Nansemond County, Virginia
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Lost_Counties_of_Virginia_on_the_mouth_of_the_James_River.jpg/220px-Lost_Counties_of_Virginia_on_the_mouth_of_the_James_River.jpg)
Nansemond is an extinct jurisdiction that was located south of the James River in
English colonists named it for the
History
17th century
Under the
In 1634, the King of England directed the formation of eight
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 people whom they encountered in the area along the Nansemond River. Among the several Algonquian-speaking coastal peoples in the Tidewater, the Nansemond continue in the 21st century as a federally recognized tribe.
18th century
In the 1720s, John Constant settled along the Nansemond River (in what is now Suffolk) and built a home, wharf, and warehouse. This site became known as "Constant's Warehouse."[1]
At Waynwright's Landing, Isle of Wight; and Laurence's, in Nansemond County, under one inspection.
At the widow Constance's [sic], at Sleepy-Hole Point, in Nansemond County, under one inspection.[2]
In 1742, the Virginia House of Burgesses chartered a new town at Constant's Wharf and renamed it as Suffolk.[3]
In 1750, the county seat of Nansemond County was moved from Jarnigan's or Cohoon's Bridge to Suffolk. 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.[4]
19th century
Suffolk became an incorporated town 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
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
1972 | 5,767 | 57.87% | 3,929 | 39.42% | 270 | 2.71% |
1968 | 2,101 | 20.94% | 4,174 | 41.60% | 3,758 | 37.46% |
1964 | 2,590 | 34.93% | 4,804 | 64.79% | 21 | 0.28% |
1960 | 1,346 | 25.29% | 3,944 | 74.09% | 33 | 0.62% |
1956 | 1,753 | 40.21% | 2,492 | 57.16% | 115 | 2.64% |
1952 | 1,168 | 32.87% | 2,360 | 66.42% | 25 | 0.70% |
1948 | 413 | 14.89% | 2,115 | 76.27% | 245 | 8.84% |
1944 | 351 | 20.07% | 1,398 | 79.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 129 | 8.39% | 1,408 | 91.55% | 1 | 0.07% |
1936 | 175 | 10.58% | 1,478 | 89.36% | 1 | 0.06% |
1932 | 196 | 13.37% | 1,264 | 86.22% | 6 | 0.41% |
1928 | 649 | 46.83% | 737 | 53.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
1924 | 99 | 15.18% | 539 | 82.67% | 14 | 2.15% |
1920 | 243 | 26.05% | 690 | 73.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
1916 | 70 | 9.55% | 663 | 90.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
1912 | 53 | 7.95% | 544 | 81.56% | 70 | 10.49% |
1908 | 272 | 23.82% | 857 | 75.04% | 13 | 1.14% |
1904 | 186 | 21.43% | 678 | 78.11% | 4 | 0.46% |
1900 | 992 | 39.92% | 1,481 | 59.60% | 12 | 0.48% |
1896 | 1,060 | 44.52% | 1,300 | 54.60% | 21 | 0.88% |
1892 | 1,477 | 42.68% | 1,763 | 50.94% | 221 | 6.39% |
1888 | 2,087 | 60.16% | 1,382 | 39.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
1884 | 2,020 | 59.89% | 1,353 | 40.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
1880 | 958 | 47.01% | 1,080 | 52.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
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 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.[7] The new municipality encompassed a total of 430 square miles (1,100 km2), making it the largest city in Hampton Roads 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 in Virginia history.
References
- ^ "Early History of Suffolk K-251 | Marker History". www.markerhistory.com. Retrieved Apr 26, 2020.
- ^ https://www.gutenberg.org/files/27117/27117-8.txt [bare URL plain text file]
- ^ "What's in a name? | Constant's Wharf in Suffolk | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com". Archived from the original on 2012-01-24.
- ^ VA Guide, XRoads, University of Virginia
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
- ISBN 9780804716963
- ^ "Virginia: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries" https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/VA_Consolidated_Chronology.htm Archived 2009-07-27 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 117–125. .