Land was the main reason. Maybe our Loudoun Co. guru's can help. My Richmond/Loudoun surnames were Chinn and Tarpley. Below are tid bits found about what was going on in that area. I am in no way any kind of an expert. I just search, copy and paste. Janean Not just Richmond but look at all the counties along the Chesapeake Bay area. All ships that came from England, etc going to Virginia had to arrive down by Virginia Beach through Newport News area into James River and into the Cities of Williamsburg and Richmond which is often confused with Richmond Co. Now going up the Chesapeake Bay they went up along the Rappahannock River into Middlesex, Lancaster, and Richmond Co's. among many others. If you follow the counties on up, through Westmoreland, King George, Stafford, Prince William, and into Loudoun we are now getting closer to Washington DC. In 1607, the first permanent New World settlement was established in Virginia on the James River, and a member of the traveling group -- John Smith -- began extensive exploration of the Bay. Most of those original colonists died in the first year, but the New World's population began to grow as more people and supplies came from England. Over the next 300 years of the Bay's time line, people built homes, farmed, started businesses and participated in a host of other activities that continue to affect the Bay today. Tobacco farming was introduced in the early 1600s, and within a few years, plantations covered the land - from Richmond to the Chesapeake Bay. The Colonists strip 20 to 30% of forests for settlements. They grow tobacco, which depletes the soil and causes erosion. Bay shipping ports begin to fill with eroded sediments and become too shallow for navigation. The Colonists begin to catch fish in nets. Probably the biggest reason for the migration was the Fairfax Land Proprietary. Lord Fairfax inherited from his mother, land between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers consisting of 5,282,000 acres In 1634 the Privy Council authorized the patenting of lands under the principle of granting patents to any person who qualified as a planter. In practice, the acreage was awarded to the person who paid the transportation cost of the emigrant and not to the settler himself. This method, called the headright system, was employed as the major means of distributing virgin lands in the 17th century. The Northern Neck, or "Fairfax Proprietary," consisted of 5,282,000 acres located between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers. In 1649, King Charles II, then in exile, gave this unsettled region to seven loyal supporters, including Lord Fairfax. By 1688 most of the region was owned by Thomas, Lord Culpeper. Lord Culpeper's daughter married Thomas, Lord Fairfax, in 1690, and the region became synonymous with the Fairfax name. Agents of the Northern Neck proprietors issued the first land grant in 1690. Individuals purchased warrants for a specified amount of land in a particular location. The warrants were taken to a surveyer and the land surveyed. The plat and any accompanying papers were returned to the proprietor's office, and a grant was issued. In an effort to halt land speculation, an order was issued by the proprietor's office on March 26, 1765, forbidding the assignment of warrants or surveys. The Northern Neck Land Office continued to operate during the Revolution until Lord Fairfax's death in 1782. Fairfax family interest was terminated in 1808 when the last surviving heir sold his title to a syndicate. Until 1862 land grants in the Northern Neck issued by the commonwealth of Virginia were recorded in volumes maintained separately from the regular Land Office grants. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Daniela Moneta" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 11:02 AM Subject: [VARICHMO] Humphrey and Marks families > Dear Richmond County researchers, > > Some of my Pugh ancestors left Richmond County around 1770 and migrated to > Loudoun County, Virginia. Can you tell me which other Richmond families > migrated to Loudoun County around that time? I have seen these surnames in > Loudoun County: Humphrey, Marks, Carter, Tayloe, and Brown. Are there > others? Why did they leave Richmond? My ancestor Samuel Pugh bought land > from Thomas Humphrey in Loudoun County in 1772. The Pughs married into the > Reverend John Marks family, a Baptist minister in Loudoun County. I would be > interested in corresponding and exchanging information with anyone > researching the Humphrey and Marks families or any other family who migrated > to Loudoun. > > Thanks you, > > Daniela > > > > ==== VARICHMO Mailing List ==== > NOTICE: Posting of virus warnings, test messages, chain letters, political > announcements, current events, items for sale, personal messages, flames, > etc. (in other words - spam) is NOT ALLOWED and will be grounds for removal. > Consideration for exceptions, contact Kathleen Burnett [email protected] > > ============================== > New! Family Tree Maker 2005. Build your tree and search for your ancestors at the same time. Share your tree with family and friends. Learn more: http://landing.ancestry.com/familytreemaker/2005/tour.aspx?sourceid=14599&targetid=5429 >