10 Resources for Researching Jamestown Ancestors Online
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A few years ago, a friend emailed to say that she was organizing a new chapter of The Jamestowne Society in my state, and she wondered if I would consider joining. It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a lineage society junkie, but I’ll admit that this one wasn’t even on my radar.
I knew that I had ancestors who were in Virginia in the early 1600s, so to humor my friend, I decided to do a little research. I picked a few names out of my genealogy software and plugged them into the ancestor database on The Jamestowne Society’s website.
And guess what I found? At least one of my ancestors is listed in the database: Thomas Gaskins/Gascoyne – born ca. 1601, died 1665, Northumberland Co. (Musters of 1623/4 and 1624/5).1Information from The Jamestowne Society’s ancestor database. I haven’t had a chance to fill out an application to join yet, but it’s definitely on my list!
Joining The Jamestown Society
On December 6, 1606, three ships, the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery, began the long journey from England to North America. The following year, 104 men and boys arrived to begin a new settlement on the James River. On May 13 of the following year, the colonists named their settlement “Jamestown” after King James I. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America.
If your ancestor meets one or more of the following requirements, he/she is considered a “qualifying ancestor.” Your ancestor qualifies if the individual:
- was a stockholder in the London Company or the Virginia Company, or a member of one of the guilds which invested in the above, during the active investment period;
- owned land on Jamestown Island or lived on the Island prior to 1700 (owning land in a neighboring area or neighboring county does NOT of itself qualify an individual);
- was a resident in Virginia at the time of the 1624/25 Muster or earlier;
- served as Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney General, Clerk of the General Court, Member of the Council or House of Burgesses prior to 1700; these persons shall be conclusively presumed to have had their domiciles on Jamestown Island during their terms of office;
- was an Anglican Church (Church of England) minister in Virginia prior to 1700; or
- served as an official Indian Interpreter in Virginia prior to 1700.
Where to Search for Your Jamestown Ancestors
If you had ancestors in the Jamestown area during that time period, the following are a few online resources in which to search for them.
The Jamestowne Society
As I mentioned earlier, I began my Jamestown ancestor search on this site. To search for ancestors, go to the Membership link in the navigation bar. You will find information about the Society, as well as links to qualifying ancestors. Go straight to the qualifying ancestors by hovering over Membership and scrolling down to the desired section. Ancestors are sorted alphabetically.
Available information includes an ancestor number, birth and death dates and locations (if known), and how they "qualified." Be sure to also check out the list of Added and Dropped Ancestors for the newest additions and those that no longer qualify.
You also won’t want to miss the list of Revolutionary War People, which is a list of persons "living in c.1770–1783, who are themselves descendants of Jamestowne Society Qualifying Ancestors or whose spouse is a descendant."
There are plenty of other resources worth checking out on this site, so be sure to browse the Resources section.
If you find a qualifying ancestor, you can order a copy of the approved application for that ancestor.
Virtual Jamestown 1624/5 Muster Databases
In June of 1624, "King James I assumed responsibility for the colony of Virginia after he dissolved the Virginia Company of London. He ordered Virginia’s leaders to make a record of the colony’s inhabitants and their provisions. This census, known as the 1624/5 Muster, is the first comprehensive account of households in British North America. In addition, it is the only extant census for seventeenth-century Virginia. A 1623/4 list of the colony’s habitants noted who survived the 1622 Indian attack and where they lived."
Details of the 1624/5 Muster are broken up into six databases. It is somewhat cumbersome to search, and each database must be searched individually. I highly recommend using the wildcard search by adding the % sign. I was unable to find my ancestor as Thomas Gascoyne or Gaskins (which is how he is listed in the Jamestowne Society’s records), but did find him as “Gaskoyne” when I did the wildcard search of "ga%".
Jamestown Rediscovery
The Jamestown Rediscovery - Historic Jamestown website offers a variety of interesting resources, including a timeline, archaeological information, and biographies of prominent Jamestown figures.
