In the summer of 1623 Captain William Tucker, of Kecaughton (Hampton), commanded an expedition against the Worrosquoyackes. He killed many, cut down their corn, and burnt their houses. And this state of fierce warfare continued to rage, with uninterrupted fury, until a peace was concluded in 1632, under the administration of Governor Harvey.

     In the course of this warfare the Indians were not treated with the same tenderness which they had generally been before the massacre; but their habitations, cleared lands, pleasant sites, when once taken possession of, were generally retained by the victors, and the vanquished forced to take refuge in the woods ar marshes. Truly, the founding of our nation was no mere holiday amusement.

     The proprietors of the abandoned settlements took heart, and were allowed to return. The census of 1623-24 (February) showed as then living at "Worwicke-Squeak" and "Basse's Choice" fifty-three persons, "twenty-six having died since April last." Among those who had died were Mr. Robert Bennett, the brother of Edward Bennett, the rich London merchant, and first minister, Mr. William Bennett, doubtless one of the same family.

     At the census taken 1624-25, it is recorded that three hundred and forty-seven out of a population of twelve hundred and forty were murdered by the Indians in the massacre of 1622.

     From the beginning of 1626 the colony entered upon a more prosperous era, and from then on a continuous stream of emigrants were granted patents.   During the first hundred years a grant of fifty acres was given for the importation of every emigrant. The names of the "Head-rights" were given in the patents. From the records in the Land Office, the following are subscribed:

Land Grants:

Martha Key, wife of Thomas Key, planter (as his personal dividend, being an ancient planter), one hundred and fifty acres lying on the easterly side of Worrosquoyacke River, opposite the land of Captain Nathaniel Basse

John Moon, planter, two hundred acres in Worrosquoyacke, on the Worrosquoyacke Creek for the transportation of four persons, viz.: himself,

George Martin, Julian Hollier, Clement Thrush, who came in the Catherine, of London, 1623. Granted March, 1623.

     A portion of this patent in "Red Point" still bears the name of "Moonfield," and one of the descendants of this John Moon, himself named John Moon, became a very rich man, owning a large portion of the land in "Red Point." The name is now extinct in this county, and it is astonishing how few of the names of the very first settlers have come down to us in their descendants. It would be remarkably interesting to continue to enumerate these old land grants, but time and space will not allow it. Only three others will be mentioned, because the original patentees and their descendants have been prominent in the political and military history of our county and State, and the United States.

Benjamin Harrison was granted two hundred and fifty acres in Worrosquoyacke, on the main creek which runneth from the Great River

John Upton was granted sixteen hundred and fifty acres in this county about three miles up Pagan Creek, due for the importation of thirty-three person. Granted July 7th, 1635. Captain John Upton represented this county in the House of Burgessess for many years.

George Hardy, three hundred acres on Lawnes Creek, "bordering on Alice Bennett's land". He was probably the first to erect a grist-mill, which became quite famous, locally; and is still in operation and known as "Wrenn's Old Mill." From this family of Hardy was descended the Honorable Samuel Hardy, the first representative in the Continental Congress from this District. He was one of the most able men in the earliest sessions of National Congress. He died in Philadelphia, while a member of Congress, on the 17th day of October, 1785.

     On hearing of Hardy's death, Judge Tyler wrote the following beautiful tribute to his memory:

"Ah, why, my soul, indulge this pensive mood?

Hardy is dead, the brave, the just, the good.

Careless of censure, on his youthful bier

The muse shall drop a tributary tear.

His patriot bosom glowed with warmth divine,

And Oh, humanity! his heart was thine.

No party interest led his heart astray;

He chose a nobler, though a beaten way.

Nor shall his virtues there remain unsung-

Pride of the Senate, and their guide and tongue.

That tongue, no more, can make even truth to please-

Polite with art, and elegant with ease.

Fain would the muse augment the plaintive strain,

Tho' the most flattering panegyric vain,

When the brief sentence, youthful Hardy's dead,

Speaks more than poet ever thought or said!"

     His remains were laid to rest in Philadelphia where those of Tazewell, Innes, Mason, Read and other gallant and patriotic Virginians still sleep. Mr. Hardy was considered, by his associates in Congress, and other able men who had the pleasure of his acquaintance, as being one of the most brilliant men of his age. He, on occasions, displayed great poetic inclinations. His memory has been preserved in this county by a most fitting and gracious act - the naming of one of the magisterial districts for him - Hardy District.

