Captain James Davis, 1580 - 1623
htm
Citations:
Captain James Davis, "Relation
of a Voyage to Sagadahoc,
1607-1608," Henry S. Burrage
compiler, originally The Gorges
Society Publication, Vol. IV,
Facsimile reprint 1999 by
Heritage Books, Inc., Bowie,
Maryland,
www.heritagebooks.com, pp.
79-98
"The Sagadahoc Colony,
comprising The Relation of a
Voyage into New England;
(Lambeth Ms.)" with an
Introduction and Notes, and
Edited by The Rev. Henry O.
Thayer, A.M., first published in
Portland, Maine, 1892, reissued
in 1971 by Benmjamin Blom,
Inc., New York, NY
Sabino, Popham Colon Reader
1602-2003, edited by Andrew J.
Wahll, Paper #24. 1892 Henry
Otis Thayer, The Sagadahoc
Colony, Gorges Society IV,
Benjamin Blom, INc., 1871, pp.
136-153
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Captain James Davis, 1580 - 1623
The early settlement of New England & Virginia
The following account is pieced together from many sources of the
life, voyages and expeditions of Captain James Davis throughout
the years of the earliest settlement of New England and Virginia
before the Pilgrims arrived in 1620. (Go here to see more about Fort
Sagahadoc)
The account begins when he was 27 years old and set sail on 1st June
1607 from Plymouth, England to Virginia, and continues to his death
which was often thought to be "at his plantation over the water from
James Citte" on February 16th 1623 -- but I now tend to agree with
David Avant's conclusion that he died about ten years later in 1633/4,
as you will see when you read through my account.
Captain Davis was a founder and builder of the first English colony
in New England (Sagadahoc, Maine) which was considered to be a
northern Virginia colony in those days. After the remaining members
of that colony gave up and returned in discouragement to England in
1609, he sailed for the southern Virginia colony where he became
one its earliest settlers, one of the "ancient planters." Boddie says
that "his [Capt. James Davis'] descendants in the South can claim to
be the oldest New England family, ante dating the Mayflower by 13
years!"
London, 1606, King James Grants Charters to Colonize
Virginia
Boddie writes:
"King James I on the 10th of April 1606 granted charters for two
companies to colonize Virginia. Strachey in his "Historie of
Travaile Into Virginia," says that "one consisted of divers
knights, gentlemen, merchants, and others of the City of London,
called the First Colony (the London Company) and the other of
sundry knights, gentlement, and others of the City of Bristoll,
Exeter, and the towne of Plymouth and other places, called the
Second Colonye (the Plymouth Company)."
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Captain James Davis, 1580 - 1623
Captain George Percy's "True
Relations," Tyler's Magazine,
Vol. III.
John Bennett Boddie, 1938, "17th
Century Isle of Wight County,
Virginia"; Chapter XXIII,
"Captain James Davis of New
England and Virginia,"
originally published Chicago,
1938, Reprinted 1959,
Genealogical Publishing Co.,
Inc., Baltimore.
Captain John Smith "Travels &
Works of Captain John Smith,"
editors Edward Rrber & A.G.
Bradly (1910)
From William Strachey's
"Historie of Travaile Into Virginia
Britania," Chapter X, published
in "Gorges and The Grant of the
Province of Maine," by Henry S.
Burrage compiler, Facsimile
reprint 1999 by Heritage Books,
Inc., Bowie, Maryland,
www.heritagebooks.com, pp.
94-98.
John Camden Hotten,
"Emigrants Who Went to
America, 1600-1700," 1874, lists
compiled by John Camden
Hotten, republished on CD 2006
by Archive CD Books,
ArchiveCDBooksUSA.com
"Adventurers of Purse and
Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5"
Volume One, Families A-F,
Fourth Edition; first published in
1956; compiled and edited by
John Frederick Dorman, C.G.,
F.A.S.G., 4th edition 2004,
Genealogical Publishing Co.,
Inc., Baltimore, MD in
collaboration with the Order of
First Families of Virginia
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"Sir John Popham, Lord Chief Justice of England, had obtained
the charter to colonize nothern Virginia for the Second Colony
and in 1606 sent out a ship under Captain Henry Callons,
containing 100 or more persons. This ship was captured by the
Spanish and the persons taken to Spain and "made slaves in their
galleons."
Strachey says "Howbeyt, the aforesaid late Lord Chief Justice
would not for all this Spanish mischief give over his
determinacion for establishing a colony within the aforesaid so
goodly a country, upon the river of Sachadehoc; but againe the
next yeare prepared a greater number of planters, and better
provisions, which in two shipps he sent forth."
The Voyage from England to Sagahadoc, Maine in 1607
The "two shipps sent forth" by Sir John Popham were the "Gift of
God" commanded by Capt. George Popham and the "Mary and
John" by Captain Raleigh Gilbert. (Capt. Raleigh Gilbert was a
son of Sir Humphrey Gilbert who lost his life in the "Squirrel" on
