nterestingly you will find a number of individuals in the 17th century
moving from Surry and adjacent area into the Lancaster-Northumberland
area. During this time period the travel was primarily by water. Patent
mapping in most early and even mid-18th century settlements in new
counties show that areas along the rivers were settled first. Caroline
is as especially good example of this. Governments disagreements aside,
people frequently crossed the Potomac in both directions. Movement into
North Carolina from the southeastern Tidewater area can be documented in
the early patents before the line was run. Some of this movement was
overland, but much of it was probably by water. People traveled up and
down the coast from Nova Scotia southward. While the vast majority of
people in the early settlement period probably came into Virginia
directly from the British Isles, these other migration patterns should
not be ignored---they were much more common than many realize.
Barbara Vines Little, CG
Dominion Research Services
PO Box 1273
Orange, VA 22960
540-832-3473
[log in to unmask]
CG, Certified Genealogist, is a service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under
license by board certified genealogists after periodic evaluation, and the board name is registered in the
US Patent & Trademark Office.
Connie Lapallo wrote:
> John Cullom wrote:
>
> My earliest known, to me that is, ancestor is Thomas Cullum who lived in
> Surry/Sussex Co., VA as early as 1725….After he died his family dispersed to
> North Carolina & other southern states. ….Is it more likely that he came
> overland from Maryland or, since they were across the river from Jamestown,
> is it more likely he came by ship from England?
>
>
> Hi John,
>
> It’s most likely that your ancestor came from England directly to Virginia. Early
> hard feelings between Maryland and Virginia perhaps impacted migration
> patterns between the two colonies. We tend to find those in Eastern Virginia
> coming directly into Virginia from England (an exception being the Eastern
> Shore, where folks migrated in both directions, up to the Maryland region or
> down to Virginia.)
>
> Descendants of the first England-to-Virginia pioneers south of the James River
> (where Sussex and Surry are) tended to migrate westward and then south. In
> the mid- to late 17th century, we often find them heading toward Prince
> George or Chesterfield, and then perhaps a generation or two later some
> continued on to North Carolina. In the early 18th century, I believe they were
> more likely to travel from Eastern Virginia directly to North Carolina. Your
> ancestor fits this pattern very nicely.
>
> North of the James River, we find the settlers more often moving westward
> and northward, across the Middle Peninsula and towards Fredericksburg, for
> example.
>
> Surry, the area “over the water” which was settled shortly after Jamestown,
> is one of the oldest regions in Virginia. The intial idea was to create a
> settlement on both sides of the river, much as London sprawls across the
> Thames.
>
> Nothing scientific here--these are just my observations of the patterns from
> reading many accounts.
>
> Good luck on your search!
> Connie
>
>
> Connie Lapallo
>
> Author of
> Dark Enough to See the Stars in a Jamestown Sky
> and its upcoming sequel
> The Sun is But a Morning Star in a Jamestown Sky
>
> www.ConnieLapallo.com
>
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