If a Jarvis family descendant is excitedly reading this post, hoping for confirmation of the descendants of Francis Jarvis who arrived in Virginia in 1636, I have to admit to being the bearer of bad news.

First, there is no question that a man named Francis jarvis arrived in Virginia in 1636, described as a servant, and that apparently the same man, called a planter, settled in Gloucester County, Virginia, by the mid-1640s. The Gloucester County man had a wife named Ann.

However, the 1820 courthouse fire in Gloucester County took all its documents with it, leaving researchers with no alternative resources.

Further, some claim that immigrant Francis had a number of children, including a son named Thomas Jarvis. However, the only Thomas I could find had to have been born by 1621 in order to claim head rights in the 1640s. He could not have been the son of Francis, born perhaps c1615!

Simply put, all attempts to document children of Francis Jarvis have found only negative evidence, meaning there is no primary documentation to support or refute any possible children.

Francis’s contemporary, Thomas Jarvis, adds a second layer of complication to our efforts, as there are no primary records that prove possible members of his family either.

Sadly, the family tree built from Francis Jarvis through purported son John, grandson John and great grandson James Jarvis is planted in nothing but quicksand.

Unless someone discovers duplicate copies of Gloucester County records that have sat in their attic for some 200 years, it will be quite impossible to prove that this family tree leads to Zadock Jarvis (c1750-1830+) of Maryland, North Carolina and Indiana.

Jarvis researchers – beware of undocumented claims!!!