the voyage to Newfoundland in 1583.)
Captain James Davis was master of the "Mary and John" and
he wrote an account of the voyage called "The Relation of a
voyage unto New England begun from the Lizard, ye first of June
1607." Note: The author of this Ms. is not shown, his name being
left blank on the title page, but The Rev. Henry Otis Thayer in his
account of the Sagadahoc Colony (p. 19) gives his reason for
believing that the author of "The Relation" was Captain James
Davis, which seems conclusive.
Mr. Thayer further says, "both James and Robert Davis were
assigned to office in the colony administration. It must be that
the two under the designations of 'Captain Davies and Master
Davies' were officers in command of the 'Virginia' in a voyage in
1609, to the Southern Colony. In the next year, Captain James
Davis is reported from there in command of Algernon Fort at
Point Comfort. Robert Davis of Bristol, had been master of Sir
Walter Raleigh's vessel, the barke 'Rawley' which sailed in Sir
Humfrey Gilbert's expedition of 1583. Mr. Thayer noted that
Captain John Smith mentions "among those noble captains"
connected with the planting of Sasgahadoc, were "Robert Davis,
James Davis and John Davis." And further he, Rev. Thayer,
writes that "Josselyn reports three successive voyages to the
Northwest by Captain John Davis, in 1585-6-7." And then it is
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Captain James Davis, 1580 - 1623
Conway Whittle Sam's
"Conquest of Virginia, the Second
Attempt" [out of print]
Some Southern Colonial Families,
Vol. 3, Davis Family of Virginia
and Maryland, published by
David Avant, Jr., compilation by
Charles Hughes Hamlin, Profes-
sional Genealogist, 1989, L'Avant
Publishing Co., Tallahasse,
Florida (pgs. 205-252)
Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts
of Virginia Land Patents, Book 1,
Nell Marion Nugent, Dietz
Printing Co., Richmond, VA,
1934, p. 128.
Monday, 1st June 1607 - Departure from Plymouth,
England
Order of Descendants of Ancient
Planters, 1606-1616, Raleigh,
North Carolina, website at:
www.ancientplanters.org
"Virginia Magazine," Vol. III.
John Josselyn, Chronol.
Observations; Mass. Hist. Coll., 3d
Series, Vol. 3, p. 367 found in
Thayer's The Sagadahoc Colony,
Portland, Maine, 1892.
Vide Life of John Davis, the
Navigator, 1550-1605, by C.R.
Markham (1890).
I'd like to thank Ralph E.
Marquardt, Jr., of Centreville,
Maryland, who in 1999 shared
his research notes with me about
Captain James Davis. Since that
time I've done my own research
and edited the earlier data
extensively, but it gave me a great
start. (KSD)
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Mr. Thayer who wrote that "a family of master mariners seems to
be indicated." Note: I have noted elsewhere that I have just
recently (2007) discovered what was the correct quote and
believe that many have assumed Captain John Smith was the
one to comment on the "family of master mariners," seeming
to imply and assumed by many that Robert, James and John
Davis were brothers or related in some way, and that all were
together at Sagadahoc. On reading it as originally written by
Mr. Thayer in his book, one sees quite clearly that Thayer is
the one who made that specific comment, and also when
seeing that the John Davis being referred to here was John
Davis the Navigator who died in 1605, it may be possible that
they were related in some way, but there's so far no proof of
this, and aside from this comment there is no mention or
proof that a John Davis was connected to Sagadahoc at this
time.
Capt. James Davis, in his "Relation" says, "Departed from the
Lyzard [Plymouth, England] the first day of June 1607, being
Monday about 6 of the clock in the afternoon and it bore me then
northeast by north eight leagues.
"From thence directed our course for the Islands of Flores and
Corvo (Azores) in the which we were 24 days attaining all of
which time we never saw but one saile, being a ship of Salcombe
(Village of Devonshire) bound for Newfoundland. The first day
of July being Wednesday we departed from the Island of Flores
for ten leagues S. W. of it. From hence we kept our course to the
westward until the 27th of July during which time we oftentimes
sounded but never found grounds until the 27th day of July early
in the morning we sounded and had ground in 18 Fathoms,
beinge then in latitude 43 degrees 40' fished three hours and
tooke near two hundred of Cods, very great and large fyshe,
bigger than which comes to the Banke of Newfoundland (They
passed some twenty miles S. W. of Sable Island.)
"From this point the course was set S. W." James Davis
evidently was navigating the ship for he says "6th of August I
found the ship to be in 43 d and 1/2 by my observation and from
thense seth our course and stood away due weste and saw three
other islands."
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Wednesday, 19th Auguste 1607 -- Arrival in Maine

