I hope this explanation will help some genealogists understand this particular term. In the town of Urbanna, Virginia, which is nestled along the Urbanna Creek and the Rappahannock River, early colonists citizens there fished, hunted in the bountiful game area along the River. They set fish traps and enjoyed the oysters of the River. They felled some of the great trees along the river for sailing ship lumber and grew Tobacco in their patented fields. Around 1649 other citizens patented land in this area. In 1650 Capt. Ralph Wormeley acquired even more land. Tobacco became the money of this part of Virginia. It was grown in and around the area called Urbanna. In 1680, 20 town sites were designated as Colonial PORTS. Urbanna was one of these. Inspectors were nominated and their job was to inspect the tobacco to assure quality before it was shipped to England and Spain. The tobacco came to the port in "Kegs." These barrels were so designed to be rolled from the farm into the horse drawn wagons and hence to town where they were rolled into the Inspectors' warehouses for character and quality analysis. The Rolling Houses acquired this title much the same way as Tobacco Auction Houses where the leaf was auctioned to the cigarette manufacturers. Whiskey barrels even today are shaped similarly because their weight prohibits an individual from lifting, dragging or pushing. The barrel shape can be rolled along and handled by one person with no difficulty. I hope this description will give others an appreciation of the role of Tobacco in the early colonial days of our nation. Taylor Brooks