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Colonel John Page (December 26, 1628 – January 23, 1692), a merchant in Middle Plantation on the Virginia Peninsula, was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Council of the Virginia Colony. A wealthy landowner, Page donated land and funds for the first brick Bruton Parish Church.〔("A Brief Guide to Bruton Parish Church" )〕 Col. Page was a prime force behind the small community gaining the site of the new College of William & Mary, founded in 1693, as well as a chief proponent of the village being designated the colony's capital in 1698. These events resulted in the renaming of Middle Plantation as Williamsburg in 1699, perhaps most well known as the birthplace of democratic governmental principals among the patriots before and during the American Revolution. In the early 21st century, Colonel Page's tiny Middle Plantation is the modern home of the restored colonial city now known as Colonial Williamsburg, one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world. ==Biography== John Page was born on December 26, 1628 in Bedfont, Middlesex, England. His father, Francis Page (1595–1678), is buried in the chancel of St. Mary the Virgin, East Bedfont, Middlesex, England; there is a memorial, placed by his son John Page, bearing a verse and the family arms.〔(''Journal of the British Archaeological Association'', Vol.49, pp13-14 )〕 John Page's niece Mary Whaley (daughter of his brother Matthew and wife of James Whaley of Bruton Parish, York County, Virginia) is buried in the churchyard.〔Tyler, Lyon G., "Grammar and Mattey Practice and Model School", ''William and Mary Quarterly'', July 1895〕〔In 1887 Henry Burke, the Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary, concluded that John Page was related to the Page family of Harrow on the Hill.()()〕 John Page became a merchant, and emigrated to the Virginia colony; his sister Elizabeth (wife of Edward Digges) and brother Matthew also emigrated to Virginia. In about 1656, John Page married Alice Lukin,〔Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia, Richard Channing Moore Page, M.D., New York, 1893 ()〕 (1625–1698) perhaps the daughter of Edward Lukin, a Virginia Company shareholder.〔Dorman, John Frederick, ''Adventurers of Purse and Person'', 4th ed., Vol. 2, pp494-495. Dorman states: "The longstanding identification of Alice Page ... as daughter of Edward Lukin has not been confirmed." After discussing the differences between the arms carved on the Page tomb, and the arms borne by known Lukin families, Dorman concludes: "There are other extant American gravestones engraved with arms differing from the actual arms of the individual, mistakes apparently having been made because the stone cutter referred to an armory or other collection of published arms when precise descriptions were not provided, or perhaps not even known, by the family of the deceased."〕 The Pages originally lived in the New Towne section at Jamestown. The Pages settled in York County in 1655. In 1662, the Pages had a large brick cross-plan house built in nearby Middle Plantation. A wealthy landowner, Page owned 330 acres (1.3 km²) in Middle Plantation, including much of what is now Duke of Gloucester Street, Nicholson Street, and part of Francis Street in the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg. In 1672, Page patented 3600 acres (15 km²) in New Kent County which became Mehixton Plantation. He donated land and £20 for the first brick Bruton Parish Church which was completed in 1683, and was located immediately adjacent to the site of the present larger restored structure.〔(A Brief History of Bruton Parish Church, brutonparish.org )〕 In 1683, he came into possession of a tract of land which originally belonged to his brother Matthew in James City County known as Neck of Land. It is also known that he owned property at Jamestown in New Towne section. John Page was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses starting in 1665. He played a pivotal role in supporting the efforts of Reverend Doctor James Blair in the founding of the College of William & Mary in 1693, which was located at Middle Plantation. Beginning in 1677, he is believed to have been an early advocate for moving the capitol to Middle Plantation, which eventually occurred in 1699, seven years after his death. (Middle Plantation was renamed Williamsburg in honor of King William III shortly thereafter). Colonel John Page and his wife Alice Lukin Page are buried at Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Virginia.〔()〕 Their tombstone, originally located within the church graveyard, was later moved to the church vestibule.〔(Photograph of the headstone of Col. John Page, vestibule, Bruton Parish Church, Williamsburg, Va., findagrave.com )〕 It reads: "Here lieth in hope of a joyfull resurrection the Body of Colonel JOHN PAGE of Bruton Parish, Esquire. One of their Majesties Council in the Dominion of Virginia. Who departed this life the 23 of January in the year of our Lord 1691/2 Aged 65"〔() Some Colonial Mansions and Those Who Lived in Them, Thomas Allen Glenn, Henry T. Coates & Co., Philadelphia, 1899]〕 The tombstone carries the arms of Page impaling those of Lukin.〔(Virginia Heraldica: Being a Registry of Virginia Gentry Entitled to Coat Armor, William Crozier, The Genealogical Association, New York, 1908 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「John Page (Middle Plantation)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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