The 'true story' of an American Legend, Part 1
I mentioned last time that Sharon's 11th great-grandfather managed to get himself captured by the Powhatan tribe while on an explore with John Smith. I also said that the details we have were meager and that I would check Smith's History of Virginia to see if I could find out anything else. Well, I did that and guess what? I didn't find anymore than the barebones story I mentioned. Nothing in Smith's account gives a good idea of when Graves' capture took place, though it cannot have occured when Smith was captured in 1607 because Graves didn't arrive in the settlement until the next year. Smith does recount other forays and encounters with members of the tribes, but I couldn't tell if any of the members of these expeditions were captured. We'll just have to assume that's what happened. I've mentioned and used Smith's History in previous posts. It has been a much used and quoted source for the founding of Jamestown and the colonization of