Andersons of Colonial N. Carolina

Nansemond County, Virginia, was one of the original eight shires (counties) formed in the Virginia Colony. It started as Upper Norfolk County in 1637, carved from Elizabeth City County (now Hampton). In 1646, it was renamed Nansemond after the Nansemond River and the local Native American tribe (Algonquian people who lived there for centuries before English settlement in the early 1600s). The county covered a large area along the river in the Tidewater region, focused on tobacco farming, trade, and later shipbuilding. In 1974, it merged with the city of Suffolk, so it no longer exists as a separate county—records are now in Suffolk City.The big issue with Nansemond’s historical records is that most were destroyed by three major fires over the years. This makes genealogy and history research tough, but some bits survive in other places like state archives or copied documents.Key Fires and Record Losses

• 1734 Fire: The first big loss happened when the courthouse clerk’s house (where records were kept) burned down in April 1734. Most early deeds, wills, and court papers from 1637–1734 were lost.
• 1779 Fire (Revolutionary War): British troops raided and burned the courthouse during the war, destroying more records from 1734–1779.
• 1866 Fire (Post-Civil War): The last fire hit the courthouse on February 7, 1866 (possibly accidental or related to post-war chaos). This wiped out almost everything left from 1779–1866.

Because of these fires, Nansemond is called a “burned county” in genealogy circles—meaning very few original records survive from before 1866.What Records SurviveEven with the losses, some info can be found in backups, state copies, or other counties:

• Deeds & Wills: A few pre-1734 deeds were recopied or referenced in later documents. Post-1866 deeds start fresh in Suffolk records.
• Court Orders: Some 17th-century orders were copied into Virginia state archives.
• Land Patents/Grants: These are in Virginia Land Office records (from 1623 onward), not county-specific, so many Nansemond grants survive.
• Church Records: Parish registers from Nansemond’s Anglican churches (e.g., Suffolk Parish) have some births, marriages, deaths from 1700s–1800s.
• Census/Tax Lists: Federal censuses from 1790 onward (but 1790/1800 lost for all Virginia due to 1812 War fire in D.C.), and state tax lists from 1782+.
• Free Negro Records: Some certificates from 1827–1861 survived and are in the Library of Virginia.
• Other Sources: Family Bibles, newspapers (e.g., Norfolk papers), military records (Revolutionary/Civil War), and books like History of Nansemond County by Jos. B. Dunn (1907) summarize lost info from memories and fragments.
  Note above in the account of its history…”In 1974, it merged with the city of Suffolk“.  That statement is not true… what actually happened is that a flock of Cucoos landed and “nested” in the County and refused to just fly over.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BmGROmnrUA

The most notorious charlatan genealogist of the early 20th century (and late 19th/early 20th overall) was Gustave Anjou (born December 1, 1863, in Stockholm, Sweden; died March 2, 1942, on Staten Island, New York).Anjou immigrated to New York City around 1890 and established himself as a professional genealogist. He targeted wealthy East Coast families eager to claim prestigious European royal, noble, or aristocratic connections—often to enhance social status during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. For fees reportedly as high as $9,000 (a massive sum at the time, equivalent to hundreds of thousands today), he produced elaborate, beautifully bound pedigrees and family histories.However, Anjou was a systematic fraudster:

• He invented lineages where none existed, fabricating connections to illustrious ancestors.
• He forged supporting documents, seals, and records to make his work appear credible.
• He mass-produced these fraudulent genealogies (over 100–200 identified), often recycling similar fake elements across clients.
• He even fabricated parts of his own credentials and background to bolster his reputation.

His work went largely unquestioned during his lifetime because:

• Access to original European records was limited for most Americans.
• Many clients were satisfied with the flattering results and didn’t scrutinize them.
• His pedigrees were sometimes published or cited in respectable venues.

Exposure came decades later (primarily in the mid-to-late 20th century, with major debunking in the 1990s and onward through rigorous research by professional genealogists). Today, Anjou is widely regarded as the “king” or archetype of genealogical fraud in American history. His fabricated works are flagged in major resources:

• FamilySearch’s “Fraudulent Genealogies” wiki lists him prominently.
• WikiTree has a dedicated category for “Gustave Anjou Fraud.”
• Professional organizations (e.g., National Genealogical Society, American Ancestors) warn researchers to treat any Anjou-compiled pedigree with extreme skepticism unless independently verified by primary sources.

Other early 20th-century figures have been accused of similar fraud (e.g., Frederick Clifton Pierce, J. Montgomery Seaver, or Charles Arthur Hoppin), but Anjou stands out for the scale, audacity, and lasting impact of his deceptions. Modern genealogists often describe him as a cautionary tale: always verify with original records, not just compiled family histories.

I hope everyone with a smathering of common sense now realizes that Obama’s birth certificate was faked… the Photoshopped retouching was so obvious, and so badly done,  that even an irritating Sheriff in Arizona could figure it out.  Hell, I was a professional graphic artist when it 1st came out and roared with laughter when I saw it.  Later, and to this day, I cannot lift my jaw from the floor in disbelief.  Big lies told long enough just somehow become accepted as fact… bewildering but true.  Oh, and Oswald was the lone gunman…