Why did the Clements family leave England?

The Clements family fled the chaos of religious persecution and social upheaval in England during a time of class restructuring. They hoped for a new life in what had been advertised as the rich and abundant "new world" of North America.

The first of the Clements to come to the New World was Elizabeth Clement, widow of Jeffrey Clement, who arrived in Jamestown in 1611. Her husband had owned interest in the Virginia Trading Company, which is believed to have played a part in Elizabeth's choosing to come to what was, at that time, the Jamestown colony. Her son, Jeremiah Clement, was among the four of children who traveled with her to Jamestown, and he is the direct ancestor of Samuel Clements (Mark Twain).