RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 4, 2016
KINSEARCHING
by
Marleta Childs
P. O. Box 6825
LUBBOCK, TX 79493-6825
[email protected]
Are you wondering what to give the genealogists in your family for Christmas? Are they trying to trace early ancestors in the Old Dominion State? If the answer is “yes,” these two reprints may be just what they need to find under the tree.
Originally published in 1924, A HISTORY OF HALIFAX COUNTY (VIRGINIA) by Wirt Johnson Carrington contains a wealth of information about the people in an area that was created in 1752. At the time it was formed, Halifax included all of the land now in Franklin, Henry, Patrick, and Pittsylvania counties.
Although the volume contains data about the history of the county, its churches, the towns of Halifax and South Boston, the Wilderness Road, and traditions, the bulk of the material pertains to genealogical records and family sketches. Some of the records extracted are church ledgers, court minutes, deeds and land surveys (in which the author points out Margery SIZEMORE was the first female to purchase land in the county), wills, and marriage records, 1753-1850. Appendices furnish names of colonial soldiers, 1758; county justices, 1767; burgesses, 1753-1775; delegates to the General Assembly, 1778-1830; Revolutionary War and Confederate officers; Revolutionary pensioners in 1835; and members of the Masonic Lodge, 1828.
The numerous family sketches, often covering several generations, varies in length and detail. Surnames of some of the families studied include ADAMS, BAYNHAM, BARKSDALE, BELT, BOOKER, BOYD, BRUCE, CARLTON, CLARK, CRADDOCK, EASLEY, FAULKNER, FRENCH, GREEN, HENRY, HURT, JORDAN, OWEN, PALMER, RAGLAND, THORNTON, and WATKINS.
As Carrington stated in his foreword, he attempted to seek out the broken and tangled threads of the background of the early settlers of this particular county. During his quest, he gleaned information about thousands of individuals. Genealogists with roots in the area will want to see what A HISTORY OF HALIFAX COUNTY (VIRGINIA) may contain about their forebears.
The 525-page book has soft covers, a foreword, a note about sources, illustrations, appendices, and a general topic and main family index. Priced at $49.50, its item order number is 809.
Originally published in 1933, the information in MARRIAGES OF ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 1628-1800 by Blanche Adams Chapman remains as pertinent as ever. She naturally included information taken from marriage bonds, ministers’ returns, and Quaker minute books.
However, comparatively few official marriage records prior to 1800 survive for the ancient shire created in the seventeenth century. So she delved into existing materials, such as wills, deeds, and order books, that often infer marriages. (Whenever the evidence is not sufficient enough to prove a marriage, the compiler indicated the lack of proof with a specific symbol so genealogists can continue to pursue other avenues of research.) Because few Isle of Wight families can be traced without regard to Southampton County (Nottoway Parish), created from Isle of Wight in 1749, Chapman also furnished details gleaned from various resources in that county.
Names of approximately 6,300 individuals appear in Chapman’s publication. Anyone researching ancestral lines in the extreme southeastern part of the Old Dominion State will want to peruse MARRIAGES OF ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 1628-1800.
The 124-page book has soft covers, a preface, and a full name index. Priced at #12.50, its item order number is 950.
To the price of the books, buyers should add the cost for postage and handling charges. For U. S. postal mail, the cost is $5.50 for one book and $2.50 for each additional copy; for UPS, the cost is $7.50 for one copy and $2.50 for each additional book. Both volumes may be purchased by check, MasterCard, or Visa from Clearfield Company, 3600 Clipper Mill Rd., Suite 260, Baltimore, Maryland 21211 (for phone orders, call toll free 1-800-296-6687; fax 1-410-752-8492; website www.genealogical.com).