     In the year 1634 the colony was divided into eight shires or counties, one of which was named Worrosquoyacke, afterwards Isle of Wight. The government of these shires or counties was modeled upon that in England. Lieutenant Colonels were appointed and commanded the troops in the wars with the Indians. Sheriffs, sergeants and bailiffs were elected; and, until 1691, every freeman was entitled to a vote, and indentured servants, at the expiration of their term of service, were allowed to do the same. In 1628-29 commissioners were appointed and required to hold monthly meetings in the different shires or counties; hence, the origin of the county courts.

     The original boundaries of the county of Worrosquoyacke, or Isle of Wight, were: Northerly, by Lawnes Creek; Easterly, by James River as far as the plantation of Richard Hayes, formerly John Howard's; the southern boundary by certain creeks to the head of Colonel Pitt's Creek (this proved somewhat uncertain); and westerly into the woods indefinitely. In 1656, upon the petition of the inhabitants of Ragged Island and Terascoe Neck, then in Nansemond county, they were put into Isle of Wight.

     A long dispute arose between the counties of Isle of Wight and Nansemond, continuing until 1674, when, by an Act of the General Assembly (then called the House of Burgesses), the boundaries were established as they now are, viz.:

"That a southwest by south line be designed, runned and plainly marked from the river side of the plantation of Hayes, extending to the creek at or near the plantation called Nevill Oyster Bank; thence a line or lines up Col. Pitt's creek to the head of his lands; thence in a southwest half a point westerly line "

     The county is thirty seven miles in length and an average breadth of eleven miles, with an area of about three hundred and fifty square miles. It extends from 36° 38' to 37° 07' north latitude and from 0° 2' to 0° 36' longitude east from Washington. The land dips to the northeast from a plateau a little west of Bethel Church, and from that same plateau it dips to the northwest and west; the former,  by many swamps, ravines and creeks, conveys its water to James River; the latter, by the same means, conveys its water to the Blackwater (formerly Indian) River and the Nansemond River.

     In 1732 a considerable portion of the northwestern part of the county was added to Brunswick county; and in 1748 the entire county of Southampton was carved out of it. This large county, from 1734, has been known as the Nottoway Parish of Isle of Wight.

     In 1635 the population of this county was five hundred and twenty-two. In 1658 population was about two thousand and nineteen. County Courts were established in 1751 by the appointment of eight Justices of the Peace, and four of whom could act and compose a court, the oldest in commission presiding. They were required to meet monthly, and the day originally appointed for this county was the first Thursday in each month, but this was subsequently changed to the first Monday and continued to meet on this day till the County Courts were abolished by the Constitution of 1902, when all matters adjusted in the County Courts were transferred to the Circuit Court, which meets on the first Mondays of March, June, October and December. The County Courts have long been a distinctive feature of Virginia, and the meeting of the people on court days was, in a measure, an education for them, for, in the early days, with no newspapers and few post offices, dissemination of news was meager and slow other than by intercourse with those better informed. Notwithstanding the fact that the Court only meets in this County four times a year, the citizens of the county still gather on the first Mondays, at which time the Board of Supervisors hold their monthly meetings, and the court green presents about the same appearance as it did in the days of the County Courts.

     Judges were appointed for the County Courts in 1870. There have been only two incumbents in that position in this county, the Honorable George R. Atkinson for thirty years, and the Honorable C. B. Crumpler for four years, the term of the latter beginning in 1880 and ending in 1884, Judge Atkinson again taking the bench.

Judge Atkinson bears the distinction of being reversed but three times by higher Courts and was the oldest presiding judge in the State at the time the County Courts were abolished in 1904.

     The county early provided itself with a Glebe Farm in accordance with a very early law. This farm was situated about two miles west of Smithfield, and is referred to as producing a very indifferent grade of tobacco. It is not now known who of the early ministers lived on it, but the last of them, the Rev. Mr. Hubbard, who faithfully remained at his post for years, lived, died and was buried there in 1802. Shortly after that date it came into the control of the county, its name changed to the "Poor House," and was long used as a residence for the indigent poor under the maintenance of the Overseer of the Poor. In February, 1900, this location was sold by the Board of Supervisors of the county  a less expensive site, for the same purpose, purchased very near the courthouse.

