His mother, Catherine, was the daughter of Major Robert Beverley, a British merchant who had emigrated to the Virginia Colony from Kinston on Hull in Yorkshire, served on the Governor's Council, and acquired significant landholdings by importing indentured servants, as well as by using his political connections and expertise. His maternal uncle Peter Beverley had served as speaker of the House of Burgesses, as well as on the Governor's Council and other offices in the colony.
His mother, Catherine, was the daughter of Major Robert Beverley, a British merchant who had emigrated to the Virginia Colony from Kinston on Hull in Yorkshire, served on the Governor's Council, and acquired significant landholdings by importing indentured servants, as well as by using his political connections and expertise. His maternal uncle Peter Beverley had served as speaker of the House of Burgesses, as well as on the Governor's Council and other offices in the colony.