The Grenada sentinel., 1906-10-13
TWO HISTORICAL WEDDINGS.
Marriage Of John Laydon and Annie
BurraS First Instance of Title
Hunting In America.
(By Silas f, Snyder.)


(By Silas f, Snyder)
Norfolk, Va.-T'he eternal feminine
delighting at all times in things mat
rimonial will lay aside reports of social
doingS at the summer resorts and ad-
vertiSementS OF new tangled fruit cans
to read about wedding even If it did
occur nigh on to three hundred years
ago.
In this case there are two and it is
doubtful IL an account of them would
be dug up at the present time were it
not that they have to do indirectly
with the jamestown Exposition which
is to be held next year at point not
far from the scene of both these early
social events. +. +. VS. were not
heard of in those days, but for real,
simon pure +. +. V. ism the first OF
these nuptialS has the latter day So
ciety laShed to the mast: in fact it
marked the beginning Of the first
family OF Virginia. The second was
the first instance Of title-hu9ting in
America with the reversed conditions
that the bride, an American, had the
title, and the hunter was an untitled
Englishman. There were no brides
maids, no dinners with terrapin and
truffleS, no checks for a million dollars
and no press accounts of the trOuSeauS
but there were some distinguished peo-
pie present and in some way the news
leaked out. !
The first inStallment of jamestown |
settlers was stag outfit with such |
noble old FOUNDERS as Captain John |
Smith in the bunch, but never petit
coat, and no wonder things didn't go
just right. In the absence of this
gentle influence one can fancy the |
doughty Captain and old sport Pow
hatan pitching hOrseShOeS for tobacco,
Powhatan's tobacco), under Pow
hatan'S Oak, and getting tipsy on
Dismal Swamp water.
But when the second contingent of
settlers arrived there were two ladies
among them, or rather one lady,
Mistress Forest, and her maid, Anne
BurraS. Imagine the rubbering that
took place when the flags of their
femininity were seen to fiutter on the
docks of Jamestown. There was one
citizen of the town that wasn't slow.
This was John LaydOn. At lOyewak-
ing he must have been regular cor
Sair. He asSailed the gentle Anne
with horse, foot and dragons, Sabred
her cOyneSS, rode over her objections,
broke down her defenSeS, fOrcibly
seized her consent and bore her away
to the altar before she had begun to
feel at home. Just two months after
she landed in America this 14-year-Old
maid had changed her name from
BurraS to Laydon. 1t is cOnjectured
that Captain Smith gave away the
bride. All this happened in Decem-
ber, 1908, and the next year John and
Anne presented to the worthy council
Of Virginia the first child born of
English parents in the colony. tt
was girl and she was called Virginia.
In 1929 when Virginia was 21, the
Virginia court officially recognized
this important event by presenting to
the distinguished young lady five acres
of land in Elizabeth City County, Va. s
which lies just across Hampton Roads
from the jamestown Exposition. 1t
may be interesting to note that three
other daughters came to bless the ,
Catharlne, Alice and Marga- I
ret. II
That ether wedding WcS the title | t
hunting affair. 1t seems that John 5
Rolfe, Secretary Of the Colony of Vir
ginia, succeeded in convincing the
royal maiden, POcahOntaS, that Cap {
tain John Smith was dead, and believ- Y
ing him dead, she yielded to the i'm '
of ROlfe and married him. /
That she loved Smith first and always
S the conclusion Of many who are
'amiliar with the annals of the colony.
When after her marriage she met him
n London she exclaimed: They told
ne always that you were dead" \
Those words told of the tragedy Of ,
leart.
Keep the bowels open when you
lave cold and use q good remedy to
Hay the Inflammation Of the mucous y
membranes. The best is Kennedy I
laxative Honey and Tar. 1t con- I
aims no Opates, moves the bowels, U
riveS out the cold Is reliable and
astes good. Sold by Second Glass :
)rur StOra