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Map of New Kent, Charles City, James City and York counties.
(Offsite)
Confederate States of America. Army. Dept. of Northern Virginia. Chief
Engineer's Office.
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INDEX
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New Kent County Records
The Colonial Records of
New Kent County were destroyed by a fire in 1787, which was set by John
Price
Posey, for which he was hanged. It was the greatest loss suffered
because the
early records of many counties were in the New Kent Clerk's Office:
King and
Queen, 1654-1691; King William County, 1654 to 1691; Hanover County,
1654 to
1721; Louisa County, 1654 to 1728; and part of Caroline County, 1654 to
1691.
(Caroline Co., Va. was formed in 1728 from Essex, King and Queen, and
King
William Counties.
King and Queen Co., Va. was formed from New Kent Co., Va. in 1691, and
King
William Co., Va. was formed in 1702 from King and Queen Co., VA.)
The records for New Kent between 1787 and 1864 were burned at the time
the
village of New Kent Courthouse suffered a disastrous fire. The records
for New
Kent since 1864 are intact and are in good condition. (Contributed by
Raymond
W. Ryan - Powhatan, Va.)
The Vestry Book of Blisland Parish in New Kent and James City Counties,
Virginia 1721 to 1786, edited by Dr. C.C. Chamberlayne, 1935, and
published by
Virginia State Library.
The Vestry Book and Register of St. Peter's Parish, New Kent County, 1684
to 1786, edited by Dr. C.C. Chamberlayne, 1937, and published by
Virginia
State Library.
The Land Patent Books, Virginia State Library
Petitions to the New Kent County to the General Assembly, 1654-1976
The Land Tax Returns from 1782 to present.
- New Kent County Courthouse
P.O. Box 98
New Kent, VA 23124-0098
Telephone: (804) 966-9520
New Kent County History
- New Kent County, was
named either for the English county of Kent or for
Kent
Island, in the
upper waters of the Chesapeake Bay. William
Claiborne, a
native of Kent
who had been driven from Kent Island by Lord
Baltimore, was a
prominent
resident of the New Kent area when the county was
formed.
(Source:
"The Hornbook of Virginia History")
- New Kent
became county seat in 1691. New Kent County was
formed in
1654 and
reduced in size in 1691 with the formation of King
and Queen
County.
(Source: "Virginia, A Guide to the Old
Dominion")
- An Act For dividing New Kent County [Passed November 26,
1720]
Hanover County, Virginia was formed in 1721 from New Kent
County,
Virginia.
["Journals of the House of Burgesses"
published by the Virginia State Library, 1905-1915.]
"WHEREAS many Inconveniences attend the Upper Inhabitants
of the
said County by
reason of their Great distance from the
Court house and other places usually appointed for publick
meetings.
BE it therefore ENACTED by the Lieut Govr Council and
Burgesses of
the present
General Assembly And It is hereby
Enacted by the Authority of the Same That from and
Immediately
after the ffirst
day of May next the Said County of New Kent
be divided into Two distinct Countys And that that part of
the
County lyeing
below the parish of Saint Paul shall for Ever thereafter
be called and knowne by the Name of New Kent County
And that that part of the County which lyeth in the parish
of St
Paul shall be
called and knowne by the Name of Hannover County
and for the due Administration of Justice
BE it further ENACTED by the Authority aforesaid And it is
hereby
Enacted That
after
the Time aforesaid a Court for the said County of Hannover
be
constantly held
by the Justices thereof upon the First Friday of
Every Month in Such manner as by the Laws of this Country
is
provided and Shall
be by their Commission directed."
ex) J. Randolph C H B
Reference: "Virginia Counties: Those Resulting from
Virginia
Legislation" by
Morgan Poitiaux Robinson.
[Originally written as "Bulletin of the Virginia State
Library,
Vol. 9 January,
April, July, 1916. Nos. 1, 2 and 3."
Mr. Robinson held the position of "Archivist" on the
"State Library
Staff" and
made several trips to England to access archived documents
pertaining to the history of the "Commonwealth" prior to
the
American
Revolution. His trips abroad resulted in updates and
corrections to
what had previously been done by "Hening."
[Contributed by Ray Ryan, Powhatan, Va.]
- The history of New
Kent County begins long before the county was
settled in 1644
and
incorporated a decade later. The region was a
thriving
confederacy of
Indian tribes ruled over by Chief Powhatan and later
by his
brother,
Opechannough.
The first encounter between European settlers and
Native
Americans
occurred in 1607. Capt. John Smith discovered
Moysenec, a
settlement of
the Chickahominy Tribe that is now listed in the
National
Register of
Historic Places and is an important archeological
site.
A series of encounters followed, some peaceful and
some
violent. A peace
treaty was signed in 1644, but not before countless
battles
occurred and
two Indian massacres in 1622 and 1644 left hundreds
of
settlers dead.
New Kent County has a history of survival and
determination,
from the
followers of Nathaniel Bacon who rebelled against
the English
in the town
of Brickhouse, to the soldiers who marched to battle
on New
Kent's roads.
George and Martha Washington frequently attended
serviced at
St. Peter's
Church, built in 1701 as the home of one of the
oldest
congregations in
Virginia. Rev. David Mossom, the pastor who baptized
Martha
and presided
over both of her weddings, is buried in the
northeast corner
of the
church's interior.
(Source:
Richmond Times-Dispatch
newspaper article written on April
14, 1998 by Charles Gerena. Thanks to Barbara LeMay
for
sending the
article to me)
Parishes:
- Blisland
1654- (also James City Co.)
- Saint John's
1680-1691
(afterwards, King and Queen then King William)
- Saint Paul's
1704-1720
(afterward Hanover Co.),
- Saint Stephen's
before 1674-1691(afterward King and Queen Co.)
- Stratton Major
1655-1691
(afterward King and Queen Co.)
Other New Kent County Information
- New Kent County Resources at Rootsweb
Rootsweb has made new resource centers for each county in the U.S.
From the New
Kent County
Page you can perform searches in various parts of Rootsweb,
join the New
Kent County Mailing List, leave an event on the calendar.
-
Bryn Ffyliaid Publications
- New Kent County Census 1840
- New Kent County Deeds 1, 1864-72
- New Kent County Wills 1, 1864-87
- New Kent County Wills 2, 1880-1924
- Settlers Along the Shores of Virginia's York River
For details emailbrynffyl@centurylink.net
Virginia Genealogy
Resources:
- 1704
Virginia Quit Rent Rolls
- Quit Rents were annual fees paid to the king in the right
to live
on and farm property. These rolls are lists of those who paid
these
fees.
Other Genealogical Sites
- "How To"
Excellent list of
links for beginners by Cyndi Howells
- Calendar for any
year
Enter
a year and view that entire year's calendar at a glance (by
Steffen
Thorsen)
- Federal
Census Descriptions
- On page 3 of this .pdf document is a list of what
information was
included on each Federal
Census, 1790-2000
- Deciphering
Old Handwriting
Excellent on-line tutorial on old handwriting styles, with
actual
examples to compare with (by Sabina J. Murray)
- Inflation Calculator
Adjusts for
inflation, any $ amount, from the year 1800 through 1997,
by
S. Morgan Friedman
Shortcuts to
Neighboring Counties
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