By Bob Walsh
Thomas West was the governor of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia back in 1610. He was later joined by three of his brothers and several other male relatives.
DNA of several of the skeletons in the Jamestown Anglican church yard were studied carefully. There was enough DNA material for a match down the female line, called a mitochondrial haplogroup. It seems that Governor Thomas West was, in fact, a bastard. Being born on the wrong side of the blanket could be a very big thing back then, especially at the upper reaches of society.
It is distinctly possible that this matter led him to seek his fortune in the colonies. The details of his birth were apparently sanitized from the official family records.
West died at age 42.
1 comment:
In the western movie "The Professionals" Lee Marvin is called a bastard. He replies, "Mine was an accident at birth but you sir are a self made man."
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