Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Southampton County (Va.) Lists of Tithables, 1752, 1778. Local government records collection, Southampton County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These records came to the Library of Virginia in a shipment of court papers from Southampton County.

Historical Information

Southampton County was named, in the opinion of many authorities, for Henry Wriothesley, third earl of Southampton and treasurer of the London Company from 1620 to 1624. It is more likely, however, that the county was named for the borough of Southampton in England. Southampton County was formed in 1749 from Isle of Wight County, and part of Nansemond County was added later.

In seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Virginia, the term "tithable" referred to a person who paid (or for whom someone else paid) one of the taxes imposed by the General Assembly for the support of civil government in the colony. In colonial Virginia, a poll tax or capitation tax was assessed on free white males, African American slaves, and Native American servants (both male and female), all age sixteen or older. Owners and masters paid the taxes levied on their slaves and servants. For a more detailed history of tithables, consult the Library of Virginia's website for Colonial Tithables

Scope and Content

Southampton County (Va.) Lists of Tithables, 1752, 1778, consists of lists of tithable heads of household in the county for the years 1752 and 1778.

Arrangement

Chronological.

Related Material

Additional Southampton County Tax and Fiscal Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Southampton County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans -- History
• Slaveholders -- Virginia -- Southampton County
• Slavery -- Virginia -- Southampton County
• Slaves -- Virginia -- Southampton County
• Taxation -- Virginia -- Southampton County.

Geographical Names:

• Southampton County (Va.) -- History -- 18th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records -- Virginia -- Southampton County.
• Tax and fiscal records -- Virginia -- Southampton County.
• Tithable lists -- Virginia -- Southampton County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data