The First Seventeen Years: Virginia 1607-1624Hatch, Charles E., Jr.
History
The First Seventeen Years: Virginia 1607-1624
Hatch, Charles E., Jr.
Virginia -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
This plantation took its name from its founder, Capt. Samuel Jordan and
appears to have embraced 450 acres. At least in 1625 Jordan was credited
with this amount as being "planted" by patent in "the territory of
greate Weyanoke." It has been said that he established Jordan's Journey,
also known as Beggar's Bush, in 1619 although in the Assembly of 1619 he
represented "Charles Citty." He was one of the Assembly Committee of
four appointed to examine "the first booke of the fower" of the "Greate
Charter." In 1622 Jordan received a share of Company stock from Mary Tue
as well as 100 acres in "Diggs his Hundred." At this time he was listed
as "Samuel Jordan of Charles Hundred gentleman."
Jordan himself died in 1623 and his widow was soon seeking marriage
again. When she became betrothed to two men at the same time, Capt.
William Ferrar and Rev. Greville Pooley, and became embroiled in
controversy, the Council took note of it. A proclamation followed which
prohibited any woman from contracting herself to "two several men at the
same time."
Jordan's Journey seems to have prospered. In 1624 Nathaniel Causey
represented the plantation in the Assembly. At the time there were
forty-two persons in residence and eight had died within the year. In
1625 the population stood at fifty-five persons (thirty-six males and
nineteen females). Corn and fish supplies were adequate and there were
some cattle and hogs as well as numerous poultry. In the matter of
houses, the total was quite large--being twenty-two. The plantation
boasted of three boats and substantial amounts of small arms
(thirty-eight) and armor of various types (thirty-six items).
WOODLEEFE'S PLANTATION (22)
Captain John Woodleefe, a member of the Virginia Company, came to
Virginia initially in 1609 and remained active and interested in the
Colony. He was commissioned, in 1619, to go as governor and commander of
Berkeley Hundred which he did late in the year. He had other interests,
however, and by April of the same year had brought four men, which he
had supplied with "apparell and armes," and his wife and children to
Virginia. It is intimated that he had other colonizing interests and
intentions. The Berkeley Hundred people had cautioned him about
attempting another plantation that might interfere with their holdings.
He was instructed not to establish it "unless full ten English miles
from them."
He was governor at Berkeley Hundred for about a year and it was sometime
shortly before, during, or just after this term of service, that he set
up his own plantation. He seems to have chosen a point on the south side
of the James a bit up river from Berkeley which he patented in 1620. It
lay along the river and west of Jordan's Journey. This could very well
have been the 350 acres listed in his name in May, 1625. His was one of
the tracts in "the territory of greate Weyanoke" and was later patented
again by his son.
CHAPLAIN'S CHOICE (23)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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