Nansemond is an extinct jurisdiction that was located south of the James River in
Virginia Colony
The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...
and in the
Commonwealth of Virginia (after statehood) in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
, from 1646 until 1974. It was known as Nansemond County until 1972. From 1972 to 1974, a period of eighteen months, it was the
independent city
An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province).
Historical precursors
In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...
of Nansemond. It is now part of the independent city of
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowesto ...
.
English colonists named it for the
Nansemond
The Nansemond are the indigenous people of the Nansemond River, a 20-mile long tributary of the James River in Virginia. Nansemond people lived in settlements on both sides of the Nansemond River where they fished (with the name "Nansemond" meanin ...
, a tribe of
Native Americans who had long been living along the
Nansemond River
The Nansemond River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the James River in Virginia in the United States. Virginian colonists named the river ...
, a tributary of what the English later named as the
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesape ...
. They encountered the English colonists after they began arriving in 1607 at
Jamestown. Although disrupted by being forced off their land and through armed confrontation with colonists, the
Nansemond Indian Nation continues to be based in Virginia and was granted state (1985) and federal recognition (2018).
History
17th century
Under the
Virginia Company of London
The London Company, officially known as the Virginia Company of London, was a division of the Virginia Company with responsibility for colonizing the east coast of North America between latitudes 34° and 41° N.
History Origins
The territor ...
, in 1619, the area which became Nansemond County was included in
Elizabeth Cittie , one of four large "boroughs", or "incorporations". In 1624, the Virginia Company lost its proprietary charter, and Virginia became a royal colony.
In 1634, the King of England directed the formation of eight
shire
Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the begin ...
s (or
counties) in the colony. One of these was
Elizabeth River Shire Elizabeth City Shire was one of eight shires created in colonial Virginia in 1634. The shire and the Elizabeth River were named for Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of King James I.
During the 17th century, shortly after establishment of Jamestown ...
, which included land area on both sides of
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...
, as had the earlier Elizabeth Cittie. Two years later,
New Norfolk County New Norfolk County is a long-extinct county which was located in colonial Virginia from 1636 until 1637.
It was formed in 1636 from Elizabeth City Shire, one of the eight original shires (or counties) formed in 1634 in the colony of Virginia by d ...
was formed in 1636 from
Elizabeth River Shire Elizabeth City Shire was one of eight shires created in colonial Virginia in 1634. The shire and the Elizabeth River were named for Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of King James I.
During the 17th century, shortly after establishment of Jamestown ...
. It included all the area in
South Hampton Roads
South Hampton Roads is a region located in the extreme southeastern portion of Virginia's Tidewater region in the United States with a total population of 1,191,937. It is part of the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA (Metropolitan St ...
that is now incorporated in the five independent cities located there in modern times. The following year, in 1637, New Norfolk County was divided into
Upper Norfolk County {{Unreferenced, date=April 2014
Upper Norfolk County is an extinct county which was located in colonial Virginia from 1637 until 1646.
In 1634, the King of England directed the formation of eight shires (or counties) in the colony of Virginia. One ...
and
Lower Norfolk County Lower Norfolk County is a long-extinct county which was organized in colonial Virginia, operating from 1637 until 1691.
New Norfolk County was formed in 1636 from Elizabeth City Shire, one of the eight original shires (or counties) formed in 1634 i ...
.
Upper Norfolk County was officially redesignated the County of Nansimum by the House of Burgesses in March 1646; by the October session, this was also being spelled as Nansimund. The English named it for the indigenous
Nansemond
The Nansemond are the indigenous people of the Nansemond River, a 20-mile long tributary of the James River in Virginia. Nansemond people lived in settlements on both sides of the Nansemond River where they fished (with the name "Nansemond" meanin ...
people whom they encountered in the area along the
Nansemond River
The Nansemond River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the James River in Virginia in the United States. Virginian colonists named the river ...
. Among the several
Algonquian-speaking coastal peoples in the Tidewater, the
Nansemond
The Nansemond are the indigenous people of the Nansemond River, a 20-mile long tributary of the James River in Virginia. Nansemond people lived in settlements on both sides of the Nansemond River where they fished (with the name "Nansemond" meanin ...
continue in the 21st century as a federally recognized tribe.
18th century
In the 1720s, John Constant settled along the
Nansemond River
The Nansemond River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the James River in Virginia in the United States. Virginian colonists named the river ...
(in what is now Suffolk) and built a home, wharf, and warehouse. This site became known as "Constant's Warehouse."
Tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus ''Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the chie ...
was the commodity crop in the Virginia colony and there was strong demand for it in England and Europe. Under the
Tobacco Inspection Act of 1730
The Tobacco Inspection Act of 1730 (popularly known as the Tobacco Inspection Act) was a 1730 English law designed to improve the quality of tobacco exported from Colonial Virginia. Proposed by Virginia Lieutenant Governor Sir William Gooch, th ...
, three of the 40 tobacco inspection warehouses were chartered in Nansemond County, under two inspectors, as follows:
At Waynwright's Landing, Isle of Wight; and Laurence's, in Nansemond County, under one inspection.
At the widow Constance's ic at Sleepy-Hole Point, in Nansemond County, under one inspection.
In 1742, the Virginia House of Burgesses chartered a new town at Constant's Wharf and renamed it as ''Suffolk''.
In 1750, the
county seat of Nansemond County was moved from Jarnigan's or Cohoon's Bridge to
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowesto ...
. This new town was founded in 1742 at Constance's Warehouse at Sleepy Hole Point on the Nansemond River. It was named for the English hometown of Royal Governor
William Gooch.
VA Guide
XRoads, University of Virginia
19th century
Suffolk became an incorporated town
An incorporated town is a town that is a municipal corporation.
Canada
Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government.
United Kingdom
United States
An in ...
in 1808 and an independent city in 1910. Even after Suffolk became politically independent of Nansemond County, it remained the seat of Nansemond County. Suffolk and Nansemond County also shared a court system and several other constitutional officers.
20th century
As part of a wave of political consolidations in southeastern Virginia between 1952 and 1976, the unincorporated areas of Nansemond County merged with the outlying incorporated towns of Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
and Whaleyville to form the independent city of Nansemond. Two years later Nansemond merged with Suffolk to form the present-day independent city of Suffolk.["Virginia: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries" https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/VA_Consolidated_Chronology.htm ] The new municipality encompassed a total of , making it the largest city in Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...
and in all of Virginia in land area and the 11th largest in land area in the United States. With a life of 18 months, Nansemond was the shortest-lived independent city of any in Virginia.
References
External links
*
{{Coord , display=title, 36.739323, -76.609379
Former counties of Virginia
Suffolk, Virginia
1646 establishments in Virginia
1974 disestablishments in Virginia
Populated places disestablished in 1974
Populated places established in 1646