Sunlight on the Southside

Lunenburg County was the parent or grandparent of the counties of Mecklenburg, Charlotte, Halifax, Pittsylvania, Henry, Patrick, Franklin, Bedford, Campbell, and Appomattox--a domain embracing one-quarter of the State of Virginia. Since Lunenburg's records are unique in their high survival rate, the lists of tithes presented in this work are rich in genealogical detail and constitute, in substance, the earliest census records of the Colony of Virginia. No other public records of the period contain so complete an account of the population as do these tithes, or tax lists. The tithes make it possible to construct, for this part of the Southside, a census record earlier in point of time and more complete and authentic than for any comparable section of the state. In particular, the available lists of tithes before any subdivision of the county took place are among the most critical and important materials known for the study of early Virginia origins.