Surry County, VA

Notes:
Surry County was originally a part of James City County. In 1634 James City County was designated as one of eight original shires. It included not only Jamestown, the capital of the colony, but also Williamsburg and its surrounding area, and extended southwest across the James River all the way to the border of North Carolina. By 1640 the population south of the James River was deemed to be sufficient to form an additional parish, called Lawnes Creek Parish. In 1647 Southwark Parish, directly across the River from Jamestown, was separated from James City Parish, and in 1652 Surry County was separated from James City County. The Lawne's Creek parish did not fluourish and eventually was united with Southwark Parish, which then encompassed the whole of Surry County. In 1738 Albemarle Parish was formed from those parts of Lawne's Creek and Southwark Parishes that lay southwest of the Blackwater River. In 1754 the entire area of Albemarle Parish was incorporated as Sussex County. These political arrangements are very significant to anyone interested in the history or genealogy of the area. The parishes maintained the vital statistics of the area; births, deaths and marriages. Counties kept the deeds, wills and estate records. Albemarle Parish records have largely survived. Those of Southwark and Lawne's Creek have not, making it somewhat difficult to do genealogical research in Surry County.

Latitude: 37.0193444444444, Longitude: -76.9676827777778