First Families of Virginia is a hereditary society composed of individuals who have proved their descent from one of the original Virginia colonists from England who primarily settled at Jamestown and along the James River and other navigable waters in the Virginia Colony during the 17th century. Most of these English colonists migrated to Virginia during the English Civil War and English Interregnum period (1642-1660) when many Royalists escaped Cromwellian England. Because most of Virginia's leading families recognized Charles II as King immediately after the execution of Charles I in 1649, Charles II is reputed to have called Virginia his "Old Dominion," a nickname that endures to the present day. This article is about the U.S. state. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... At Jamestown Settlement, replicas of Christopher Newports 3 ships are docked in the harbour. ... The James River at Cartersville The James River in the U.S. state of Virginia is 660 km (410 miles) long including its Jackson River source and drains a watershed comprising 27,019 km² (10,432 square miles). ... The 1609 charter for the Virginia colony from sea to sea The Virginia Colony refers to the English colony in North America that existed during the 17th and 18th centuries before the American Revolution. ... For other uses, see English Civil War (disambiguation). ... The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule in the land occupied by modern-day England and Wales after the English Civil War. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. ... Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Scotland and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ...

Most of these early settlers who came to Virginia were so-called "Second Sons" as a consequence of primogeniture, evolving into a society of second or third sons of English nobility who inherited land grants or land in Virginia forming part of the southern aristocracy in America. Many of these early settlers were descended from English aristocracy and some members of the First Families of Virginia also trace their ancestry to the marriage in 1614 of Pocahontas, daughter of Native American who was daughter of a Powhatan chief, and English-born John Rolfe, who had arrived in Virginia in 1611, and had become prominent and wealthy as the first to successfully develop an export cash crop for the Colony with new varieties of non-native tobacco. The combination of notable Native American and English heritage began when their only son, Thomas Rolfe, was born in 1615, and with his offspring, many of whom married other persons of FFV heritage. Primogeniture is the common law right of the first born son to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings. ... A land grant is a gift of land made by the government for projects such as roads, railroads, or especially academic institutions. ... For other uses, see Pocahontas (disambiguation). ... Chief Quanah Parker of the Quahadi Comanche Native Americans in the United States (also Indians, American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Peoples, Aboriginal Peoples, Aboriginal Americans, Amerindians, Amerinds, or Original Americans) are those indigenous peoples within the territory which is now encompassed by the continental United States, and their descendants in... This article is about the Algonquian tribe. ... This article is about the Virginia colonist. ... In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for money. ... Thomas Rolfe (January 30, 1615 - c. ...

In shorthand, families/family members and the society is referred to as FFV. Membership to FFV is by invitation only and requires nomination by three active members who personally know the prospective member. Active solicitation for membership by interested individuals typically precludes them from receiving an invitation. FFV is considered to be one of the most difficult hereditary societies to join as a consequence.

Some family names include:

• Ackiss
• Allerton
• Armistead
• Bacon
• Bailey
• Ballard
• Baskerville Robert and John Baskerville arrived 1635
• Bassett
• Bates
• Beale
• Bell--Sir Robert Bell
• Berkeley
• Belt
• Beverley
• Blair
• Bland
• Bolling
• Branch -- although Christopher Branch did not arrive until 1620
• Bray
• Bridger
• Browne of "Four Mile Tree"
• Browning
• Burwell
• Byrd
• Carter
• Cary
• Chandler
• Chichely
• Churchill
• Claiborne
• Clay(e)
• Cobbs
• Corbin
• Custis
• Cole
• Compton
• Cox
• Dabney
• Dawson
• Digges
• Dillard
• Epes
• Eppes
• Fairfax
• Farrar
• Firby
• Fitzhugh
• Garrett
• Gooch
• Gilbert
• Graves (CAPT Thomas Graves 1608)
• Grymes
• Hammond
• Hairston
• Harrison
• Hobby
• Holland
• Holt
• Hopkins
• Jenings of Ripon Hall
• Lee
• Lewis
• Lightfoot
• Limerick (Vincent Limerick 1635)
• Limbrick
• Littleton
• Lyne
• Ludwell
• Lunsford
• Martiau
• Martin
• Mathews
• Minter
• Morris
• Nelson
• Page
• Percy
• Parke
• Pendleton
• Pickett
• Presley
• Randolph
• Reavis [Edward I]
• Redd
• Robertson
• Robinson
• Rolfe
• Royall
• Scarborough
• Shackelford
• Smith of Gloucester Co.
• Spencer
• Spotswood
• Snipe
• Sullivan
• Talliaferro/Toliver
• Tayloe
• Thompson
• Thoroughgood
• Thornton
• Throckmorton
• Tredway
• Tyler
• Venable(s)
• Waller
• Ware
• Warner
• Washington
• West
• Whiting
• Whittle
• Willoughby
• Willis
• Wood
• Woodson
• Wormeley
• Yardley
• Young

