Sea Venture at Sea, 1609
My Uncle Carl completed his research on our family geneaology, and has traced the Proctors from Boone County, Missouri in 1817 (Micajah Gipson Proctor settled near to what is Sapp, Missouri prior to the Missouri Compromise) — to Jamestown in 1610.
Before settling in Missouri, our ancestors were pioneers in Lincoln County Kentucky when it was still Kentucky County and part of Virginia in the 1760′s. And before that – pilgrims in Jamestown, Virginia in 1610. One of my ancestors, George Proctor–the first Proctor of our line born on American soil–was a small landowner in Henrico County who participated in Bacon’s Rebellion, which is regarded as the first colonial uprising.
Our first ancestor, ’John The Immigrant’, departed England in 1609 aboard the Sea Venture, which was a part of The Virginia Company. The Sea Venture was caught in a hurricane, seperated from its flotilla, and wrecked off the coast of Bermuda. John Proctor and 149 of his comrades built two ships (“pinnances”), ‘Patience’ and ‘Deliverance’, from the debris of the wreckage, and completed the journey–fulfilling the mission, and bringing badly needed supplies to Jamestown in May 1610.
This was the year following the hard winter of 1609 that left only 60 of the original 214 settlers from 1607. John Proctor was in the same group with, and contemporaries with tobacco entrepreneur John Rolfe, who married Pocahantas, the favored daughter of the Algonquian chief Powhatan.
Some theorize that Shakespeare set ‘The Tempest’ on Bermuda and intended the characters to reflect early American persons and events.
[...] Bordley, North YorkshireBy Les Proctor on September 17, 2009 John Graye Proctor was the first Proctor in the New World, and arrived aboard the two pinnances that were built from [...]
According to documents at the museum in Jamestown, Virgina, {Copies of which I had given to me by my mother Vida Proctor Morgan, who visited that museum in the late 1970s} John Proctor, our ancestor actually came on the Seaventure with servants in 1607, not 1609, to establish a plantation near Jamestown. His wife, Alis came from Middlesex, England with a son and daughter, furniture, supplies, and servants in 1621The shipping list of what she brought is also at the museum.
Mr. Proctor,
I am also a descendant of John Proctor, though our name is now spelled differently, and I have no idea why. I would like to get copies of the picture of the Sea Venture, the same that you have on your story. Can you tell me where I can them?
Hello Les,
I just stumbled on the House of Proctor site and we are related ;>. Our family could always trace ourselves back to Little Page Proctor, who fought in the Revolutionary War, but we could never dig farther back than that. I only wish my mom and dad were alive…they would have really enjoyed knowing that we could be traced to Jamestown and beyond. It is also nice to know we aren’t decended from horse thieves, as my dad would say jokingly.
Best regards,
Lisa Proctor Sereno
Bonjour Jacques! We’re distant cousins then… I can’t remember exactly where I found it. But I’ll search around a bit and let you know.
Hi Lisa, yes I think Joe Proctor’s done an extraordinary job with the House of Proctor geneaology website. It certainly gives you a different perspective on history to think my ancestors were with the group of pioneers who accompanied Daniel Boone through the Cumberland Gap and then on to Missouri.
Thank you for the kind words about my website. I appreciate that very much, and I am glad to see someone getting info of interest.
JoeP
Joe, it’s true. Thank you. What a great resource you’ve created! I would love to find more information about John Nicholas Proctor in Middlesex, London. Seems that period’s a bit sketchy because of everything that was going on with the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Act of Supremacy, etc.