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Rethinking Jamestown
Smithsonian Magazine ^ | Jan 2005 | Jeffery L. Sheler

Posted on 01/25/2005 3:12:35 PM PST by PhilipFreneau

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To: Molly Pitcher

>> The Maycock plantation is at Jamestown then?

I have not been to the Jamestown area, but the marker reads: "Maycock Plantation - Six Miles North, on James River, The Place was patented about 1618 by Samuel Maycock, Slain in the Massacre of 1622. In 1774, David Meade became the Owner. There Cornwallis crossed the River May 24, 1781. Anthony Wayne Crossed there August 30, 1781."


21 posted on 01/25/2005 4:53:36 PM PST by PhilipFreneau (The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. -- Psalms 14: 1, 53:1)
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To: ross_poldark

Howdy Captain.

Great Post!


22 posted on 01/25/2005 4:56:15 PM PST by wardaddy (I don't think Muslims are good for America....just a gut instinct thing.)
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To: PhilipFreneau
Okay. Understand. I'm going to check a map of the area.

One thing I remember about last summer is that part of the James R. Road...the part leading into Williamsburg from the west... was closed because of bridge repair work. Not sure about the road below W.

But the road project cut off easy access to some of the old plantation sites.

23 posted on 01/25/2005 4:57:45 PM PST by Molly Pitcher (We are Americans...the sons and daughters of liberty...*.from FReeper the Real fifi*)
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To: PhilipFreneau

One more thing: a movie is being made about the settling of Jamestown: "The New World"...out this year some time. Didn't see it mentioned in this article...Hollywood History, no doubt!!??


24 posted on 01/25/2005 5:01:30 PM PST by Molly Pitcher (We are Americans...the sons and daughters of liberty...*.from FReeper the Real fifi*)
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To: LachlanMinnesota
I know...I'm really trying...I'm working my program, but my sponsor doesn't seem to want to help me through the rough times anymore...Every day I need to start with Step oine all over again! Maybe I can find a lawsuit brought against my relatives 60 or 70 years ago, and the claim has already been paid...

You're on your way to penance, L.M. It's a good start. And don't worry, you can find a sponsor at your nearest university-something you are undboubtedly aware of.

However, this lawsuit thing shows promise. It's really not your fault you're a bigoted conservative. It's your family's fault. I'm sure we could get CBS all over this one. :)

25 posted on 01/25/2005 6:00:44 PM PST by writer33 (The U.S. Constitution defines a conservative.)
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To: PhilipFreneau

Wow! I turned to PBS and it is showing a documentary on this new view of Jamestown history.


26 posted on 01/25/2005 6:16:56 PM PST by PhilipFreneau (The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. -- Psalms 14: 1, 53:1)
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To: PhilipFreneau
...Richard Pace, the hero of the 1622 Massacre.

Good to read your post and find some familiar names on this thread!

The above Richard Pace and his wife, Isabella (Smythe), are my 9th great-grandparents.

The story of Richard Pace's role in saving the Jamestown Settlement from the 1622 Massacre is outlined by the Jamestowne Society

Although Richard Pace, his wife Isabella and son George survived the Massacre in 1622, Richard is believed to have died between 1624 & 1626.  There is, apparently, no record of the precise date and circumstances of his death.

During our 1999 visit to Jamestown, we attended a presentation by a gentleman reenacting the character of John Rolfe (husband of Pocahontas).  At the end, he added that he was actually a direct descendant of the couple.  Afterwards, we introduced ourselves to him as Richard Pace descendants.  He was pretty interested; he explained that while he, of course, was familiar with the 1622 story, he'd never actually met any Richard Pace descendants.  We all had a good laugh as we good-naturedly kidded him about that darn Pocahontas story "stealing our spotlight."  <g>

...the "Maycock Plantation", patented in 1618, is currently recognized by a marker.

The link below will take you to photos of the Maycock Plantation marker... also the marker recognizing "Pace's Paines" (the plantation of Richard Pace), as well as a plaque honoring Richard Pace's servant Chanco (which mentions Pace's role in alerting the Jamestown settlement of the impending 1622 Massacre).

Marker Photos

I've not personally seen the Maycock Plantation marker, and am not sure of its location.  Nor do I have any information about the exact location of the Maycock Plantation.  Sorry!

We visited the Pace's Paines marker in 1999.  It is located in Surry County across the James River to the southwest of Jamestown.  I believe the marker is west of the town of Surry on Hwy 10 near its intersection with Hwy 618.  The plaque honoring Chanco is inside the church at Jamestown (seems to me that as we entered the church, it was on our left towards the rear of the building).