"Wednesday being the 19th Auguste we all went to the shore

where we made choice for our plantation and there we had a
sermon delivered in by our preacher."

19 Aug 1607 - Established Fort at mouth of Kennebec River in

Maine. The colony was called the "Sagadahoc Colony." This
colony preceded the "Mayflower" landing at Plymouth, Mass.
by 13 years.

Captain John Smith says the officers of this colony by "That

honorable patron of virtue Sir John Popham were: Captain George
Popham for president. Captain Raleigh Gilbert for admiral. Edward
Harlow, Master of the Ordinance, Captain Robert Davis, Sergeant
Major, Captain Ellis Bert, Marshall, Mr. Leaman, Secretary, Captain
James Davis, to be Captain of the Fort, Mr. Gome Carew to be
searcher, all these were of the Counsel." The preacher was Richard
Seymour.

John Bennett Boiddie also says: "Captain James Davis was

Commander of the Fort extablished at the mouth of the Kennebec
River, August 19, 1607 (o.s.) by that New England Colony called the
"Sagadahoc Colony. After that colony returned to England, Captain
Davis sailed for Virginia."

6 October 1607 -- Return to England

6 October 1607, James Davis sailed for England as Captain of the

"Mary and John". His narrative in "Relation" suspends on the 6th of
October 1607 and Mr. Thayer concludes from this that it was
because James Davis sailed away for England. This vessel arrived in
England December 1st after a voyage of 53 days. A plan of Fort St.
George at Sagadahoc inscribed "taken out on the 8th of October
1607" was found in later years with the narrative.

The "Gift" also sailed from Sagadahoc Colony to England on 15 Dec

1607 and arrived at Plymouth 7 February 1608. These ships on
arriving found that Sir John Popham (President) The Chief Justice,
had died 10 Jun 1607, ten days after they had sailed away from
England to Northern Virginia.

After these ships had left Sagadohoc, the last one carrying 45
persons who wished to return to England, the settlers who remained
Began to build a ship with their limited means in the winter time in

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this bleak country and when this ship was finished, they called it the
"Virginia" and it seems to have been a staunch trust-worthy vessel.

May 1608 Return to Sagadahoc

Captain James Davis again set sail for Sagadahoc and arrived, it is
supposed, about the month of May 1608. He found the colonists had
been through a severe winter. George Popham, the first president,
had died, and Raleigh Gilbert was now the president. Sir John
Gilbert, eldest son of Sir Humphrey Gilbert and the brother of
Raleigh Gilbert, had also died in England and left his estate to his
brother Raleigh Gilbert to settle. Raleigh Gilbert desired to return to
England to settle his brothers estate and the experience the colonists
had been through, determined them to abandon the enterprise before
the coming of another winter.

17 October 1608 The Colony Gives Up & Returns to

England

In the newly arrived ship, and in the "Virginia" which they had built
(of which Captain James Davis was aboard), they embarked for
England 17 Oct 1608, and the colony in North Virginia, on the River
Sagadahoc came to an end.

