Isle of Wight County, Virginia Genealogy

United States &gt; Virginia &gt; Isle of Wight County

Parent County
1634--Isle of Wight was created in 1634 as an original shire or county. County seat: Isle of Wight The original shire name of Warrosquyoake (also spelled Warrosquoyacke or Warrascoyak) was given then. The name was changed in 1637 to Isle of Wight County

Populated Places
Isle of Wight

Neighboring Counties

 * Southampton
 * Suffolk
 * Surry
 * York

Church
Church of England


 * Barger, Virginia A. Tombstones in St. Luke's Church Cemetery, Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Newport News, Virginia: Mrs. R.V. Barger, 1970. Available at FHL.
 * Hayden, E. Virginia. A Sketch of "The Old Brick Church": Isle of Wight County, Virginia. 1925. 1954 reprint available at FHL. [St. Luke's Parish Church]
 * Hopkins, William Lindsay. Suffolk Parish Vestry Book, 1749-1784, Nansemond County, Virginia, and Newport Parish Vestry Book, 1724-1772, Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: W.L. Hopkins, 1988. Available at FHL.
 * [Newport News Parish] Vestry Book, 1723-1772 [Isle of Wight County, Virginia]. Photostat at Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. Available at FHL.

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. In addition to finding a direct ancestor’s surname listed, and watching to see if more recent publications make additions and corrections to earlier works, this list is also useful for determining if genealogists have published accounts, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, for any members of an ancestor’s “FAN Club” [Family, Associates, and Neighbors]. Checking publications about those individuals can lead you to new information about your own ancestry. Be mindful that compiled genealogies may contain errors.

General


 * Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Law Printing Company, 1938. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * Chapman, Blanche Adams and Isle of Wight County Library (Virginia). Smithfield Branch. Chapman Collection of Virginia Family Names, Smithfield Branch, Isle of Wight County Library, 1635-1814. MSS., Blanche Adams Chapman Collection, Smithfield Branch, Isle of Wight County Library, at Smithfield, Virginia; also available at FHL.
 * Gwaltney, Anne W. Personal History Departments of Surry and Isle of Wight Counties, Virginia from Hardesty's Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia, Special Virginia Edition, c. 1884. [Virginia? : s.n., 1884?]. Available at FHL.

