The Vestry Book of Stratton Major Parish, King and Queen County, Virginia, 1729-1783


Book Description

More than a half-century ago, C. G. Chamberlayne, under the sponsorship of the Virginia State Library, transcribed, edited, and indexed a number of original Virginia parish vestry books, four of which are reprinted here. While the dates of coverage and lengths of the volumes vary, they are nonetheless similar in terms of scope and content. Each volume contains the oldest known records pertaining to that parish, in most cases beginning only a few years following the parish's date of formation.




Cumberland Parish, Lunenburg County, Virginia, 1746-1816


Book Description

Cumberland Parish was coextensive with Lunenburg County from its inception in 1745, and Mr. Bell's history of the parish and transcription of its oldest vestry book are of the first importance. The vestry book itself is replete with records of birth, baptism, marriage, and death, as well as an abundance of land transactions. To this, Mr. Bell has added extensive genealogical sketches of families who furnished vestrymen to Cumberland Parish.




The Vestry Book of St. Paul's Parish, Hanover County, Virginia, 1706-1786


Book Description

More than a half-century ago, C. G. Chamberlayne, under the sponsorship of the Virginia State Library, transcribed, edited, and indexed a number of original Virginia parish vestry books, four of which are reprinted here. While the dates of coverage and lengths of the volumes vary, they are nonetheless similar in terms of scope and content. Each volume contains the oldest known records pertaining to that parish, in most cases beginning only a few years following the parish's date of formation. Mr. Chamberlayne begins each vestry book with an Introduction that pieces together the formation of the parish and important milestones in its history from published and original sources. Facsimilies of pages from the original vestry books, maps, and photographs help to put each volume into greater context, moreover. Appended to the vestry books are brief lists of the various parish ministers, with an indication of their earliest date of service as found in the records. The transcriptions themselves, ranging from about 250 to more than 600 pages of text, relate to the following issues growing out of the business affairs of colonial parish vestries; namely, payments to persons for services rendered to the parish, oaths and lists of oath-takers, news of the arrival of ministers, the appointment of church wardens, issues related to indentured servants, lists of tithables, payment of salaries and other obligations, the formation of parish precincts with the names of the families apportioned therein, the warding of children, and so on. In each case, these four scarce collections of colonial church records establish the existence of thousands of Virginia inhabitants, each of whom is easily found in the index or indexes at the back of the book.







Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia


Book Description

Joseph Vick, of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and his Descendants, Volume 1 covers the first five generations of the descendants of Joseph Vick, who immigrated to America in the late 1600s. In addition to extensive, well-documented genealogical information, the book includes anecdotal historical information, references and foot notes. A center section includes illustrations and photographs of Vick descendants, lands and homes.







The Parish and the County


Book Description







The Vestry Book of the Upper Parish, Nansemond County, Virginia, 1743-1793


Book Description

Originally the parish vestry dealt with land processioning, care of the poor, apprenticeships and guardianships of orphans, levying of taxes, and other civil matters, as well as those relating to the running of the parish. Around 1785 the counties took over these civil functions and placed them under civil authorities.