In the Genealogy Records section (History > Genealogy Records) you will find links to biographies of individual settlers, which you can download in PDF format for $4.95. Before purchasing, you can see how many "fields" are available on the report (as few as 1!), so YMMV. You can download a sample for free before purchasing.
Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
While not your typical genealogy research site, the Jamestown Settlement section of this site offers many interesting exhibits, photos, and videos for learning about the history of the area, as well as its people.
Of particular interest are The Jamestown Chronicles, a series of videos exploring "the history of Jamestown through the eyes of those who played a part in creating a new nation in a new world."
Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007
This free FamilySearch database is a series of images of collections from the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, Virginia. "The collection includes bible records, genealogy papers, and miscellaneous records. Some records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection."
Virginia Colonial Records, 1607-1853
This collection is available at Ancestry.com, and is provided courtesy of the Library of Virginia's Colonial Records Project. You will need an Ancestry.com subscription, or access to Ancestry Library Edition, in order to view the records.
The database includes "an index to nearly 15,000 reports that survey and describe documents relating to colonial Virginia history that are housed in repositories in Great Britain and other European countries."
Virtual Jamestown
While somewhat dated and difficult to search, the Virtual Jamestown website is a virtual goldmine of information. You will find maps, court records, public records, information about the Chesapeake Indians, and much more.
There are two navigation bars (top and bottom), as well as a sitemap, to help you find your way around the site. This site is worth taking the time to tour.
Pocahontas Descendants
Potential descendants of Pocahontas will want to check out this site, which includes detailed (and colorful!) charts, text lists of descendants, and an explanation of the "red, white, and blue Bollings."
Jamestown Virginia Colony Project at WikiTree
As the name implies, WikiTree isn’t just a tree. It’s also a wiki! The Jamestown Virginia Colony Project is a subproject of the U.S. Southern Colonies Project and is rich with resources.
You will find links to ancestor biographies, videos, maps, and a detailed history and timeline of the Jamestown Colony. WikiTree members with Jamestown ancestors are encouraged to participate in the project.
The First Seventeen Years: Virginia 1607-1624
Hardcore history buffs will like this one for a little light historical reading.
The full-text version of Charles E. Hatch’s book The First Seventeen Years: Virginia 1607–1624 is available for free on Archive.org. Amazon has a paperback version, as well as a Kindle version which can be downloaded for free.
Look inside the book below.
Wrap Up
If you’ve decided that you’re ready to join the Jamestown Society – or any other lineage society – take a look at this post for tips on preparing your application, How to Join a Lineage Society: 6 Tips for a Successful Application.
Have YOU found any Jamestown ancestors in your family history? What were your research strategies?
Ready to Get Started?
How to Join a Lineage Society: 6 Tips for a Successful Application
Not sure where to begin? Find out how to get started and which steps to take to successfully apply to a lineage society!
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Footnotes
- 1Information from The Jamestowne Society’s ancestor database.
Captian James Davis of the ship Virginia is my 12 G-Grandfather
That’s awesome, Luther! Have you joined – or are you considering joining – The Jamestowne Society? If so, how was the application process for you?
Something else to investigate! Great post.
Thank you, Laura! 🙂
Lots of info here – my husband has many VA lines, but most of the paper trail ends long before the Jamestown colony. The either lived in burned counties or a spaceship dropped them off.
I have quite a few of those dropped-off-by-spaceship ancestors on my mom’s side, so I can sympathize. 😛
I have a proven Revolutionary War veteran, but I don’t know any further back then that on all of my lines. Doesn’t mean I will stop looking, though! Lol
Did you check out the link to proven Rev War lines on The Jamestowne Society’s website? Might be worth a look!
Nice, detailed post about all things Jamestown. I have only one line that might — by a stretch — extend that far south…if I ever have a chance to research it 🙂
It’s quite a stretch, Molly! I think I got lucky because my ancestor is on a well-researched (not by me) line. My aunt worked on this line several years ago, but I don’t think she was aware of the Jamestown connection. And as I mentioned, neither was I until I started poking around The Jamestowne Society’s website! 🙂
Elizabeth, I have a broken link due to record loss but if I could put it together my line goes back to Thomas Harris.
