Economic History of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century By Phillip Alexander Bruce Published 1895 Macmillan and co.


There were found in Virginia in the seventeenth century a number of persons of Turkish blood, who had been imported like English laborers under the terms of ordinary indentures. One of the head rights which Francis Yeardley, in 1647, gave in to obtain a patent to land in Lowere Norfolk was acquired by his importation of Simon, who was of Turkish nationality.

Jonathan Newell of York County owned four Turkish servants, whose value was placed at the very high figure of ninety-five pounds sterling.

The inventory of the estate of George Jones of Rappahannock included a Turk whose term had still seven years to run. In the last decade of the century, a suit was entered in York by Mathew Catillah, probably an Algerian, for the recovery of his freedom, his mitress retaining him beyond his twenty-fourth year.