Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Elizabeth City County (Va.) Deeds of Trust, 1820 Apr.-1945 Dec. (bulk 1898 Dec.-1945 Dec.). Local government records collection, Hampton (City)/Elizabeth City County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from the city of Hampton.

Historical Information

Hampton was located in Elizabeth City County, which is now extinct. It takes its name from the Hampton Creek, earlier called Southampton River in honor of the earl of Southampton, an important figure in the Virginia Company of London. An Indian village stood on the site in 1607, when John Smith visited the area. The English established a village there in 1610 and a trading post in 1630. Hampton was established by an act of assembly in 1680 and was designated as a port in 1708. It was first incorporated as a town in 1849, then it was incorporated again in 1852, but the act of incorporation was repealed in 1860. The General Assembly again incorporated the town of Hampton in 1887, and it became a city by court order in 1908. It was greatly enlarged in 1952 by a merger with Elizabeth City County and the town of Phoebus; the county and town thereby became extinct.

Elizabeth City County was named for Elizabeth, daughter of James I, and was one of the eight shires established in 1634. It was incorporated into the City of Hampton in 1952 and became extinct.

Records were burned or destroyed during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Additional records were burned in Richmond on 3 April 1865, where they had been moved for safekeeping during the Civil War. A few pre-Civil War volumes such as deed books, will books, and order books exist.

Scope and Content

Elizabeth City County (Va.) Deeds of Trust, 1820 Apr.-1945 Dec. (bulk 1898 Dec.-1945 Dec.) consist of deeds where one party is indebted to another and transfers or mortgages property to a third party to secure the debt.

On presentation to the court, deeds were proved and recorded. If the deed was not witnessed, the grantor acknowledged the deed in open court. A few of the deeds include plats. Except for a few years early in the eighteenth century, slaves in Virginia were considered personal property and consequently were not usually sold by deed. However, they were often the property listed in mortgages and deeds of trust.

The collection may include additional record types that were recorded in deed books such as officials' bonds, fiduciary records, marriage records, road and bridge records, and bills of sale of property including slaves.

Arrangement

Chronological

Related Material

Deed Books and Indices to Deeds for Elizabeth City County can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm

Additional Elizabeth City County Land Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm

See the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available at Virginia Memory.

For more information and a listing of lost records localities see Lost Records research note .

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Hampton (Va.) Circuit Court

Subjects:

• African Americans -- History
• Land subdivision -- Virginia -- Elizabeth City County
• Slaveholders -- Virginia -- Elizabeth City County
• Slavery -- Virginia -- Elizabeth City County
• Slaves -- Virginia -- Elizabeth City County

Geographical Names:

• Elizabeth City County (Va.) -- History
• Hampton (Va.) -- History

Genre and Form Terms:

• Deeds -- Virginia -- Elizabeth City County
• Land records -- Virginia -- Elizabeth City County
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Elizabeth City County
• Mortgage deeds -- Virginia -- Elizabeth City County

Added Entry - Corporate Name:

• Elizabeth City County (Va.) Circuit Court

Adjunct Descriptive Data