Nielsen Hayden genealogy

Bernard Sykes

Male Abt 1697 - Aft 1759  (~ 62 years)


Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All

  • Name Bernard Sykes  [1
    Birth Abt 1697  Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Gender Male 
    Death Aft 10 Jul 1759  [2
    Person ID I3065  Ancestry of PNH, TNH, and others | Ancestor of PNH
    Last Modified 28 Feb 2020 

    Father Bernard Sykes,   b. London, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Abt 1718, Prince George County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F1040  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Children 
    +1. Rebecca Sykes,   b. Abt 1715, Prince George County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location
    Family ID F986  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 26 Mar 2024 

  • Notes 
    • His wife is sometimes said to have been a Frances Wyatt. There are certainly Sykes family connections with Wyatts in 17th- and 18th-century Virginia. This Bernard Sykes's daughter Rebecca's father-in-law Robert Cate was a witness to the will of Nicholas Wyatt of Prince George County in 1720. A Frances Wyatt, daughter of John Wyatt (d. <1721) (Anthony3, Nicholas2, Anthony1), married a John Sykes.

      From Dr. Banks R. Cates, Charlotte, NC:

      Sep 1718 - Prince George County Court: BERNARD SYKES, son of Bernard Sykes, dec'd made oath that his father died without a will and was appt. adm. with Richard Cureton his security. William Harrison, James Harrison, Gilbert Hay and James Jones to appr. his est. (Prince George County, VA, Miscellany, 1711-1814, Pg. 23, by Benjamin B. Weisiger, Jr.)

      [The above passage can also be found in Weisiger, citation details below. --PNH]

      9 Sep 1718 - Prince George County Court: Richard Sykes, one of the orphans of Bernard Sykes, dec'd chose Thomas Simmons, Jr., as his gdn. John Sykes, one of the orphans of Bernard, chose Richard Cureton as his gdn. (Ibid., pg. 23)

      5 Aug 1718 - Prince George County Court: Inventory and Appraisal of Bernard Sykes' estate Aug. 5, 1718. Value £39/10/4 presented by BERNARD SYKES, adm'r. Recorded 12 Aug 1718. (Prince George County, VA Wills & Deeds, Pg. 31, by Benjamin B. Weisiger, Jr.)

      9 Dec 1718 - Prince George County Court: Appraisal of the remainder of Bernard Sykes' estate £2/10/0 by Gib. Hay, James Harrison, William Harrison. Presented in court by BERNARD SYKES, Adm'r. (Ibid., pg. 34)

      13 Jan 1719 - Prince George County Court; Accounts of Bernard Sykes' estate for 1718. Mentions Richard Cureton, Joseph Clarke. (Ibid., pg.35)

      8 Apr 1723 - William Hardyman of Martins Brandon Parish, Prince George Co. deeded to William Cureton of same, for L15, 372 acres on north side of Blackwater Swamp, in same county and parish bounded on east by Benjamin Foster, north by William Epes, west by said William Cureton. Sd. land was conveyed by John Hardyman to said William Hardyman by Deed Nov. 13 last past. Witnesses: Thomas Simmons, Thomas Semple and BERNARD SYKES. (Ibid., pg.77)

      8 Jul 1723 - John Hardyman of Prince George County and Henrietta Maria his wife to John Sykes of same, 271 acres on north side of Blackwater Swamp in Prince George County in Martins Brandon Parish, part of a tract granted to Robert Lucy, dec'd by patent Nov. 3, 1673, bounded by Cattail Swamp and the Blackwater. Wit: BERNARD SYKES, John Bonner, John Cheves. (Ibid., pg. 78)

      14 Jun 1725 - John Sykes and Frances his wife of Prince George County, to BERNARD SYKES of same, 100 acres on north side of Blackwater Swamp in Martins Brandon Parish, part of a tract granted to Robert Lucy by patent Nov. 3, 1673, bounded by Cattail Swamp, William Harris and John Sykes. Wit: Geo. Hamilton, Jr., Richard Sykes, Eliza. Simmons. (Ibid., pg. 108)

