GOOD, GOOD advice, Billee, and it applies to all counties which are said to have NO records. Remember All, just as you would do today, during the first few days after a fire that the county offices were reopened, EVERYONE who was able and yet had those, took their deed from home to the new facility for recording; land was precious, and they were very careful to let the World know anew that THEY owned this or that tract. Then too, the taxing authorities AT ONCE reopened/rewrote the tax books and knew who owned virtually every tract. Those with "burned courthouses" in their lines should proceed as though it did not happen and not give up, exactly as Billee did. Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: <BilleeS@aol.com> To: <VA-SOUTHSIDE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, August 03, 2001 8:26 AM Subject: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Nansemond Co. > Nansemond Co records are located in Suffolk which is what Nansemond County > became. Also in the Va. Library in Richmond. It is true that the records > burned 3 times (but, interestingly enough, never by the Yankees.) However > there are many records to be found. Don't listen when you are told, even at > the library, that there are none. Very old records are a problem but see good > old "Cavaliers----", " Va. Colonial Records","The Vestry Book of the Upper > Parish, Namsemond County, 1743-1793, see "Suffolk in Va." by Fillmore > Norfleet pub 1974. Will books are in Suffolk (Municipal Bldg.) Deed books > are a gold mine. Just think. When you buy property, the deed is recorded and > you take a copy home. The records burn. so what. When you dispose of the > property, you bring the deed in and that transaction is recorded. Maybe there > are only snippits of history but that's the fun of the game. > Search Cedar Hill Cemetary. My GGgrandparents tombstones name their parents > and parents' home county. > Look around. I looked for my ggrandmother's death certificate in Isle of > Wight because she moved there as a widow. Haven't found her's or her grave > but found my Ggrandfather's (and I thought he had died in Suffolk) and her > Mother's which named her parents and gave me another generation! (This after > the staff in Isle of Wight said they didn't have any old death > records----"Well, just a few." They could be your few. > The Yankees did mess up record keeping--that part of Va was occupied very > early in the War---all those hams and bacon, so many records during the War > years were never kept. > > And, of course, don't forget the LDS library. > Hope this helps. > > > ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== > USGenWeb Archives Digital Maps Project > http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/maps/ > > > ============================== > Visit Ancestry's Library - The best collection of family history > learning and how-to articles on the Internet. > http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library >