17th Century
SUSANNA HARVEY HOPTON
In searching for early colonial ladies for my continuing Founding Mothers blog, I came upon one who does not quite fit the bill but is so outstanding that I decided to include her, anyhow.
Frances Grenville
She was now probably the richest woman in the colony, with two large plantations, very attractive to a prospective groom.
LYDIA BUSHROD CHEESMAN
Cheesman may have embraced Bacon’s plans to make war on Virginia’s Indians. It also appears that Lydia agreed with, or even encouraged, his actions.
JANE DICKENSON, FOUNDING MOTHER
Female indentured servants were not often well treated. Beatings and sexual assault were not infrequent.
ELIZABETH WORMELEY KEMP LUNSFORD SMITH
By April, 1656, Elizabeth, being referred to as Lady (or Dame) Lunsford, was doing business under her own name. After all, she still had the 1200-acre Rich Neck as well as the developing new plantation. Her annual income from all that tobacco was pretty substantial.
Those left decided they had had enough. With only a handful of people left, the desire to return to England was in most people’s minds.
ANNE ORTHWOOD
Despite the hardship that Anne went through, she will be remembered for the attitudes of councils. Which laws the court would choose, rule by, or ignore was based on how the people in the community felt about the case being prosecuted. With criminal conduct cases, the court acted upon moral justification rather than law. In paternity cases, they acted upon the community’s best financial interests, finding a responsible party to take the burden off themselves.
ANNE JACKSON, SURVIVOR
Starting in 1619, the company advertised for sensible, honest young ladies to join the men in Virginia and marry if they found someone who could attract them.
ANNE BURRAS LAYTON
They had the first child to survive in the New World in December 1609. And they named her Virginia.
GRACE NEALE WATERS ROBBINS
In another of a continuing series of sagas of our foremothers, today we discuss Grace Robbins.