In 17th-century Virginia, the primary purpose of the tithable list was tax assessment and collection. These lists identified individuals subject to taxation, known as 'tithables,' serving as crucial administrative tools for tax assessment, maintaining order, and gathering information about the colony's population and resources. During the 1650s and 1660s, colony law stipulated, "Bee itt enacted... Continue Reading →
Flowing Through Surry: Thomas Smith’s Story on the Blackwater River
During the 1600s, in the Colony of Virginia, the laws allowed any person who settled in Virginia (personal right) or paid for the transportation expenses of another person who settled in Virginia (transportation right), to be entitled to receive fifty acres of land for each immigrant. This provision was known as a headright system. On... Continue Reading →