William Claiborne accompanied Governor Sir Francis Wyatt and arrived in Virginia Colony in October 1621 aboard the George as the official surveyor for the Colony. Jamestown was only 14-years old, and Virginia was mostly still wilderness.
About 5 months later, on 22 Mar 1621, the Powhatan Federation attacked all towns and plantations simultaneously in an effort to eradicate them. A timely warning saved Jamestown itself but about 400 of the approximately 1,500 colonists perished. William Claiborne survived although his name does not appear on the muster roll (census) made in 1622. He performed his duties well and his prospects brightened rapidly.
Claiborne quickly rose through the political and governing ranks, becoming one of the most powerful and influential colonists. In 1628, he purchased the Isle of Kent from the local Indians where he established a thriving trading post and settlement. Sadly, the King did not do his geography lessons and the isle would eventually be stripped from him, along with all his businesses and his home there, and awarded to Maryland.
