Mistress Forrest facts for kids

Mistress Forrest (whose real name was Margaret Foxe) and her maid, Anne Burras, were the first two European women to arrive in the Virginia Colony. They landed on October 1, 1608, as part of what was called the "Second Supply." This was a trip where ships brought more people and supplies to the Jamestown, Virginia settlement.

They traveled on an English ship named the Mary and Margaret (sometimes called Mary-Margaret). Captain Christopher Newport was in charge of the ship. Mistress Forrest's husband, Thomas Forrest (colonist), was also on board. He was listed as a "gentleman," which meant he was from a wealthy family and didn't have to do manual labor. Margaret and Thomas had married a few years earlier, on August 16, 1605, in London, England.

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  Colonial History by Captain John Smith 1624

Arriving in Jamestown

Mistress Forrest and Anne Burras were very important because they were the first European women to reach the Jamestown colony. Their arrival in 1608 marked a new step for the settlement, which had mostly been men until then.

Anne Burras later married a colonist named John Laydon. Both of them were still living in Jamestown in 1625, according to official records. However, Mistress Forrest is not mentioned again in historical documents after her arrival. Historians believe she might have passed away soon after reaching Jamestown.

Mistress Forrest in Art

Mistress Forrest and her husband, Thomas Forrest, are shown in a famous painting called The Baptism of Pocahontas. This painting is located in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. It shows an important moment in early American history, even though Mistress Forrest's exact role in the colony was brief.