10. The Advertisements and Sudden Influx of Applications for Marriage Immigration
There were many things the Virginia Company had to work out when they started advertising for women to resettle in Jamestown. One of these problems was convincing socially acceptable women with stable backgrounds to immigrate. Once again, to fix this problem, the Virginia Company used England’s social standards to promote their deal. In 17th century England, the majority of landowners were noble people or royals. This concept meant that, to the English woman, owning land was a high honor and a dream come true.
Therefore, when the English women began seeing advertisements offering land if they applied to go to Jamestown, many of them started to apply for the offer. In fact, so many women decided to sign up over time that the competition remained active. The documents which were discovered in England details that women showcased themselves as well as they could to be approved. The tried to show the best of not only their background but also their intentions for going and skills they possessed. These documents further show that the English women had limited opportunities compared to what the Virginia Company was offering, especially if the women did not initially want to immigrate due to the terrifying stories of life in Jamestown.