Lisa, Julia and others, We have been studying the very early history of Virginia, in depth. William Hancock, the immigrant was a ship builder, who came looking for forests for his ship building business in England. He like many others were of the upper class, but the Virginia Company was interested in investors. Remember, this was not a "settlement" as we think of one, it was to be a money making business. Many of those who came early, starved to death -- about 400 of them, because they had no skills. Yes, tradesmen did come, but still the gentry kept coming, and still had a difficult time surviving. Everyone forgets the terrible disease from the mosquitos in the swamps, the disasters, and other things, besides the Indian massacres. Along with that there was unrest in England, and the upper classes wanted to get away from it. The religious intolerance in many place in Europe drove many to America but that was NOT the original reason for the "Virginia Company" -- it was an investment. When these investors paid the passage of others, they were often indentured servants. For those who did this, many were given land, and William Hancock was an investor. He was given a land grant. Few were able to buy the land, because it belonged to the King and the Company. In 1619, Gov. Yeardly returned with a new charter, which gave 100 acres of land for each share that an investor had in the Virginia Company. William Hancock, came in 1620, and came under that new charter, and had purchased about 5 shares in the Company. I assume he was thinking he would get his land with forests on it for his ship building business back in England. That was probably one of the reasons he came alone, leaving his family in England. He intended to return probably when his business in the new world was set up to send the wood back to England. Another thing to remember was that a tree was 3 to 5 ft in diameter, and from 100 ft to 150 ft. tall. This was old growth timber, similar to the Red Woods of California. This was of great value in England, and Augustine came to claim his father's valuable estate. I don't know if any of this helps any of you to understand that time frame but I hope so. Ardath ]