Virginia Patents to Iveys

The following table is a list of all colonial patents I’ve found to persons named Ivey or Ivy, arranged in chronological sequence.  The present-day county in which the land was located is noted in the “Comments” line, as is other useful information.  I have also noted the lineage of each patentee, to the extent I can determine it.

Some helpful information:

In most cases, I have plotted the patents (using a program called DeedMapper) and placed them onto USGS maps in order to identify the precise location of the land.  Using patents by neighbors and DeedMapper libraries of patents plotted by others, these patents can usually be fairly precisely located.

  1.  All grants prior to 1699 were “headright grants”, with 50 acres allowed per importee.  Note that the claiming of a headright does not mean that the grantee was also the importer.  The right to utilize headrights could be bought and sold like any other property.  All grants after 1699 are “treasury right” grants unless otherwise noted.  These patents were granted on the basis of 5 shillings per 50 acres.
  2. In general, it’s safe to assume that the patentees may have occupied the land for a few years prior to the patent date.  The date given is the recording of the patent, which typically lagged the claim and survey by one or more years.
  3. One requirement of a patent was that the land be “seated” within three years.  Although this requirement was redefined several times, it basically meant that one either had to build a house and keep stock on the land or one had to cultivate at least one acre.  Since the land was technically owned by the Crown, an annual rent was also required.  Both requirements were routinely ignored, but land which became unseated could be re-patented by others.
  4. “Book:Page” refers to the numbered Virginia Patent Book and the page on which the patent begins.  (An image of these patents can be downloaded from the Library of Virginia website)
  5. “Ref. No.” assigns each patent a number so that I can refer to it in the “Comments” section.

Ref. No.

