Summary Of The Formation Of A Society On Virginia By James R. Perry

1302 Words6 Pages

Historians know very few details about the development of society in Virginia during the first half of the seventeenth century, particularly after the termination of the Virginia Company in 1624. The typical characterizations of a society were for the most part absent in the early settlements of Virginia. There were no strong religious bonds, contractual foundations, or nuclear families. James R. Perry’s The Formation of a Society on Virginia 's Eastern Shore, 1615-1655 examines the extent to which social unity characterized the people who settled across the Chesapeake Bay from James City during the first generation after the fall of the Virginia Company though an analysis that focuses on individuals, the interactions between the individuals, and the connections that formed as a result of the bonds. Through the network analysis and information obtained from surviving county court books, Perry contends that settlement was methodical and the local societies that developed demonstrated an interconnection sufficient to sustaining …show more content…

Chapter five of the work shows that over one half of the outstanding accounts of deceased residents were with landholders that lived less than three miles from their tract of land. However, the location of creditors expanded for merchants and other commissioners as their debts ranged not only to the mainland, but also across the Atlantic Ocean. Next, Perry discusses the institutional framework of the colony that emerged as a result of the need to maintain the integrity of the community. Local commissioners appointed as a result of age, economic position, kin networks, and experience acted in elite positions similar to that of a justice of the peace in local populations. In addition to a court system, the power of local commissioners upheld the law and provided legal assistance for those in