Nansemond County, Virginia Genealogy

United States &gt; Virginia &gt; Nansemond County

Parent County
1776--[wrong county] Montgomery County was created 7 October 1776 from Fincastle and Botetourt Counties. Fincastle County was formed from Botetourt County in 1772, and was abolished in 1777. County seat: Christiansburg

Church
Christian


 * College of William and Mary. Earl Gregg Swem Library and Liberty Spring Christian Church. County Collections: Nansemond County. MSS., Manuscripts and Rare Books Department, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia; also available at FHL. [List of members (no date, 2 p.) from the Historical sketch of Liberty Spring Christian Church, 1869-1931.]

Church of England

Colonial Parishes


 * 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.

Quaker


 * Brown, Douglas Summers. A Copy of Lower Virginia Monthly Meeting Minutes (Commonly Called the Chuckatuck Record) 1673-1756. MSS., 1944. Available at FHL.
 * Putnam, Martha A. Quaker Records of Southeast Virginia. Westminster, Maryland: Family Line Publications, 1996. Available at FHL.
 * Society of Friends. Chuckatuck Monthly Meeting (Nansemond County, Virginia). Friends' Records, 1678-1755 [Suffolk, Virginia]. MSS., Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia; also available at FHL.
 * Society of Friends. Chuckatuck Monthly Meeting (Nansemond County, Virginia). Monthly Meetings, 1651-1755. Original records at Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; also available at FHL.

Family Histories

 * [Bass] Bell, Albert D. Nansemond Indian Ancestry of Bass Familes. 1961?. Available at FHL.
 * [Bogue] Bogue, Hardy Zachary. Bogue: An Early Family of Virginia, c. 1652-1689. Oriental, North Carolina: H.Z. Bogue, 1993. 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. 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. MSS., 1935, Smithfield Branch of the Isle of Wight Library in Smithfield, Virginia; also 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 ($).
 * [Langston] Langston, Nancy Eunice Lovett and Leslie Vernon Langston. In Search of Our Roots; the Langston, Kite and Related Families: Bennett, Leopard, Lasiter, Davis, Anglin, Walker, Williams, Adair, McDow, Gannon, Widner, Hutton, Rice, Gibson, Medlin, Allen, Williford, Woods, Henderson, Digregorio, Louderback, Ingle, 1550-1994. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1994. Available at FHL.
 * [Lassiter] Baer, Mabel Van Dyke and Daughters of the American Revolution. Monticello Chapter (Virginia). Darden - Lassiter lineage of Isle of Wight and Nansemond counties, Virginia : including families of Bressie, Casey, Dews, Harrell, Harrison, Seeds, Taborer and Wombwell: Ancestry of James Otis Wright, 6100 Wing Lake Road, Birmingham, Michigan. MSS., 1965, Daughters of the American Revolution National Library in Washington, D.C.; also available at FHL.
 * [Malpus] Malphurs, Muriel Ward and Cecil Edward Malphurs. Genealogy of the Early Malpus of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama: Including Malpas, Malpass, Molpus, Malphrus, Malphurs and All Similar Names with Allied Families. San Diego, California: M.W. Malphurs, 1987. Available at FHL.
 * [Norsworthy] Rockwell, Carolyn Tilbury. Norsworthy Families of Virginia, 1638-1800's. Freeport, Florida: C.T. Rockwell, 1993. Available at FHL.
 * [Parker] Hinson, William Ashley. Richard Parker I and His Descendants: A History of the Parkers of Rowan County and Stanly County, North Carolina. Kernersville, North Carolina: W.A. Hinson, 1995. Available at FHL.
 * [Pearson] Smith, Jonathan K.T. A Genealogical Memoir, Peter and Rachel Pearson of Nansemond County, Virginia. Jackson, Tennessee: J. Smith, 1993. Available at FHL.
 * [Purcell] Seversmith, Herbert F. and Arthur S. Wardwell. "The Fabulous Pearsalls," The American Genealogist, Vol. 18 (1941):78-90, 153-171. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * [Stallings] Webb, Marlene Presley. A Family History of Stallings, Thomas, Boon/Boone: With Surnames Hurt and Rutledge Mentioned. Adrian, Texas: Mrs. G.D. Webb, 1992. 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 Nansemond River and Nansemond 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=Nansemond&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 Nansemond County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.

Land
Grants and Patents


 * Hudgins. 882 patents dated 1638-1749 in what is now Suffolk City (previously Nansemond 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 Nansemond 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 Nansemond 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 Nansemond County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; 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 Nansemond County militia officers; see place name index.]

Native Americans

 * Bell, Albert D. Nansemond Indian Ancestry of Bass Familes. 1961?. Available at FHL.
 * Egloff, Keith and Deborah Woodward. First People: The Early Indians of Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Department of Historic Resources, 1992. Available at FHL. [History concerning the Indian tribes in Virginia, notably the Mattaponi, Chickahominy, Monacan, Nansemond, Pamunjey and Rappahannock.]
 * Houck

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 Nansemond River and Nansemond 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.


 * Land Tax Lists of Nansemond County [Suffolk, Virginia] 1782-1861. Available at FHL.
 * Images of the 1789 and 1802 Land Tax Lists of Nansemond County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * Schreiner-Yates, Netti. A Supplement to the 1810 Census of Virginia: Tax Lists of the Counties for which the Census is Missing. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1971. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax list. Nansemond County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.]
 * 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. Nansemond County is included in Vol. 3.]

Web Sites

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