Many thanks to Cousin Larry E. Newsome for his contribution to the Newsom Family history. He presents a rich period of history in the Newsom (Newsham) Family and brings stale facts to life.

A fictional accounting, based on not just some of the known facts, but most all of the known facts, of how events might have transpired that brought them to the Jamestown, Virginia Colony in 1635 and beyond. This also will shed some light on how it may have been possible for William Newsham to have married 4 different women, which has puzzled many Newsom researchers. This account has stayed as close to historical accuracy as possible. The only proper name that is totally fictional is that of Rafe Hedges. All the rest come from actual proper Christian first names and surnames and then place names

In the 16th century, the raising of cattle, sheep, pigs, barley, oats, wheat and hay was central to a way of life of most in the Lancashire countryside. William Newsham was a member of an influential and wealthy Lancashire farming family. He was born in 1584 at Newsham Hall farm, near the Ribble River and the town of Preston in Northwest England, about 20 miles east of the Irish Sea coast. He was very familiar with the smell of livestock, fresh cut hay and barley and hard work.

For most, opportunity was limited to farming and the raising of livestock. It was only in some of the larger towns that life differed. Vocation was usually the product of one's birth. If one had been fortunate enough to have been born the offspring of a professional or town merchant, then life was easier to that of most. Travel was slow and it was limited to walking, riding horses or horse drawn carriage or maybe watercraft where it could be used on rivers, canals or the open sea.

William's father was Robert Newsham who was born in Newsham Hall 1553. He had married Elizabeth Sherbourne, daughter of Sir Richard Sherbourne, a knight and deputy lieutenant of Queen Elizabeth I. He inherited the estate of Newsham Hall at the death of his father, George Newsham, who died in 1585, a year after William's birth. Robert and Elizabeth had 4 sons and 5 daughters. By 1590, Robert had grown tired of farming and longed to do things different. He had a real love for the sea which he had discovered on family visits to the Irish sea.

In 1593 he built a house in Bispham by the Irish sea, 20 miles to the west of Newsham Hall and began to think about yielding control of Newsham Hall to his sons, Richard, William and Thomas. He moved to Bispham by the turn of the century, at age 47. The operation of the farm fell to the older boys. George, the youngest boy and their 5 girls moved with them to Bispham. Richard who was 21 in 1600 was delegated overall head of the farm and cattle. William age17 was given control and management of all the other livestock and working animals while Thomas, age 15 was given control of all the plowing and planting of the crops. Labor came from indentured folk who lived on or near Newsham Hall property or in nearby villages, who looked to the Newshams for work, food and help. Young William was especially fond of the large English workhorses. Sheep and pigs were raised also for clothing and food.

In 1605,William met Lucille Singleton of Singleton Hall near the village of Goosenargh. Later that same year they were married at Newsham Hall. Over the course of the next 5 years older brother Richard and his wife Barbara quietly sought total control of the farm and by the birth of Williams first son in 1610, who was also named Richard, the farm had come under control of the elder Richard. Under this arrangement William and Thomas began to think of leaving Newsham Hall. After a couple of years, they purchased a small farm near Fulwood called Bartle 5 miles south. Now 26 and 24 respectively, William and Thomas, still not married, moved to their new home. William Jr. was born at Newsham Hall in 1614 just before the family moved to Bartle. It was a small farm with 2 small Thatched Roofed houses and a barn. Only 15 long acres, it easily accommodated the 9 cows,3 horses and sheep and pigs that they brought with them as part of their settlement after leaving Newsham. It was while here that Thomas met his wife. Ann Hedges was the daughter of Rafe Hedges who owned a neighboring farm but was originally from Chalberry near Oxford. Thomas and Ann grew tired of life in the countryside and later moved to London where he became a tailor. Ann had taught him the craft of sewing and hemming.

At the age of 6 William Jr. returned to Newsham Hall for better schooling and to learn better farming methods. At age 10 in 1624, William Jrs. Grandfather Robert died and was buried in Bispham at age 71.Growing up back at Newsham Hall, William Jr. loved going to St. Anne's Catholic Church. This was mainly due to each Lord's day after awaking, and morning prayers and devotions were said in the Manor Chapel, that afterwards, a large family breakfast was taken in the great dining room at the hall. A wonderful meal of back bacon, gammon, eggs, freshly baked bread and porridge and milk. A breaking of the fast that young William never forgot. Then the family would attend church, with most of the family being taken by horse drawn carriage and the younger boys doing what young William loved best, riding and racing horses to church and back.

It was 2 miles to the church in the village of Woodplumpton. However, by 1630 William Jr. had grown disenchanted with the doctrine and teachings of the Catholic church. Sometimes after arriving at church he would see a merchant or ale maid in the church stocks for the minor offense of selling rancid meat or watered down ale to customers. Others were dunked in a small pond while sitting in the cuckstool for other related trespasses. These corporal punishments ordered and authorized by the Catholic church bothered him greatly.

In 1631, the young William, now 17, met and married Penelope Ramsey, but the church disallowed the marriage and it was annulled. This further embittered young William and he thusly renounced Catholism after finding comfort in the doctrine and teachings of the new Church of England. In 1632, after several bad years, due to crop failures and disease in the cattle, William's uncle, Richard, began to consider selling Newsham Hall farm and began to look in earnest for a buyer. In 1633, William married a second time, however this marriage soon failed as the family of Sarah Fisher refused to give its blessing to the union and after a few months, William allowed the young woman of 15, to return home to her family. He was given a writ of divorce from the Church of England. Finally in 1635, William married Elizabeth Wilson, an older girl of 20 and he seemed to be very happy with his new bride.