Bibliography


 * [Arrington] Stringfield, Ellie Beckwith. Will of William Arrington, Isle of Wight County, Va., 4th Day of May, 1725; Will of Arthur Arrington, Nash County, North Carolina, 1st day of April, 1779; Will of Joseph Arrington, Nash County, North Carolina, 12th day of November, 1818. MSS., available at FHL.
 * [Barcroft] Russell, George Ely. "John and Jane Barcroft of Boston, Mass., and Virginia," The American Genealogist, Vol. 67, No. 2 (Apr. 1992):112-113. Available at FHL.
 * [Barlow] Barlow, Gladys Holleman. A Record of the Shadrach Barlow Family of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. MSS., Smithfield Branch of the Isle of Wight Library in Smithfield, Virginia. Available at FHL.
 * [Barnes] Berryman, Ann Williamson. Barnes Families of Isle of Wight County Virginia and Edgecombe/ Nash Counties North Carolina. 1992. Available at FHL.
 * [Bell] Rollings, Virginia H. Bell Family of Surry &amp; Isle of Wight, Virginia. MSS., available at FHL.
 * [Blunt] Crocker, James Francis. The Blunt's of Isle of Wight County, Virginia and Their Descendants. Portsmouth, Va.: Whitson &amp; Shepherd, 1914. Available at FHL.
 * [Boddie] Leary, Helen F.M. "The Two William Boddies of North Carolina," The American Genealogist, Vol. 66, No. 1 (Jan. 1991):16-29; Vol. 62, No. 2 (Apr. 1991):106-110; Vol. 66, No. 3 (Jul. 1991):148-153. Available at FHL.
 * [Boon] Thompson, Rupert Farnham. 1987/1998 Thomas (1) Boon Calendar: Dedicated to Thomas (1) Boon, Immigrant, Died 1723, Isle of Wight Co., Virginia, and to Georgia Alice (Farnham) Jones Chilcott, Who Remembered Her Grandmother, Mary Elizabeth (Foster) Boon, Who Told Family Stories, and to Dorothy Ruth Victoria "Babs" (Farnum) Thompson, My Wife. Studio City, Calif.: R.F. Thompson, [1987?]. Available at FHL.
 * [Bragg] Berryman, Ann Williamson. James Bragg Family of Isle of Wight County Virginia. 1992. Available at FHL.
 * [Braswell] Braswell, Guy Edward and Judith Braswell Yandle. Proud Members of the Braswell Family: Allied Families of Richard and Penelope Blow Braswell of Wayne County, North Carolina and Rev. Robert Braswell of London, England Who Immigrated to Isle of Wight, Virginia; Also Descendants from Anson and Union Counties, North Carolina. Chesterfield, South Carolina: South Carolina Genealogical Society. Chesterfield District Chapter, 2001. Available at FHL.
 * [Brent] Brent, Chester Horton. The Descendants of Hugh Brent, Immigrant to Isle of Wight county, Virginia, 1642, and Some Allied Families: Curd, Doggett, Edmonds, Fleet, Lawson, Nutt &amp; Wale: Also Lineages of Behethland, Bernard, Bunting, Hathaway, Nevil, Newton, Savage &amp; Vaughan Families and Notes from Some Diaries (1793-1909) of the Piedmont Section of Virginia. Rutland, Vermont: Tuttle, 1936. Available at FHL.
 * [Bush] Grimsley, Mildred Arzilla Simpson. Bush Family Notes: Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennes[s]ee, Virginia, and Isle of Wight. MSS., a project of the Las Vegas Nevada Multi-Regional Family History Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1994. Available at FHL.
 * [Carr] Davis, Eliza Timberlake. Carr Family of Isle of Wight and Nansemond Counties, Virginia. Berryville, Va.: Virginia [19--]. Available at FHL.
 * [Carr] Davis, Eliza Timberlake and Linda McNatt. Carr Family of Isle of Wight &amp; Nansemond Counties, Virginia. MSS., Smithfield Branch of the Isle of Wight Library in Smithfield, Virginia; also available at FHL.
 * [Chesnutt] Griffin, A. Ray and Eloise Fretz Potter. The Chesnutt Family of Southeastern North Carolina: Descendants of Alexander Chesnutt of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, 1685-2003. Kingsport, Tennessee: A.R. Griffin, 2003. Available at FHL.
 * [Clayton] Byars, Neva Fern Young. Claytons of Virginia: Isle of Wight County and Brunswick County. 2000?. Available at FHL.
 * [Cofer] Cofer, Wesley. Cofer [Family] of Surry and Isle of Wight [Counties], Virginia, 1784-1908. MSS., available at FHL.
 * [Cooke] Cook, Robert Earl, Patricia Anne Dixon Cook, and Nancy Ann Cook Dicks. William Cooke of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, and His Descendants. Capitola, California: P.A. Cook, 1990. Available at FHL.
 * [Copeland] Boone, James R., Daniel F. Boone, and Ruth Flake Boone. Boone Genealogical Collection. MSS., available at FHL.
 * [Cowling] Barrett, Russell Syer. Cowling and Allied Families, Being Court Records from Isle of Wight, Nansemond and Eastern Shore, Va. and Fullmer - Pennsylvania Records. Smithfield, Va., n.p.: 1935. Available at FHL.
 * [Darden] Baer, Mabel Van Dyke and Daughters of the American Revolution. Monticello Chapter (Virginia).Darden - Lassiter Lineage of Isle of Wight and Nansemond Counties, Virginia: Including Families of Bressie, Casey, Dews, Harrell, Harrison, Seeds, Taborer and Wombwell: Ancestry of James Otis Wright, 6100 Wing Lake Road, Birmingham, Michigan. MSS., 1965, Daughters of the American Revolution National Library in Washington, D.C.; also available at FHL.
