| These are books that we have found beneficial to our research. They are not necessarily written by us, nor do we benefit in any way financially by them. We thought it would be a good idea to share these resources. If you know of a book, CD, or other resource you wish to share send it to me and I will add to the list. Karen
80% HEAVEN BOUND
80% HEAVEN BOUND,
DEATHS & BURIALS IN CHARLES CITY COUNTY, VIRGINIA The Charles City County Historical Society, in 1994, began to record the cemeteries in the county. The known cemeteries were surveyed and the project was expanded to include the deaths and burials found in extant records. During the Civil War many of the records at the courthouse were destroyed or taken from the county and while a few of these records have resurfaced, research suffers from the loss. Spanning four centuries, the book contains brief historical sketches of the county, the churches and the private burials sites, including information found in church records, court records, military records, obituaries, family histories, other published sources and personal knowledge of county residents. Nearly 400 cemeteries were found: 275 private cemeteries, 79 slave cemeteries, 41 church cemeteries and 3 public cemeteries. Entirely rural, there are no towns or villages in Charles City County and most of the properties continue to be recognized by their historical names – “Westover,” “Berkeley,” “Sherwood Forest” – accounting for the large number of private cemeteries. Along with the church cemeteries, these private cemeteries are listed in the Burial section of the book. Example: “Shirley,” the plantation of the CARTER family, is listed as one of the private burials sites and a brief historical sketch of the property is presented as it relates to the people who lived and died there. Other pertinent information is generally arranged chronologically, beginning with the names of settlers who died on the plantation during early 1620s. The record of the family cemetery follows, enhanced with additional data from the Westover Parish Register. Other possible “Shirley” burials are listed next, as found in the various records, which, in this particular case, included the “Shirley” Papers. Though the slave cemeteries on the property have no markers, it was possible to list the deaths of many of the plantation slaves using these papers and other available records. Data that could not be reasonably placed with the appropriate cemetery or property has been included in the Death section of the book. The book concludes with several previously unpublished ghost stories uncovered during the research for this book. Every name in the book appears in the index and the facts presented are well documented, making it a most useful tool for anyone doing research in Charles City County. The index alone is 75 pages. This book is beautifully bound with maps in the frontispiece. The organization is well thought out and presented in a logical manner. I recommend this book highly to anyone interested in Charles City County genealogy. The book can be obtained from Sherry Brown Tyler, 168 Queensbury Court, Newport News, VA 23608-3217. The cost is $65.00 +$2.93 tax + $5.00 mailing fee. Make checks payable to Sherry B. Tyler. Karen L. Salisbury
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