According to the Jamestown Society, the following are qualifying ancestors for membership:

FIRST SUPPLY SHIP, January 1608

John Powell, tailor
William Spence, laborer
Nicholas Ven, laborer
Vere, laborer

SECOND SUPPLY SHIP, Fall 1608

Master Francis West, Gentlemen
Thomas Graves, Gentlemen
Rawley Chroshaw, Gentlemen

STOCKHOLDERS IN THE VIRGINIA COMPANY

In the past, “stockholders” was taken to mean only those individual stockholders/subscribers named in the Charter of 1609. There are two versions of the list of subscribers. The two lists are not identical but are nearly so. The first list may be found in Hening, William Waller, Virginia Statutes at Large, Vol. I. The second list, often referred to as “the Brown List”, may be found in Brown, Alexander, The Genesis of the United States, Vol. II, Houghton, Mifflin, & Co., Boston and New York, 1908. Click on Adventurers for a nearly complete list of Invividuals who owned shares of the Virginia Adventurer. Obviously, these lists were far short of the actual number of subscribers to the Virginia Adventure. Many of the individuals listed were also members of one or more of the Livery Companies (merchant trade guilds) of London. Members of the Livery Companies were wholesalers. They were the merchant princes of the 17c and the ones called upon to finance the wars and ventures of the sovereign.

When the 1609 “request” from the sovereign to invest in the Virginia Adventure was received by the London Livery Companies, fifty-five responded. These subscribing Livery Companies are to be found in Hening along with the names of the individual investors.

If one’s ancestor were a member of a London Livery Company that purchased stock in the Virginia Company, then that ancestor was a contributor to and a stockholder in the Virginia Company of London. By proving one’s descent from one or more members of any of the investing/subscribing Livery Companies, one is eligible for membership in the Jamestowne Society. Fortunately, most of the Livery Companies have their records, some dating back as far as the 1300’s. Often, the records of members in the 17c show the relationships between member of the same name.

VIRGINIA ADVENTURERS

The names of the persons appearing below are those listed on the Charters of 1606, 1609, 1612 and a list of stockholders in 1620. These names have been checked against names found in Alexander Brown’s “Genesis of the United States”. An attempt has been made to eliminate duplicates. Persons proving descent from any one of these individuals would be eligible to join the Jamestowne Society. Most of the following persons made contributions to the Virginia Company of London and held shares accordingly. Some shares were passed to heirs or sold after purchasing them. This list should be treated as a preliminary effort and not complete, although it is not likely to change significantly.

Virginia Adventurers: George Gerrard; Sir Thomas Gerrard; Thomas Graves; Capt. Owen Gwinn; Sir Henriy Peyton; Sir Horatio Vere; Sir George Wharton; Thomas Warre; … amongst others.

REGISTER OF QUALIFYING SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ANCESTORS:

Awbrey, Henry Burgess, 1682-92 Rappahannock

Branch, John Burgess, 1642-43 Elizabeth City
Broadhurst, Walter Burgess, 1653 Northumberland

Fowke, Gerrard Burgess, 1661-76 Westmoreland
Fowke, Thomas Burgess, 1660-76 Westmoreland

Gwin (Gwinne), Hugh Burgess, 1640, 52 Gloucester, York

Hackett, Thomas Burgess, 1653 Lancaster
Hardidge, William Burgess, 1680-93 Westmoreland

Ligon (Lyggon), Thomas Burgess, 1656 Henrico

Peyton, Valentine Burgess, 1663-64 Westmoreland
Powel, James Burgess, 1680-82 Isle of Wight
Powel, John Burgess, 1632 Water Crk - Marie’s Mount
Powel, John Burgess, 1658-76 Elizabeth City
Powell, Nathaniel, Capt. Governor, 1619, Councillor
Powell, William Burgess, 1619 James City
Read, Edward Burgess, 1680-82 Accomack
Read, Robert Burgess, 1688 York

Wade, Armiger Burgess, 1656 York
Whiting, Henry Burgess, 1680-84 Gloucester