 * [Davis] Rawlings, Michael R. The Family History of D'earcy Paul and Lula Virginia (McKenney) Davis of Dinwiddie, Isle of Wight and Southampton Counties in Virginia: Being a Genealogical Outline of Their Descendants Covering the Years 1858-1996 and Assorted Sketches of Family Social History from the 1780s through the Present, Including Eight Generations. Spring Grove, Virginia: M.W. Rawlings, 1996. Available at FHL.
 * [Davis] Dietz, Richard R. Descendants of Samuel Davis, I of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. El Monte, California: Golden West Marketing, 1994. Available at FHL.
 * [Davis] Dietz, Richard R. Descendants of Samuel Davis, I (c. 1610-c. 1667) of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Temple City, California: GoldenWest Marketing, 2002. Available at FHL.
 * [DeLoach] See Copeland.
 * [Faulconer] Froom, Grace Yager. A Collection of Facts and Recollections of the Descent Lines and the Relationships Among Some Descendants of William Herndon of England and New Kent Co., Va.; Anthony Halberstadt of Hessen Kassel, Germany and Hunterdon Co., N.J.; Thomas Faulconer of England and Isle of Wight Co., Va.; Thomas Haydon of Northumberland Co., Va.; Nicholas Yager of Hesse, Germany and Spotsylvania and Madison Cos., Va.; Lewis Conner, Sr. of Boone Co., Ky. Indianapolis, Indiana: G.Y. Froom, 1983. Available at FHL.
 * [Fuller] Fuller, John Beattie. Ezekiel Fuller: Isle of Wight County, Virginia His Descendants of 300 Years to the 21th Century. Astor, Florida: Fuller Genealogy Data Bank, 2008. Available at FHL.
 * [Godwin] "The Godwin Family" [of Nansemond and Isle of Wight Counties, Va., with Notices of the Families of Holladay, Gray, Blunt, &amp;c.], The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Oct. 1897): 198-204; Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jul. 1898):85-86. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * [Harris] Rollings, Virginia H. Harris of Virginia 1620-1750: Surry - Isle of Wight. MSS., available at FHL.
 * [Harris] Brayton, John Anderson. The Five Thomas Harrises of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Winston-Salem, North Carolina : J.A. Brayton, 1995. Available at FHL.
 * [Harris] Brayton, John Anderson. Colonial Families of Surry and Isle of Wight Counties, Virginia, v. 2: The Descendants of Robert Harris, Including Families of Spiltimber, House, Swann, Drew, Sugars, Phillips, Crafford, Jones, Macon, Arrington, Hilliard, Carrell, Fort and Bynum. Memphis, Tennessee: J.A. Brayton, 1999. Available at FHL.
 * [Hollyman] Holleman, George A. The Hollyman Family: A Genealogical and Historical Record of the Descendants of Christopher Hollyman of Isle of Wight County, Va., 1691, and Related Families, Holleman, Holloman, Holliman, Holoman, Hollomon. Chicago, Ill.: G.A. Holleman, [195_?]. Available at FHL.
 * [Hollyman] Holleman, George A. and Tina Keene Peddie. The Hollyman Family: A Genealogical and Historical Record of the Descendants of Christopher Hollyman of Isle of Wight County, Va., 1691, and Related Families: Holleman, Holloman, Holliman, Holoman, Hollomon. Rohner, California: T.K. Peddie, 1989. Available at FHL.
 * [Jennings] Brayton, John Anderson. Colonial Families of Surry and Isle of Wight Counties, Virginia, v. 4: The Descendants of Capt. John Jennings of Isle of Wight County, Virginia: Including the Families of Thomas, Luck, Wheadon, Gulley, Ingram, Carrell and Bidgood. Memphis, Tennessee: J.A. Brayton, 2001. Available at FHL.
 * [Johnson] Johnson, Eddis. The Johnson Family of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, and Later of Indiana. 2d ed. Martinsville, Indiana: E. Johnson, 1968. Available at FHL.
 * [Johnson] Johnson, Eddis and Hugh Buckner Johnson. The Johnsons and Johnstons of Corrowaugh in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Martinsville, Indiana: E. Johnson, 1979. Available at FHL.
 * [Johnston] "Johnstons of Isle of Wight Co., Va.," Your Ancestors, A National Magazine of Genealogy and Family History. Buffalo, N.Y.: Harry Ferris Johnston, 1947-1959. Available at FHL.
 * [Johnston] Johnston, Coy K. and Hugh Buckner Johnston. William Johnston of Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants, 1648-1964: A Genealogical Study of One Branch of the Family in the South. West Hartford, Connecticut: Coy K. Johnston, 1965. Available at FHL.
 * [Joyner] Joyner, Ulysses P. Joyner of Southampton: A Study of Thomas Joyner of Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants in Eastern Virginia and North Carolina with Emphasis on the Joyners of Southampton County, Virginia. Verona, Virginia: McClure Printing, 1975. Available at FHL.
 * [Joyner] Berryman, Ann Williamson. Joyner/Joiner of Isle of Wight County, Virginia and Halifax, Nash and Johnston County, North Carolina. 1992. Available at FHL.
 * [Lumley] Francis, Don. The Lumley - Lumbley Surname of Isle of Wight and Southampton Counties, Virginia, 1730-1785. New York, New York: D. Francis, 1981. Available at FHL.
