Order of the First Families of Virginia facts for kids
The Order of the First Families of Virginia is a special group that started on May 11, 1912. Its main goal is to learn more about the history of Virginia. They focus on the time when Virginia was the first of the thirteen original English colonies in America. This group studies family histories and important people from that early period.
Contents
Joining the Order
The Order of the First Families of Virginia has clear rules about who can join. It is a very exclusive group.
Who Can Be a Member?
To become a member, you must be a direct descendant of someone who helped start the first lasting English colony in Virginia. This happened between 1607 and 1624.
Some ancestors might have been part of the Virginia Company of London. This company helped fund and organize the colony. If a member of this company, or their children, later lived in Virginia for at least one generation, their descendants can also qualify.
How Membership Works
The Order of the First Families of Virginia does not accept requests from people who want to join. They also do not share information about their members. You cannot ask a current member to propose you for membership. Joining is strictly by invitation only. This means the Order chooses its members.
Adventurers of Purse and Person
Even though the Order does not share its membership list, it helps publish a book called Adventurers of Purse and Person. This book shares family history details about early colonists. It covers the first six generations of these families.
The latest edition of the book was published between 2004 and 2007. It celebrated 400 years since Jamestown was founded. The book includes two main groups of early colonists:
- People who owned shares in the Virginia Company. They either came to Virginia themselves between 1607 and 1624, or their grandchildren lived there.
- Immigrants who came to Virginia between 1607 and 1625 and had descendants.
The rules for being in the Order are very similar to who is included in this book. So, if your family is in Adventurers of Purse and Person, you are likely a descendant of one of Virginia's First Families. One member described the Order as "a scholarly, quiet group."
