In seeking to more precisely locate the old John ROPER Plantation in Blissland Parish, New Kent County, I have been studying the Virginia Land Patents in the vicinity of Wahrani Swamp, also sometimes called "Warreny Creeke", Warreny Swamp", "Warrony Creek", "Warren I. Swamp", etc.

It occured to me that some other genealogists with an interest in families who settled in this area might appreciate having access to the compilation of Patents for properties along the stream.

Generally, Virginia Land Office Patents and Grants and Northern Nexk Grants and Surveys can be searched and accessed using the search facility found at this Virginia State Library page:

http://eagle.vsla.edu/lonn/

But given the limited indexing capabilities and the many creative spellings appearing in these Patents, a chronological compilation may be helpful to others. It is also important to bear in mind that the earliest Patents for land along Wahrani Swamp are in James City County, while the later creation of New Kent County left these properties within New Kent.

For the purposes of assisting genealogists in finding a particular tract, I am giving only the following summary information in this post -- Name of Patentee, County of Patent, Date of Patent, Number of Acres.

Each patent also describes the property and in many cases, these descriptions identify the names of neighbors at the date of the grant. Also, some of the patents show the names of the persons "transported" or "imported" into the Colony for which the grant described in the Patent was compensation.

I will NOT try to identify the neighbors or the persons transported in this post, though from time to time I will attempt to transcribe individual Patents mentioned and append these descriptions as "Replies" to the original post.

To the extent that any participants in this New Kent Message Board forum are able to furnish useful genealogical information about the Patentees identified, it would probably be interesting and helpful to all to recive that information in the form of Replies to this original post or to the applicable transcription.

I am sure that I have MISSED some transactions along the Wahrani Swamp. If you run across Patents that I have missed, please post an addendum or correction as a Reply!

Here are the Wahrani Patents

Richard PEIRCE, James City County, 12 September 1636, 600 acres
William TAYLOR, James City County, 9 November 1638, 1,200 acres
William WIGG/NIGG, No County Given, 13 Apr 1639, 350 acres
Samuell TRIGG? and Raphael JOYNER, James City County, 17 Apr 1639, 300 acres
William BASSET, James City County, 18 Apr 1639, 150 acres
Edward TRAVIS, James City County, 25 April 1639, 300 acres
Henry PORTER, James City County, 10 August 1640, 350 acres
William TAYLOR, James City County, 1642, 1,200 acres
Henry FILMORE, James City County, 6 February 1643, 1,000 acres
Joseph KNIGHT, James City County, 1 July 1643, 2,000 acres
William HOCKADAY, York County, 6 August 1646, 500 acres
William BARRETT, No County Given, 7 June 1648, 700 acres
William HOCCADAY, No County Given, 10 October 1648, 1,346 acres
Edward KNIGHT, James City County, 25 September 1650, 400 acres
Joseph KNIGHT, James City County, 25 September 1650, 1,600 acres
Robert SORRELL, James City County, 10 April 1651, 80 acres
Richard JACKSON, No County Given, 5 April 1653, 400 acres
Robert BOUTH, York County, 14 April 1653, 880 acres
John AYTON, James City County, 15 October 1653, 2,000 acres
Robert SORRELL, No County Given, 20 November 1653, 700 acres
William WIG, James City County, 26 September 1654, 650 acres
William HALL, New Kent County, 3 October 1655, 350 acres
Francis BURNELL, New Kent County, 10 October 1655, 300 acres
Francis BURNELL, 15 Dec 1655, New Kent County, 1,000 acres
Philip CHARLES, No County Given, 8 April 1656, 140 acres
Richard HAMLETT, James City County, 10 March 1658, 497 acres
Philip CHARLES, James City County, 17 March 1658, 1,690 acres
Maj. Wm. HOCCADAY, New Kent County, 12 June 1658, 1,280 acres
Garrett PIGG, New Kent County, 12 June 1658, 350 acres
John HOGG, 27 Aug 1659
Alexander TYRE and James READ, New Kent County, 18 March 1662, 313 acres
William DRUMMAND, James City County, 26 March 1662, 1,209 acres
John HOGG, New Kent County, 16 March 1663, 40 acres
John MERRYMAN, James City County, 24 May 1664, 150 acres
Capt. David PARKE, No County Given, 7 June 1666, 700 acres
John GLEN, New Kent County, 9 July 1666, 65 acres
Thomas MAPLES and WIlliam HITCHMAN, James City County, 10 September 1668
Thomas MAPLES, James City County, 10 October 1668, 536 acres
Theo. HONE, JR. and THOMAS HONE, James City County, 5 October 1675, 736 acres
Henry HARTWELL, James City County, 30 May 1679, 736 acres
William DRUMMOND, James City County, 167?, 1,442 acres
Evan JONES, New Kent County, 20 April 1682, 148 acres
Ralph WORMELY, New Kent County, 20 October 1688, 300 acres
William EDWARDS, James City County, 23 October 1690, 736 acres
Ralph WORMELY, New Kent County, 23 October 1690, 300 acres
Henry DUKE, James City County, 20 April 1694, 736 acres
Edward WADE, James City County, 20 April 1694, 83 acres
John YOUNG, James City County, 20 Apr 1694, 376 acres
Thomas GREEN, James City County, 25 August 1731, 801 acres
Edward HIX, New Kent County, 11 January 1804, 51 acres
James SAUNDERS, New Kent County, 16 January 1828, 41 acres
George ROPER, New Kent County, 3 March 1831, 45 1/4 acres

* * *

Please bear in mind that the same land may be repatented one or more times due to failure of seating, escheat, assignment etc.

Wahrani Swamp can be found in Eastern New Kent County near the James City County line:

http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=12&T=...

http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=12&T=...

http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=12&T=...

http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=12&T=...

These old Patents can be a MARVELOUS source of genealogical information!