 * [Meador] Meador, Victor P. Our Meador Families in Colonial America: As Found in the Records of Isle of Wight, Lancaster, (Old) Rappahannock, Richmond, Essex and Caroline Counties, Virginia. Independence, Missouri: V.P. Meador, 1983. Available at FHL.
 * [Pitt] Brayton, John Anderson. Colonial Families of Surry and Isle of Wight Counties, Virginia, v. 7: Pedigree of the Family of Pitt of Bristol, Gloucester, Charlestown, Massachusetts and Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Memphis, Tennessee: J.A. Brayton, 2002. Available at FHL. [2 copies at FHL.]
 * [Powell] Berryman, Ann Williamson. Powell Families of Isle of Wight County and Southampton County Virginia: Three Generations, Thomas, William and Elizabeth Powell. 1992. Available at FHL.
 * [Ridley] Hart, Lyndon H. and Bromfield Bradford Nichol. Ridley of Southampton: Being the Descendants of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Day Ridley of Southampton, Then Isle of Wight County, Virginia, Circa 1700-1992. Pensacola, Florida: B.B. Nichol, 1992. Available at FHL.
 * [Sellers] Spencer, Opal Roberta Freer. Descendants of William Sellers, Sr. of Isle of Wight, Va., 1657. Fort Lauderdale, Florida: O.R.F. Spencer, 2000. Available at FHL.
 * [Teasley] Williams, Kyle D. and Duane H. Williams. The Teasley Family of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. [Idaho Falls, Idaho : K.D. Williams, 198-?]. Available at FHL.
 * [Tyner] Phelps, Dallas LeRoy. Descendants of Nicholas Tyner Sr. of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. MSS. Two copies at FHL; here and here. [it is possible that one versions contains additional information.]
 * [Vick] Mumah, Sandra E.H. Horn, Parker, Fulghum, and Related Families: Descendants of Joseph Vick of Isle of Wight Co., Va. Richmond, Ind.: S.E.H. Mumah, 1983. Available at FHL.
 * [Vick] Mumah, Sandra E.H. The Ancestry and Descendants of Nathan Vick ( Civil War Soldier) of Randolph County, Indiana: A Descendant of Joseph Vick of Isle of Wight Colony, Va. and the Maternal Lines of Hardy, Council, Barefoot, Bishop, Brantley, Fauhtrick, Lee, Peters, Sullivan, Sutherland, Toney and Whitehead, Plus Other Families, Friends and Associates. Portland, Oregon: S. Mumah, 1997. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Vick] Beatty, John D. and Di Ann Vick. Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia: And His Descendants. Los Angeles, California: Genus Pub., 2004. Available at FHL.
 * [Walton] Walton, Britain W. and Margaret H. Walton. Walton from the James and Many Descendants: American Origin, James River Locale, Colony of Virginia, Those of Isle of Wight County, Those of York County, Those of King and Queen County, Those of Surry County. Edenton, North Carolina: n.p., 1977. Available at FHL.
 * [Watkins] Watkins, Sue Clark and Betty Sue Watkins Wilkie. Our Watkins Family: From John in Isle of Wight County, Virginia to James in Johnston County, North Carolina to Amos in Kershaw County, South Carolina. S.C. Watkins, 2001. Available at FHL.
 * [White] Barlow, Gladys Holleman. A Record of the William White Family of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. MSS., 1978?, Smithfield Branch of the Isle of Wight Library in Smithfield, Virginia. Available at FHL.
 * [White] White, James B. The History of the White Family: Descended from John White of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Durham, North Carolina: J.B. White, 1991. Available at FHL.
 * [Whitehead] Davis, Eliza Timberlake. Whitehead Family of Isle of Wight and Southampton County, Virginia. MSS., Smithfield Branch of the Isle of Wight Library in Smithfield, Virginia. Available at FHL.
 * [Whitehead] Dimond, E. Grey. The Reverend William W. Whitehead, Mississippi Pioneer, His Antecedents and Descendants: Including Some Notes Concerning the Whiteheads of the Isle of Wight and Southampton, Virginia; Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash and Wake, North Carolina; Wayne, Indiana Territory; La Porte, Indiana; Points West; and Those Massacred in the Nat Turner Slave Uprising of 1831. Kansas City, Mo.: E.G. Dimond, 1985. Available at FHL. [2 copies at FHL.]
 * [Wilkinson] Wilkinson, Gene Cox and George Carroll Wilkinson. The Wilkinsons of Isle of Wight, Surry and Sussex Counties, Virginia and Related Families: Magee, Cox, Goodwyn and Other Allied Family Ties. G.C. Wilkinson, 2006. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Williamson] Dixon, Elizabeth Williamson. The Williamson Family of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, Southampton County, Virginia, Northampton County, North Carolina, Caswell County, North Carolina. MSS., 1958, available at FHL.
 * [Woodley] Crocker, James Francis. The Woodleys of Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A Statement. Portsmouth, Virginia: W.A. Fiske's Printery and Bindery, 1914. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Wootton] Wooton, Richard C. and Wooten and Related Families Association (Arlington, Virginia). The Woottons of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Arlington, Virginia: Wooten and Related Families Association, 1981. Available at FHL.

