By the early half of the eighteenth century, the extent of the British colonies in America was but a mere fringe of population along the Atlantic Coast, spreading gradually inland and finding in the Alleghany and Blue Ridge Mountains a very serious barrier. Among the oldest of these settlements was the colony of Virginia, the name of which commemorates Queen Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen of England. The first expedition to found a colony in Virginia was made by Sir Walter Raleigh, in 1584, but there was no permanent settlement established at that time. The real beginnings of Virginia date from the foundation of the Virginia Company, in 1607, during the reign of James I (1603-1625). The story of Captain John Smith and the early founders of Virginia, and of how the Indian princess- Pocahontas married one of the gentlemen- John Rohlfe, is an English classic. In growing tobacco, the Virginians found the beginning of prosperity. The colonization of the American continent, in modern times, began with the arrival of three boatloads of English immigrants, in May of 1607, on the northeast shore of the James River, in Virginia. One of the leaders was Captain John Smith, a daring adventurous fellow with an inquisitive mind who had been in many tight situations on the outskirts of civilization. This palisaded little settlements of Anglo-Saxons was named Jamestown, in honor of England’s king, James I, who ruled from 1603 through 1625. [George B. Everton, Sr. The Handy Book for Genealogists, Sixth Edition. The Everton Publishers, Inc.; Logan, Utah, p. 231].
For many of the first immigrants, coming to America became a nightmare. During the first decade, many of them died and those who survived became so disillusioned and discouraged that they were ready to abandon the venture, as a losing cause, and return to their native England. They had suffered from deprivation, starvation, and constant Indian reprisals. At the beginning of the winter of 1609, the Virginia colony consisted of 490 persons, but when the spring of 1610 arrived, there were only 60 persons left in the colony. Determined to return to England, this small group of survivors set sail and embarked. As their ship was coming out of the mouth of the James River, some other Virginia-bound ships, under the command of Lord Delaware, came into sight. Against their own judgment, the disgruntled colonists were persuaded to return to their abandoned homes. Early in 1610, more food and additional colonists arrived from England. Every month in the year, with the exception of the winter months, saw more boatloads of new immigrants arriving. More and more settlements were established, some as far north as the Potomac River.
Every person who, after 1616, came into the colony from overseas or from a neighboring settlement was entitled to 50 acres of land (100 acres, if he came by 1616) in his own name and in the name of the person who paid his passage. By act of the Council for Virginia, 18 November 1618, each of the four corporations- Charles City, Henrico, James City, and Kecoughtan (Elizabeth City) was assigned 3,000 acres of land. Those colonists, who were transported to Virginia at the Company’s expense, were seated on Company lands and the Company was entitled to one-half of the profits of their labors, during seven-year terms. The other half of the profits was to be used to defray costs of government.
The great Indian Massacre occurred on Good Friday in March of 1622. Of the 1,240 English living in Virginia, about 340 were killed. The Corporation of Charles City suffered a great loss of life in its settlements on both sides of the River. That part above the Appomattox was literally wiped out for a time. The settlements from the Appomattox down to Upper Chippoakes Creek suffered most severely. This area, however, appeared to be quick to recover and a number of earlier settlers returned to their former lands; also, to lands deserted by the Indians.