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Virginia Special Issue #1
Welcome to the January issue of the "Belcher Blues". The Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery reached Virginia in the spring of 1607, and on May 14, their 104 passengers all men and boys began building on the banks of the James River what was to be America's first permanent English colony, predating Plymouth in Massachusetts by 13 years,(many people do not realize the history of Virginia and think the pilgrims were the first people in America). This is definitely not so. the pilgrims were on their way to Virginia Colony when a storm blew them north. On May 14, 1607, the Virginia Company explorers landed on Jamestown Island, to establish the Virginia English colony on the banks of the James River 60 miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. By one account, they landed there because the deep water channel let their ships ride close to shore; close enough, to moor them to the trees. Recent Discovery of the exact location of the first settlement and its fort. Almost immediately after landing, the colonists were under attack from what amounted to the on-again off-again enemy, the Algonquian natives. The members of the Virginia Company believed it was of utmost importance to establish the Prostestant Faith in the New World. Fear of Spanish intrusion at Jamestowne Plantation caused the Virginia Company to send the Rev. Mr. Robert Hunt , minister of the Church of England, with the colonists. The Rev. Mr. Hunt and the colonists under his pastoral care landed May 13, 1607. Their lot was almost impossible during the early years. Yet, the brave souls who did survive laid the very foundations of our great Nation. The London Company was reorganized under the Great Charter of 1618, and by the end of 1619, several events occurred that had far-reaching impact. 1...Free settlers were granted land, establishing property ownership. 2...The House of Burgesses, America's first representative assembly, was organized, setting an example for representative democracy. A program encouraging emigration of “Maides to make Wives” began in England, ensuring that the population of Virginia would be self-sustaining. 3...Unexpectedly, a Dutch trader from the West Indies arrived in August 1619 with a cargo of black colonists who were sold into indentured servitude (serving so many years and then gaining freedom, also many White people came to America under this system as indentured slaves) (slavery did not yet exist in Virginia). This event helped foreshadow slavery and the Civil War. The colony had an urgent need of merchants, skilled artisans, woodsmen, and a large labor force to cultivate the tobacco crops. The London Company lured these people to Virginia with land. Mere survival was most difficult. The first enemy of that survival,was the hot, humid climate. If that were not enough, mosquito-infested swamps, the breeding ponds of malaria, snakes, and "wilde beasties" were present. Additionally, the native population were more often hostile than friendly.Opechancanough’s one goal was to drive the English from Virginia. He organized and executed the terrible massacre of GoodFriday, 22 March 1622. Three hundred forty-seven men, woman and children were murdered and mutilated with their own weapons. This loss represented one-third of the colony’s population. Jamestowne, escaped total destruction only because of a warning. Recovery from starvation, sickness, and the massacre was slow. It was late in the 1620’s before the colonists once again had the strength and the supplies to attack the Indians who were determined to rid Virginia of all Englishman. On the other side, the English had decided to stay and tame the Virginia Wilderness. By this time, there were native born Virginians within the English settlements. Twenty years later, Opechancanough struck his final blow against the English. He killed 500 colonists this time and was himself taken prisoner. He was later found murdered in the Jamestowne jail, 1646. The Company agreed to give anyone who paid his way to Virginia fifty acres “for his owne personal adventure.” Another fifty acres was offered for each person the adventurer transported “at his owne cost.” When Virginia became a royal colony, the headright system continued. Over the next century, thousands of settlers came because of Virginia's headright system. See Nell Marion Nugent, Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 3 vols. (1934; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1983). from a 1907 Virginia guidebook Editors: Gayl Ramey Wells Gregory Clyde Belcher |
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