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Warwicksquick and Isle of Wight County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * [http://www.immigrantservants.com/search/advancedResults.php?surname=&givenName=&varientSurnameSpellings=&gender=&dateOfBirthDay=&dateOfBirthMonth=&dateOfBirthQuantifier=&dateOfBirthYear=&placeOfBirthParish=&placeOfBirthTown=&placeOfBirthCity=&placeOfBirthCounty=&placeOfBirthColony=&placeOfBirthNation=&occupations=&religions=&orphan=&familyPosition=&immigrationYearQualifier=&immigrationYear=&portOfDepartureTown=&portOfDepartureCity=&portOfDepartureCounty=&portOfDepartureNation=&placeOfArrivalTown=&placeOfArrivalCounty=&placeOfArrivalColony=&shipName=&convict=&yearOfIndentureQualifier=&yearOfIndenture=&lengthOfIndentureYears=&lengthOfIndentureMonths=&yearOfFreedomQualifier=&yearOfFreedom=&placeOfIndentureTown=&placeOfIndentureCity=&placeOfIndentureCounty=Isle+of+Wight&placeOfIndentureColony=Virginia&agentSurname=&agentGivenName=&agentTitle=&masterSurname=&masterGivenName=&masterTitle=&residenceParish=&residenceTown=&residenceCity=&residenceCounty=&residenceColony=&residenceNation=&landowner=&literate=&spouseSurname=&spouseGivenName=&spouseMarriageDateDay=&spouseMarriageDateMonth=&spouseMarriageDateQualifier=&spouseMarriageDateYear=&spouseMarriageLocationParish=&spouseMarriageLocationCounty=&spouseMarriageLocationColony=&spouseMarriageLocationNation=&deathDateDay=&deathDateMonth=&deathDateQualifier=&deathDateYear=&deathLocality=&deathCounty=&deathColony=&deathState=&testate=&proofServantStatus=&proofConvictStatus=&headright=&preServitudeSources=&postServitudeSources=&comments=&family=&sourceCitations=&interestedResearchers= List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe] who served labor terms in Colonial Isle of Wight County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.
 * Ljungstedt, Milnor. "Items from Southern Records" [Showing Family and Trade Connections with Northern Colonies and the Home Countries], The American Genealogist, Vol. 15 (1938):95-104. Available at New England Ancestors. [Isle of Wight Co., VA: Day.]
 * Mahler, Leslie. "American Colonists Mentioned in London Wills," The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):201-204. [Hutchinson family of 'Wacasquoyk' (Warwick Squeak); Wiseman family of 'Warwicksqueake' and Isle of Wight Co., VA.]

