If you’re not glued to C-SPAN watching the House of Representatives attempt to choose a new House Speaker, take a few minutes to see if any of your relatives are on this list.
The first elected representative body in America was set up in Jamestown about 12 years after the first settlement. This evolved into what was called the Virginia House of Burgesses. Read about the history of it below. Then take a look at the list of members provided by Wikipedia. You’ll probably also want to look at other sources. I do see a few from my family tree listed: Christopher Branch, Francis Eppes, Peter Feild, John Hamlin, Henry Soane, and more. Let us know if you find any ancestors that served in that elected body.
History of the House of Burgesses
List of Members of the House of Burgesses
(Seems to be 9-12 generations back.)
My ancestors elected to the House of Burgesses:
I remember finding someone from my tree in the House of Burgesses, but at the time I thought it was a longshot and hard to prove. Might have been in my Epps/Apps/Eppes line, although I also see a Harris listed. 🤔