a.

The Eastern Shore was now well established. In 1624 its first
representatives, Captain John Willcox and Henry Watkins, were sent to
the Assembly which met at Jamestown in March. It appears that a
minister, the Rev. Francis Bolton, served here for a time. Others moved
over from the western shore including Lady Elizabeth, widow of Sir
Thomas Dale. Few, it seems, came directly from Europe to Virginia's
Eastern Shore. Most came after a sojourn in one, or more, of the
settlements along the James.

ELIZABETH CITY (KECOUGHTAN) (40)

Early in 1625 the community of Elizabeth City, or rather the communities
that made up Elizabeth City, could count some 359 persons. This included
those "Beyond Hampton River" earlier referred to as "At Bucke Row." In
the year before, 1624, this area had counted some 349 (thirty at "Bucke
Roe") and in that year a total of 101 had died. These figures indicate
both a high mortality as well as a high rate of immigration into this
section. Elizabeth City, in 1625, was the largest community in Virginia,
much larger than James City and its Island with its 175 persons (218 in
1624), which held second place in population.

In 1625 it was an established community including 279 males and eighty
females. Four were negroes. More than twenty-five per cent were living
beyond Hampton River. It had the large total of eighty-nine houses
besides twenty stores, all beyond Hampton River, and twenty-four
palisadoes. Its supplies of corn and fish were large and ample compared
with other settlements although it was weak in livestock and poultry
when viewed in comparison with Jamestown and some of the upriver
communities. Although strong in small arms, it had a major allotment of
ordnance. It did boast of six boats. Excepting Jamestown, this was the
largest fleet in the Colony although the Eastern Shore was close with
its five.

There were fifty-four separate musters or groups in Elizabeth City with
the largest of them being that of Capt. William Tucker including his
wife and daughter, "borne in Virginia in August," and eighteen others.
Among these were three negroes, Antoney, Isabell and "William theire
Child Baptised." There was, too, the muster of the ancient planters John
and Anne Laydon and their four girls, all Virginia "borne." The oldest
of them was the first child born in the Colony. Nicolas Martiau was
listed here, as was Ensign Thomas Willoby and Edward Waters. In addition
to the fifty-four musters,