In his "Conquest of Virginia, the Second Attempt," p. 567, Sams says:

"The failure of this Northern Colony is to be regretted. Had it

succeeded, the United States would have been settled by two
companies, organized under the same Charter, sympathetic with
each other, and sympathetic with England. The failure of this
colony in the North, left that region to be settled, some years
later, by another Colony, the Pilgrims, who were not in sympathy
with England, while the southern Colony on the other hand, was
typically English."

Captain Davis Returns to Virginia from England in 1609

Apparently undaunted, Captain James Davis again sailed for

Virginia on the "Virginia" on June 8th 1609 from Falmouth, England,
the largest fleet ever sent over to Virginia, full of people and
provisions. He, James Davis, was in command of the "Virginia" one
of nine vessels of the fleet known as the "Third Supply" which
assembled at Falmouth and proceeded to Virginia by way of the
Azores. It carried with it the new Charter of the Virginia Company,
which had been drafted by Sir Francis Bacon and signed by King

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James I on May 23, 1609, granting a vast extension of territory and

larger powers were given to the Company. Sams says (p. 579) "It
was a force strong enough to put the Colony on its feet, had not
misfortune awaited it."

After passing the Canary Islands the fleet encountered a great

hurricane. The vessels were scattered and the "Virginia" arrived
among the last. The ship the "Sea Adventure" carrying the fleet
commanders, Sir James Somers and Sir Thomas Gates, was wrecked
on Somers Island, now called Bermuda. The "Catch" one of the
vessels, foundered with all on board.

The ships of the Third Supply and their Captains were as follows:

"Unite" - Captain Wood - Departed England 8 (18)Jun1609 and

arrived Jamestown, Virginia 21 Aug 1609.

"Blessing" - Captain Gabriel Archer - Departed England 8 (18)

Jun 1609 arrived Jamestown, Virginia 21 Aug 1609.

"Lion" - Captain Webb - Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 and

arrived Jamestown, Virginia 21 Aug 1609.

"Falcon" - Captain John Martin - Departed England 8 (18) Jun

1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia 21 Aug 1609.

"Diamond" - Captains Ratcliffe and King - Departed England 8

(18) Jun 1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia Aug 1609.

"Swallow" - Captain Moone - Departed England 8 (18)Jun 1609

and arrived Jamestown, Virginia Aug 1609.

"Catch" - Master Matthew Fitch - Departed England 8 (18) Jun

1609 and was lost at sea with all aboard.

"Virginia" - Captain James Davis - Departed England 8 (18) Jun

1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia 3 Oct 1609.

"Sea Adventure" - Captain Christopher - With Sir Thomas Gates

and Sir James Somers on board with the new Charter of the
Virginia, Company, which had been drafted by Sir Francis Bacon
and signed by King James I on May 23 1609. This ship wrecked
on Bermuda during hurricane. The "Deliverance" and
"Patience" were built from the wreck of "Sea Adventure" and
these two ships then left Bermuda 20 May 1610 bound for

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Jamestown, Virginia and arrived there May 1610.

There were two factions at this time opposing one another in the
Virginia Company of London, and the Smith faction apparently did
not receive this fleet with any great joy. This may account for the
fact that Captain Percy, the Governor, mentions Captain James
Davis very frequently in his "True Relation" whereas the Smith
faction mentions him very little.

Sams quotes first from the writers belonging to the Smith faction as
follows: (p. 688)

"The first incident recorded is the arrival of the 'Virginia,' which

had formed one of the great fleet of nine which left England on
the eighth of June 1609. It was October when she at last reached
her destination, as the 'Catch,' one of the vessels, was known to
have foundered with all on Board, the arrival of the 'Virginia' left
only the 'Sea Adventure,' the most important of all still to be
accounted for. They thought she was certainly lost.

