I have heard the story of Pocahontas many times but until recently I had not heard about a young man who played an important part in her story before becoming one of the first English settlers on Virginia's Eastern Shore.
Thomas Savage was just thirteen when he sailed from England in 1607 for the Jamestown colony with Captain Christopher Newport. Some accounts suggest that Thomas was passed off as the son of
King James I, others represented him as Captain Newport's son. There actually is no record of where Thomas came from or who his parents actually were. In those days children were often indentured by that early age. Young people without any prospects could go to country fairs to look for work and sign service contracts for a year or longer. Those wanting to emigrate to the New Word usually signed up for a seven year stint to work off their passage. Thomas started out his journey expecting be a laborer in the new colony. But the Captain recognized his intelligence and presumably an amiable and thoughtful personality.
Once they arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, Captain Newport joined Captain John Smith on a trade mission with the local native tribes. Thomas Savage was given, along with other gifts, to chief Powhatan who reciprocated with a bushel bag of beans and his own young servant Namontack. Apparently this type of exchange had become a common practice. The boys were to be taught their hosts' language so they could serve as interpreters, and spies. Imagine the conversation that must have taken place when Captain Newport talked Thomas into this job. Maybe he thought it would be a great adventure. Maybe he hoped that it would be easier work than cutting down trees and plowing fields.
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