Mappy Monday - The Northern Neck of Virginia

My dad's paternal line takes us knee deep into Virginia.  My 3rd great grandfather, Thomas Washington Lusby, was born in 1835 in Westmoreland County, Virginia.  By the age of 15, he was living not very far away, in Richmond County.  He was a farmer all of his life.  One of his sons, my great grandfather Benjamin Franklin Lusby, ended up setting in Lancaster County after spending many years in Washington, DC working for the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company.

County Map courtesy of geology.com

(click on each map for a better view)

The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas (traditionally called "necks" in Virginia) on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  This peninsula is bounded by the Potomac River on the north and the Rappahannock River on the South.  it encompasses the following Virginia counties:  Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland. ^[1]

Arial view of the Northern Neck - Google Earth

Virginia's Northern Neck is the early home to many of this country's Founding Fathers, and is the birthplace of three of the nation's first five presidents - George Washington (Westmoreland County), James Madison (King George County), and James Monroe (Westmoreland County).

Arial view of Farnham, Richmond County, VA - Google Earth

Thomas owned a farm in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia, and raised a passel of children there also, including my great grandfather.  In total he had about 16 children - 4 with his first wife, and 12 with his second wife, Francis Jane Dameron (my 2nd great grandmother).

According to the 1880 Agricultural Schedule for Farnham District, in the County of Richmond, State of Virginia, Thomas W. Lusby owned 50 acres of tilled land, 119 acres of woodland and forest, 1 horse, 4 working oxen, 1 milk cow, 1 calf dropped, 20 swine, 25 barnyard poultry, and 150 eggs produced in 1879. 12 acres was devoted to growing 125 Bushels indian corn, and 6 acres was for growing 40 bushels of wheat.  He also grew flax, but I couldn't make out the amount.

I really need to figure out a way to see if I can get the land records for when he owned the property.

Farmham Baptish Church (picture was taken from
their website)

The area is still mostly farmland and very rural.  I took a trip there tonight via Google Earth.  The area is very flat and there isn't much of anything around.  I was able to find the current Farnham Baptish Church, and Thomas, both wives and a few of his children are buried in the cemetery on a family plot.  I hope that I can find pictures of the original church someday.

View of the Church from Google Earth.  Make a left

If you make a left turn on the dirt road, the cemetery will be on the right hand side.


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[1]  Wikipedia contributors, "Northern Neck," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northern_Neck&oldid=524424597 (accessed May 27, 2013).