"The rather unimportant way the arrival of the 'Virginia' is

recorded was probably due to the fact that the Smith faction
looked upon all these vessels and their crews with little
sympathy. There is no note of rejoicing over this sheep which
was lost, being now found alive and safe; they merely say: 'The
day before the ships departed, C. Davies arrived in a small
pinnance with some sixteen proper men more.' To these were
added a company from James Town, under the command of
Captain Ratcliffe, to inhabit Point Comfort. Martin and Master
West having lost their boats, and near half their men amongst
savages, were returned to James Town. For the savages no
sooner understood of Captain's Smith's loss, but they all revolted,
and did murder and spoil all they could encounter. Nor were we
all constrained to leave only of that which Smith had only for his
own company for the rest had consumed their proportions."

Fort Algernon, The Luckless Captain Ratcliffe & The

Indians

Captain John Ratcliffe was Commander of the "Discovery," one of

the three ships which came over with the first colonists to
Jamestown. He is often referred to in narratives of those times as the
"Luckless and Ill-fated Captain Ratcliffe." It seems that Captain
Ratcliffe commanded the fort at Point Comfort called "Fort
Algernon," a favorite Christian name in the family of Percy, Earls of

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Northumberland. The Luckless Captain Ratcliffe was killed by the

Indians, and Captain James Davis succeeded him as Commander of
the fort.

Note: Robert Davis, who may or may not have been a brother
of James Davis, sailed to North Virginia with Captain James
Davis and was one of the councilors for the North Virginia
Colony (Brown's "First Republic," p. 16). He was also Master of
"The Virginia" when this vessel arrived at Jamestown in 1609.

Captain Percy's account of this in his "True Relation" is as follows

(Tyler's Magazine, Vol. III, p. 266):

" I sent Captain Ratcliffe to Powhatan to secure victals and corne

by way of commerce and trade, but Powhatan, the sly old king at
a fittinge time surprised Captain Ratcliffe whom he caused to be
bound to a tree naked with a fire afore him and by women his
flesh was scraped from his bones, with muscel shells and before
his face thrown into the fire wherefrom he miserably perished.

"Captain William Phetiplace who remained in the pinnace

escaped with only sixteen men out of fifty.

The Starving Time 1609/1610

Captain Percy's account continues:

"Upon wch defeate I sentt Capte James Davis to Algernowe

foarte to comanwnd there in Capts. Ratliefes place and Capte
West I sent to Potoamack with aboutt thirty sixe men to trade for
maize and grayne where he in short tyme loaded his pinesse
sufficyently yett used some harshe and crewell dealinge by
cutteinge of two of the savages heads and other extermetyes and
[when they left they came by] comeinge by Algernowns foarte
Capteine Davis did call unto them acquaintinge them with our
Great wants [they were starving] exhortinge them to make all the
speded they cowlde to Releve us upon wch reporte Capte: Weste
by the persuasive or rather by the inforcement of his company
hoisted upp Sayles and shaped their course directly for England
and lefte us in that extreme misery and wante."

Captain Percy during "Starving Time" nearly died of starvation along

with the others but during this "Starving Time" he undertook a trip to
Fort Algernon, and of this trip he says (p. 268):

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"By this Tyme being Reasonable well recovered of my sickness I

did undertake a jorney unto Algernowns foarte bothe to
understand how things weare there ordered as also to have bene
Revenged of the Salvages att Kekowhatan who had treacherously
slayne dyvers of our men. Our people I fownd in good care and
well lykenge haveinge concealed their plenty from us above att
James Towne.

"Beinge so well stored thatt the Crabb fishes where-with they had
fede their hoggs would have bene a greate relefe unto us and
saved many of our Lyves But their intente was for to have kept
some of the better sorte alyve and with their towe pinnesses to
have Retourned for England nott Regardinge our miseries and
wants at all; wherewith I taxed Capt: Davis and tolde him thatt I
had a full intente to bringe halfe of our men from James Towne
to be there releved and after to Retoourne them backe ageine and
bringe the reste to be susteyned there also and if all this woulde
nott serve to save our mens Lyves I purposed to bring them all
unto Algernowns foarte Tellinge Capt: Davis that another towne
or foarte mighte be erected and buylded butt mens lyves once
Loste colde never be recovered."

These Virginia Colonists became discouraged. Only 60 men were

left out of 500 and they decided to embark for England, Captain
Davis again commanded his old ship the "Virginia."

