Bøger af Landon C Bell

In colonial days and until the Statute of Religious Freedom and the "dis-establishment" of the Episcopal Church in Virginia, the Church was not only a religious institution, but it was also in a very real sense a public, official, governmental agency. The whole institution was supported from public revenue. Consequently, and in addition to what we now know as "public records," the only records of births, marriages and death officially kept were parish or church records. Lunenburg County, Virginia, was established on May 1, 1746, from Brunswick County, and shared the same boundaries with Cumberland Parish. The vestry book, which is contained within this work, is replete with records of birth, baptism, marriage, and death, as well as an abundance of land transactions. To this, the author has provided extensive genealogical sketches of many families of Cumberland Parish. Paperback, (1930), Illus, Index, 646 pp.

By Landon C. Bell, Pub. 1930, Reprinted 2019, 638 pages, Index, soft cover, ISBN #0-89308-617-7. Cumberland Parish was formed at the same time Lunenburg County was created, and was coextensive with the county. Lunenburg County was formed from Brunswick County in the year 1745. The Parish of St. Andrews which was located in Brunswick County was also divided and that which was located in the "new" Lunenburg County would be called Cumberland Parish. These records are considered official because the Vestry was responsible for them and not the county clerks. First of the records mentioned are the well known Rev. John Cameron's Register of Marriages. This register follows him through his Rectorship in Bristol Parish, 1784-1793; Nottoway Parish, 1794-1795; and Cumberland Parish, 1796-1815. Also a register of Baptisms and funerals for Cumberland Parish for the year 1815 is given. These records are followed by the Vestry Book of Cumberland parish, 1746-1816. In these Minutes of the Vestry, many of the same things are mentioned as in other vestry books, but of special note are the mentioning of land records. These land records range from conveyances, deeds, to mortgages. Also, there is much of this periodic.