Justina Thruston (1691)

Long Ashton, England

Justina Thruston was born on August 26th, 1691, in the vicinity of Long Ashton, England, which is just southwest of Bristol. Her parents were John Thruston (1688) and Elinor (maiden name unknown).

*England was still using the Julian calendar until 1752.

Justina's birth was documented by her grandfather, Edward Thruston (1638). He wrote the following entry in the Thruston Family Register:

"y 26th day of August 1691 my son John's wife was delivered of a daughter being Wednesday about 9 of the clock att night & baptized by the name of Justina."

The Thruston Family of Virginia, William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Oct 1895), p. 118.

Much of what we know about the Thruston family comes from the Thruston Family Register.

Justina was baptized September 15, 1691, at the Church of All Saints in Long Ashton. Her baptismal record is found in the registers of Long Ashton parish church.

Baptism of Justina Thruston, Church of All Saints (Anglican)Registers of Long Ashton (1691-1812), Somerset England

Church of All Saints, circa 1900 - A History of Long Ashton

Link: More Information on Church of All Saints

Bristol, England

Marriage to John James

Justina Thruston (1691) married John James (~1688) on March 16, 1712 at Temple Church in Bristol, England. Their marriage record can be found in the Bishop Transcripts of the Bristol Archives.

Bishop Transcripts, Temple Church, Bristol, England. Bristol Archives; Bristol Church of England Bishop Transcripts of Parish Registers; Reference: EP/V/4/47/15

Temple Church, date unknown, hippostcard.com

Link: More Information on Temple Church

Colony of Virginia

Martins Hundred

In 1713 John James and Justina Thruston moved to Martin's Hundred, near James City, Colony of Virginia. Justina had inherited property at Martin's Hundred from her father. The property had been in the family as far back as 1638, when her great-grandfather, Thomas Loving, received a 1500-acre land grant at Martin's Hundred.

Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1800. In Five Volumes. Richmond, VA.: Press of the Dietz Printing Co., 1935; pp 118, 137, 224

Their move to Virginia was documented by her grandfather, Edward Thruston. He wrote the following entry in the Thruston Family Register:

"In the year 1713 she came to Virginia to receive her Estate at Martins hundred with husband John James"

The Thruston Family of Virginia, William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Oct 1895), p. 118.

Martin's Hundred Historical Marker (HMdb.org)

Children

John James and Justina Thruston started a family in Virginia. I have not found a primary source listing the children of John James and Justina Thruston. The book Selden and Kindred of Virginia lists two sons, but no citations for the source of this information:

Thurston James (1715)
Christopher James (1720)

The book Americans of Gentle Birth and Their Ancestors, p.295 lists an additional son, Thomas, plus provides details about Thurston/Thruston and Christopher James. Again no citations provided for the source of this information:

Thomas James "Clerk of New Kent, 1740, married Alice Garland; their son, Maj. Thruston James, was Committeeman of James City, 1774, with Col. Richard Taliaferro, Capt. John Lightfoot and others."
Christopher James - "Capt. Christopher James, eldest brother of Maj. Thruston James, married Lucy Thompson; their homestead, "Armfield," in St. Martin's Hundred. He died 1779, leaving nine children." (The book goes on to list at least 8 of the children, including John James).

Other children can be found on Wikitree, but I'm not sure if these have valid sources: Edmund, George, Frances, John, May, James, Jane, Gavin, Robert, William, Mary, Jean, Elizabeth, Sarah, Ruth. More research is needed.

Posterity

The posterity of Justina Thruston is unknown. She lived at least until the age of 29 when her son Christopher James (1720) was born. She probably had many more children after this. She most likely died in Virginia, at Martins Hundred.

Links

John Thruston (1668) - Father of Justina Thruston (1691)

Elinor (Lowe?) (~1657) - Mother of Justina Thruston (1691)

John James (1688) - Husband of Justina Thruston (1691)

WikiTree Profile for Justina Thruston (1691) - https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Thruston-5

References:

A History of Long Ashton, by Ruth Poole, Long Ashton Local Historical Society
Gregorian Calendar Reform, timeanddate.com
August 26, 1691, dayoftheweek.org
Calendar Year 1691 in England
Temple Church, churchcrawler.co.uk
Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1800. In Five Volumes. Richmond, VA.: Press of the Dietz Printing Co., 1935; pp 118, 137, 224, Abstracted and Indexed by Nugent, Nell Marion.
Selden and Kindred of Virginia, pp.105-106, Edna Mae Selden, University of Virginia; Available on HathiTrust
Bristol 3D Flyover - Bing Maps