August 1610 Expedition Against the Indians

Percy's account of this proposed return is as follows (p. 270):

"Then all of us embarking ourselves, Sir Thomas Gates in the

"Deliverance" with his company, Sir George Somers in the
"Patience", Percy in the Discoverie (Discovery), and Captain
James Davis in the "Virginia." All of us sailing down the river
with full intent to have proceeded upon our voyage for England
when suddenly we spied a boat making toward us wherein we
found Captain Bruster sent from my Lorde La Ware (Lord
Deleware) who was come unto us with many gentlemen of
quality, and three hundred men besides great store of victewles
municyon and other privisions whereupon all returned to
Jamestown."

Captain James Davis was sent soon thereafter on an expedition

against the Indians and concerning this expedition Percy says (p.
273):

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"Their sayleigne some two myles down the River I sent Capt.
Davis A shoare with moste of my Sowldiers, myselfe being
wearyed before and for my owne part, but an easie foote man
was Capt: Davis. At his landeinge, he was approached by some
Indyans who spared nott to send their arrowes Amongste our
men but within A shorte Tyme he putt them to flighte and landed
withoutt further opposityon marcheinge About fowrtene myles
into the country cutt downe their corne, burned their howses,
Temples and Idolles and amongste the reste A Spacyous Temple
cleane and neattly keptt A thinge strange and seldome sene
amongste the Indyans in those partes. So havinge performed all
the spoyle he cowulde Retourned aboarde to me ageine and then
we sayled downe the River to James Towne.

"My Lord Generall not forgetting old Powhatan subtell treacery

sent a messanger unto him to demand certain Armies and Dyvrs
men who we supposed might be living in his country but he
returned no other then proud and distainfull answers.
Whereupon my Lorde being much incensed caused a
commission to be drawn wherein he appointed me Chief
Commander over seventy men and sent me to take revenge upon
the Paspaheans and Chiconamians and so shipping myself and
my soldgiers in two boats I departed from James Town the 9th of
August 1610 and the same night landed within three miles of
Paspahas town then drawing my soldiers into Battalio placing a
Captain or Lieutentant at every file we marched towards the town
having an Indian guide with me named "Kempes" whom the
Provoste Marshall led in a hand lock. This subtell savage leading
us out of the way I bastinaded him with my truncheon and
threatened to cut off his head whereupon the slave altered his
course and brought us the right way near unto the town so that
then I commanded every leader to draw away his file before me
to beset the savages houses that none might escape with a charge
not to give the alarm until I were come up unto them with the
colors. At my command I appointed Captain William West to
give the alarm the which he performed by shooting of a pistol.
And then we fell in upon them put 15 or 16 to the sword and
almost all the rest to flight, whereupon I caused my drum to beat
and drew all my soldiers to the Colors. My Lieutentant bringing
with him the Queen and her children and one indian prisoner for
the which I taxed him because he had spared them his answer
was that having them now in my custody I might do with them
what I pleased.

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"Upon the same I caused the indians heads to be cut off. And
then dispensed my files appointing my soldiers to burn their
houses and to cut down their corn growing about the town, and
after we marched with the Queen and her children to our boats
again, where being no sooner well shipped my soldiers did begin
to murmur because the Queen and children were spared. So
upon the same council being called it was agreed upon to put the
children to death the which was affected by throwing them
overboard and shooting out their brains in the water yet for all
this cruelty the soldiers were not pleased and I had much to do to
save the Queens life for that time.

"My Lord General not being well did lie a shipboard to whom we
rowed, he being joyfull of our safe return yet seemed to be
discontent because the Queen was spared as Captain Davis told
me and that it was my Lords pleasure that we should see her
dispatched. The way he thought best to burn her. To the first I
replied that having seen so much bloodshed that day now in my
cold blood I desired to see no more and for to burn her I did no
hold fitting but either by shot or sword to give he a quicker
dispatch. So turning myself from Captain Davis he did take the
Queen with two soldiers ashore and in the woods put her to the
sword and although Captain Davis told me it was my Lords
(Delaware) direction yet I am persuaded to the contrary."

