The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-11-23
h Importation OF Wives For The
MayflOwer Pilgrims.

/ ho SSSt 40 oSalA ~
one whom he calls IAN obscure I'll
glishman," on Virginia Women, e:
pecially on those of the humber elias!
who were brought over by the Londo
company to supply the colonlsts wit
wives, and sends me the following eS
tract from Mr.. Bryan's paper, "Th
Commoner;" -,
"a Louisianan, who has recent.
been examining some old document
relating to the colonizing of Virginia
saws that he has discovered that tn
purchase of young women as wlVe
was in vogue in the early settlement
of that state. Speaking to a represen
tative Of the New Orleans Times-De
mocrat, this gentleman says: "A let
ter accompanying one of these ship
ments, and dated London, Aug. II 1921
is illustrative of the simplicity Of tn
times, and the concern for the welfare
of the colony. 1t is as follows: wv
send you, in the ship, one widow ant
eleven maids for wives for the people
of Virginia; there has been especial carr
had in the choice of them; for there
hath not any of them been received
but upon good recommendations. III
case they can not be presently married
we desire that they be put with severa
householders that have wives, till they
can be provided with husbands. There
are nearly fly more that are shortly
Ito come, and are sent by our mos
Honorable Lord and Treasurer, The
Earl of Southampton, and certain
worthy gentlemen, who taking into
consideration that the plantation car
never flourish till families be planted
and the respect of wives and children
| for their people on the soil; therefore
have given this fair beginning, for the
reimbursement of whose charges 1t il
ordered that every man that marries
them gives 120 pounds of best lea
tobacco for each of them. Though we
are DESTROYS that the marriage be free
according to the law of nature, yet we
would not have these maids deceived
and married to servants, but only tc
such freemen or tenants as have mean
to maintain them. We pray you,
therefore, to be fathers to them in this
| business; not enforcing them to marry
against their wills"
Partisan historians have taken every
| opportunity to detract from the old
commonwealth and this fact of bel
early history which can not be denied
has been very prominently set forth
Those who told the glorious history o.
the old commonwealth have somehow
carefully avoided allusion to this in
cident, while they did not deny it theJ
quietly ignored 1t.
1t is we'll enough to state the case as
it really was, and to do this we must
review somewhat the history of thu
London company. Great companies
for developing trade were in highreput'
in these early days Of the 18th century
The East India company, and the AT
rican company, were coiring money
for the adventures; Spain had founc
in South America a mine Of immense
wealth, and Holland had found a rict
treasure tn the far east, and now there
was q prospect of as rich a harvest ir
the new colony of Virginia. A grea'
company known as the London com
pany was formed. Dukes, earls, lords
marquises, squires, bishops, rectors
guilds, diapers, blacksmiths, anchor
smiths, dowager splnsters, all tool
shares in the company, and with high
hopes the first colonists came acros:
ths seas in 1907. They were all men
and most of them young men Of goot
families.
The story of the first fourteen years
of their effort to develope the colony
is a sad one. 1t was a hard life anC
| brought poor returns. To secure labor
it was necessary to find a class of PEG
pie who were willing to apprentice
themselves for five years to hard servi
tude to those who had grants Of land
| And men were punished for their mis-
demeanors by being transported
| Sometimes, and not infrequently, dis
reputable women came over as servants
and they were such till freed. Thei!
| employers were the men who owned
the land and bought them from the
ship owners for five years. Their
| were few manageable women in tn
colony. Rich ladies had no desire tt
leave the fair fields of England to fnt
| q husband in q wild frontier, and Civ
up a palace for q cabin. Those roman
tic dreamers who love to speak of the
elegance of the colonial homes and the
gardens oftheir ancestors are simply
amusing in teir simplicity. The plan
tiers were most of them gentlemen ant
according to Bancroft had about eight.
| plantations in 1922. Of the 1900 peo
pie, many were servants and a com
paratively few were land owners.
! have gone through with Hatten'
mention of the planters in Virginia IL
February, 1923, after the Indian mas
sacre. The settlements mentioned
there were the "Calledy" lands, thy
"Neak" Of land, Sherley Hundred
Jordan's Journey, Flowerden HUNDRED
| West Island, Chaplain's Choice, Jane
City, On the Maine, On James Island
Ye Neck of Land, Over the River
Over Against James City, The elias
Hosue, Martins Hundred, Warwicl
Saurake, The Indian Thiokets, Eliza
beth "Citye," Bucks row, Bas
Choice, The Eastern Short.
Twenty-Five settlements more or les
populous, and there were about 100
living in them, by actual court, in 1928
There were but few women, compar
atively, according to Hollen. The,
were Mrs. Bags, Mrs. Dodd, Mrs. Win
cent, Mrs. Haines, Mrs. Hampton
Margrtet Giles, Eleanor Harris, Agne
Ellsworth, Mary Tucker, Jane Brack
ley, Elizabeth Higgins, Mary Munday
Elizabeth Lupo, Sarah Julian, Sara
Gouldocke. Elizabeth bowman, Eliza
beth Davies, Ann Harrison, Elizabet
Mays, Ann Barber, Elizabeth lbason
Ann Ibason, Hannah Hill, Elizabet
Hill, Mary Stafford, Alice Harris
Margery Pritchett, Mary Graindgy
lam Waine, Mary Adkland, Grac
Waters, Rebecca Chamblee, Joa
Frinton, Elizabeth Flinton, Rebecc
! Couther, Anna Young, Elizabet
Pope, Elizabeth Garnett, Susan GA