The PETTUS line is traced to Thomas PETTUS (?-1506) who came to Norwich, Norfolk County, England from London in the 15th century. The PETTUSES were prominent citizens of Norwich and served the city as mayors, aldermen, sheriffs, members of Parliament, trusted city rulers, successful mercers or cloth merchants and wealthy. The PETTUS Coat of Arms - shown on the right - is described in heraldry terms as: a fesse argent between three annulets. This translates as: a wide silver horizontal band forming the middle section of an escutcheon (a shield-shaped surface) between three rings.
Sir John PETTUS, the 1st Knight, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth and was a member of The Third Virginia Charter Company 11 which was the sponsor of the Jamestowne, Virginia settlement. The PETTUSES were respectable citizens and they collected many honors. One of them represented Dunwich, in Suffolk, in Parliament. The PETTUS family was well connected both politically and socially. William PETTUS married Mary GLEANE the daughter of Sir Peter GLEANE. The male PETTUS line ended in England with the death of Sir Horatio PETTUS (6th Baronet) in 1772, being survived by two daughters. Several members of the early PETTUS Norwich family are buried in the Saint Simon and Jude Church on Elm Hill in Norwich. The old structure is no longer used as a church and the tombs are now located in a flimsy cabinet in a large meeting hall.
The St. Simon and St. Jude Church 4 is described as:
"This little church stands at the junction of Elm Hill and Wensum Street. Like Elm Hill itself, St Simon and St Jude was saved from demolition by the Norwich Society in the 1920s. One of the earliest of the many Norwich churches, it is said to have been held by the bishops before the See of East Anglia was transferred to the city. On the south side of the chancel arch is a monument to Thomas Pettus, mayor in 1590, who lived in Pettus House on Elm Hill. On the north side is the much larger tomb of Sir John Pettus, mayor in 1608, who is shown lying with his head propped uncomfortably on a glove held in his right hand. The Pettus monuments can be seen on request. St Simon and St Jude is now the Outdoor Centre."
On May 12, 1607 the Jamestowne English explorers stopped at the Kingsmill area and determined that the area, first called Archer's Hope, was a very attractive site for a colony. "The Kingsmill area was a particularly good piece of property with an abundance of the necessities for agricultural development: good and fruitful soil, timber, wild game and a topography that could be fortified with but little labor." 12 The only thing that kept Kingsmill from being chosen as the settlement site was the shallow water in the James river at this point. Jamestowne Island four (4) miles upstream from Kingsmill was found about five (5) days later and provided a place where ships could be moored to the trees on the island allowing the ships to ride close to land. For this reason Jamestowne Island not Kingsmill became the original Virginia settlement.
