Cumberland

Cumberland County Genealogy Records, Wills, Estates, Marriages, Maps, Tax Digests

Cumberland County was formed 1749 from Goochland County. Cumberland is the county seat. Early settlers were Germans and Irish. The county was named for William Augustus, duke of Cumberland, third son of George II.

Certain of your Ancestors were probably Important Historical Figures?

I ask you, how do you know until you dig into the past? There are tons of records that embrace the era of our ancestors. The reason they did not all make the history books is that we did not do our homework and write about them. Some of these guys served with General George Washington, Colonel Richard Lee, and Generals Greene and Marion. The old pensions describe their adventures. And the further back we trace, there is oh so much more! Most Americans are descendants of King Edward I of England (1300s). And that links us to hundreds of noblemen and heroes.

Maps

1736 Beverley Patent (map of names)
1886 Map

Marriages

Marriages to 1699

Digital Images of Wills 1759 to 1769

Digital Images of Wills 1769 to 1792

Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories, etc.

1792 to 1810
1810 to 1814
1814 to 1817

Miscellaneous Records

Parker, William, LTD (1755) (transcript
Spears, Sarah, LWT dated 1812 (transcript
Spear, William, LWT dated 1796 (image)
Taylor, James, LWT dated (1779) (image)

Tax Digests

1782 Cumberland County Tax Digest to 1816

" This is the Time for War!"

Daniel Bradley was a resident of Cumberland County when he enlisted in the Revolutionary War on July 1, 1780, for a term of 18 months under Captain Alexander Grothemy, Captain White, Colonel Campbell, and General Muhlenburg. Bradley fought in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and Ninety-Six, South Carolina, involved in various skirmishes. After Eutaw Springs in 1781, he was discharged by Lieutenant Greene. Muhlenburg saw service in the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. General Muhlenburg, a religious minister, had joined the fight early in the war and on January 21, 1776, in the Lutheran Church in Woodstock, Virginia, took his sermon text from the third chapter Ecclesiastes, which starts with ” To everything, there is a season…” after reading the eighth verse, ” a time of war, and a time of peace,” he declared, ” And this is the time of war.” Muhlenburg then removed his clerical robe to reveal the uniform of a Colonel. Outside the church, the drums began to roll as men turned to kiss their wives and then walked down the aisle to enlist, and within half an hour, 162 men had enrolled. The next day the general led out 300 men from the county to form the nucleus of the 8th Virginia Regiment. After Monmouth, most of the Virginia Line was sent to the far South, while Muhlenburg was assigned to head up the defense of Virginia using mainly militia units.

McCall Families Traced Remember the Hounds of Baskerville?

The Baskerville name certainly existed in England dating from the 11th century when Ralph Baskerville owned Pencelli Castle. Then there was the printer, John Baskerville, who used a transitional typeface during the mid-18th century. Of course, there is the Sherlock Holmes mystery, Hounds of Baskerville. It is said of the village of Eardisley located in Herefordshire England (pictured above) that the Baskerville family had a castle. Therefore, the question arises as to whether or not the Baskerville family found its way to America. And the answer is ” yes.” Norvelle Baskerville, born 1709 probably in Hereford, England, came to Virginia during the early part of the 18th century and settled in Cumberland County, Virginia where he died in January of 1750, leaving a last will and testament. This testament is available to members of Virginia Pioneers in PDF format.