The Jamestowne Society

From Braswell Branches Vol. VI, No. 3, Summer 1997

Excerpts from a letter:

On 5/8/95 The Jamestowne Society approved Rev. Robert BRACEWELL, 1612-1668, as a qualifying ancestor for membership in The Jamestowne Society.

Miss Ima Eula Mewborn, a North Carolina member of The Jamestowne Society, submitted the application with her lineage going through Robert BRACEWELL’s daughter, Rebecca who married William WEST, well known for his participation in BACON’s Rebellion.

Rev. BRACEWELL’s election to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1653 gave him the qualification needed. As you know, he was asked to resign based on the issue of separation of church and state.

Early in 1995 I learned that Walter Chiles, an ancestor for part of the Anson Co., NC BRASWELLs through the STUBBS family of South Carolina, was a qualifying ancestor for membership in The Jamestowne Society. In an effort to have an interesting presentation for the annual BRASWELL family reunion in Anson County, I decided to join…

Later in 1995 I discovered that Rev. Robert BRACEWELL was a qualifying ancestor. With this information, I switched research and documentation of all my eleven generations to Rev. BRACEWELL, and my membership in The Jamestowne Society was approved early in 1997.

This documentation opens way for the descendants of Richard BRASWELL (1755-1839) and Sampson BRASWELL (1757-1831) who moved from Wayne County to Anson County, North Carolina, for membership in The Society.

“The purpose of The Jamestowne Society is to discover and record names of living descendants of the early settlers who made the sacrifices to establish our English speaking nation and to do homage to the birthplace of Virginia and the nation.

Members must be descendants of those who owned land or had domiciles in Jamestowne prior to 1700, or descendants of stockholders in the London Company or the Virginia Company or other colonial government officers. Members of the House of Burgesses prior to 1700 are assumed to have had at least temporary domicile at Jamestowne and are accepted as ancestors.”

Membership in The Jamestowne Society is based upon:
A member sponsor who recommends a person for membership based on knowledge of his direct, documented lineage, character, etc.

If the Board approves the recommendation, then The Jamestowne Society Governor issues an invitation, and an application is sent to the applicant, with one year allotted to complete and submit the application with full documentation on each generation.

The application with each generation fully documented proving all connections, is submitted with $200.00 lifetime membership fee.

The Society’s genealogist verifies all documentation. If the application passes, membership is granted.

The Society meets twice a year, in Williamsburg, Virginia in the spring and in Richmond, Virginia in the fall. The members attend a luncheon with an expert speaking on Colonial issues or genealogy.

This spring in Williamsburg a tour of the archeological work at the Fort in Jamestowne will follow the luncheon... We’ll attend our first meeting this May. Several states, such as NC, TX, etc., have local Chapters, requiring national membership first.

I think the descendants of Rev. Robert BRACEWELL might like to know of his being a qualifying ancestor for membership in The Jamestowne Society, but they must have a sponsor to join. I am “burned out” in working on the BRASWELLs and have begun the work on my husband’s family and his Tidewater Virginia heritage. Therefore I am willing to sponsor…people whom I know, but I am not willing to sponsor anybody else…

One note, as a working gal, I could not have done the research and documentation required without the wonderful help of William Wayne Braswell of Hopkins, SC and the late Irene Braswell Kiker in their book, The Braswell Family, 1985; Guy and Mildred Braswell of Anson County, NC, who provided the fleshed-out history of many of our BRASWELL ancestors including document citations; Jimmy Braswell of Chesterfield, SC, for documentary help; and Zelda Braswell Wood of Smithfield, NC, who provided some document copies and help with the Wayne County Braswells. I stood on some tall shoulders!

[This member is too busy to answer mail on this issue so his/her identity is withheld.]

The Jamestowne Society’s web site is located at here.