e, which in other places was allowed." He
thought it an excellent spot except "we cannot secure it, if a forraigne
enemy, as we have just caus to expect daily should attempt it."

The settlement grew slowly as the report of John Rolfe in 1616 shows:
"At Keqoughtan, being not farr from the mouth of the river, thirty-seven
miles below James Towne on the same side, are twenty [persons] whereof
eleven are Farmors. All these also mayntayne themselves as the former.
Captain George Webb Commander, Mr. William Mays Mynister there."

At this time it ranked fifth in size of the then existing six Virginia
settlements. Only Dale's Gift on Eastern Shore was smaller. The largest
at the time was Bermuda Hundred with its 119 persons. Jamestown was
second with fifty. Although small it can be assumed that since 1611,
although much a military post, it was changing. Rolfe relates that there
were women and children "in every place some" and where there are women
and children there is family life.

In 1619 the settlement of Kecoughtan was captained by William Tucker and
he and William Capps represented the settlement in the first House of
Burgesses. It was evidently on their petition that the Assembly was
asked "to change the savage name of Kiccowtan, and to give that
Incorporation a new name." It was so ordered, and the new name was
Elizabeth City after the daughter of King James.

The next five years saw extensive growth in this area including the
assignment of 3,000 acres of Company land, 1,500 acres for common use
and 100 acres for a glebe. In 1620 some Frenchmen were sent to the Buck
Roe section to instruct the colonists in planting mulberries and vines
and in sericulture and viniculture. In 1621 Captain Thomas Newce came as
manager of the Company lands and obtained a grant of 600 acres for
himself. The resident minister at the time was Reverend James Stockton
who took a rather dim view of Indian character.

The massacre of 1622 did not leave any dead at Elizabeth City. This
appears to have been due in part to the good work of Captain Newce who
took defensive measures and made plans to alleviate the suffering
resulting from the Indian devastation. The massacre stimulated the
growth of population in Elizabeth City which still, however, was not
immune from Indian attack as witnessed by the four who were killed in
September, 1622.

William Tucker of Elizabeth City was one of those whom Wyatt called on
to lead punitive attacks on the