The "Great" Dismal Swamp straddles Suffolk and Chesapeake Cities (independant cities). Its northern boundary is basically a line between the cities of Suffolk and Portsmouth and it goes down into North Carolina, Camden County and Gates Co. This was the area formerly covered in part by Nansemond Co. The Isle of Wight I believe is to the West and North, bordering on Suffolk City. The James River starts just at the intersection of current day Isle of Wight Co and Suffolk and Newport News Cities. This was the region (James River and other Rivers feeding from the west into the Chesapeake Bay) where many Louisia Co residents spent their first one or two generations. If you do research in the James City, York & New Kent County, Isle of Wight or Nansemond you will find all sorts of references to the Dismal Swamp, swamps and marshes...Washington, D.C. is of course built on what was large part formerly marshes..swamp may be going a bit too far. If you look at a detailed map, you will find Lake Drummond in the center of the Dismal Swamp, and a group of "ditches" criss crossing it. Highway 17 taking Virginians south to Elizabeth City and the Outer Banks and other points travels through the Eastern portion of it. It is pretty much uninhabitable for homo sapiens, but is a National Wildlife Refuge on both sides of the border. Hope this helps. Janet (Baugh) Hunter -- Researching in Louisa/Hanover McGehee, Lipscomb, Wash, Poindexter, Eggleston, Pettus, Overton, Clough