The following is a good discussion of the port situation of Williamsburg
and vicinity:

Mary A. Stephenson. Queen Mary's Port (Capitol Landing), Princess Anne's
Port (College Landing), 1699-1800. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Research Report Series, RR-147.

Many of these CWF reports were microfiched years ago as a set (I've
forgotten by whom), but I'd imagine Alderman Library would have the set.
The John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library of CWF definitely has this on the
shelf. 


-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Henry Wiencek
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 3:21 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Was Williamsburg ever "quite a port"?

In his 1873 newspaper statement about being the son of Thomas Jefferson
and Sally Hemings, Madison Hemings stated that his ancestor Capt.
Hemings was "captain of an English trading vessel which sailed between
England and Williamsburg, Va., then quite a port."  He is speaking about
the 1730s.  Is it correct to say that Williamsburg was "quite a port"?
Though Williamsburg had a landing accessible from the York River by
Queen's Creek, and I found a reference to a "Comptroller of the port of
Williamsburg" in 1773, I have never heard Williamsburg described as a
major port. This may seem like a trivial point, but it is one of several
assertions in Madison Hemings'
narrative that seem to be wrong and I am trying to pin them all down.

I am not trying to launch a general Hemings/Jefferson discussion, and if
anyone has any comments on that broader subject I will be happy to
receive them off-list.

Henry Wiencek
Charlottesville