A Look at the Earliest Odium/Odian/Odum's in Nansemond County, Virginia

 

Virginia 1691 - 1700

http://milaminvirginia.com/Images/

A bit of history for Nansemond County, Virginia. In 1634, Elizabeth City County was established as an original shire (county) of Virginia. In 1636, New Norfolk was formed from Elizabeth City County. In 1637, New Norfolk was split into Upper Norfolk and Lower Norfolk. The name Nansemond was adopted was adopted in 1646.

Map of Colonial Nansemond
https://pcn2051.tripod.com/colonial.htm

It's difficult to find records for Nansemond County because the county's official records were totally destroyed by fires in 1734, 1779, and 1866. When looking up early records, it's important to look at surrounding counties. Virginia started recording land records in 1623, so land records are available. 

The first mention I have found of an Odom/Odium/etc in Nansemond:

1664,  11 Mar - Land grant Nansemond County (1)

Vol 1 pg 66;  James Canida 400 acres

To all to wit whereas to wit Now know ye that I the said Sir William Berkeley Knight Governor to wit give and grant unto James Canida  four hundred acres of land situate lying or being in a creek called Matthews Creek a branch of the southern branch of Nansemond River….. 11 Mary 1664. Adj. Land of Humphry Griffin.  Transporation of 8 persons:John ODIUM  Wm. Carpenter  Rich. Williams  Tho.Hinton  Jasper Lane  Nath. Jordan  Jno. Bouch  Sara Bebin

1664, March 21 Land grant Nansemond County* (2)

Vol 1. p. 67 John Odium 500 acres

To all to wit whereas to wit Now know ye that I the said Sir William Berkeley Knight Governor to wit give and grant unto John Odium Five hundred acres of land situate lying or being in the County of Nancemond. Beginning at a marked live oak standing by a swampe side and so runing South East Three hundred and twenty poles to amarked red oak by a branch side and so North East two hundred and fifty poles to amarked Pine and so north west. Three hundred and twenty poles to amarked red Oak by the swampe side and so down by the branch side South West Two hundred and fifty poles to the first mentioned marked tree. The said land being due unto the said John Odium by and for the Transportation of Ten persons. to wit. To have and to hold to wit to be held B yielding and paying to wit. provided to wit. Dated the twenty first of March one thousand six hundred and sixty four.

*I have seen abstracts of this where the number of people John Odium transferred has been stated as seven or eight. in fact, the incorrect number is used in the next entry. This is incorrect. Above is a transcription of the original records done by me. It definitely says TEN. I have included a link to the original in the footnotes.

1664, Mar 21 - Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants (3)

Vol I  pg 451; John ODIUM 500 acres Nansemond. 

Transportation of seven persons (sic. 10 persons):  John Hayman,  Daniell Flinge, Jno. Darbye,  Eliz.Hollar, Katherine Kalin, Richard White, Danll. Kelly, Phillip Eson, Arthur Bryant, and John Rich

1666, May 14 - Land grant Surry and Isle of Wight (4)

P. 522 (640) Phillip Huniford, 100 acs in Surry and Isle of Wight Counties…… Transportation of 16 persons: Jno Mears, James Leach, Hen. Biggs, twice, Tho. Toyall, Robt. Harris, Jno. Evans, Jno. Floop, Jno. Phillips, Jane Steele, Margtt. Phillips, Hannah Ery, Wm. Cockerham, Jno. Charles, Abram Odion, Jno. Trewicks.

On the 1704 Quit Rents of VA is listed: (5)

OADHAM, Abraham - Nansemond Co., VA - 520 acres of land

OADHAM, Jacob - Nansemond Co., VA -   20 acres of land

ODIUM, Richard - Nansemond Co., VA -   50 acres of land

ODIUM, Thomas - Nansemond Co., VA -   20 acres of land

ODUM, John - Nansemond Co., VA -   50 acres of land

Quitrents (Quit Rents) originated in a feudal system and are more of a tithe than a tax. They were a small annal fee paid by a land owner in some of the colonies to a proprietor who had granted the holding. Example: "To all to wit whereas to wit Now know ye that I the said Sir William Berkeley Knight Governor to wit give and grant unto John Odium...." John would pay the Quit Rent to Sir William Berkeley. This quit rent free the land owner from other obligations to the proprietor.

1717, April 1- Nansemond Land Records (6)

Vol III  pg 188:  Abraham Odian 397 acres (N.L.) Upper Par. Of Nansemond Co. at a place called Merry Hill; adj. Joseph Meredeth; 1 Apr 1717  p 312.  (for) 10 shillings and Importation of 6 persons: James Cross,  Daniel Magee,  Isaac Carrington,  Thos. Corfield,  Mary Morris,  John Bathey

Summary:

Let's look at the names in Richard's will again:  Richard (oldest), John (second son), Aron and Abraham. NO WILLIAM.

In 1664, there was a John Odium. In 1666, there was an Abram (Abraham). Those two men cannot be ignored as having possible relationships to or a father to Richard d. Chowan County, NC.

Look at the names in the 1704 Quit Rent roll:

Abraham, Richard, John, Thomas, and Jacob.

Look familiar? Those are all names seen in Chowan County, North Carolina. Keep posted.

Happy Hunting - until then.

Footnotes: 

(1)  Canida, James. Land Grant 11 March 1664. N.p., 1664. Print.Land office patents No. 5, 1661-1666 (v.1 & 2 p. 1-369, p. 66 (Reel 5). Housed in the Archives at the Library of Virginia. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C37S-99Y7-T?i=70&cat=584564

(2)  Odium, John. Land Grant 21 March 1664. N.p., 1664. Land office patents No. 5, 1661-1666 (v.1 & 2 p. 1-369, p. 67 (Reel 5). Housed in the Archives at the Library of Virginia. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C37S-SN8?i=71&cat=584564

(3)  Nell Marion Nugent,  Cavaliers and Pioneers:  Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1800:, Vol 1. p. 451, Richmond, VA, Press of the Dietz Printing company, 1934https://archive.org/details/cavalierspioneer00nuge/mode/2up?q=Odium

(4) Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

(5) The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Volume 28, Number 3, July 1920. United States, Virginia Historical Society., 1893. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4243771?seq=1

(6)  Land office patents No. 10, 1710-1719. (p. 188) (Reel 10). Housed in the Archives at the Library of Virginia.

NOTE: I try to find original sources and include the links to them. This makes the source available to everyone with out having to pay for a subscription.