Hamlin Stokes Freeman born 11 September 1740 in Sussex County, Virginia to Arthur and Agnes Stokes Freeman1 was named after his mother’s father Hamlin Stokes.2 Hamlin’s given name has been found variously as Hamblin and Hamilton.
Hamlin was but twelve years old when his father Arthur died in June or early July of 1753 in Lunenburg County.3 Hamlin was devised the following in his father’s will: Arthur’s “Spring Swamp Land in Surry County4 and all the land on the south side of Kettlestick5 after my fathers (Henry Freeman) decease, it is the land that Bershaba (Bershabay) now lives on to him and his. . .”
Five years later, before July 1758,6 Hamlin’s mother Agnes died leaving her six children without mother or father. Seventeen year old Hamlin chose his uncle Josiah Freeman7 to be his guardian.
About 1761 Hamlin Stokes Freeman married Agnes Stokes, his first cousin once removed. Agnes was the daughter of Silvanus and Cecelia Walker Stokes and first cousin of Hamlin’s mother Agnes Stokes.9 No marriage record10 of Hamlin Stokes Freeman to Agnes Stokes has been found but it is verified by the following civil record: 19 October 1786, “On motion of Hamlin Stokes Freeman administration with the will (Cecilia Stokes’) annexed is granted to him11; this will of Cecelia Stokes “. . .lists her dau Agnes Freeman. . .”.

Charlotte Freeman chose her elder brother Hamlin Freeman to be her guardian 19 Nov 1761 and because she was allowed to choose her guardian Charlotte would have been at least 14 years old.
A son named Arthur after Hamlin Stokes’ father Arthur Freeman and great grandfather Arthur Jones was born to Hamlin S. and Agnes 17 January 1762 in Sussex County and baptized in Albemarle Parish.

The Sussex County Grand jury charged Hamlin Freeman for profane swearing May 20th May 1762.

In November of 1762 Hamlin and wife Agnes sold 100 acres of land in Sussex County16 that was Hamlin’s brother Joel’s inheritance from his father Arthur. Joel must have died at a young age and the land reverted to Hamlin as the eldest son of Arthur.
(Later there was trouble about this land as Josiah Freeman (Hamlin’s uncle and former guardian) entered a caveat 10 June 1772 against Hamlin for 50 acres of land surveyed November 2, 1748 for Arthur Freeman (Hamlin’s father) on the Northside of Nottoway River. Josiah’s appeal was successful. He paid 5 shillings and was granted the 50 acres of land 15 June 1773.)
Early the next year, 1 January 1763, Hamlin, using money obtained from the Sussex County land sale, bought land in Lunenburg County. When the land was processioned in 1763/64 it was noted that Hamlin was still living in Sussex County By 1765 Hamlin was living in Brunswick County.

A license was granted Hamlin Freeman to keep an ordinary at his house in Brunswick County for one year 24 June 1771. An ordinary served the ordinary needs of a traveler thus the name. The county would frequently list what charges would be allowed for meals, rooms and feed for animals. In the 1761 Sussex County, Virginia Court Orders the traveler could be charged six pence for a nights lodging, Virginia cyder was four pence for a quart but if bottled the quart was 7.4 pence, a quart of English Cyder bottled was one shilling three pence.

Hamlin was appointed surveyor of the road in Brunswick County the 23 of August 1779. Surveyors were to make sure that their assigned roads were kept in good repair. They could call on other landowners to help make repairs or supply the labor for doing so. The labor was usually the landowners slaves.

“Until 1780, most all battles and campaigns of the revolution had occurred in the northern United States and south of Virginia. Virginia remained almost totally ignored by the British as their conquest to subdue the American Patriots was directed more to primary cities and ports. . . Virginia which stretched to the Ohio Valley at that time, remained untouched and was essentially a breadbasket of the colonies and a major line of communication between the north and south.

Virginia had a tremendous amount of public stores in warehouses, and one of the finest foundries in the colonies, at Westham on the James River near Richmond. Additionally, Virginia had the vast wealth of several prominent families, and equally important, Virginia had tobacco. At the time of the revolution . . . the United States was almost totally broke. Tobacco was relied on as the primary medium of exchange in Europe, and that product for the most part, was being raised in Virginia and exported out of the Chesapeake Bay.

The British with Lord Cornwallis decided that to defeat Washington’s army they needed to subdue Virginia so they could hold the more southern provinces, ie. North and South Carolina.
Thomas Jefferson, Governor of Virginia called out all the militia that could be armed, many weapons had been taken by authorities to equip individuals that had joined the fighting previously. Some one tenth of the militia were to be mounted and equipped as cavalry.