Land
Grants and Patents


 * Hudgins. 393 patents dated 1635-1797 in what is now Isle of Wight County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2003. [Names of those who received land patents, dates, land descriptions, and references may be viewed free of charge (click "Index" next to the county listing); however, in order to view the maps, it is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product.]

Military
Colonial Militia


 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Isle of Wight County militia officers and/or soldiers; see place name index.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Isle of Wight County militia officers; see place name index.]

French and Indian War


 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Isle of Wight County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War


 * McIlwaine, H.R. Proceedings of the Committees of Safety : Cumberland and Isle of Wight Counties, Virginia, 1775-1776. Richmond, Virginia: D. Botton, Superintendent of Public Printing, 1919. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.

World War II


 * United States. Selective Service System. Draft Registrations, 1942-1946, from Local Draft Board No. 1 of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Original manuscripts at the Smithfield Branch of the Isle of Wight Library in Smithfield, Virginia; also available at FHL.

Newspapers
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette(1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburgwebsite. In addition, Professor Tom Costa and The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia have created a database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in this source and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia. These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.

Private Papers

 * Family Bible of the Scott, Brock, and Dornin Family of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. MSS. Available at FHL.

Probate
London Courts


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Warwicksquick and Isle of Wight County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Taxation
At first glance, researchers might conclude that Virginia tax lists contain very little family history data, though one soon learns that valuable genealogical conclusions can be drawn from these records, nicknamed "annual censuses," such as: relationships, approximate years of birth, socio-economic status, identification of neighbors, the ability to distinguish between persons of the same name, evidence of land inheritance, years of migration, and years of death.

Virginia began enumerating residents' payments of personal property and land taxes in 1782. These two types of taxation were recorded in separate registers. Personal property tax lists include more names than land tax lists, because they caught more of the population. The Family History Library has an excellent microfilm collection of personal property tax lists from 1782 (or the year the county was organized) well into the late nineteenth century for most counties, but only scattered land tax lists. Microfilm collections at The Library of Virginia include land tax lists for all counties and independent cities for the years 1782 through 1978, as well as personal property tax lists for the years 1782 through 1930 (and every fifth year thereafter). Taxes were not collected in 1808.

Some tax records are available online or in print, though published abstracts often omit useful details found only in the original sources. Statewide indexes can help genealogists identify specific counties where surnames occurred in the past, providing starting points for research.


 * Indexed images of the 1790 and 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Isle of Wight County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Isle of Wight County is included in Vol. 3.]

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog

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