13. The Virginia Company Was Reimbursed After the Women Married
After a woman had chosen her husband, her husband would then have to reimburse the Virginia Company. This reimbursement included travel expenses, the land, and any furnishings. However, the compensation for the woman’s trip was “good leaf” tobacco. At first, the Virginia Company required 120 pounds of “good leaf” tobacco for reimbursement. However, this was later raised to 150 pounds. In today’s world, this would equal about $5,000. Because of the tobacco reimbursement, the wives are often referred to as “tobacco wives.”
It is also often this reimbursement which has given the impression that the Virginia Company sold Jamestown brides. However, this impression is not correct. In a time where the Virginia Company could have forced women to marry a man or kidnapped the women and bring them to the colony, it was all the woman’s choosing. Furthermore, if a man who was chosen to be a husband could not afford to pay, the marriage was not rejected. Instead, the Virginia Company would just tell him to pay when he could.