VA REAL ESTATE SOLUTIONS - Key Persons
Adam Thoroughgood (1604-1640) of King's Lynn, Norfolk, England is one of the earliest Englishmen to settle in the area which became Virginia Beach. At the age of 18, he became an indentured servant to pay for passage to the Virginia Colony. He earned his freedom and became a leading citizen of the area. In 1629, he was elected to the House of Burgesses for Elizabeth Cittie, one of four "citties" (or incorporations) which were subdivided areas established in 1619. In 1634, the Colony was divided into the original eight shires of Virginia, soon renamed as counties. Thoroughgood is credited with using the name of his home in England when helping name "New Norfolk County" in 1637. The following year, New Norfolk County was split into Upper Norfolk County (soon renamed Nansemond County) and Lower Norfolk County.
Thoroughgood's choice of residence after 1634 was along the Lynnhaven River, also named for his home in England. Lower Norfolk County was quite large, and stretched all the way from the Atlantic Ocean west past the Elizabeth River, encompassing the entire area now within the modern cities of Portsmouth, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach.
Job Titles:
- Professional Football Player for the Atlanta Falcons
Booker Taliaferro Washington (commonly known as Booker T Washington), founder of Tuskegee Institute, educator, author, African-American statesman
Job Titles:
- United States Ambassador to Romania, United States Representative
Job Titles:
- Professional Football Player for the Miami Dolphins and Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Dwight Stephenson, professional football player for the Miami Dolphins and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Fort Monroe, Hampton and the surrounding area played several important roles during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Although most of Virginia became part of the Confederate States of America, Fort Monroe remained in Union hands. It became notable as a historic and symbolic site of early freedom for former slaves under the provisions of contraband policies and later the Emancipation Proclamation. After the War, former Confederate President, Jefferson Davis was imprisoned in the area now known as the Casemate Museum on the base.
To the south of Fort Monroe, the Town of Hampton had the misfortune to be burned during both the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War. From the ruins of Hampton left by evacuating Confederates in 1861, "Contraband" slaves (formerly owned by Confederates and under a degree of Union protection) built the Grand Contraband Camp, the first self-contained African American community in the United States. A number of modern-day Hampton streets retain their names from that community. The large number of contrabands who sought the refuge of Fort Monroe and the Grand Contraband Camp led to educational efforts which eventually included establishment of Hampton University, site of the famous Emancipation Oak.
Job Titles:
- Navy Commodore, Captain of Frigate USS Chesapeake
Job Titles:
- President of the Confederate States of America, Imprisoned in a Casemate at Fort Monroe After the American Civil War
Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, imprisoned in a casemate at Fort Monroe after the American Civil War
Job Titles:
- Professional Football Player for the Atlanta Falcons
Job Titles:
- Professional Football Player for the Philadelphia Eagles
Job Titles:
- Professional Football Coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Job Titles:
- Professional Football Player for the Oakland Raiders, Former Hampton High School Star Football Quarterback
Ronald Curry, professional football player for the Oakland Raiders, former Hampton High School star football quarterback
Job Titles:
- Special Teams Captain of the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears Football Team, and Played With the San Diego Chargers
Shaun Gayle, Special Teams captain of the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears football team, and played with the San Diego Chargers