THESE LAST NAMES ARRIVED AT JAMESTOWN BEFORE THE MAYFLOWER — IS YOURS ONE OF THEM?

The Mayflower is not the beginning of American ancestry. In 1607 — thirteen years before the Mayflower — three ships landed on the James River in Virginia. By 1619 Jamestown had survived wars, starvation, and the 1609-10 starving time. On July 30 1619 it hosted the first representative legislature in North American history. 20 surnames documented in the 1624/25 Virginia Muster — the most important genealogical document in early American history — that were in Jamestown before the Mayflower sailed. DAVIS — 4.4 million Americans. Freeman on the Bona Nova 1619. Virginia Muster verified. HALL — 2.4 million Americans. Freeman at the Treasurer's Plantation on the Bona Nova 1620 — the same year the Mayflower crossed. HILL — 1.7 million Americans. Servant of Sgt. Barry in Elizabeth City, Bona Nova 1619. JORDAN — 1.7 million Americans. Elected burgess at the first Virginia General Assembly July 30 1619 — the first representative legislature in North American history. EVANS — 1.3 million Americans. Servant of Sgt. Barry on the Bona Nova 1619. HAMPTON — 1 million Americans. Head of household in Elizabeth City on the Bona Nova. Hampton Virginia named for this early settler community. KNIGHT — 600,000 Americans. In the household of Captain Samuel Mathews — later elected Governor of Virginia 1658. POWELL — 550,000 Americans. Elected burgess at the first Virginia General Assembly 1619. First elected representative in American history. TUCKER — 450,000 Americans. Elected burgess at the first Virginia General Assembly 1619. Represented Kecoughtan. BARRY — 350,000 Americans. Head of household with fifteen servants in Elizabeth City 1619. Most powerful military figure in early Elizabeth City. GOODMAN — 250,000 Americans. Freeman on the Bona Nova. The Goodman name appears in both Jamestown 1619 AND Plymouth Colony 1620 — two different men, two different ships. JEFFERSON — 200,000 Americans. John Jefferson documented in James City on the Bona Nova. The Jefferson family name in Virginia before Thomas Jefferson's grandfather was born. HATFIELD — 60,000 Americans. Joseph Hattfild on the Bona Nova 1619. The same name that defined Appalachian mountain culture 250 years later. WOODSON — 50,000 Americans. Dr. John Woodson arrived 1619. During the 1622 attack his wife held the door while he fired from above. Both survived. First Family of Virginia. GASKIN — 40,000 Americans. Thomas Gaskoyne head of household on the Eastern Shore, Bona Nova 1619. Modern variant of Gascoyne. CROWDER — 30,000 Americans. Hugh Crowder head of Crowder's Plantation in James City, Bona Nova 1619. ROLFE — 20,000 Americans. Arrived Virginia 1610 via Sea Venture shipwreck. Married Pocahontas 1614. Introduced commercial tobacco. Their son Thomas Rolfe has living documented descendants. FLOWERDEW — rare. Arrived Virginia 1609 — eleven years before the Mayflower. Returned 1619 as wife of Governor Yeardley. Flowerdew Hundred plantation named for her. CLAXON — rare. Servant of George Sandys, Treasurer of the Virginia Company, who completed his Ovid translation in Virginia — one of the first literary works in colonial America. DORIE — rare. Head of household in Elizabeth City on the Bona Nova 1620. THE DOCUMENT THAT PROVES IT The 1624/25 Virginia Muster is the most important genealogical document in early American history. It records every person in the Virginia colony with their ship and arrival date. It is digitised, searchable, and free at virtualjamestown.org. DISCLAIMER All surnames verified against the 1624/25 Virginia Muster at virtualjamestown.org and usgwarchives.net. Surname frequency data from US Census Bureau. The Jefferson family connection to President Thomas Jefferson is based on documented Virginia colonial ancestry — the specific generational chain from John Jefferson in the 1619 muster to Thomas Jefferson requires further genealogical verification. Joseph Hattfild connection to the Appalachian Hatfield family is a genealogical question not definitively resolved. This video is for educational purposes. #JamestownAncestry #JamestownLastNames #BeforeTheMayflower #JamestownVirginia #FirstFamiliesVirginia #ColonialAncestry #VirginiaGenealogy #1619Jamestown #JamestownHistory #VirginiaColony #BonaNovaShip #ColonialVirginia #AmericanGenealogy #FamilyHistory #GenealogyResearch #AncestryDNA #VirginiaAncestry #FirstAmericans #JamestownSettlers #JeffersonAncestry #RolfeFamily #Pocahontas #VirginiaGenealogy #DavisSurname #JordanSurname #HillSurname #HallSurname #AmericanBloodlines #FindYourRoots #FamilyTree #ColonialAmerica #1607Jamestown #VirginiaHistory #OldestAmericanSurnames #BritishColonial