In Accomack County’s fifteenth volume of court orders, the earliest records are dated 10 July 1724. By the time this volume begins, Englishmen had been living on the Eastern Shore for more than a hundred years. During that time colonial society had matured, and the nature of the records reflected the change. Though there were still cases of flaring tempers, illicit love and unwarranted violence, the majority of entries dealt with someone trying to recover money, tobacco or corn. And when a crime did occur, as likely as not, it was a crime against property. The introduction spotlights the more interesting, revealing or unfortunate incidents found among the court orders issued during those years. These pages comprise a fascinating collection of accounts of assault, fornication and adultery, thievery and wills. Much can be learned about the economy, orphans and servants, old age and sickness, religion, household items, prisons, taxes and more. This chronological collection of court orders is attractively presented and includes a fullname plus subject index.
JoAnn Riley McKey
(2007), 2019, 5½x8½, paper, index, 460 pp.
ISBN: 9780788440076
101-M4007