The actual site of Pace's Paines is a little more challenging to get to, and we only marginally attempted it.  For anyone interested, I have a map showing its approximate location.  My understanding is that it is between the James River & Hwy 610, and to the west of Swann Point.  We drove around in the vicinity, but did not venture off the road into unknown territory and private property.  As it was, my husband thought I was a bit touched in the head to want to spend the hot and intensely humid August afternoon driving around the back roads of Surry County looking for a site where there is basically nothing left to see <g>!

I have visited Jamestown 3 times, and find it fascinating.  The first time especially, when we were almost literally the only visitors on the premises, I remember being just overwhelmed by the feeling of death.  Prior to that, I'd had no idea of this colony's grim statistics.  I am continually awed by these early colonists' will to survive in what had to have been incomprehensible circumstances... and amazed that they managed to live long enough to leave any of us as as their descendants!

27 posted on 01/25/2005 9:33:50 PM PST by PacesPaines
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To: PacesPaines

Thanks for the marker link.

>> The above Richard Pace and his wife, Isabella (Smythe), are my 9th great-grandparents.

Richard and Isabella are my 11th great-grandparents. My descendency is through George, Richard, Richard, Richard, Richard, and Mary Pace.

Regarding Richard's death, Isabella had apprently remarried by May 9, 1625 when she testified in a trial as "Isabella Perry" (this event is briefly mentioned in your marker link).

>> I am continually awed by these early colonists' will to survive in what had to have been incomprehensible circumstances... and amazed that they managed to live long enough to leave any of us as as their descendants!

It is truly remarkable.


28 posted on 01/26/2005 3:42:17 AM PST by PhilipFreneau (The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. -- Psalms 14: 1, 53:1)
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To: PhilipFreneau

Thank you for posting that link. I checked it out and the Read family name is listed at the beginning. I saved the link for further research. Thanks again.


29 posted on 01/26/2005 3:55:44 AM PST by 7thson (I think it takes a big dog to weigh a hundred pounds!)
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To: Molly Pitcher
Another thing that fascinates me about some of these earliest colonists is how frequently they went back & forth across the Atlantic...in those ships!!

Yes, my Swedish ancestor came twice. First to work for Governor Prinz (My forefather was skipper of his yacht off the shore of the Governor's private island). He returned to Sweden to collect back wages and to find a bride, and then he came back again with the bride (after collecting a bonus) -- this time to stay. All this was in the Philadelphia area in the 1630's and 1640's. The pictures of the reconstructed Kalmar Nyckle (I think it is in Delaware)make it look like a more substantial ship than the ships used to settle Jamestown, however.

Re: Jamestown and the first ships. The reconstructed ships there are so tiny, I can't imagine crossing the ocean in them even once, let alone twice! And I really can't imagine a daughter crossing by herself to collect the estate of her late father either. Those ships and those houses at Jamestown gave me claustrophobia!

As I remember there are no reconstructed houses out at the real fort, but there is a very nice reconstruction inland a little bit -- built before they discovered the footings of the real fort. The houses are so tiny that I can't imagine a family living in them without killing each other. Who needed to worry about Indians?

And speaking of names -- I have a very distant relative who was called "Potato Hole Woodson". That is because, as a small child, he was the only survivor of an Indian raid. His mother shoved him into the root cellar under the floor where he hid while the Indians massacred the rest of his family. They called him "Potato Hole" the rest of his life.

30 posted on 01/26/2005 1:48:14 PM PST by afraidfortherepublic
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To: PacesPaines; Molly Pitcher; PhilipFreneau
I found three of my ancestors on this list of "qualifying ancestors" Click here : Edward Gurganey, Thomas Harris, and Thomas Ligon. I don't have my family tree at hand, but as I remember it, Gurganey's daughter, Adria (born in England) arrived to collect her father's estate and married Capt. Harris. Their daughter later married a Ligon son.
31 posted on 01/26/2005 2:09:18 PM PST by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Very good! I still haven't had time to check my files today....

One of my cousins has joined the Jamestown society or whatever its name is, on the basis of our descent from Graves. Have you thought of this?

32 posted on 01/26/2005 2:23:53 PM PST by Molly Pitcher (We are Americans...the sons and daughters of liberty...*.from FReeper the Real fifi*)
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To: Molly Pitcher

I've thought of it, but I'm not exactly sure what they do and what it entails. Do you have any information? One of my daughters lives in Richmond, so she might be interested.


33 posted on 01/26/2005 6:08:49 PM PST by afraidfortherepublic
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