Poorhouse and finding part time work at McDonalds.
Impressive Footnotes don’t you think?
Oh… a map: