William Spence

William Spence (sometimes shown as Spense) was an early Virginia colonist on Jamestown Island. He was member of the first assembly of the Virginia House of Burgesses in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. Spence became an ensign in the local militia and is thus sometimes identified as Ensign William Spence or Ensign Spence. He was an early farmer on Jamestown Island, a "tobacco taster" and landowner at Archer's Hope. He, his wife and his young daughter, Sara, or Sarah, avoided the Indian massacre of 1622, but Spence and his wife were reported "lost" at the census of February 16, 1624.

Arrival at Jamestown

Not William Spencer

William Spence is sometimes erroneously conflated with William Spencer I, another early Virginia colonist who also lived on Jamestown Island but did not arrive at Jamestown until 1611. William Spencer I later became a member of the House of Burgesses for Mulberry Island in 1632–33, eight years after William Spence was lost and presumed dead.

First Supply mission

William Spence came to Virginia in the First Supply mission to Jamestown in 1608. On the other hand, in the names of those arriving at Jamestown in the First Supply voyage in Captain John Smith's The General History, Book 3, Chapter 4, as reprinted in Haile at page 252, Spence is only listed as a "gentleman."

Farmer, Landowner

Martha McCartney supports John Smith's statement that Spence "reportedly" was the first farmer to work his own land on Jamestown Island. West's subordinate, Captain Edward Brewster, to whom Spence made the offer, was prevented from taking custody of his goods by Deputy Governor Samuel Argall, who misappropriated West's laborers and artisans to work on his own projects.

Burgess

Ensign William Spence, along with Captain William Powell), were members of the first general assembly of the Virginia House of Burgesses for Jamestown in July–August 1619.

Later life

In 1619, as a "tobacco taster", Spence evaluated the quality of tobacco by sampling portions of the tobacco crop.

In January 1619, William Spence along with John Fowler received a patent for 300 acres in Archer's Hope, a few miles from Jamestown. Since Spence continued to live at Jamestown Island, McCartney surmises that he placed indentured servants on the property along with his partner, John Fowler, who lived there. A list of Virginia land patents sent to England in 1625 included 300 acres in Archer's Hope in the name of William Spence.

Spence's daughter, Sara Spence, 4 years old, was entrusted to a 20-year old widow, Mrs. Susan Bush, as guardian, at Elizabeth City, Virginia. After 3 months, the court also ordered Sara Spence's "guardians" to have her property at Archer's Hope surveyed. In October 1625, having still not had the property surveyed, the guardians were told by the court that they would be fined if they did not have the land surveyed. Susan Bush also may have died by this date since she was not included in the order pertaining to the Spence property.