For most of the colonial period for most counties, the best (but very time-consuming) method of ascertaining the names of sheriffs and other officers is to turn through the county court order books, where recommendations for appointment of those officers were usually recorded and where their appearing to take their oaths of office were also often recorded. For counties with missing records and for time periods prior to the record books that Vince Brooks listed, it is often extremely difficult even to verify published lists, and from my many years of experience I am very reluctant to trust them without independent primary sources for verification. Brent Tarter The Library of Virginia [log in to unmask] Please visit the Library of Virginia's Web site at http://www.lva.virginia.gova To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html