The Eastern Shore records are among the earliest in Virginia.
Shipbuilding in the early days has been ably discussed by Dr. Susie M.
Ames in _Studies of the Virginia Eastern Shore in the Seventeenth
Century_. In 1630, John Toulson, or Poulson, built a pinnace at
Nassawadox in which he had one-half interest. Richard Newport, one of
Captain Christopher Newport's sons, while living in Northampton
County, bought a shallop from the carpenter, Thomas Savage, for the
use of the merchant, Henry Brookes, for which Savage was paid twenty
pounds sterling. William Berry, another Eastern Shore carpenter, made
an agreement with Philip Taylor, one of William Claiborne's men,
during the Kent Island controversy, to make him a boat, twenty by ten
feet, provided Taylor furnished the boards for the deck between the
forecastle and the cabin. For this, Berry was to receive two cows with
calf and four hundred pounds of tobacco. During the dispute over Kent
Island, a pinnace, belonging to Captain Claiborne, was taken by the
Marylanders.
Obedience Robins, a well-known citizen of the Eastern Shore, acquired
from the boatwright, William Stevens, a shallop, twenty-six feet in
length, with masts, yards, and oars. He owned a pinnace also, which he
had named _Accomack_. A number of lawsuits on the Eastern Shore in the
1640's, involved boats and ship materials. Philip Taylor was indebted
to William Stevens for one house, four days on a shallop, valued at
one pound sterling, six gallons of tar, and 1250 nails of various
sizes. Payment was ordered made to the overseers of the estate of
Daniel Cugley of one small boat, twenty-four yards of canvas, twenty
gallons of tar, and ninety ten-grote nails, supplies for making a
boat. Another court order concerned the delivery of a boat, and 3500
six-penny nails lent by John Neale. Ambrose Nixon testified that he
and his mate had built a boat for Randall Revell. In 1638, two
planters of Accomack, Nicholas White and one Barnaby, made voyages to
New England in their own vessels. The names of Walter Price and
Christopher Stribling shipwrights are listed in the early records of
Northampton County.