Captain John Smith

Captain John Smith

Captain John Smith

This article on  the biography and life of John Smith provides facts and information about:

  • Who was John Smith?
  • English explorer and a founder of the colony at Jamestown, Virginia
  • What was his involvement in the colonization of America
  • Life and Biography of John Smith
  • Interesting facts and fast information about John Smith
  • Educational resource for teachers and kids
  • Captain John Smith and Pocahontas
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The colonization of America and interesting facts about the life of Captain John Smith

Short Biography about Captain John Smith
This article contains a short biography and fast facts and information about John Smith. Who was John Smith and why was he famous? Captain John Smith (c. January 1580 – June 21, 1631) was an English explorer who helped found the colony at Jamestown, Virginia. He was also a soldier, mapmaker and trader. He was also an author who described in detail his adventures in the colony of Virginia. Captain John Smith is also famous due to his association with Pocahontas (1580-1631), the daughter of Chief Powhatan (his Native Indian name Wahunsonacock), who according to legend saved the life of John Smith after he was captured by a Powhatan hunting party (the Powhatan were Algonquian Indians).

Powaton Indians - Pocahontas saves John Smith

Pocahontas saves John Smith

30 Facts about John Smith
The following 30 facts about John Smith provide interesting facts and an overview and description of the life and times and and his involvement in the colonization of America.

30 Facts about John Smith

John Smith Fact 1John Smith was baptised on 6 January 1580. Baptism usually occurred 3 days after birth, but no birth records were kept, unlike Baptism records. He came from a family of farmers who were located near Alford, Lincolnshire, England.
 
 
John Smith Fact 2John Smith was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth, from 1592–1595
 
 
John Smith Fact 3In 1596 at the age of 16 John Smith started life at sea in the military and at first fought in the Netherlands.
 
 
John Smith Fact 4John Smith then moved on to western Europe and joined a Christian army fighting the Turks in Hungary
 
 
John Smith Fact 5The early escapades of John Smith earned him the rank of a captaincy and he was honored with a coat of arms which moved him up the social ranks in England.
 
 
John Smith Fact 6In 1606 King James I of England granted a charter to the Virginia Company to establish colonies in Virginia.
 
 
John Smith Fact 7Captain John Smith became involved on 20 December 1606  joined an expedition of three ships, the Discovery, the Susan Constant and the Godspeed, to the New World.
 
 
John Smith Fact 8On the voyage John Smith clashed with Captain Christopher Newport who was in charge of the three ships. The situation between the 2 men was so bad that Captain Newport planned to execute him upon arrival in Virginia.
 
 
John Smith Fact 9The execution never happened because when Captain Newport opened his sealed orders from the Virginia Company on April 26, 1607 he discovered, to his horror, that Captain John Smith had been designated as one of the leaders of the new colony.
 
 
John Smith Fact 10In May 1607 the Jamestown settlement was established in Virginia.
 
 
John Smith Fact 11The Powhatan Native Indians inhabited more than 100 surrounding villages. Within 2 weeks of the English arrival, deaths had occurred.
 
 
John Smith Fact 12The Powhatan Confederacy was extremely powerful and their land covered 16,000 miles and the people of its 30 Indian tribes numbered 15,000.
 
 
John Smith Fact 13By the Fall  of 1607 More than half the colonists had died from disease, starvation and from wounds caused by Native Indians.
 
 
John Smith Fact 14In December 1607 Captain John Smith was captured by a Powhatan hunting party and taken before Chief Powhatan (his Native Indian name Wahunsonacock).
 
 
John Smith Fact 15Chief Powhatan had every intention to kill John Smith but his daughter, Pocahontas (Indian name Matoaka), saved the life of John Smith by coming between him and a blow from her father.
 
 

Facts about John Smith

30 Facts about John Smith
The following 30 facts about John Smith provide interesting facts and an overview and description of the life and times and and his involvement in the colonization of America.

30 Facts about John Smith

John Smith Fact 16The encounter Powhatan leader and John Smith initiated a friendlier relationship between the natives and Smith and the colonists at Jamestown. 
 
 
John Smith Fact 17John Smith was released in January 1608.
 
 
John Smith Fact 18Chief Powhatan, intrigued by the by the new tools and weapons, helped the Jamestown colony survive by supplying the colonists with food, which they traded for blue beads.
 
 
John Smith Fact 19The friendly association between the Indians and the colonists, initiated by John Smith, resulted in a formal coronation of Chief Powhatan on September 10, 1608
 
 
John Smith Fact 20The newly formed friendship soon deteriorated and tensions between the Indians and colonists rose when livestock, owned by the colonists, were allowed to wander into the Indian cornfields.
 
 
John Smith Fact 21Dissent between the colonists also grew due to laziness and lack of supplies. Personal conflicts among John Smith and various leaders led to Captain John Smith leaving Jamestown to explore and map the Chesapeake Bay region and look for better foods supplies.
 
 
John Smith Fact 22In September 1608 John Smith was elected president of the local council instituted a policy of discipline. "He who does not work, will not eat."
 
 
John Smith Fact 23The Powhatan stopped trading with the colonists in an attempt to starve them out and the First Powhatan War erupted. The period covering the next 2 years (1609-1610) would become known as the 'Starving Time'.
 
 
John Smith Fact 24In October 1609 John Smith was badly injured by a gunpowder burn and had to return to England for treatment
 
 
John Smith Fact 25In London John Smith actively promoted the further colonization of Virginia but fell out with the Virginia Company.
 
 
John Smith Fact 26In April 1614, John Smith returned to America exploring and mapping the Maine and Massachusetts Bay areas, which he named New England.
 
 
John Smith Fact 27John Smith returned to England in 1615 where he concentrated on writing about the new colonies and the opportunities of America.
 
 
John Smith Fact 28The books of John Smith such as The Generall Historie of Virginia and The True Travels…of Captain John Smith inspired people to immigrate to America - the passengers on the Mayflower ship had been motivated by his words.
 
 
John Smith Fact 29John Smith died on June 21, 1631 in London, England. The cause of death was unspecified
 
 
John Smith Fact 30Captain John Smith was buried in an Anglican church in Hoborn London at the St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, also known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
 
 

Facts about John Smith

 

John Smith Book on New England

Captain John Smith Book on New England

John Smith
The life and biography of John Smith is presented in a short, easy fact file format that is highly suitable for kids. The facts about  are a fast and accurate way to gain a good understanding of the life of this famous man who played a major role in the colonization of America. The facts include the major events in the life of John Smith together with important dates and details of his family.

The John Smith

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