captain thomas mumford

Thomas Mumford.

The first Mumford name in Virginia was Thomas Mumford I. He was one of 120 settlers who arrived in the colony in the John & Francis and the Phenix about February 1608/9. The “First Supply,” as they called this tiny fleet, dropped anchor at Jamestown only about nine months after the first colonists arrived there on 13 May 1607. Mumford was among the small band of fourteen explorers who accompanied Capt. John Smith on his exploration of Chesapeake Bay in 1608. Thomas also accompanied Captain Smith on his second voyage leaving Jamestown 20 July and returning 7 September 1608. Smith mentioned Thomas frequently in his narratives. Mumford was a member of the Second Virginia Company of London in 1609 and so he may have returned to England. Back in Virginia, he acquired three patents for land, all near the Nansemond River. They were for 200 acres on 5 March 1646/7 , for 700 acres on 24 October 1650 , and for 300 acres on 18 February 1664/5. This Thomas Mumford is likely the ancestor of the Mumford and Munford families of Virginia. Some early records depict the name “Mountford.” Because of the similarity of names, we believe that Thomas was the father of two children who later appeared in the records of York and Gloucester Counties: Thomas <7236.htm> [7236.1] and Edward Mumford <7236.htm> [7236.2].