     The first courthouse was on the Glebe Farm, but its date of erection is unknown, although its site is well marked by heaps of brick-bats in the woods north of the farm.

     In 1654 it was ordered, by the General Assembly, "That on account of the inconvenience occasioned by the partition of Isle of Wight county by Pagan Creek, there should be held a monthly Court in each of the two parishes, successively, and that the commissioners shall select the places." Where this Court was held for the lower parish is not known. This act was repealed in1659.

     In 1642 the county, heretofore one parish, was divided into two. Lawnes Creek was the northern and Pagan Creek was the southern boundary of the Upper Parish; Pagan Creek the northern and the NAnsemond county line the southern boundary of the Lower Parish. They both extended to the North Carolina line, about ninety miles.

     Ferries were established over the branches of Pagan River in 1650 and were originally controlled  by the County Commissioners; but were taken out of their control and managed directly by the whole body of the General Assembly, with much loss of time that should have been devoted to the business of the general public. After many years their control was restored to the County Court and so continued until 1750 when the ferries were abandoned and bridges were adopted. These bridges were constructed by private parties and, for many years the owners were allowed to charge tolls. They were afterwards rented to the county, but tolls were charged to non-residents. Finally, in 1891, they were sold to the county and all tolls abolished.

     About 1750 the courthouse was moved to the town of Smithfield and three substantial brick buildings erected-the courthouse, clerk's office and jail, at the corner of Main and Pierce streets. In 1800, Major Francis Boykin, the grandfather of Judge R. E. Boykin, of the Twenty-eighth Judicial Circuit of Virginia, of which this county is a part, donated the land upon which the courthouse now stands to the Commonwealth and erected some of the first buildings at his own expense. The public documents remained, for a short time, in a frame building, until recently a part of the old tavern, and afterwards placed in a brick building. This building not being large enough was added in 1822 and has remained the clerk's office till the present time, having a modern fire-proof vault added in 1892.

     The records of the county have passed through many vicissitudes. During the Revolution Tarleton's British troopers made a raid on Smithfield with the intent to destroy the records, but they had been removed by the wife of the Deputy Clerk, Mr. Francis Young, who was an officer in the army and was with his regiment, to a farm near Smithfield, and there buried in a box and a "hair trunk," which trunk is still in possession of the Young family. To this lady's foresight and patriotism America owes the credit of the preservation of some of its very oldest records. These old records remained buried till after the surrender at Yorktown. The "Great Book," now in the clerk's office and in its original binding, was badly damaged by worms during the time it was buried, but for this, as well as other records buried with it, it is remarkably well preserved, as, in fact, are all of the old records now in existence. The oldest recorded document is dated in 1629.

     During the Civil War (May, 1862) they were removed, first to Greensville county, then to Brunswick, and after the war brought back to the courthouse, all being preserved; which is very astonishing. Randall Booth, one of the negroes of Mr. N. P. Young, the clerk at that time, told, with much pride, of how he had remained in the woods and on the road for days at the time, with them. Any one who has visited the courthouse prior to three years ago will remember Randall. He was one of the "old-timers" and remained faithful to his "White Marster" till old age and failing health struck him down. From that time till his death his "White Marster" people remained with him, ministering to his wants and necessities. This type of the "Old Virginny Darkey" is almost a thing of the past.

     The jail, built in 1804, was torn down in 1902 and a modern fire-proof structure was reared in its stead, of the most improved type. The courthouse was remodelled in 1903. The clerk's office has recently undergone many necessary repairs on the inside and an addition of a fire-proof vault, though the general exterior remains the same, from the front, as it was after being rebuilt in 1822. The old tavern, the residence of Major Francis Boykin, built, so far as can be ascertained, in 1762, stood in almost its original condition until 1904, in which year it received extensive repairs by its present owner, Mr. O. L. Batten. The exterior, however, is about the same as formerly. All of these buildings stand in a grove on an eminence of about ten or twelve feet above the road, faced by a beautiful monument erected to the Confederate dead in 1905, a beautiful piece of architecture, reflecting great credit on the men and  women by whose efforts it was erected as a memorial of their devotion to a cause lost yet loved.

     The court green has been the scene of many a stirring occurrence, political wrangles and the like, and the old tavern's walls have housed many a convivial assembly, and has been long famous for the many parties and balls which have been attended by throngs of "ye gentlemen and ladies."

The clerks of the county have been as follows:

Thomas Wombwell, 1645 to 1656.