      4 Apr 1728 Abraham Odium deeded to BERNARD SYKES of Prince George Co.for L21, 100 acres in Martins Brandon Parish on west side of old Town Run, bounded on north by land of Phillip Jane, decd, east by land of Edward Hill, decd., and south by the main woods and land of Richard Pace. Wit: William Binford, Timothy Rives & Richard Flewelling. (Ibid., pg. 146)

      Members of the Pace family lived near BARNARD SYKES (see above entries), William Gary witnessed the deed of John Sykes to Nathaniel Harrison in 1722, and William Gary and BARNARD SYKES were involved with the inventory of Thos. Gary in 1759. John Hardyman sold land to John Sykes in 1723. Old Town Run was the site of BARNARD SYKES's land adjacent Richard Pace in 1728. And Thomas Simmons and Richard Cureton had their own close relationships to the Sykes family as noted above. Edward Goodrich's land was sold to Abraham Odium in 1721 and by Odium to BARNARD SYKES in 1728. (Dr. Banks Cates)

      So, if Richard Bird did not move after 1717 and if BARNARD SYKES did not move after 1728, then they lived smack-dab next to each other in 1741. By this time John Sykes had moved from Prince George County to Edgecomb County, NC; and Richard Sykes was living on his 371 acres at Jones Hole Swamp in Prince George County. (Dr. Banks Cates)

      This suggests that Thomas Cate, Senior of Orange County, who was married to Rebecca Sykes and was father of Barnard Cate (who married Jane Sykes), had married a daughter of BARNARD SYKES, and that Sarah Sykes at the Bird christening was daughter of BARNARD. It also suggests the the John Sykes-4 of Orange County father of Allen-5 and John-5, was also son of BARNARD SYKES, because of John's sons' close relationship with Preacher Thomas Cate, son of Thomas Cate, Senior. (Dr. Banks Cates)

      No other records of Thomas Cate can be found in the scant Prince George records that exist. (Dr. Cates)

      18 Apr 1733 - Thomas Simmons of Lyons (Lawns) Creek Parish in the County of Surry, in good health, signed his will. He left to son Thomas Simmons the upper part of the land lying on Powells Creek, adjacent Thos. Booth. He left to son Edward Simmons the lower part. He left to son Edward Simmons one feather bed and furniture, etc. All else was to be divided equally between wife Sarah and daughter Elizabeth Simmons. Executor: son Joseph. Wit: BERNARD SYKES, Edward Prince, and Edward Prince Junr. 15 Feb 1726. Probated 18 Apr 1733 by BERNARD SYKES and Edward Prince.

      It is presumed that Sarah Simmons, wife of Thomas Simmons, was a sister of Barnard Sykes2, and that Elizabeth Simmons was a first cousin of BARNARD, John & Richard SYKES. (Dr. Banks Cates.)

      1739 Prince George County Court: Will of John Simmons, exhibited by Lucy Simmons, relict and exectrx, and by Joseph Simmons and BERNARD SYKES. (Prince George Co. VA Miscellany 1711-1814, pg. 61, by Benjamin B. Weisiger, Jr. 1985)

      10 Jul 1759 - Joseph Halsey deeded to John Gramer land adjoining John Bonner's line. Line that was made by Thomas Eldridge, John Lovesay and Francis Pace to John Bonner's line. Wit: Richard (X) Cate, BERNARD SYKES & Catherine Short. (Abstracts of Prince George Co. Record book 1759-1760, Pg. 406, by Benjamin B. Weisiger, Jr.)

      1759 - Inventory of the Estate of Thos. Gary, deceased. "To Dr. Abraham By water's bond." Wm. Gary, executor. WIT: BERNARD SYKES, Richard Kirkland & David good game. (Ibid., pg. 407)

  • Sources 
    1. [S3761] Benjamin B. Weisiger, "Prince George County, Virginia Court Orders & Return of Executions 1714-1720", Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly Volume 23, number 2, 1985, page 45.

    2. [S244] Research by Ruth Cates, Dr. Banks Cates, Al Baumbach, Ann Poe and others, by Roberta Pierson.