That’s great, agwilderman! I hope you’re able to reconstruct the line without the lost records. Sounds like a case study might be in order? 🙂
The Jamestowne Society would be a fun one to join. I have no Southern roots and while Dave has lots in Virginia, I haven’t found anyone yet with even a remote connection to Jamestown. Oh well. . . .
Thank you for sharing the great information! If only I could break down my Taylor brick wall!
What a great list of resources! I wish the Netherlands had the kind of genealogical societies the USA does. It sounds like fun to join one. But we don’t have any, as far as I know.
Rev. Robert Bracewell is my ancestor and link to the Jamestown Society. I need Josiah Eley’s parentage to connect to Jane Bracewell who married and Eley. All other lines are established.
Good luck to you, Brenda! 🙂
Elizabeth – I was working on the Jamestowne Society’s website the other night researching a known 8th g-grandfather although I have been aware of our link(s) to this family for some time and is in both my mother and my father’s lines. However I was not prepared to find THREE more!: a 7th g-grandfather, Hon Edmund Jennings, acting gov of Virginia, Richard Ferris 8th g-grandfather, whose daughter married Robert Woodson, and William Debnam, 10th g-grandfather whose daughter Katherine, married Robert, the Immigrant, Taliaferro whose name was not on the list.
Since I am still working on the ancestors from the 17th century, perhaps, but not likely, I will find more. I had the information on these ancestors and just found their names on the list of the society this past weekend. I have been fortunate enough to prove 26 Rev War soldiers and 8 CSA soldiers – all direct ancestors. Both of my father’s grandfathers were CSA soldiers… I am SO fortunate my family is so rich in family history and I have PROVEN almost all except the Cherokee, whose written language does not go back as far as my family who intermarried with English traders and soldiers when SC and NC was one colony known as Carolina.
How more fortunate can I be?
Diane Stark McConnell Sanfilippo
That’s awesome, Diane! I hope you are writing their stories so your descendants can benefit from your research. 🙂
I wish we had lineage societies here in the Netherlands. But as far as I know, we don’t have something like that.
I am having trouble proving Lucreasy Martin married to John Woodson Lumpkin. I have Elizabeth Anderson Lumpkin (dau of Moore Lumpkin and Anne Nancy Woodson) married to Green Collier Chandler. I can prove from Green Collier Chandler to my grandmother. My line goes from John Woodson m Sarah, Robert Woodson,Sr m Elizabeth Ferris, Richard Ferris Woodson m Ann Smith, John Woodson m Elizabeth Anderson, Moore Lumpkin m Anne Nancy Woodson, John Woodson Lumpkin m Lucreasy Martin, Green Collier Chandler m Elizabeth Anderson Lumpkin and down to me. Any suggestions?
Well, you don’t mention any locations or years so it’s hard to offer recommendations, James. But if you’re looking for people in southern states in the early 1800s, I suggest searching wills, probate records, land records, and court records. There won’t be any vital records other than *maybe* for marriages, so those are your best shot. Good luck!
My mom is a member of the Collier family, that came from Jamestown. We are from Texas, around Spruger, Woodville, Tex. area. My mom name is Jennie Lee Jordan Harp. Jordan is her madian name.
I enjoy family history and I would like to know more about Jamestown.
Very cool, Sharon! Is your mom a descendant of the Jordans from Maine?
My ancestors are the White’s, Croshaw’s, Yardley’s, Flowerdew’s, Riddicks, & others. They migrated to NE NC early due to being Quakers & so much persecution. What is my best source of reference for proof of my genealogy so that I can join the Jamestown Society?
My wife’s ancestor may be Thomas Follis A2803; James City Co.: 1642 (Burgess). I would like to know and possibly help research him, his family, and his estate in Jamestown.