Elizabeth City County was one of the earliest counties in Virginia and the City of Hampton, which now incorporates the land mass of Elizabeth City County, is considered the oldest, continuous, English-speaking settlement in the United States; it dates from 1610. The abstracts in this book are in their simplest form and include all names, witnesses, executors, dates written and dates recorded. They are taken from the original wills, not the recorded will. As an aid to the African American genealogist, a list of those slaves whose ownership was transferred by will has been included. There are separate indexes for people, places and property.