It was a day in charming April, 1613, when Rolfe and Pocahontas stooda t the marriage altar....
There were yet but few women in the colony, and these, soon after thism emorable event, returned to native England. The 'ninety youngwomen, p ure and uncorrupted,' whom the wise Sandys caused to be sentto Virgini a, as wives for the planters, did not arrive until sevenyears later. A ll then at Jamestown were at the marriage. Theletters of the time hav e transmitted to us the names of some of them:Mrs. John Rolfe, with h er child (doubtless of the family of thebridegroom); Mrs. Eaton and ch ild; and Mrs. Horton and grandchild,with her maidservant, Elizabeth Pa rsons, who, on a Christmas-evebefore, had married Thomas Powell, were y et in Virginia...."
And from Jamestown: The Perilous Adventure:
"The SEA VENTURE was a doomed ship, Secretary Strachey continued, butb y God's providential care not a passenger was lost. All of usreached o ne of the island safely and later salvaged much of ourequipment and mo st of our provisions.....
Admiral Somers told of the effort they had made to send word of theirf ate to Jamestown. The long boat had been salvaged from the SEAVENTURE , and soon after their arrival in the Bermudas, Master's MateHenry Rav ens had rowed away with Cape Merchant Thomas Whittingham andsix sailor s bound for the Virginia Settlement. They were never seenagain, thoug h beacons had been kept burning upon a Bermudianpromontory for two moo ns.
And so the months had passed. The wedding of Thomas Powell andElizabe th Parsons had been celebrated in the strange, beautiful landof Bermud a...."
The Bermuda Regional says:
"Gates allowed Somers about 20 men, including two of the fourcarpenter s on SEA VENTURE, but no salvage material wasavailable....Built entire ly of local cedar, save for one piece ofiron in the keel, this first B ermudian ship was launched at the endof April, 1610.
As the two ships were readied to resume the interrupted voyage, thecom pany looked back upon what would become a storiedexperience....there h ad been a marriage (Thomas Powell and ElizabethParsons)..."
