Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-10-12
Two Historical Weddings,

4 Nv SDOA hot lClliIil1HC uCilS htih
at all times in things matrimonial
will lay aside reports Of social do
ings at the summer resorts and ad
vertisements Of new tangled frui
cans to read about wedding ever
if it did occur nigh onto three hun
dred years ago.
| In this case there are tw'
and it is doubtful if an accoun
of them would be dug up at th
present time were it not that they
have to do with the jamestown
Exposition which is to be helt
next year at point not far from
the scene Of both the early socia
events. F. F. Y. were not heard
of in those days, but for real, simon
pure (. f. Y. ism the first of these
nuptials has the latter day society
lashed to the mast; in fact it
marked the beginning of the first
family Of Virginia. The second
was the first instance of title hunt
ing in America with the reversed
condition that the bride an Ameri-
can, had the title, and the hunter
was an untitled Englishmen.
There was no bridesmaids. no
dinners with terrapin and trufles.
no checks for a million dollars and
no press accounts of the tronsseau
but there were some distinguished
people present and in some way
the news leaked out.
The first instalment of james.
town settlers was stag outfit with
su oh noble old FOUNDERS as Captain
John Smith in the bunch, but never
ii petticoat, and no wonder things
didn't go just right. In the alb
sence Of this gentle influence one
can fancy the doughty Captain and
old sport Powhatan pitching horse
shoes for tobacco (Powhatan's to-
bacco) under Powhatan'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 rub
bering that took place when the
flags of their femininitY were seen
to hutter on the docks Of James
town. There was one citizen of
the town that wasn't slow. This
was John Laydon. At loyemaking
he must haye been a regular Cor
sair. He assaied the gentle Anne
with horse, foot and dragons, sa-
bred her coyness, rode over her OBJ
jectioDs, broke down her defense,
forcibly seized her consent and bore
her away TO the altar before she
she had begun to feel at home.
Just two months after she landed
in America this fourteen year old
maid had changed her name from
Burras to Layton. 1t is conjectur-
ed that Captain Smith gave away
the bride. All this happened in
December 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. 1T" was a girl and
she was called Virginia. In 1888
when Virginia was 81 the Virginia
Court officially recognized this i'm
portant event by presenting to the
distinguished young lady five acres
of land in Elizabeth City county,
Va, which lies just across Hamp-
ton Roads from the jamestown
Exposition. 1t may be interesting
to note that three other daughters
came to bless the Laydons-Cath-
crime, Alice and Margaret.
That other wedding was the IT,
tie hunting affair. 1t seems that
John Rolfe, Secretary of the Colo
ny of Virginia, succeeded in con-
vincing the royal maiden, Pocahon-
tas, that Captain John Smith, and
believing him dead. she yielded to
the opportunities of Rolfe and mar
ried him. That she loved Smith
first and always is the conclusion
of many who are familiar with the
of the colony. When
after her marriage she met
him in London she exclaimed:
they told me always that you were
dead Those words told of the
l. -