2019 Fall Court Celebrates 125 Years
The Society of Colonial Wars in Virginia held its Fall Court on October 24 at the historic Wilton House site in Richmond at which it recognized and celebrated 125 years of existence.
Chartered in 1894 by the General Society of Colonial Wars, the Virginia group has been holding its annual Fall and Spring Courts continuously, according to current Governor Charles L. Grant. Joseph Bryan was the first Governor and Gustavus A. Walker the first Deputy Governor. The Virginia Society held its first Court on December 20, 1894 at the headquarters of the Virginia Historical Society.
The 125th Fall Court included a presentation by David M. Givens, Director of Archaeology at Jamestowne Rediscovery Foundation, on the excavations and historical research being conducted in and about the Memorial Church that served the Virginia Colony in 1617. This church was the site of the meeting of the first Virginia General Assembly, whose 400th anniversary was the subject of a year-long celebration in 2019.
Governor Charles Grant convened the Court at the Wilton House with forty Warriors and guests in attendance.
“The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Virginia is proud to commemorate the lives and work of our colonial ancestors who established what would later become The United States of America, and to also celebrate the125th anniversary of the founding of the Virginia Society itself,” said Grant.
Givens explained the historical research on the Jamestowne church design and layout that led to the effort to locate gravesites in the original church plan. He described in detail the digs that proceeded after ground penetrating radar located the burial chambers for a number of colonists. Chief among the discoveries are the possible remains of George Yeardley, an early Governor of the Virginia Colony.
In a business meeting ahead of the dinner and speaker, warriors John Gurkin Adamson, Gerald Lawrence Runyan, and Alan Bryant Noel were elected to serve as the Class of 2019 on the Council of the Chapter, with three year terms expiring in 2022.
