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Moving - Southampton County, Virginia

Are you planning on moving your family in or out of Southampton County, VA?  You’ll need a reliable moving company to help you with your plans.  Movers USA is a full service company which can handle all phases of your move.  We offer packing, crating, moving and storage.  Click here for a free estimate to begin your moving process.

In the meantime, enjoy a brief history of Southampton County, VA.

A Brief History of Southampton County, Virginia

What is now Southampton County was originally part of "Warrasquoyocke," one of the eight shires making up the Colony of Virginia. The shire was renamed Isle of Wight in 1637. In 1749 the portion of Isle of Wight west of the Blackwater River became Southampton County. Later, part of Nansemond County, now the City of Suffolk, was added to Southampton.

There are two theories concerning the naming of Southampton County. The first is that the county was named in honor of Henry Wriothesly, third Earl of Southampton and officer of the London Company from 1620 to 1624. The second and more probable theory is that the county was named for the borough of Southampton in England.

The first courthouse was built in 1752 on the east bank of the Nottoway River where the present courthouse now stands. The courthouse was an addition to the clerk's office, prison and pillory built a year earlier in 1751. The village of Jerusalem grew up around the courthouse, becoming a town in 1791. Jerusalem was re-incorporated as the Town of Courtland in the late 1800s.

Many citizens of Southampton County participated in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Records of the County Court and the Committee of Public Safety from the Revolutionary War period are still preserved in the courthouse.

In 1831, Southampton County was the location of the most serious slave rebellion in United States history. On August 21-22, the infamous Southampton Insurrection, led by the slave Nat Turner, resulted in the deaths of 58 whites and an unknown number of blacks. Turner and his followers were captured, tried and 20 were hanged.