Places In the United Kingdom: Bailey, Lancashire Bailey is the name of one of the British Sea Areas The Bailey, the historic centre of Durham, England In Canada: Bailey, New Brunswick Bailey Corners, Ontario Baileys Beach, Ontario Baileys Brook, Nova Scotia In the United States of America: Bailey... Baskerville is a “transitional” typeface, designed by John Baskerville in England in the mid-18th century, revived in the early 20th century and widely used for books and other long texts. ... Sir Robert Bell (d. ... The Berkeley family has an unbroken male line of descent from a Saxon ancestor before the Norman conquest of England in 1066 to the present day. ... Look up Blair in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Bolling is a surname. ... Christopher Branch (circa 1600-1682) was born in Kent County, England. ... Year 1620 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... William Byrd I (1652-1704), was the father of William Byrd II. William Byrd I (1652-1704), came from England in the late 1660s, and became a well-connected fur trader in the Richmond, Virginia area. ... Churchill redirects here. ... Custis can refer to: Eleanor Parke Custis, adopted daughter of George Washington George Washington Parke Custis, adopted son of George Washington Martha Dandridge Custis, wife of George Washington Mary Anna Custis, daughter of George Washington Parke Custis and wife of Robert E. Lee Custis Trail, a bicycle trail in Arlington... Fairfax is the name of some places in the United States of America: Fairfax, California Fairfax, Iowa Fairfax, Minnesota Fairfax, Missouri Fairfax, Ohio Fairfax, Oklahoma Fairfax, South Carolina Fairfax, South Dakota Fairfax, Vermont Fairfax, Virginia Fairfax, West Virginia Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax District, Los Angeles, California Fairfax Station, Virginia Fairfax... Firby is a toponym and family name found throughout the Anglosphere. ... Fitzhugh is a town located in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma. ... Location in the state of Virginia Formed 1727 Seat Goochland Area  - Total  - Water 751 km² (290 mi²) 14 km² (6 mi²) 1. ... Harrison (or Harrisson) is a common name with both English and Celtic origins. ... Stephen Hopkins (b. ... Thomas Lee (1690–1750), Viriginia colonist and cofounder of the Ohio Company. ... Colonel John Page (December 26, 1628-January 23, 1692), a resident of Middle Plantation on the Virginia Peninsula, was a member of the House of Burgesses and a wealthy landowner in the Virginia Colony. ... William Randolph (1650 - April 11, 1711) was a founding father, colonist and land owner who played an important role in Virginian history and politics. ... Thomas Rolfe (January 30, 1615 - c. ... Gloucester County is an historical Chesapeake county located on the Middle Peninsula of the U.S. state — officially, Commonwealth — of Virginia. ... Taliaferro, Tolliver, or Toliver, all pronounced TAH-liv-er (IPA: ),[1] is a prominent family in the United States commonwealth of Virginia. ... Taliaferro, Tolliver, or Toliver, all pronounced TAH-liv-er (IPA: ),[1] is a prominent family in the United States commonwealth of Virginia. ...

Contact

Order of the First Families of Virginia
5055 Seminary Road, #439
Alexandria, VA 22311

See also

• WITHINGTON, LOTHROP. Virginia Gleanings in England: Abstracts of 17th and 18th-Century English Wills and Administrations Relating to Virginia and Virginians: A Consolidation of Articles from The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Baltimore: Clearfield Co., 1998. 745p.

External links

• William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine article