There is a reference on pages 386-387 in The Virginia Adventure, by Ivor
Noel Hume. He described one ship in 1619 which had 90 women sent out as
housewives, and another ship in 1620 with an additional 100 women. There is
a comment that earlier ships carried "corrupt" women. The author speculates
on the moral character of women who would "go to the edge of the earth to be
sold like breeding stock to men they didn't know." There are a number of
primary references. Charles E. Hatch Jr., in The First Seventeen Years, one
of the Jamestown Historical Booklets (University Press of Virginia 1957)
discusses each of the settlements established between 1607 and 1624 and
comments on the number of women in each of the settlements.

Richard Dixon

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paul Finkelman
Sent: Sunday, November 22, 2009 6:07 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VA-HIST] early shiploads of people

Sometime around 1618 or 1619 the Va. Company sent a boatload or two of women
(mostly prostitutes I believe) to the colony.  Can anyone point me to a
quick description of this (or post it on the list).  I want to add a
sentence or two about this to a book chapter I am rewriting, as an example
of the nature of labor in the early colony.

Thanks

 ----
Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, NY  12208


518-445-3386 (p)
518-445-3363 (f)


[log in to unmask]


www.paulfinkelman.com




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