Accomack County, Virginia Court Order Abstracts, Volume 1: 1663-1666

An original Virginia county, “Accawmak” was formed in 1634; renamed Northampton in 1642/43; and split into Northampton and Accomack Counties in 1663 (the northern part receiving the original name). In April 1663, court sessions were first held in the newly-formed Accomack County and they continued to be held almost every month. In this book, the first volume of court orders, dating from 1663 to 1666, has been abstracted. Close to 1,000 abstracts make up this volume. Besides providing a wealth of names for researchers to work with, the court records reveal valuable (and often entertaining) information concerning the region’s economy, indentured servants, relations with Indians and Negroes, construction of highways, the justice system, social order and mores. Also included, as recorded in the court books, are tax lists and abstracts of wills and deeds. A page-number reference to the original source accompanies each abstract and an every-name plus subject index guides users through this goldmine of data. “The sessions provided news, entertainment and social interaction for the isolated [county] inhabitants…one gets glimpses of real people as they break the Sabbath, commit fornication, speak out in their depositions or quote their neighbors. In wills and deeds the genealogist can learn about his ancestors’ relatives and possessions; in court orders he can learn about his ancestors.”