Membership Information

Welcome!

If you are interested in joining the Jamestowne Society, and/or if you want more information on becoming a member of the Chesapeake Bay Company, you've come to the right place! The Jamestowne Society's membership is large and growing, especially due to heightened interest created in 2007 for the 400th Anniversary of the First Permanent English Settlement in America. The elaborate celebration in 2007 and the attention it garnered still serve as a reminder of your responsibility to honor your Jamestowne ancestors by getting your papers in order and applying!

Information on joining the national Jamestowne Society is available from the national Society website. You may browse the Qualifying Ancestor Index to see the listings. Information on applying for membership can be accessed through the Membership Process and Application section on the Jamestowne Society site.

Members of the Jamestowne Society may choose to belong to as many as two of the Companies (chapters) which serve members regionally. Companies are located across the United States, and the Jamestowne Society Companies page on the national site lists them all, complete with contact information.

The Chesapeake Bay Company is headquartered in the Northern Neck of Virginia, an early area into which those arriving in Jamestown moved as soon as it was open for settlement. The Northern Neck of Virginia includes the counties of Westmoreland, Northumberland, Richmond (County not City), Lancaster, and King George. The peninsula lies between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers, sites of early exploration by Capt. John Smith and a group of Jamestowners.

We also serve the upper part of the area known as Middle Peninsula, which is adjacent to the Northern Neck, and includes the counties of Essex and Middlesex, which lie along the southern border of the Rappahannock River. Our meetings take place generally in the area in which we serve, though occasionally we may go farther afield. Town names you may recognize from the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula are King George, Montross, Warsaw, Tappahannock, Heathsville, Callao, Lancaster, Kilmarnock, Irvington, White Stone, Reedville, Saluda, Urbanna.

The Northern Neck/Middle Peninsula is alive with history, and Society members who live some distance from us may find it attractive to join our Company so that they can spend some time in this quiet rural area, researching genealogy at the local historical societies' libraries, at the county courthouses, and touring the many historic sites. Historic sites within the Northern Neck include the Lee family home, Stratford Hall, home to not only General Robert E. Lee, but also to the only two brothers who were Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee. Visitors would also want to include Wakefield, now known as George Washington Birthplace National Monument, maintained by the US Park Service, which is the site of George Washington's birth, and the site of earlier Washingtons' residence on Pope's Creek . Both Stratford and Wakefield have sophisticated visitor centers with multimedia presentations and museums.

There are modern accommodations in towns in the Northern Neck/Middle Peninsula, as well as quaint and historic bed and breakfast locations. The five-star Tides Inn, anchored at Irvington, is in the Northern Neck. A visit to the Northern Neck/Middle Peninsula can be quite a treat!

There are too many sites of historic interest to name individually in this general area - there are ancient plantations, some with surviving homes, that can easily be located. The rivers that punctuate and define these peninsulas were the early highways, carrying commerce and visitors. Colonists attended churches by use of rivers and creeks. If you encounter a local church from colonial days in this area, you will find a river or creek or stream nearby, even if it is today not in use or its course has been diverted. State historic markers dot the landscape here so routinely, we have to remember to stop and re-read them. History is literally just under the surface here.

Our meetings are twice a year, with the option for a field trip as an added event. Information on upcoming meetings is posted on the website and shared with members and prospective members via the Bowsprit, our e-letter which is also printed and mailed to those without e-mail capability.

If you're already a member of the Jamestowne Society, we would love to have you join us. Starting out with our first membership meeting in May 2006, we are growing and would enjoy having you with us on the journey. If you are not a member of the national Society, but know you have a Jamestowne Ancestor and are interested in applying to the national Society, we would love to hear from you (maybe you'll choose to join us as well). If you have questions, send an e-mail, and you will receive a prompt response. Joining a heritage society is something people often put off, with the idea they will "get around to it" - usually when they are older. However, we recently had an officer of the Company who is still in high school! There's never enough time to learn all you can about Historic Jamestowne and your connection to it - so it's time to begin!