An explanation of the above quotations from Percy's "True Relation"

might be made by saying that Captain James Davis was in
command of Fort Algernon on May 31, 1610 and Govenor Gates
decided to abandon the colony and sent the "Virginia" to Point
Comfort to take on Captain Davis and his men at Fort Algernon,
and while they were in the James River preparing to leave, Lord
Delaware came into the river 15 Jun 1610 with three ships (Brown,
pp. 126, 128). Lord Delaware was the new govenor appointed to
succeed Govenor Gates.

Fort Algernon May 1611 to Henrico 1616

We next find mention of Captain Davis when Sir Thomas Dale

arrived 22 May 1611 and found Davis in command at Fort Algernon
(Brown, p. 149). The two forts, Henry and Charles, which were
located on the capes bearing those names, had been abandoned and
Sir Thomas Dale ordered Captain Davis to repossess them and put
him in command of all three forts.

On 27 June 1611 some Spanish vessels arrived opposite Fort

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Algernon and according to Brown (p. 152) requested the surrender of

Captain Davis. Davis said to the Spaniards "Go to the Devil." In
Captain George Percy's account of this (Tyler III, p. 278), it seems
that when the Spaniards came to the fort, Captain Davis lay in
ambush on the shore and when they came ashore he captured their
leader Diego Malina and some of his men. After parleying with the
spaniards about their leader, he gave them a pilot to sail to James
Town, but when the pilot arrived on board, they hoisted sail and went
out to the ocean, leaving their leader in Davis's hands.

Captain Percy says that Fort Algernon burned to the ground and
"whereupon Captain Davis fearinge to receive some displeasure and
to be removed from thence the same being the most plentifulleste
place for food, he used such expedition in rebuilding of the same
again that it was almost incredible."

This is about the end of Captain Percy's "True Relation" as he sailed

on his return trip to England in 1612, so Captain Davis' activities
after that time did not receive very much mention. However, at the
close of Dale's administration in 1616, Captain James Davis had
command of the colonists in Henrico (Va. Mag., Vol. III, p. 411).

Brown (p. 228) says that Captain Smaley commanded at Henrico the
latter part of 1616 in the absence of Captain James Davis, who may
have gone on an expedition against the Indians or have made a trip to
England.

James City, Virginia 1623 - 1633 & the Question of

Captain James Davis' Death Date

It has often been noted that Captain James Davis died in Virginia,
"at his plantation over the water from James Citte," February 16,
1623, possibly killed by the Indians as there is a James Davis in the
Muster lists of the living and dead (Hotten, p. 236).

David Avant disagrees with this (see Southern Colonial Families, p.

215) for numerous reasons. For example, he notes that the James
Davis listed "among the dead" does not have the title of Captain or
Gent. and that the last record of Captain Davis showed he was in
command of the colonists at Henrico and was, therefore, not living
"over the water" but on the north side of the James River. Avant
believes that Captain James Davis, his wife Rachel, and their son
Thomas, were on a trip back to England at the time of the Musters of
the Living and Dead in 1624/5, and, therefore, were not listed. The
patent of 6 March 1633 to his son Thomas of Warwicksqueaiak in

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which Thomas was named heir apparent to "James Davis, Gent., late
of Henrico in Virginia, deceased. . . .100 acres in right of his father,
an Ancient Planter," (Virginia Land Patents, Book 1, p. 128) seems
to support the evidence that the James Davis listed as dead in 1624/5
was not our Captain James Davis. Also, both Captain James and his
wife Rachel are listed as "Ancient Planters" which are those people
who arrived in Virginia between 1606 and 1616 and remained for a
period of at least three years; they also must have paid their own
passage and survived the massacre of 1622. The Ancient Planters
then received the "first patents of land in the new world as
authorized by Sir Thomas Dale in 1618 for their personal
adventure." It's pretty clear from all the information on Captain
James Davis that he was most likely living in Henrico, Virginia from
about 1609, and on one of his many trips back and forth to England
he brought Rachel and his son Thomas back to Virginia with him.
Therefore, Avant believes that Captain James and his family returned
to Virginia from their 1624/5 trip to England, and most probably
about 10 years later Captain James died, some time closer to but
before 1633/4.

Copyright 1998 - 2009 by Kerry S. Davis

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