Borough of Norfolk, Virginia 1810 Census by John Vogt

John Vogt's transcription of the Borough of Norfolk, Virginia 1810 Census, from the original images.

Illustrations, maps, index.

This is the first surviving census for the borough of Norfolk, since both the 1790 and 1800 censuses have been lost. The faithful transcription is left in its rough alphabetic order. Beginning in the early 1600s as a "Half-Moone Fort," The Borough of Norfolk grew through the colonial period to become the second largest metropolitan area in Virginia, second only to Richmond. Although it suffered severe destruction during the Revolution and a disastrous fire in 1804, by 1810 and the time of this census, Norfolk Borough ranked twelfth among the cities in America. It contained a large foreign population (a good number of whome were French from the surnames in the census) and a large number of private companies dealing in tradegoods and shipping between Virginia and the rest of the world.

This and other 1810 censuses are transcribed by the author from the original images, and while many of Virginia's censuses are available online, they oftentimes are replete with misreadings. Caveat emptor!