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
All was forgotten early in January, however, when Newport reached
Jamestown with the first supply for the settlers. He brought food,
equipment, instructions, and news from home. The two ships of the
supply had left England together, but the second did not reach Virginia
until April.
Shortly after Newport's arrival in January, disaster came. Fire swept
through "James Fort," consuming habitations, provisions, ammunition,
some of the palisades and even Reverend Robert Hunt's books. This was a
serious blow in the face of winter weather. With the help of Newport and
his sailors, the church, storehouse, palisades, and cabins were
partially rebuilt before he sailed again for England early in April.
Much more could have been done had he not consumed so many days in a
pompous visit and lengthy negotiations with the wily Powhatan. Then,
too, the ships had to be loaded for the return voyage, for the London
backers were calling loudly for profitable produce.
The first of the spring months were spent in cutting cedar logs and
preparing "clapboards" for sale in England, and a little later there
seems to have been a mild "gold rush" at Jamestown as some hopeful
looking golden colored soil was found. This all delayed early spring
clearing and planting, and boded ill for the coming summer when Smith
undertook additional explorations.
It was in September 1608 that Smith became president in fact and
inaugurated a program of physical improvement at Jamestown. The area
about the fort was enlarged and the standing structures repaired. At
this point, in October, the second supply arrived, including seventy
settlers, who, when added to the survivors in Virginia, raised the
over-all population to about 120.
Among the new arrivals were two women, Mistress Forrest and her maid.
Several months later, in the church at Jamestown, the maid, Ann Burras,
was married to one of the settlers, John Laydon, a carpenter by trade.
This marriage has been ranked as "the first recorded English marriage on
the soil of the United States." Their child, Virginia, born the next
year, was the first to be born at Jamestown.
With the second supply came workmen sent over to produce glass, pitch,
soap ashes, and other items profitable in England. So rapidly did they
begin the search for a source of wealth that "trials" of at least some
of the products were sent home when Newport left Jamestown before the
end of the year.
In addition to settlers and supplies, Newport brought more instructions
from the Company officials. The Colony was not succeeding financially,
and it was urged that the Council spend more time in planning the
preparation of marketable products. It was urged, too, that gold be
sought more actively; that Powhatan be crowned as a recognition
befitting his position; and that more effort be expended in search of
the Roanoke settlers. These projects, all untimely, were emphasized, and
the more pressing needs of adequate shelter and sufficient food were
neglected.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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