Josuah Chard was born c. 1589,[1] probably in England. We do not know the identity of his parents. In the records, his given name is spelled Josuah, Joseph, and Joshua. In fact, we do not know how his given name was spelled at birth. We do know that the spelling of the name has caused problems for those attempting to record his history.
He left England in 1609 aboard the Sea Venture,[2] heading for Jamestown. Most know the story of the ill-fated Sea Venture, the ship that was caught up in a hurricane and wrecked upon the Bermudas. All aboard survived and lived as castaways on the island until they succeeding in building two boats, the Deliverance and the Patience, from the wreckage of the Sea Venture and local materials. In these small vessels they finally reached the mainland and Virginia, nine months later, on 23 May 1610.[3]
Chard probably assisted Sir Thomas Dale in clearing the Neck of Land (also called Bermuda Hundred or Nether Hundred) for settlement. Before the Indian Massacre of 1622, he owned land and houses there. Shortly before that infamous attack, Chard sold two houses and six acres of land to Francis Michell for 150 lbs. of tobacco. Michell had not paid for the property nor taken possession of it when the Indian attack occurred and the houses were burned.[4] Chard was forced to leave the area after the attacks began, but by the spring of 1623, he and most of the other inhabitants of the Neck of Land had returned to their settlements. The governor granted five acres each to all who settled at the Neck of Land. By April 1623, the colony had been stabilized, according to the List of Living and Dead, which said that of 346 casualties, only fourteen were from Neck of Land.[5][6][7]
The official census (Muster of 1624/25), taken on 24 Jan 1625 in Neck of Land, Corporation of Charles City, reveals that Chard had married. His wife, named Ann _____, who came on the Bonny Bess in 1623, is also listed as a member of the household.[1][8]
Chard was an ancient planter, and is recorded on the land owner list sent to England in May 1625.[10][11][12]
On 9 Feb 1628, the Court settled a controversy between two upper Neck of Land planters, William Vincent and John Dodds, concerning land and a house that had belonged to Chard, but was now in their possession.[13] Vincent and Dodds both being neighbors of Chard's,[1] there is a suggestion that Chard has died. Until there is other information, we will record on this profile that he died "before 9 Feb 1628."
It should be noted that there are three Chards named on the list of Sea Venture passengers compiled by Anne Stevens of packrat-pro.com:[2]
This researcher believes that Joseph Chard and Josuah Chard were the same man.(bsn) Either that is the case, or Joseph died before Feb 1624, when the List of the Living and Dead was recorded.
See Footnote #20, page 370, for historian David R. Ransome's opinion of how the names "Joshua" and "Joseph" became misinterpreted.[15]
Post 1610 sources refer to Josuah or Joshua, except for the following, which refer to Joseph: