Andersons of Colonial N. Carolina

A little known Nansemond and Isle of Wight source I visit on occassion is found here:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/mtjser8.html

Series 8: Virginia Records, 1606-1737

The Virginia Records volumes were part of Jefferson’s personal library. These volumes were very fragile when Jefferson first collected them, can only be handled with the greatest care today, and are generally not made available for researchers except in microfilm format. Their presentation here, online, makes this unacknowledged treasure widely available to the public for the first time in an easily accessible format.

Scroll down to “Manuscript Volume 19”
This book is entitled “Virginia. Foreign Business and Inquisitions. 1665-76.” And indeed, the first part is “foreign business” involving dealings of Wm Berkeley and his other castletrash buddies… however, beginning about Image 321 you will find assorted “Escheate Patent” entries. These are patents where the colonist has died and a jury is impanelled to decide whether the land reverts to the Colony to be re-patented or if a family member can be found to take up the land. I find the time period to be generally mid 1660s to early 1670s and involved the “counties” of that time… Prince George County did not exist yet and was still known as Charles Citty. The wave of settlers had not yet reached the Blackwater River. North Carolina was only populated by a few indian trader types…

Since Nansemond “county” and Isle of Wight are “burned records” areas, I find these obscure records rather remarkable. The entries begin at “image” 321… somewhat of an index can be found at Image 460. While you may not find an escheate record for your ancestor, you may find him listed in the “jury” which follows the “inquiry”. Lots of familiar names popped up for my own research. The formula for the text usually follows along these lines as an example I transcribed:

An Inquisition Indented taken this seaventh day of June in ye yeare our Lord God 1670 before me Wm Alford Gent: Deputy Escheator of ye County aforesd by testes: of a Writt to me directed from ye Rt Honble William Berkeley Knt Genle & Capt Genll of Virginia __? __?__? in ye Country dated ye first of March last past first makeing ye present (patent?) Inquisition, In obedience where unto I have caused a Jury of yt Neighborhood to be impannelled and given them in Charge to inquier what lands John Garrett of ye County aforesd was at ye time of his death seazed of whether hee had [to any of their Certaine knowledge][crossed out] disposed of any of his sd lands by Will or otherwise, as whether hee had to any of their Certaine knowledge any heire in ye Country or whether hee was an Alien or freeborn subject to wch upon their oathes they have brought in this verdict first wee of ye Jury whose names are hereunto subscribed with our hands & seales doe declare according to ye best of our Judgmtt & according to ye Charge layd before us wch we have carefully pased? doe find yt ye sd John Garrett dyed seized of four hundred acres of land granted to him by pattent dated ye five & twentieth day of July 1640: wch land ye sd John Garrett did by his will dated ye twentieth day of September 1655 devised unto Margarett his wife who afterwards married unto Coll Thomas Colley & hee since dyeing as (well?) (and was?) intestate and finding noe heir in ye Country to our Certaine knowledge ye sd land being now in ye possession of Edward Dyson? (Edward Ison perhaps-see margin note) who purchased ye same? in his owne- wrong of ye sd Coll Colley of right (sic) doe therefore give verdict yt ye sd land doth Escheatee to his Sacred Ma:tie to wch verdict doe hereby Confirme ye same & together wth ye sd Jury have signed & sealed two of this present date & contents? and doe hereby Certifie ye same unto his ___? treasurer according to ye terms? of ye sd Writt into ye secretaryes offices

It is tedious to search but you may just find a jewel for your ancestor… here is an example where one “Robert Stoke” of Isle of Wight shows up in a jury. The guy was hanged after Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 and not suprisingly did not leave very many records.

See my Page for the Isle of Wight Map and many of these folks will show up…