The 15 volumes reproduced
on this data set were originally published by the Genealogical Publishing Company
and contain land record abstracts, census records, militia lists, immigration
records, and general information about early Virginia settlers. This data set
lists more than 200,000 individuals.
Thousands of Virginia's
early settlers arrived in the colony as a result of the headright system. Under
this system, anyone who paid his way (or someone else's way) to Virginia received
fifty acres of land. In order to receive a land patent under the headright system,
an individual would petition the county court for a "certificate of importation."
The certificates were then recorded in the county court minute books. For genealogical
purposes, these records can help establish relationships and approximate arrival
times in the colony. This data set presents much such valuable information,
along with other records of land acquisition.
In addition to land record
abstracts, you will also find lists of colonial Virginia inhabitants (including
the first census list, compiled in 1623-1624). These records are important because
few reliable lists of colonial Virginia inhabitants exist.
