The Albemarle Parish Register of Surry and Sussex Counties, Virginia : Births, Deaths and Sponsors, 1717-1778 [Paperback]

Boddie (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0806300248 | ISBN-13: 978-0806300245 | Publication Date: June 1, 2009 | Edition: Indexed

This register is unique in that it is the only existing complete parish register for the section of Virginia south of the James River extending from Brunswick to Princess Anne counties. It is alphabetically arranged by family name and includes names, dates of births, and less frequently, deaths, names of parents, and the names of all sponsors at christenings (those who were godparents, usually being relatives). There is a separate index to sponsors, which, when calculated with the main entries in the text, pushes the total number of persons named to approximately 11,000.

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Clearfield; Indexed edition (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806300248
• ISBN-13: 978-0806300245
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Albemarle Parish Register for Surry and Sussex Counties, Virginia, September 4, 2011

By 

Betty "Genealogy Junkie" (Bradenton Florida) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Albemarle Parish Register of Surry and Sussex Counties, Virginia : Births, Deaths and Sponsors, 1717-1778 (Paperback)

This booklet, a thin paperback volume of 167 pages (including back matter), was disappointing for me, an amateur genealogist.

I bought it anticipating full listings of births and deaths for Albemarle Parish in these two counties in Colonial Virginia. This is not the case. Presumably, the parish minister who recorded these events, was not informed every time a child was born to a member of the Parish. The result is that some known family members are not mentioned.

This book is confusing and requires concentration. I found it necessary to refer to the preface several times before the seeming ambiguities fell into place. After a lot of creative "interpreting" on my part, I finally understood the format. Entries are in the following order: (1) surname; (2) parents' names; (3) name of the new-born or deceased; (4) date of event: and, (5) if a Baptism, the name of the persons acting as Godparents.

The author, who somehow possessed the only known record of these births and deaths, wrote that he had to do a bit of interpreting on his own to put the data into a rationale, undestandable order. One can only imagine how confusing the original document was.

The $25 price of this book, in my own opinion, is highly inflated considering its limitations.