Search For Transatlantic Descendants Of America's New World Settlers

Four centuries after the first settlers crossed the Atlantic, the search is on for descendants of the original New World adventurers from East England. 

Marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of a nation, a new online forum aims to track down descendants of the Jamestown settlers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Modern America took root on the banks of the James River at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, a decade before the Pilgrim Fathers founded Plymouth in Massachusetts.

Now visitors can retrace those roots on a journey of discovery through East England from Lincolnshire in the north to Kent in the south with new travel itineraries covering everything from castles and gardens to stunning cathedrals and historic homes.

Already US tour operators are linking up with a travel partnership in East England to offer group itineraries covering 400 years of history - and the 'Begin Your Adventure' campaign features in a spectacular 'Big Sail' tour involving a replica of one of the original settler's ships visiting six East Coast ports in the US this summer.

As part of the campaign, a special 'Begin Your Adventure' online forum has been set-up to build a community of descendents of the original settlers in Virginia from both the USA and England.

If your name is Morris, Smith or Webb, you could be related to one of the original 104 Jamestown settlers. Those who think they may be a descendent can log on to www.beginyouradvenuture.co.uk and click on 'Tell Your Story' to leave details. Other descendents will then be able to add comments to the forum, building-up an online forum spanning four centuries.