At about this time the news of the new world in the Americas began to be bantered about on the byways and footpaths of Lancashire. There were advertisements posted and appearing in all the towns and villages of England, Ireland and Scotland. The news detailed the offer from a company called 'The Virginia Company of London", that was offering 50 acres of land for each passage paid to the New World, for anyone signing up to go to Virginia. About this same time Uncle Richard accomplished the sale of Newsham Hall to Thomas Wilson, gentleman, from the town of Wrightington and his wife. The proceeds of the sale allowed William to be paid back wages and a settlement of more than 2000 pounds. With no where to go, young William, and his new bride, found themselves in a bit of a quandary. The news of their new wealth found its way to others in Lancashire and several of these approached William about going to the new world, overseeing and financing their going also. They promised to work and help him develop a new estate in the new colony of Virginia in return for their passage.

He realized that with the sale of the family home place, a new start in a new place might be just what he needed. After much thought and planning, He commissioned the needed transportation to London for himself and 11 other people, including both former wives, who held no grudges against him and had heard of his plans and who also looked for a fresh beginning. His entourage left Newsham by carriage and wagons on August 10th, 1635. On his way south towards London, he made plans to stop and visit with his father and two brothers at Bartle, to inform them of his plans and to try to enlist them in his venture. However it was to no avail as they thought William just a little daft and were quite happy where they were there in Bartle.

After arrival in London, William found his way to the docks on the Thames near Gravesend, standing alone on the dock, he observed the ship 'George', the ship he was to purchase passage on and he wondered long and hard if he had made a good decision. An Atlantic Ocean crossing was no easy thing, but he determined that it was too late to turn back now, so on the 20th of August, he boarded the ship for passage to Virginia which was scheduled to depart around dawn on the 21st.He paid 92 pounds for passage for himself, his companions, plus freight on the ship to Jamestown Virginia.

Intending to farm his land in Virginia, he had brought two plows with harness and other tools and impliments that would be useful in farming. He had these items boarded below deck along with his wife's and his own personal baggage. The Captain was Master John Severne, a veteran seaman with many Atlantic crossings already under his belt. At dawn on the morning of the 21st of August the ship "George" had it's moorings released and upped it's sails, heading east up the Thames River towards the open sea. The ship carried almost 175 crew and passengers. The trip down the Thames was very scenic and enjoyable. The crew seemed in good spirits and the passengers settled in. It was late afternoon and almost dark when the ship arrived at the mouth of the Thames and into the open ocean. The pitching and lurching of the vessel started to make many seasick. The ship now turned to the southwest and the long voyage of almost 2 months had begun.

On October 15th, 1635 land was sighted and the voyage was almost over. Rev. Richard James led the passengers in a prayer of thanksgiving for a safe crossing and hope for the future. Dawn on the 16th of October found the "George" anchored off the spit of land that was the village of Jamestown Virginia. Lowering the Longboats, the families Banks and Greene accompanied Captain Severne ashore first. The rest soon eagerly followed in an orderly fashion with the baggage, supplies and freight coming off later that same day. That 1st day was spent trying to organize the supplies and storing it safely along with arranging for sleeping space that night in an open area behind Jamestown's wooden wall fortifications that afternoon. Jamestown which was founded in 1607, the at first friendly Indians now continued to menace Jamestown periodically and it wasn't considered safe outside the settlements fortifications. William's wife Elizabeth didn't fare well on the Atlantic crossing and was still feeling the voyages effects. She was not well at all. The available rations did not sit well with her and she continued to sicken almost daily.

William and others who had paid passages were eager to see the land that had been promised them by the London Virginia Company. After a week in Jamestown, a representative of the company who was a member of the colony took them on an expedition outside Jamestown to show them their new property. The Newsham property was some 7 miles south and east of Jamestown in an area called Rich Neck by the resident Colonists.

Five years after their arrival at Jamestown and several attacks by the Indians later and after having built a rather large home place on what he now called the Rich Neck Plantation. He found himself once again without a wife as Elizabeth succumbed to illness due to the effects of the voyage and the rigors of life as a colonist in the new world. She hadn't been prepared for the hardship of life in the New World. After burying her and really feeling alone in the world, William wondered what else could befall him. Shortly thereafter he began to notice a young maiden by the name of Gertrude at the Jamestown fortress. He hadn't observed her before and figured that she had come to Jamestown by herself on one of the recent ships to arrive with new colonists. After meeting her he learned that his assessment about her was wrong that she had been born in Jamestown around 1614, now 27 years of age and very pleasant to the eye, William took her for his 4th wife about a year after Elizabeth's death.

It was a constant struggle to build, farm and fight Indians, always watchful and somewhat fearful of trying to raise a family in such a seemingly dangerous situation William and Gertrude put off having a family for some years. Finally in 1648 she gave birth to William Jr. and two years later a girl, Alice was born in 1650. They figured, probably rightly, that if they were to ever have children that they had better be about doing it. Such was life in the new Virginia Colony and the beginning of the Newsom's in America.

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