With representatives from throughout the settled portion of the colony the group became known as the House of Burgesses and continued to meet, becoming the Virginia General Assembly.

He chose not to follow his father into trade, but instead became a soldier and joined a company of English foot-soldiers to fight the Spanish in the Netherlands.

Yeardley set sail from England on June 1, 1609, with the newly appointed Sir Thomas Gates aboard the Sea Venture, the flagship of the ill-fated Third Supply expedition to Jamestown.

Despite numerous problems (including civil unrest among the former passengers resulting in Gates declaring martial law) two small ships were built within 10 months.

He ordered Captain Yeardley to command his soldiers to guard the town preventing settlers from setting fire to the structures that were evacuated.

In November 18th, 1618, The Virginia Company of London issued its "Instructions to George Yeardley," which included the commissioning of a general assembly and the ancient planter/headright system.

[2] On November 24th, Sir George was appointed to serve three years as governor of Virginia, and was knighted by James I during an audience at Newmarket.

[7] Yeardley led the first representative Virginia General Assembly, the legislative House of Burgesses, to meet on American soil.

Yeardley was governor of Virginia when, in August 1619, the White Lion landed "20. and odd" Angolans kidnapped in Africa and exchanged them for provisions, thus introducing the trade in enslaved Africans into the English colonies on the North American mainland.

With a population of about thirty, Flowerdew Hundred Plantation was economically successful with thousands of pounds of tobacco produced along with corn, fish and livestock.

The windmill was an English post design and was transferred by deed in the property's 1624 sale to Abraham Piersey, a Cape Merchant of the London Company.

The couple had three children: Elizabeth Yeardley was listed as age 6 in the February 1624 Jamestown Muster, so was born about 1618,[15] James City, Virginia, Died: ~1660-1666, Bruton Parish, York County, Virginia, Inherited 1/3 of Mother's Estate: Flowerdew Hundred Plantation; Some claim she married Major Joseph Croshaw.

On July 24, 2018, archaeologists from Jamestown Rediscovery and the Smithsonian Institution announced the discovery of a prominent burial around 400 years ago in an important spot within the church.

Although the head is missing, 10 teeth have been found and tests are being carried out by the FBI and archaeologist and geneticist Turi King, who helped identify the remains of Richard III in 2012.

[19] The results could take several months but should be available in time for 2019's 400th Anniversary of Sir George Yeardley's Great Reforms and the first General Assembly which introduced them.