The Treasurer — The Second Ship of 1619

A Ship Overshadowed, But Not Forgotten

When people talk about the first Africans brought to English America in 1619, the White Lion usually takes center stage. But it wasn’t the only ship involved. The Treasurer, another English privateer, played an equally important role in the capture and transport of Africans taken from the Portuguese slave ship São João Bautista.

Understanding the Treasurer helps us see that the story of 1619 wasn’t a single moment — it was a network of ships, nations, and decisions that shaped the future of the colonies.

A Partner in the Attack

The Treasurer sailed alongside the White Lion under similar circumstances. Both ships operated as privateers — essentially legalized pirates — carrying Dutch letters of marque that allowed them to attack enemy vessels.

When they encountered the São João Bautista in 1619, they seized part of its human cargo. The Treasurer took a significant number of captives, though the exact count is unclear. What is clear is that these Africans were part of the same group taken from Ndongo in West Central Africa.

Why the Treasurer Didn’t Stay in Virginia

Unlike the White Lion, the Treasurer did not remain long at Point Comfort. After briefly stopping in Virginia, the ship quickly sailed away — likely because its captain feared legal trouble or political consequences for trading enslaved people without proper authorization.

Instead of selling the Africans in Virginia, the Treasurer carried most of them to the Caribbean, where the slave trade was already well‑established and more profitable.

This means that the Africans taken by the Treasurer became part of a different branch of the African diaspora — one that shaped the Caribbean rather than the English colonies on the mainland.

The People Behind the Capture

Like those on the White Lion, the Africans aboard the Treasurer were Ndongo people — farmers, artisans, warriors, and families caught in the violence of Portuguese expansion. Their capture, transport, and forced sale were part of a larger system that stretched across continents.

Some of their descendants would remain in the Caribbean. Others might have been sold again and eventually brought to North America. Their stories, though harder to trace, are part of the same historical moment that reshaped the future of the Atlantic world.

Why the Treasurer Matters

The Treasurer reminds us that the story of 1619 is not a single ship, a single date, or a single place. It is a web of events involving:

• Portuguese slave traders

• English privateers

• African kingdoms under pressure

• Competing colonial powers

• Captives scattered across the Atlantic

By including the Treasurer in this history, we honor the lives of those whose stories did not end in Virginia — and we acknowledge the broader scope of the transatlantic slave trade.

A Wider Lens on 1619

The arrival of enslaved Africans in English America was not an isolated incident. It was part of a global system of violence, profit, and resistance. The Treasurer is a crucial piece of that puzzle, helping us understand how the African diaspora spread across the Americas.