Hello all I am new to this list as I try to sort out all my colonial and early American ancestors in the area. Today I was checking a source and found a statement that an ancestor had been the marshal for the county of Norfolk, NH in 1673...he was a resident of Hampton. Further searching found that yes indeed, Exeter and Hampton were part of Norfolk county at one time and that area is now Rockingham Co. How very confusing. Can anyone tell me the time frame of the change from Norfolk to Rockingham? I was disappointed in the Rockingham county website as it really just gave vague information. I need to know this information so that I can correct my database to show that prior to the date of change those towns were in Norfolk County and then it changed. I try to be as accurate as possible in locations and if in 1673 it was Norfolk county it will be recorded that way. So when did Norfolk county "disappear"? Thanks for any help available. Jo H

What is now called "old" Norfolk County, Massachusetts [technically Massachusetts Bay Colony], began in 1643 and was reorganized in 1679. Deeds continued to be recorded as "old" Norfolk County as late as 1714, but probate and other county records began to be treated as either Essex County, Massachusetts, or New Hampshire Provincial Deeds or New Hampshire Provincial Probate or New Hampshire Provincial Court records. Rockingham County, New Hampshire, was not created until 1769 (1771 for probate). LDS catalogers may not have known this and have called the Provincial records Rockingham County in error for a long time. Old Norfolk County included Amesbury, Exeter, Hampton, Haverhill and Salisbury. People freely slopped over into neighboring counties, so you really have to look in all of them and in a set of records called "Ipswich Deeds" before you can consider your search thorough. Melinde