Accomack County, Virginia Court Order Abstracts, Volume 14

Accomack County's fourteenth book of court orders covers just over five years, beginning in June of 1719 and ending in July of 1724. The introduction to this volume spotlights a selection of the more interesting, revealing or unfortunate incidents found among the court orders issued during those years. These pages comprise a fascinating collection of accounts of assault, fornication and adultery, theft, property disputes and wills, disorderly conduct, drunkenness-truly a representative sampling of legal transgressions in a Colonial community. Much can be learned about our Virginia ancestors' values as a society by examining their management of a wide array of public concerns, such as orphans, the elderly and infirm, inter-racial couplings, crime, businesses, religious observance, mills, roads, taxes, public and private property and more. This chronological collection of court orders is attractively presented and includes a full-name plus subject index. "In wills and deeds the genealogist can learn about his ancestors' relatives and possessions; in court orders he can learn about his ancestors."