. . .in early 1781, Virginia had no regular continental army troops in the state, only Virginia Militia. . . .it had been proven through past experience that the Virginia Militia would frequently ‘fire two volleys and run like hell’. But at the Battle of Petersburg they held their own until ordered to withdraw which they did in a fairly orderly fashion.”.

The traitor Benedict Arnold, now a general in the British Army, was in Virginia and elsewhere destroying property and harassing the non-combatant populations but avoiding military action as it was known that if he was captured Washington had given orders that he was not to be exempted from punishment (hanging) for desertion and treason. By 1781 Arnold was the British commander of Petersburg.

Hamlin was noted as a Revolutionary Patriot in Brunswick County, Virginia. Patriots gave not only supplies for the Continental Army but also transported the sick, provisions, and guns for the army. He was also recommended as a proper person to command a company of Militia for Brunswick County and was commissioned a first Lieutenant 28 October 1778. Hamlin’s brother in law Joshua Wingfield husband of his sister Jemima was also commissioned as a Second Lieutenant the same day. Hamlin’s commission was renewed 23 August 1779.25 And again April 4th 1782 he was noted as giving supplies.

Prior to the Revolutionary War retired thoroughbred race horses were imported from England to improve local horse bloodlines and win horse races. Hamlin loved horses--- blooded horses. April 4, 1782 he made a claim for one bay mare impressed by warrant from the governor 18 March 1781. She ”. . .was 4' 8 ½" high, 7 years old and got by fearnought27 out a full blooded mare. . .” The court valued her at 80 pounds.

Growing tobacco was a very labor intensive crop so it’s no surprise to find the Freeman’s owning slaves. In the 1780's tax lists Hamlin had 7 to 8 slaves, and one year 11.31

As the tobacco plant grew each leaf of the plant needed to be examined regularly for tobacco horn worms. The worms would eat the tobacco leaves if not found early.

During the harvest tobacco leaves were picked by hand, starting at the bottom of the stalk. The leaves would be carried to the tobacco barn where they were hand tied onto sticks about three feet long. The sticks were then placed in tiers in the tobacco barn and a fire was lit to cure the leaves.

After curing the sticks were removed from the barn and the leaves were sorted by size and original location on the stalk of tobacco. Tips are from the top of the plant; cutters about half as long as your arm are from the center of the stalk; lugs are from the bottom.

The leaves were then tied into “hands” after sorting and grading. A “hand” of tobacco is a group of leaves tied together at the stem end; the end is then wrapped in another cured leaf. The hand of tobacco weighed about one pound if made of tips, lugs weighed about two to three pounds if made from cutters.
Another grade of tobacco was called ‘trash tobacco’. The grower would mix organic matter such as leaves, sweepings from their home in with the tobacco to make up in quantity what they lost by low prices.

Tobacco was the safest and most stable currency that the Virginia colonies had. It always had a value in exchange for gold. In addition to being used for purchasing goods, the tobacco was also used to pay fines and taxes.

Son Arthur was named and charged under Hamlin’s 1787 tax so Arthur and his family must have been living with Hamlin in upper St. Andrew’s parish, Brunswick County.

In a 1788 suit against Thomas Stokes, Hamlin as plaintiff was enabled to go to Warren County, North Carolina to take a deposition33. It is unknown at this time (2010) how this suit may have influenced the residence of son Arthur. Tax returns in Warren County, North Carolina, south west of Brunswick County, list Arthur 1789 to 1791 as owning property34 but a description of the property other than it was located in the Six Pound District has not been found (2007).

1765-1806 Hamlin was in the Brunswick County, Virginia tax lists.
Though her death date is not found Hamlin’s first wife Agnes was alive in 1783 when her mother Cecelia Walker Stokes had her lawyer Robert Jones make a new will.

Fifty seven year old Hamlin married secondly Elizabeth (Betsy) Hartwell 2 February 179736 and they had seven children in nine years; Henry, John H.(or Jack), Hartwell, Ruffin T., Nancy S., William and Arthur37 before his death in 1806 at the age of 65 years. Daughter Nancy was also known as Ann.

Hamlin seems to have died unexpectedly and intestate but his death can be determined as between March 25 and May 27, 1806 by two suits in the Brunswick County Court. The latter date indicates that the suit abates because of his death.