Individual Details
Captain James DAVIS
(1575 - 16 Feb 1623)
King James I on the 10th of April 1606 granted charters for two companies to colonize Virginia. Strachey in his "Historie of Travaile Into Virginia" says that "one consisted of divers knights, gentlemen, merchants and others of the City of London, called the First Colony (the London Company) and the other of sundry knights, gentlemen, and others of the City of Bristoll, Exeter, and the towne of Plymouth and other places called the Second Colonys (the Plymouth Company)." Sir John Popham, Lord Chief Justice of England, had obtained the charter to colonize northern Virginia for the Second Colony, and in 1606 sent out a ship under Captain Henry Callons, containing 100 or more persons taken to Spain and "made slaves in their galleons." Strachey says "Howbeyt, the aforesaid late Lord Chief Justice would not for all this Spanish mischief give over his determination for establishing a colony within the aforesaid so goodly a country, upon the river of Sachadehoc; but againe the next yeare prepared a greater number of planters, and better provisions, which in two shipps he set forth." These two ships were the "Gift of God" commanded by Capt. George Popham and the "Mary and John" by Captain Raleigh Gilbert. Captain James Davis was master of the "Mary and John," and he wrote an account of the voyage called "The Relation of a voyage unto New England begun from the Lizard, ye first of June 1607."
Captain James Davis was one of the chief military officers of the original settlement of Jamestown, Virginia. The name Davis is Welsh, and it is said that the Davis family of Maryland derives from ancient Welsh rulers, going back to the Prince of Parvis, who fought with the Anglo-Saxons in the seventh century.
Captain James Davis, the first of his line in America, was born in England ca. 1580, and was a son of Sir Thomas Davis, a member of the board of directors of the London Company and later of the Virginia Company. This Davis family took an active part in the overseas expansion and one of them, Captain John Davis the explorer, gave his name to Davis Strait, which lies between Greenland and Canada. This was part of the long sought Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean.
Captain James Davis was put in charge of the first venture of the London Company to America, and on August 19, 1607, he established a fort at the mouth of the Kennebec River in Maine, the colony being called the Sagadahoe Colony. This colony proceeded the Mayflower landing at Plymouth,Massachusetts, by 15 years. Robert Davis, probably a brother of James,was sergeant major of Fort Sagadahoe. This colony, like the colony which the first Lord Baltimore tried to establish in Newfoundland a generation later, was abandoned because of the severity of the winters.
In 1608, Captain Davis went to England and returned with more colonists and supplies, but the colony was abandoned the next year, because the difficulties were too great. Captain Davis returned to England in the little pinnace Virginia built at Fort Sagadahoe. The next year, 1609, Captain James was in command of one of the nine vessels of the fleet known as the Third Supply, which assembled at Falmouth and proceeded to Virginia by way of the Azores. It carried with it the charter of the Virginia Company, which had been drafted by Sir Francis Bacon and signed by King James I on May 23, 1609.
After passing the Canary Islands the fleet encountered a great at huicane, and ships carrying the fleet commmanders, Sir James Somers and Thomas Gates, were wrecked on Somers Island, now call Bermuda. This incident inspired William Shakespeare to write his great play "The Tempest", which some claim was written by Sir Francis Bacon and not by Shakespeare.
The ship of Captain James Davis survived the storm and arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, on October 3, 1609. Captain Davis was put in command of the fort at Old Point Comfort, and the following year, he led a campaign against the Indians and established forts at Cape Charles and Cape Henry which controlled the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.
Captain James Davis had a wife, Rachel. His son, Major Thomas Davis, was born at Jamestown in 1613. Captain Davis became commander of Henrico County, Virginia in 1616 and died in 1683. From First Families of Howard County, Maryland
Captain James Davis was one of the chief military officers of the original settlement of Jamestown, Virginia. The name Davis is Welsh, and it is said that the Davis family of Maryland derives from ancient Welsh rulers, going back to the Prince of Parvis, who fought with the Anglo-Saxons in the seventh century.
Captain James Davis, the first of his line in America, was born in England ca. 1580, and was a son of Sir Thomas Davis, a member of the board of directors of the London Company and later of the Virginia Company. This Davis family took an active part in the overseas expansion and one of them, Captain John Davis the explorer, gave his name to Davis Strait, which lies between Greenland and Canada. This was part of the long sought Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean.
Captain James Davis was put in charge of the first venture of the London Company to America, and on August 19, 1607, he established a fort at the mouth of the Kennebec River in Maine, the colony being called the Sagadahoe Colony. This colony proceeded the Mayflower landing at Plymouth,Massachusetts, by 15 years. Robert Davis, probably a brother of James,was sergeant major of Fort Sagadahoe. This colony, like the colony which the first Lord Baltimore tried to establish in Newfoundland a generation later, was abandoned because of the severity of the winters.
In 1608, Captain Davis went to England and returned with more colonists and supplies, but the colony was abandoned the next year, because the difficulties were too great. Captain Davis returned to England in the little pinnace Virginia built at Fort Sagadahoe. The next year, 1609, Captain James was in command of one of the nine vessels of the fleet known as the Third Supply, which assembled at Falmouth and proceeded to Virginia by way of the Azores. It carried with it the charter of the Virginia Company, which had been drafted by Sir Francis Bacon and signed by King James I on May 23, 1609.
After passing the Canary Islands the fleet encountered a great at huicane, and ships carrying the fleet commmanders, Sir James Somers and Thomas Gates, were wrecked on Somers Island, now call Bermuda. This incident inspired William Shakespeare to write his great play "The Tempest", which some claim was written by Sir Francis Bacon and not by Shakespeare.
The ship of Captain James Davis survived the storm and arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, on October 3, 1609. Captain Davis was put in command of the fort at Old Point Comfort, and the following year, he led a campaign against the Indians and established forts at Cape Charles and Cape Henry which controlled the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.
Captain James Davis had a wife, Rachel. His son, Major Thomas Davis, was born at Jamestown in 1613. Captain Davis became commander of Henrico County, Virginia in 1616 and died in 1683. From First Families of Howard County, Maryland
Events
| Birth | 1575 | Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England | |||
| Christen | Abt 1580 | ||||
| Occupation | 1607 | Captain. Original settler of Jamestown, VA. Pilot of the "Mary and John" and Raleigh Gilbert's officer during the attempt to establish a colony in Maine. Departed Plymouth, England 31 May 1607; arrived Sagadahoc, Maine 16 August 1607. Colony abandoned 17 October 1608. "Mary and John"and "Virginia | |||
| Arrival | 19 Aug 1607 | Captain James Davis was Commander of the Fort established at the mouth of the Kennebec River, August 19, 1607 (o. South ) by that New England colony called the Sagadahoc Colony. After that colony returned to England, Captain Davis sailed for Virginia., Sagadahoc, Maine |  | ||
| Arrival | 3 Oct 1609 | James Davis went to Jamestown, Virginia. Was from Second Colony (Plymouth Company) composed of people from "City of Briistol, Exeter, and the towne of Plymouth and other places." | |||
| Burial | Feb 1623 | Jamestown, Virginia | |||
| Death | 16 Feb 1623 | Jamestown, James City, Virginia, United States | |||
| Occupation | Original settler of Jamestown |
Families
| Spouse | Rachel KEYES (1588 - 1633) |
| Child | John DAVIS Sr. (1610 - 1665) |
| Father | Sir Thomas Rhys DAVIES (1550 - 1601) |
| Mother | Elizabeth LAWRENCE (1552 - 1589) |