Searching Virginia Families

The colony’s landowners are enumerated in the records of the Virginia Company of London 1606–1664 and Original Persons of Quality and are available on the above website, along with some 35–40 books about emigrants. Also, later passenger lists may be found in the Federal Archives. Considering the dangers of the times and neglect, few passenger lists survived, considering the number of vessels that departed, first, England and, later, Northern Europe. 

After studying the immigration records, one should look at the records of the first formed counties. The records for Jamestown were burned, so the next logical place to search is Charles City and York Counties.

Saving time___

Charles City County — Wills, Estates, 1655–1834. To see the names, click here: https://virginiapioneers.net/counties/charles-city/

York Couty — Wills, Estates, Deeds, 1633–1759. To see the names, click here: https://virginiapioneers.net/counties/york/

Note: The records in the above links were scanned using Scan Pro, a technology that helps visualize old, faded pages that were once impossible to read. 

One has to note that the names of many indentured servants were included in the published accounts and that after their tenure, they were removed to other areas. For this reason, it is wise to establish a path of their migration by researching all surviving Virginia County records. This is how one pieces together the intricate puzzle of the family history. Since the first emigrants to Virginia arrived in 1707, one can suppose that these persons may have been born as early as 1630!