The Vestry Book of Petsworth Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia, 1677-1793

"More than a half-century ago, C. G. Chamberlayne, under the sponsorship of the Virginia State Library, transcribed, edited, and indexed a number of original Virginia parish vestry books, four of which are reprinted here. While the dates of coverage and lengths of the volumes vary, they are nonetheless similar in terms of scope and content. Each volume contains the oldest known records pertaining to that parish, in most cases beginning only a few years following the parish's date of formation. The Vestry Book of Petsworth Parish, Gloucester County, starts in 1677, only a decade or so after the establishment of Petsworth in 1665. The Petsworth volume is steeped in Virginia history inasmuch as Gloucester County was a hotbed of Bacon's Rebellion of 1676" -- publisher website (August 2007).