Thomas Jarvis junior

Son of Thomas Jarvis (1722-1785) and his wife Rachel Thibou (1728-1795). Member of the Council of Antigua. His children Bertie Entwistle Jarvis, Mary Wilhelmina Lindsey and Grace Jarvis (all q.v.) lodged counterclaims for ownership of enslaved people on Thibou's estate but compensation was awarded to the trustees of Thomas's sister Christiana Richardson (q.v.) based on her prior claim from their father Thomas Jarvis senior.

1. His father Thomas Jarvis had married Rachel Thibou at St Paul's, Barbados, daughter of Jacob Thibou (1683-1741, a merchant of St John's, Antigua) and Dorothy née Blizard, through whom he inherited Thibou's estate and Long Island, Antigua. Thomas senior was President of the Council of Antigua in 1770, 1771, 1776 and 1783.

2. Thomas Jarvis jun. married Jane Whitehead 08/09/1782 at St John's Antigua. Jane died 06/02/1797 age 33. He remarried, to Mary Elizabeth Shepherd Freeman Blackwell (q.v.), at St Thomas's, Winchester, Hampshire, 28/02/1801.

3. Will of Thomas Jarvis of Island of Antigua proved 20/03/1805. Under the will he left £4000 each to his daughters Jane, Rachael and Sarah Nibbs Jarvis and his sons Robert, Bertie Entwisle and James Nibbs Jarvis. His main heir and residuary legatee was his son Thomas. In two codicils each headed 'Item' he added legacies of £4000 each to Mary Wilhelmina Jarvis and Grace Jarvis, daughters of a second marriage. In a further codicil in the form of a letter headed '7th November 1804 Cheltenham' to his executors he said he aimed to do justice to the best of women - his second wife - and left her the proceeds of his sugars in England and Ireland, which he said should raise 5000 guineas.

T71/887 Antigua claim no. 30.

1. Vere Langford Oliver, The History of the island of Antigua ... from the first settlement in 1635 to the present time (3 vols., London, Mitchell and Hughes, 1894-99) Vol. 3 pp. 127 and 320. Oliver [Vol. II p. 98] also says of Thomas Jarvis jun. 'inherited Blizards with his first wife [Jane Whitehead]'. To date no support for this has been found elsewhere in Oliver.

2. ibid. p. 228. www.familysearch.org batch no. M13675-1.

3. PROB 11/1422/214