Martins Brandon Parish, Virginia

United States   Virginia    Martin's Brandon Parish

History
Martin's Brandon Parish has served Charles City and Prince George counties. Merchant's Hope Church was part of Martin's Brandon Parish from 1720 until it became a part of St. John's Parish in Hopewell.

Founded

 * 1655

Boundary
"An Act to divide those parts of the Parishes of Westover and Weynoake, which lie on the South side James River, from those parts of the said Parishes which lie on the North side the said River; and for uniting Westover and Weynoake Parishes; on the South side James River, to Martin Brandon Parish, in the County of Prince George; and for erecting a Chapel in Bristol Parish, in the said County" (1720) culled from sources in London, is published in:


 * Chamberlayne, Churchill G. "Seven Parish Acts Heretofore Unpublished," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Jan. 1938):106-118. ; digital version at JSTOR ($).

Parish History
Meade's 1861 history of Martin's Brandon Parish is available online.

N.P. Dunn's history of Merchant's Hope Church, Martin's Brandon Parish, Virginia (1907) has been digitized by Google Books.


 * Robbins, Gus. Merchants Hope Church: Erected in 1657, Oldest Protestant Church Still Standing in America and Used As a House of Worship: Prince George County, Virginia. 1970s..

Parish Records
Colonial parish registers have been lost, with the exception of one year of records (1660):


 * "Early Records of Charles City County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jan. 1896):167-169. Digital version at JSTOR - free.