Gabriel Jacobs facts for kids
Gabriel Jacobs was born around 1650. He was the first known ancestor of the Jacobs family, a group of free African Americans from Northampton County, Virginia. Many of his family members later moved south in the mid-1700s, mostly to southeastern North Carolina. Gabriel's story, and the stories of his family, show what life was like for hundreds of other freed people in the early American colonies.
Life in Early Virginia
To understand Gabriel's life, we need to know about the time he lived in. Slavery began in the Virginia Colony as early as 1619. When Africans arrived, Virginia society already had a clear division between masters and white servants. Masters could even treat white servants very harshly.
In 1662, a new law stated that children would get their social status from their mother. This meant if a mother was enslaved, her children would also be enslaved, no matter who the father was. In these early years, it was common for people of different backgrounds—African, Native American, or European—to live and work together. They were often indentured servants or enslaved people.
Some enslaved people gained their freedom through a process called manumission. This meant their owner officially granted them freedom, often in a will after the owner died. This was fairly easy to do until 1723. After that, Virginia passed a law making it much harder, requiring special approval from the government.
Over time, laws and social rules became stricter. People who were "other free" (meaning not white or enslaved) faced more challenges. The Jacobs family, like many others, started to be classified by their appearance as "black," "white," "mulatto," or "Indian." Some free people were even wrongly forced back into slavery. On the other hand, some lighter-skinned descendants eventually became part of the "white" community.
Gabriel's Story
The first records of Gabriel are from Northampton County, Virginia, between 1664 and 1667. These records are called "tithable lists." In 1658, the Virginia House of Burgesses made a law. It said that all Africans and Native Americans over 16 years old had to be on these lists. Being "tithable" meant you were taxable. Owners paid taxes for their enslaved people and servants. Once free, people paid their own taxes. By the 1670s, about one-third of taxable African Americans in Northampton County were either free, later became free, or had free children.
Gabriel and his likely wife, Bab, lived in the home of Captain John Custis around 1664. They were listed again in 1677. John Custis was an important person in Virginia. He was the great-grandfather of Daniel Parke Custis, who was the first husband of Martha Dandridge Washington.
In the early 1670s, John Custis built a large brick house called Arlington. It was on the south bank of Old Plantation Creek. Gabriel Jacobs lived and worked on Custis's 550-acre plantation until about 1700. When John Custis's will was read in 1696, Gabriel's family was separated. Gabriel was given to Custis's wife, Tabitha, for four years. He was to work on their "sloop," which was a type of boat. Gabriel's daughter, Jenny, was also given to Tabitha. Bab and Gabriel's son, Daniel, along with 11 other enslaved people, were given to Custis's grandson, John Custis (1678-1749). This grandson inherited the plantation.
It is not known what happened to Gabriel after this, or if he ever became free.
Gabriel's Family Tree
Generation 1
Daniel Jacob, Gabriel's son, was born around 1670 and died in 1733. He became free sometime between 1702 and 1704. It seems he was transferred to Thomas Harmonson Sr. Harmonson's will stated that Daniel would be free after Harmonson's wife died. Daniel had to pay 200 pounds of tobacco each year as a condition of his freedom.
In 1709, Daniel was called "Daniell Jacob Negro" in a legal document. He paid a fine for Jean Grimes. Daniel was listed as a taxable head of his own household in Northampton County from 1720 to 1723. From 1724 to 1731, he was listed as a "negro" taxable head of a household with his wife Elizabeth and their children.
Daniel's children are believed to be Isaac, Abigail, Frances, and Elizabeth.
Generation 2
Abigail Jacobs, Daniel's daughter, was born around 1708. In 1731, she faced a legal issue in Northampton County, Virginia. Her father, Daniel Jacob, paid her fine. Her sister Frances married Daniel Webb. Some of Abigail's children were listed as "white" on tax records starting in 1762. Some of her brother Isaac's children were also listed as "white." This shows how some family members became multiracial almost 300 years ago. In the 1700s, some family members began to identify as white, and some as black. Abigail's children were Primus, John, Matthew, Esther, Abigail, and Zachariah.
Generation 3
Zachariah Jacobs, Abigail's son, was born around 1736. In 1762, he was taxed in New Hanover County, North Carolina. He was taxed for one white male and two enslaved people. In 1772, he was listed as a "Black" taxable person in Brunswick County, North Carolina. He was granted land there in 1784.
Zachariah is thought to be the father of Peter, William, Josiah, and Ezekiah. All four sons served North Carolina during the American Revolution. They were among more than 400 freeborn African Americans from North Carolina who fought as Patriots.
Generation 4
Ezekiah Jacobs, Zachariah's son, was born around 1760. He joined the military as a private in the 10th North Carolina Regiment in 1781. In 1800, he was the head of a Brunswick County, North Carolina, household with 4 "other free" people. In 1810, his household had 8 people.
Ezekiah officially recorded his military discharge certificate in 1788. Between 1800 and 1820, he owned 675 acres of land in Brunswick County.
There is no clear proof of Ezekiah's descendants. One idea is that he married Prudence and was the father of Noah, born in 1803. However, DNA tests do not support this idea. Genealogists also do not widely agree on this parentage.
Generation 5
Noah Jacobs, possibly Ezekiah's son, was born in 1803 and died before 1880. He was a cooper (someone who makes barrels) and a cotton farmer. He was born in Brunswick County, North Carolina. He married Keziah Long around 1835. Noah was listed as "white" in all census records during his life. Noah and Keziah had 13 children. All of their children were considered "white."
In 1835, Noah's wife Keziah received 100 acres of land from her father, Gabriel. This was likely a wedding gift. In 1846, Noah asked for a land grant of 100 acres in Columbus County. This land was next to his own and near Gabriel Long's property.
In 1846, Noah sold 10 acres of land to Jane Cumbo. This land was likely inherited from his father, Ezekiah. The Cumbo name was common among enslaved people in Virginia. Jane was probably related to the early Virginia Cumbo family and possibly to Noah Jacobs.
In 1840, North Carolina passed a law called the "free Negro Code." It said that "free negro, mulatto, or free person of color" needed a special license to own a gun. Noah Jacobs signed documents saying that other Jacobs men nearby needed guns for hunting. These other Jacobs men were likely "black" relatives who shared the same ancestor, Gabriel Jacobs. About 20 years later, the Civil War began. This war created a final separation between the white and black sides of the family.
