My 1982 book -- CHOTANKERS: A Family History -- has a documented reference to
"Chotank Town" in King George County, Virginia.  You can find the book in
Prince William Library, Alexandria Library, and Library of Congress or by
inter-library loan.

This Indian Town may be of pre-1650 historical importance since federal,
state, and private sources are now putting up $1,500,000 to perserve this land
forever as a Bald Eagle habitat.  See Heeding the Call of the Wild, Washington
Post, August 4, 2001.

Or visit http://chotank.com/gindex.html for a link to the Post story.

Avon Edward Foote
Associate Professor
University of North Alabama
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>===== Original Message From Discussion of research and writing about Virginia
history              <[log in to unmask]> =====
>I'm a new member, a novelist of historical fiction, and I'm trying to find
>some good resources on life in the very early Virginia Colony (1617-1625).
>While my book is fiction, I'm trying to make it as accurate as possible.
>
>If anyone's curious, this book was inspired by the first breech of promise
>suit in VA, which was between Cecily Jordan (nee Reynolds), the widow of
>Samuel Jordan of Jordan's Journey/Beggar's Bush, and Rev. Greville
>(spelling varies) Pooley.  She ended up marrying William Farrar (of Farrar
>Is.), and one of their sons was my ancestor.  (She was widowed a total of 4
>times!)  Anyhow, that was only the starting point for the story, and from
>that spark, the rest has been pure invention.
>
>So far, my best source of information has been Ivor Noel Hume's book
>*Martin's Hundred.*  Its detailed accounts of articles found found in the
>dig there and about construction techniques have been very helpful, though
>I did later have to go back and revise my portrayal of Jamestown based upon
>the recent archeological evidence.
>
>Any other resources about day-to-day life or materials, especially first-
>hand accounts of living in and around Jamestown, would be wonderful.
>
>In important events, I can't find details on the arrival of the shipful of
>marriagable women to Jamestown, nor on the arrival of the first shipload
>blacks from the West Indies to be sold (apparently) as indentured
>servants.  And details (names of ships, sizes, dates of arrival, etc.)
>would be excellent.
>
>Also, what kind of trade between the West Indies and Europe was common at
>this time?  What was the standard of living like there?  I know they
>already had plantations and slaves, but that's it.  I've found references
>to Bermuda and Hispaniola, but nothing specific.
>
>What was New Town like in 1619?  Where was it in relation to Jamestown?
>When was the governor's mansion first built there, and what was it made
>of?  Where were court cases brought?  What would the building have looked
>like?  What are resources for court proceedings in English civil law during
>this time?
>
>
>A very specific question:
>
>When the local parson was a curcuit-rider, how were banns posted?  The rule
>from the Book of Common Prayer clearly states 3 weeks in succession, but if
>the parson wsn't the for three weeks in succession, how was this possible?
>
>Were the banns only read once?  Were they read by another member of the
>community on Sundays he wasn't present?  Could that be legal?
>
>Also, was a marriage legal if the banns weren't posted, yet a clergyman
>performed the ceremony anyway?
>
>Thank you so much for your time!
>
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