Thirty-second in a series of biographical sketches of qualifying ancestors of the Jamestowne Society whose descendants belong to the First Mississippi Company Thomas Savage arrived in Jamestown in 1608 at the age of 13 on the John and Francis; soon thereafter, Captain Newport gave him to Chief Powhatan to learn the Algonquin language and promote trade between the English and the Indians. Powhatan was fond of Savage, and he lived at Werowocomoco among the Indians for nearly three years until the First Anglo-Powhatan War (1609-1614) broke out. In 1610, aware that he might be in danger, Savage invented an excuse to go to Jamestown on an errand and stayed there.
Peace then prevailed after the 1614 marriage of John Rolfe and Pocahontas. Savage returned to Werowocomoco to try, with Ralph Hamor, to help arrange a marriage between Powhatan’s youngest daughter and Sir Thomas Dale. When Powhatan saw Savage again, he scolded Savage for escaping: “My childe you are welcome, you have bin a straunger to me these foure yeers, at what time I gave you to go to Paspahae [Jamestown] . . . to see your friends, and till now you never returned.” What Savage did between 1614 and 1619 is unknown, but by 1619 he was living on the John Martin plantation. In 1621 Savage and John Pory went to the Eastern Shore where the Occohannock and Accomack Indians lived on two trading expeditions. The tribes were friendly to the English and Savage became good friends with Esmy Shichans, the Laughing King of the Eastern Shore. By 1618 Powhatan was dead, and Opechancanough controlled the Powhatans. He then plotted to kill the English by poisoning them with a deadly plant found in Accomack and needed to obtain it from Esmy Schicans, who refused to give it to him. Shichans warned Savage of the danger; Savage informed Governor Sir Francis Wyatt, who believed Opechancanough wanted peace and did not heed the warning. On 22 March 1622, Opechancanough led the Powhatans in an attack that killed over 347 colonists, beginning the Second Anglo-Indian War (1622-1632). Governor Yardley and William Eppes forced Savage to serve as the official interpreter of Accomack from 1625 to 1627. In 1621 Esmy Shichans gave Savage 9,000 acres of land in Accomack that became and still is known as Savage’s Neck. In 1623 Savage married Hannah (also called Ann) who had come to VA in 1621 on the Seaflower. Their son John, born in 1624, served in the House of Burgesses. Savage prospered as a fur trader and established a plantation called Savage’s Choice, having been an Ancient Planter, as well as Indian Interpreter. He died before September 1633, when his son John inherited his land. His wife Ann had remarried planter Daniel Cugley by 1638. Later John Pory wrote about Savage’s service as an Indian interpreter: “With much honestie and good successe hath [Savage] served the publicke without any publicke recompence; yet had an arrow shot through his body in their service.” Thomas Savage is an ancestor of First Mississippi Company Member Rebecca Bryars Hayes
19 Comments
Janet Howard
2/7/2021 12:39:01 pm
The information here is amazing. It is wonderful to read about some of my ancestors and watch them come to life!
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Cassie Vandiver
9/5/2021 05:53:27 pm
Good to know that my bloodline came over peaceful and was welcomed ❤️
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Chloe Savage Hoffmann
1/3/2022 02:49:23 pm
My grandfather, Jerome Savage, always told us that some great grandfather was "adopted" by Powhatan. I'm so excited to find some record of the story!
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Amanda Carmichael
2/18/2022 11:29:27 pm
Thomas was my 11th great grandfather.
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Bree Cowdrey
1/19/2024 03:52:54 pm
Thomas Savage was my 8x great grandfather. His life story is fascinating!
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Thomas was my wife's 9th great grandfather. Her line:
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Tom Savage
11/3/2023 10:35:34 pm
My name is Thomas Littleton Savage
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Gail Hughes
6/25/2022 06:56:51 pm
Searching for Stephen Harnage Sr. B. 1672 Died 1719 I have his will
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Gail Hughes
7/14/2022 04:59:59 pm
Please contact me.
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Thomas Savage
4/21/2023 04:45:17 pm
Pdxsavlyfe89@gmail.com
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11/5/2022 03:46:07 am
Each nature style everybody soldier. Wear born create result teacher adult. Media land my.
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Rachel Savage
3/6/2023 02:51:14 pm
So are well all in the comments related? Very cool to see so many people looking at his story!
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Barry Banks
4/6/2023 09:39:57 pm
I wonder if we could be related
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Pamela Harris
7/3/2023 03:17:45 am
Since there is no proof of who Ensign Thomas Savages's parents were, I'm assuming he was one of these warf kidnapped children....for surely at 13, he knew who his parents were and would have told his wife and son John who his people were and there would be a record somewhere...there is none...I believe Newport had something to do with this and the boy took the name Thomas Savage as coming from Cheshire to seemingly come from affluence and it was easy for Newport to then give him to Powhatan because he belonged to no one....there's no way Thomas Savage was from the Savages of Rocksavage or there would be record of his birth even if illegitimate....we are probably not Savages at all...and there is no connecting DNA to that family...but we can trace us back to him who ever he is...so who are we...we know who we are...we just don't know who he was....one would think since he sent his son John to be educated in England there would be records at that university of family or visitors...is there??? Perhaps a closer look at records of Newport exchanges will tell something....I imagine we are warf rats of no royal heritage on this side.....but for the accomplishments of Thomas in Virginia as he certainly played an important role as an independent man in history...we remain proud...tho no doubt....not Savages.....
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Devin Savage
10/19/2023 11:55:09 pm
I would say that statement carries far more assumptions then the chances of Thomas being a natural born Savage from Cheshire, England. The fact from all records he was a savage (more accurately stated as salvage due to popular misspelling of names spoken to officials) is a more solid indicator of him actually being one then not. Still interesting food for thought
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William Hurst
9/8/2023 12:00:15 am
Thomas was my 12th Great Grandfather, would love to connect with kin
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Lisa Ritchie
12/24/2023 07:41:13 pm
My Mother was daughter of James Aubrey Savage. working back father of father: Next was James Oliver Savage, Cordy Young Savage, Pryer Savage, Caleb Savage I, Nathaniel William littleton Spiers Savage (dont know whats up with the name LOL), Thomas Savage III, Thomas Savage, Capt. John W Savage, and Capt. Thomas Savage.
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Shelby Popp
3/12/2024 07:50:08 pm
I recognized several names that you listed! Pryer and Abel were brothers, my family is from Abel's side :)
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4/23/2024 04:24:00 pm
My name is John Gillam, 111 and Thomas Savage is my 12th great grandfather also. I look forward to hearing from you. My telephone number is 703-622-3265 and we live in Naples Florida.
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To Our ContributorsWe welcome properly researched contributions of ancestor profiles, vignettes and comments from members that focus on their ancestors’ roles in Jamestown’s history, plus other aspects of their lives, events and experiences in the colony. PLEASE NOTE that all information must be documented and backed up by primary source documents, and not unverifiable information and family and urban legends. Submissions without this backup may be rejected. Please limit contributions and blog entries solely to the ancestors themselves, and do not include subsequent lineage information. Entries should be no more than 400 words. Archives
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