Grantee

Date

Book: Page

Acres

County

Comments
1 Thomas Ivey 22 Aug 1648 (None) 100a Lower Norfolk This patent is not in the patent books.  The certificate was obtained in Lower Norfolk court in 1648 (OB “B”, p76).  The patent is referenced in a patent to John Thrower in VPB 6:472.  The land was on  Little Creek. (Immigrant.)
2 Thomas Vicesimus Ivey 23 Oct 1673 6:473 620a Lower Norfolk 450 acres of this was a headright patent for importation of :  “Tho. Vicesimus Ivey, Alice Ivey, Mary Ivey, Mary Eden, Jno. Paine, Wm. Edwards, Grace Dunn, a Negroe and an Indian.”  The certificate of importation for seven of these nine persons was obtained on 15 February 1665/6, indicating they arrived before February 1662/3.  The remaining 170 acres was adjacent, a renewal of a patent to his brother-in-law John Sydney in 1644.  The land was located in what was later Princess Anne County, and is now Norfolk City, at the head of the eastern branch of the Elizabeth River, on the north side, and bordering Bennett’s Creek.  This is the “grand patent” distributed in Thomas V. Ivey’s will of 1684. (Immigrant.)
3 George Ivy 21 Oct 1684 7:411 550a Lower Norfolk This was in what later became Princess Anne County and is now Norfolk City.  There were two parcels, both renewals of earlier patents and both assigned to Ivey in 1682 by Josiah Crouch: 50a on the north side of Tanner’s Creek (now the Lafayette River) patented by John White in 1639 and 500a adjacent comprised of several earlier patents by Crouch’s father.  (Son of Thomas Ivey of Patent #1.)
4 Thomas Ivy 25 Oct 1695 9:30 450a Princess Anne This was a renewal of #2 above, “granted to Thomas Visesimus (sic) Ivey father of the aforesaid Thomas Ivey” for importation of nine persons.  The land was the same 450 acres due by headright in 1673.  It had apparently either been unseated or the rents hadn’t been paid, thus necessitating a renewal.  Thomas Ivey then sold parts of this patent to his brothers to satisfy the bequests in his father’s will.  (Son of Thomas Vicesimus Ivey of Patent #2.)
5 Thomas Ivy 28 April 1711 10:30 374a Princess Anne Land is in present Norfolk City east of Cary’s Creek.  This was a headright patent for importation of eight persons:  Garrett Ffarrell, James & Darby McDaniel, Lancaster Ship, John Muneroof, Bartho Clerk, John Murfey, and Thomas Scott  (Son of Thomas Vicesimus Ivey.)
6 John Ivey 23 Mar 1715/6 10:279 100a Surry Land was in present-day Sussex County, bordering Pigeon Branch to the east and Meadow Branch (now Ivey Creek) to the south.  Patent #14 adjoined this one to the west. (Son of Adam Ivey.)
7 Gilbert Ivey 22 Jan 1717/8 10:349 250a Surry Land was in present-day Greensville County on Keaway Swamp.  It appears to border on Patents #12 and #13.  It may have bordered Patent #9.  It was within a mile of Patent #11.  (Son of Adam Ivey.)
8 Adam Ivy 21 Feb 1720/21 11:56 150a Isle of Wight Land was in present-day Greensville County on the south bank of the Meherrin River about 1 ½  miles downstream of Patent # 7.  (Son of Adam Ivey.)
9 Adam Ivy 21 Feb 1720/21 11:56 100a Isle of Wight Land was in present-day Greensville County bordering Patent #7 to the north and #13 to the west.  Also within a mile of #11.  (Son of Adam Ivey.)
10 Henry Ivy 21 Feb 1720/21 11:57 165a Surry Land was in present-day Greensville County, on “Great Swamp” (now Mill Swamp) just south of Patents #9 and #13.  It appears to be adjacent to #13, separated from it by the run of the swamp. (Son of Adam Ivey.)
11 George Ivy 9 July 1724 12:89 100a Isle of Wight Land was in present-day Greensville County.   This bordered Patent #8 and was less than a mile from #7 and #9.  (Son of Adam Ivey.)
12 Gilbert Ivey 28 Sept 1728 13:382 290a Brunswick Land was in present-day Greensville County on the south bank of the Meherrin River.  It appears to have been adjacent to both #7, #11, and #13.  (Son of Adam Ivey.)
13 Gilbert Ivey 28 Sept 1728 14:90 415a Brunswick Land was in present-day Greensville County, adjacent on the north to #7 and on the east to #9 and #10.  (Son of Adam Ivey.)
14 John Ivey 28 Sept 1730 14:124 135a Surry Land was in present-day Sussex County, on north bank of Miery Meadow Branch (now called Ivey Creek).  This land bordered Patent #6 on the east and Patent #21 on the south.  (Son of Adam Ivey.)
15 William Ivy 6 April 1734 15:200 36a Norfolk Land was in present-day Princess Anne County.  This was on the north bank of Tanner’s Creek (now Lafayette River) and was adjacent to Patent #3.  (Son of George Ivey.)
16 Henry Ivey 25 July 1741 19:1081 100a Brunswick Land was in present-day Greensville County about six miles southeast of the cluster of patents #7 through #13, and about 1½ miles north of the North Carolina border.  It was in the triangle formed by the north side of Fountain’s Creek and the south side of “Great Swamp” (now Mill Swamp).
17 Henry Ivy 12 Jan 1746/7 24:621 150a Isle of Wight Land was in present-day Southampton County on the north bank of Flatt Swamp, just east of the Greensville border.  It was about 6 miles northeast of #16 and about 12 miles southeast of the cluster of patents #7 through #13.
18 John Ivy 2 July 1754 32:371 295a Norfolk Land was in present-day Norfolk County, in the western precinct, adjacent to “the said Ivy’s plantation”. (Son of John Ivey of Lower Norfolk.)
19 Thomas Ivey 29 May 1760 33:767 320a Brunswick Land was in present-day Brunswick County in the western part of the county.  (Possibly the son of John Ivey of Patents #6 and #14.)
20 John Ivey 27 June 1764 35:553 161a Southampton The exact location is uncertain, somewhere on the south bank of Three Creeks in present-day Southampton, just south of Ploughman’s Creek.  (Son of John Ivey of Patents #6 and #14?)
21 Hugh Ivy 26 Sept 1764 36:399 145a Surry Land was in  present Sussex County, bordering Patent #14 to the north.  (Son of Henry Ivey of Patent #10)