Thank you for your posting about James Powell of King William County, apparently related to the Norment family (locally pronounced Norman). Do you know anything about an earlier James Powell who lived in the portion of King William County which eventually went into Caroline County?

Powell's ford was on the Mattaponi River, north of the mouth of Reedy Swamp in present-day Caroline County, and apparently not far from Norment's Ferry. The ferry was located somewhere near the bridge where Route 647 crosses the Mattaponi.

A patent to Elias Downes on June 16, 1714 was for 200 acres situated on the Mattaponi, about two miles above Powell's ford. Patent Book 10:140; Nugent, Cavaliers and Pioneers, 3:144. Powell's crossing on the Mattaponi is
mentioned in a patent to Samuel Norment dated Nov. 13, 1721, which describes land lying along the river above the mouth of Reedy Swamp, and "about three quarters of a mile above Powel's ford." Patent Book 11:74; Nugent, Cavaliers and
Pioneers, 3:230. On Powell's ford, cf. Patent Book 10:131, 320; Nugent, Cavaliers and Pioneers, 3:141-42, 191. On Aug. 9, 1745, the Caroline County court ordered that James Powell and others view land of John Sutton on the Jack Pond Swamp
for the purpose of Henry Burk building a water mill. Caroline County, Virginia Order Book 1740-1746, p. 511.

If you can provide any information about this earlier James Powell, and more about the location of Powell's Ford, I would be most grateful.

Sherman Isbell