The English man

  When I was a girl my grandparents would set on the porch in their rocking chairs on lazy summer days and I would set on the step at their feet and they would tell me stories about our family in days gone by.
My grandfather told me our first Powell came to Virginia in colonial days from London England.
This Powell was living in the day when people who could not pays their debts where cast into prison.
Our Powell had debts and thought the law was on his trail, he contacted a friendly ship captain who said he would let him sail on his ship.
The night before they set sail our Powell left his wife and children in their beds and slipped down to the church, not to pray but to steal. He stole a gold statue and went aboard the ship.
He took a barrel of lard and put the gold in the lard.
When they arrived in Virginia Powell pulled the gold from the lard and said "come out of there you greasy god."
according to grandpa Powell melted the gold and was a rich man, he remarried and had children in Virginia.
according to grandpa, Powell spent all his gold and all the Powells had been poor from that time on.
We have searched for Powell in the records and have not found him yet but the search goes on. I searched the story for clues and think perhaps the ship could have been named friendship. There was a ship named Friendship and I hope some day we can find Powell in they ship records.