John Pedro

John Pedro (ca 1593 - March 28, 1655) was one of the first free black residents of the colony of Virginia, British Colonial America. He was most likely executed in 1655 for his participation in the battle of Severn as a supporter of Lord Baltimore.
==England==
Nothing is known of John Pedro's life before he arrived in the English colonies of North America except that, if part of the Wessaguscus Colony, he must have sailed from England. While the population of people of African ancestry in the England of 1600 was small, there were hundreds who worked in positions such as domestic servant, musician, dancer, and sailor.
==1619 Controversy==
Some popular sources cite John Pedro (sometimes referred to as Juan Pedro) as one of the Ndongo people kidnapped by the ship Treasurer who was taken to Bermuda rather than Virginia in 1619. There is no documentation to support this claim. The fate of the people who were taken to Bermuda is unknown.https://hampton.gov/DocumentCenter/View/24075/1619-Virginias-First-Africans
==Plymouth and Wessagusset Colonies==
John Pedro's name first appears in records documenting that he arrived in the colony of Virginia in 1623 on the Swan. It is assumed he was one of the members of the Wessagusset Colony, though it is plausible that he was from the beginning a servant of Captain Francis West, or even a sailor.
The Wessagusset Colonyhttps://plymoutharch.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/50300822-An-Investigation-into-Weston-s-Colony-at-Wessagussett-Weymouth-Massachusetts.pdf was established by Thomas Weston in 1622. The pinnace Sparrow left England in April 1622, carrying colonists to Wessagusset Colony, which was to be a trade and fishing station. The Sparrow reached Damariscove Islands in May 1622. Two other ships, the Charity and the Swan, with the majority of the colonists, left London in May 1622, arriving in fall 1622 to Cape Cod. The Charity returned to England and the Swan remained in New England to be used in trading.
Wessagusset Colony consisted of 60-70 young men: some English "gentlemen" and their servants, and others such as fishermen who were to do the work of the colony. In March of 1623 the Wessagusset Colony was dissolved; a few survivors went to Plymouth; most sailed to Maine in the Swan.
Thomas Weston used the Swan to trade along the coast and to carry passengers between Plymouth and Virginia. Records show that in January 1623/24 Weston brought fish in the Sparrow to Virginia and other records indicate the Swan was also involved in Weston's trading with the colony. It is most likely that John Pedro sailed on the Swan to the Virginia Colony as part of this trade
==Virginia Colony==
ohn Pedro (age 30) and Beniamin Owin (age 18) are listed (1624/25-02-07) in the 1624/25 muster. as servants to Francis West and they both are also listed in the earlier 16 February 1623/24 List of the Living (Benjamin Owin and John, a negro) as residing at the Plantation over against James Cittie,. The muster lists them as arriving on the Swan in 1623, and lists a further 20 people (mostly in their 20s, many servants and only one female, a girl of 12) as arriving on the Swan in July 1624. One person on the 1624 list is noted "came from Canada in the Swan". None of the people who arrived in 1624 are included in the List of the Living. 
John Pedro was involved in several land transactions in Lancaster County, Virginia after its formation in 1651.
==Maryland Colony and the Battle of the Severn==
In 1653 John Pedro was witness to a land agreement in Maryland between William Eltonhead and John Anderson and 5 December 1654 his attorney appeared on his behalf regarding a suit in Maryland Provincial Court.
In early 1655 John Pedro was at the home of Master William Eltonhead, special agent for Lord Baltimore, as supporters of Governor Stone gathered.https://www.catholicherald.com/article/local/were-the-first-africans-in-virginia-catholic/ March 25, 1655 found him at Horn Point, across Spa Creek from the Puritan settlement of "Providence", as part of the forces allied with the royal proprietor. Stone's forces were defeated. Within days the leaders, including Stone were sentenced to death. Only four were executed, including William Eltonhead and John Pedro, before the local townsfolk protested and executions were halted.
Identity Controversy: Some later sources list the John Pedro executed after the Battle of the Severn as a German servant of William Eltonhead. The original source for this information is a letter from Verlinda Stone to Lord Baltimore stating that "a Germane, which did live with Mr. Eltonhead" was one of the four people executed.. The word "germane" is capitalized most likely for emphasis or because it is being used as a noun.https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/germane-2019-09-07 The word 'germane': does not mean a person of German ancestry; that is an entirely different word. In early forms of English the noun 'Germane' meant near relative or blood relationship, and is used in Shakespeare as an adjective to refer to someone of near relationship or closely akin. So most likely Virlinda Stone is indicating that John Pedro had a close relationship to William Eltonhead.
While Verlinda Stone does not name John Pedro, John Hammond does. The only record of a John Pedro among the approximately 29,500 non-indigenous residents of Maryland and Virginia is the John Pedro who is listed in the Virginia records; it was not a common English name.
Category:1593 births
Category:1655 deaths
Category:Colonial United States (British)
Category:American people