I don't know of any records specific to individual ports in Virginia. You might have some luck, though probably not, with Treasury records in the National archives (which should be available on microfilm). Customs collectors would have been required to send their returns to the Treasury Department. In addition to Richmond, Petersburg, and Norfolk, the three ports in your search area that had a collector, there were some smaller ports that had federally appointed surveyors--for example, Smithfield, which reported to Norfolk. It is probably unlikely that there would be any more of the information you seek than you've found in newspapers, but it might be worth a shot.

Bland Whitley
Papers of Thomas Jefferson

________________________________________
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Michael Nicholls [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, February 28, 2014 9:55 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VA-HIST] Virginia Port data

I am tracing the work of some free men of color, owners or operators of watercraft on the James and lower Appomattox Rivers. I have found some arriving and departing from Petersburg, Norfolk and Richmond through the shipping news sections of newspapers, especially after about 1810. Does anyone know if anyone has created a databank of shipping to and from VA ports in the early national era; or if there are records extant of Virginia ports, either at the state or national level? Thanks--Mick

Michael L. Nicholls
Professor of History, Emeritus
Dept. of History
Utah State University
Logan, UT 84322-0710

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