John Jennings, 1656 to 1662.

John Broomfield, 1677 to 1679.

John Pitt, 1679 to 1692.

Hugh Davis, 1692. (Died in one month after entering office.)

Charles Chapman, 1692 to 1710.

Henry Lightfoot, 1710 to 1729.

James Ingles, 1729 to 1732.

James Baker, 1732 to 1754.

Richard Baker, 1754 to 1770.

William Drew, 1770 to 1772.

Nathaniel Burwell, 1772 to 1787.

Francis Young (I), 1787 to 1794.

Nathaniel Young, 1801 to 1841.

Nathaniel Peyton Young, 1841 to 1869.

Charles H. Hart, 1869 to 1870. (Appointed when Virginia was a military

district.)

Nathaniel Peyton Young, 1870 to 1896. (Second term.)

Nathaniel F. Young, 1896 to 1905.

Albert S. Johnson, appointed in 1905 at the death of Mr. Nathaniel F. Young, was

elected in same year and is the present clerk.

     It may thus be seen that the clerkship remained in the Young family for a period of one hundred and eighteen years. The county fronts northeasterly on James River and extends along the river for about eighteen miles. Between its shore and the river channel there are many hundreds of acres of natural oyster rocks and oyster planting grounds rented out by the State.

The streams which make into the land from the river are often bold and navigable streams. On the northeast Lawnes Creek forms the boundary, for about seven miles, between this county and the county of Surry; is navigable for five miles for vessels drawing five feet of water, and out of it are carried large quantities of lumber, peanuts and other products. Pagan River penetrates it for five miles to Smithfield; is navigable for vessels drawing ten feet of water, and out of it is carried large quantities of peanuts, potatoes, bacon, melons, citron, and various trucks, in the cultivation of which many in this neighborhood are engaged. At Smithfield the stream separates into two branches, one flowing northwesterly, called Smithfield Creek, which extends about four miles inland, navigable for small craft. At its head has been constructed a deep pond of most excellent water, from which the town of Smithfield is supplied. The other branch, flowing to the southeast, penetrates a rich and fertile trucking section for four miles and is called Cypress Creek, and furnishes facilities for heavy transportation. On the south and west, Chuckatuck, Brewers, Jones and Milners Creeks are of sufficient depth to furnish transportation facilities to large communities engaged in agriculture and oyster planting. The Blackwater River forms its western boundary for about fifteen miles, separating it from the county of Southhampton. This is fresh water stream, navigable from Franklin, reaching the ocean through Chowan River, in North Carolina and the Carolina sounds, and is crossed, in many places, by good and substantial bridges, conveniently located, and for many months in the year afford excellent fishing.

     This stream sends out innumerable branches, some of them of considerable size, such as Broadwater, Rattlesnake and Mill Swamps, which again break into numerous ravines, swamps and poquosins, which run far into the land and ramify into an interminable tangle, affording good ranges for hogs and cattle and an easy and quick way of defining the boundaries to tracts of land, for there is scarcely a farm in the description of whose metes and bounds the expression of "up the said swamp" or "down the said swamp" does not occur. This, however, is a very improper description, for, in fifty years, who can tell where the "main run of swamp" may be; and such descriptions may open the door for vexatious law suits; and, the swamps being held as common property of two contiguous land owners, may prevent its being utilized in the making of ice ponds, fish ponds, cranberry patches, for which some are ideal locations, or converted into useful pastures; and furthermore, there is a time coming, perhaps, when the water of these ravines and swamps will be conserved to furnish the power for the generation of electricity to warm our houses, cook our food and to cultivate our fields, for the present waste of fertility, fuel and everything else on our farms, will present to a quadrupled population the solution of a very serious problem. These many streams and swamps enable the farmer to drain his arable lands conveniently and with nominal cost.

     The soil is a composition of the various sands, marls and clays of the Laurenthean formation, and being in the last Ocean Bench a good portion of it is alluvial and of remarkable fertility, where its natural fertility has not been destroyed by too frequent and unwise cultivation.

     There may be found every variety of soil, from stiff clays to light sandy; the former along James River and its tributaries; the latter as you proceed westward. All of it is susceptible to improvement by intelligent cultivation, the use of commercial fertilizers used with soiling crops. There are many farms whose productiveness have been increased two-fold, and some four-fold, within ten years by the above means.