The First Seventeen Years Virginia 1607-1624

by Charles E. Hatch

A permanent settlement was the objective. Support, financial and popular, came from a cross section of English life. It seems obvious from accounts and papers of the period that it was generally thought that Virginia was being settled for the glory of God, for the honor of the King, for the welfare of England, and for the advancement of the Company and its individual members.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

118 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't a particularly well-written book, but I found it absolutely fascinating to track the year-by-year expansion (and sometimes regression) of the English colonists in and around Jamestown. So my four stars definitely come from personal enjoyment of the work, rather than due to its quality story-telling. I would really only recommend it to hard-core history buffs interested in the earliest history of the English colonies in the United States.

[Sandi Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genealogy being one of my passions - along with reading obviously! - my book list includes innumberable volumes strictly for historical research. This book is for diehard ancestral seekers like me and has its place as an invaluable aide to investigation.

[Donna Peake · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is so hard to believe all that these early settlers to Virginia had to endure to survive. Great to know that after all these years Virginia is still going STRONG, God Bless Her.

[Kim Dennis · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh...

This book was free, and I'm really glad I didn't pay anything for it. It didn't come with a synopsis, or I don't know that I would have gotten it -- even free. The first part of it was basically and economic history of Virginia's first 17 years. The last part was an almost census-like list of who was living where and what they owned during the massacre of 1622. There was very little else. When I read historical books, I'm looking for stories about people. There were a couple of things that made me perk up, but that's about it. It might be a good book if you have ancestors that lived in Virginia and want to see their names in print, but that's about it.

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The initial colonial thrust was a corporate land grab and subsequent economic exploitation of people who, if absent divergent morphological traits, were then differentiated on the basis of a standing measurable wealth for the purpose of continued subjugation and exploitation. Class.
Any notions of egalitarianism are simply absent in the class society cloned from its European dna.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a gem for one specific thing - the list of plantations. Though perhaps scant, it does an incredible job of listing and then detailing summary information regarding those plantations founded after Jamestown's settling.

[Reeds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book incredibly interesting.

[Mary Dayhoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used this booklet to research genealogy back to Jamestown and surrounding "plantations" in Virginia.

[Lisa Poor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve given this “booklet” 5 stars for its reference value; it’s not a novel, not even kind of. But if a reader is interested in the history, the information is very detailed. It would be a great source for genealogical research.

[Kathi Olsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have an interest in Jamestown because of American history and because I have family that survived this era. It is written in locations and time frames. Not written in a story form but very informative. Jamestown had its' troubles but was also very successful in many ways not usually told.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tediously factual
Good info on the various plantations

[Matt Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and well-written, but dated.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of the book was very interesting to read. However, remembering this is a HISTORY book conveying a lot of information in 140 pages, the book delivered data pieces after data pieces. Using a lot of quotes from letters, pamphlets, articles, etc. you felt the language of the era. Some on Ancestry have faulted the book for typos but I believe most of those were not typos at all. The writer also used terminology and spelling of the era in the non-quote areas as well.

A must and fairly quick read for a history book, especially for the Jamestown area.