Remembering William Byrd II
In the early years of the Jamestowne Colony, one of the families that became a dynasty of sorts over the course of the next century was the Byrd family. It began with the arrival of William Byrd I in...
Remembering King James I
One of the most important supporters of early American colonization was King James I of England, who died this day on March 27, 1625. We honor him today for all that he did to promote the earliest...
Remembering Samuel Argall
The history of the Jamestowne Colony has largely receded from our national consciousness, replaced by the story of the Pilgrims, the story of the American Revolution, and so forth. This year in...
Remembering George Thorpe
One of the most tragic events at the Jamestowne Colony in its early years was the Massacre of 1622, in which many settlers lost their lives. One of them was George Thorpe, who had worked tirelessly...
Remembering Governor George Yeardley
In the first two decades of the 17th century, the Jamestowne Colony in Virginia was struggling. Settled in 1607, the Colony had experienced Indian attacks, famine, disease, and a host of other...
August 1619: Commemorating the First Representative Government in North America at Jamestowne Colony
This month we commemorate the anniversary of the convening of the first General Assembly at the Jamestowne Colony in August 1619, an event that historians point to as the very first representative...
Remembering William Berkeley
Long forgotten today, one of the most important political figures in 17th century colonial America was William Berkeley, who died this day on July 9, 1677. Berkeley was the Governor of the Virginia...
Remembering Nathaniel Bacon
Americans sometimes forget—or never were taught—that the first permanent English settlement in North America was not in New England—it was Jamestown Colony in Virginia. During the 17th Century,...
Remembering Captain John Smith
One of the most famous people associated with the Jamestowne Colony in Virginia was Captain John Smith, an explorer, adventurer and military man who is best known today as the man with whom the...
Remembering George Somers
A forgotten man in the history of Jamestown and early Virginia is George Somers, who was born this day on April 24, 1554—a long, long time ago—but who during his lifetime was a celebrated...