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Story
November 16, 1858
Kanawha Valley Star
Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia
What is this article about?
The term 'First Family of Virginia' originated in early colonial times when planters paid 100 pounds of tobacco for the passage of women to marry; those paying only 75 pounds were ranked as second families, though none admit it.
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OCR Quality
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Full Text
The origination of the term, the First
Family of Virginia, is thus explained
by an exchange: In the early settlement
of that State it was found impossible to
colonize it unless women went there.--
Accordingly, a ship load was sent out,
but no planter was allowed to marry one
of them, until he had paid one hundred
pounds of tobacco for her passage. When
the second ship load came, no one would
pay more than seventy-five pounds for the
matrimonial privilege, except it were a
very superior article. Consequently the
descendants of all those who were sold
for one hundred pounds of tobacco were
ranked as first families, while those who
brought but seventy-five pounds are now
ranked as second families; and the rea-
son why no one can ever find any of the
second families, is because you can't get
a Virginian to admit that his mother only
brought seventy-five pounds of tobacco.
Family of Virginia, is thus explained
by an exchange: In the early settlement
of that State it was found impossible to
colonize it unless women went there.--
Accordingly, a ship load was sent out,
but no planter was allowed to marry one
of them, until he had paid one hundred
pounds of tobacco for her passage. When
the second ship load came, no one would
pay more than seventy-five pounds for the
matrimonial privilege, except it were a
very superior article. Consequently the
descendants of all those who were sold
for one hundred pounds of tobacco were
ranked as first families, while those who
brought but seventy-five pounds are now
ranked as second families; and the rea-
son why no one can ever find any of the
second families, is because you can't get
a Virginian to admit that his mother only
brought seventy-five pounds of tobacco.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
Historical Event
What themes does it cover?
Social Manners
What keywords are associated?
First Families Virginia
Tobacco Passage
Colonial Marriage
Virginia Settlers
Social Ranking
Where did it happen?
Virginia
Story Details
Location
Virginia
Event Date
Early Settlement Of Virginia
Story Details
In early Virginia colonization, women were sent by ship, and planters paid 100 pounds of tobacco for their passage to marry them; later shipments fetched only 75 pounds, leading to 'first families' for the higher price and 'second families' for the lower, though none claim the latter.