RELEASE DATE: JUNE 11, 2017
KINSEARCHING
by
Marleta Childs
P. O. Box 6825
LUBBOCK, TX 79493-6825
[email protected]
Several years ago, JoAnn Riley McKey published the first book in her series, ACCOMACK COUNTY, VIRGINIA, COURT ORDER ABSTRACTS. Over time, she has continued her work concerning the legal records of the county, which was created in 1634. Now she has completed her latest addition to the set: 1773-1777, VOLUMES 26 & 27.
McKey’s new work pertains to legal issues and misdeeds occurring in late colonial Accomack County, Virginia, during a span of four years and four months just before and during the early stages of the American Revolution. Like her previous volumes in the series, this collection of court orders provides both genealogical details about numerous people and insight into the everyday lives of Virginians living on the Eastern Shore.
The nineteen-page introduction furnishes background information and highlights the more interesting or unusual incidents discovered among the court orders from January 1773 through April 1777. Among the headlined topics are the court and American independence; county officials (sheriffs and constables) and the prison; domestic animals; crimes (slander, assault, theft, and murder); bastardy; unlawful co-habitation; the grand jury; the levy and taxes; and slaves and servants.
People whose names appear in the records came from all levels of society. Some recurring surnames are ABBOTT, ARBUCKLE, BAYLEY/BAILEY, BRADFORD, COLEBURN, CORBIN, CUSTIS, DRUMMOND, GUY, HINMAN, JUSTICE, KELLAM, MEARS/MEERS, PARRAMORE, RILEY, SAVAGE, SNEAD, TEACKLE, TUNNELL, WEST , and WISE.
Because the court minutes were handwritten and colonial penmanship is often hard to read, genealogists should commend McKey for taking the time to transcribe such valuable material and putting it into book form for easy access by researchers. ACCOMACK COUNTY, VIRGINIA, COURT ORDER ABSTRACTS, 1773-1777, VOLUMES 26 & 27 will be a welcomed addition to genealogical library holdings.
The 294-page book has soft covers, an informative introduction with end notes, a bibliography, and a full-name index. A copy of the publication (order item M5755) costs $29.50. To the price of the book, buyers should add the cost for shipping charges. For U. S. postal mail, the cost is $7.00 for one book and $2.50 for each additional book. The volume may be purchased by check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express from Heritage Books, Inc., 5810 Ruatan Street, Berwyn Heights, Maryland 20740. For phone orders, call toll free 1-800-876-6103; fax 410-558-6574; e-mail [email protected]; website www.HeritageBooks.com).
Since people often moved around within a state or within the country, tracking their movement can sometimes be difficult. Here are some miscellaneous items found on page 183 of the June 1929 (Volume 50, Number 3) issue of The Texas Druggist that may be helpful to some genealogists seeking relatives in the Lone Star State. (Surnames are capitalized for emphasis. Some punctuation may be added or changed for clarity.)
“The Eiland Drug Company of Munday recently purchased the stock of drugs and fixtures of the Brown Drug Company at Truscott. Cecil BLANTON, who has been associated with the store at Munday, will go to Truscott as manager of the store....
The Gatesville Drug Company of Gatesville considers itself exceedingly fortunate in securing the services of Cecil DOGGETT, popular young Hamilton pharmacist, to fill the position formerly occupied by Lem ALEXANDER, who has left to take over the management of a prominent drug store in Ballinger.”
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