Whitehurst Landing

One of my distant grandfathers was William Richard Whitehurst who after arriving in America in the middle of the 17th Century, settled in Princess Anne County Virginia. He built what was described as a plantation home called "Three Runs" on the eastern branch of the Elizabeth River.

One of the books I found about him, written over 100 years ago, said he encouraged his family to remain on the family soil and there was still a "Whitehurst Landing" on part of the original land.

The book said it was in Norfolk County, Virginia. I decided to try and find it and see if any of the local residents still have the Whitehurst name. Apparently Virginia county lines have changed quite a bit and some were taken over by Cities. Much of the original Norfolk County has become the cities of Norfolk or Chesapeake.

The Elizabeth River is only about six miles long but has become a center of commerce. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where many of the US Navy's ships were either built or repaired over the last 210 years is located there. At the head of the river, according to Google maps is "Whitehurst Landing." So there you have it, 400 years and the family name is still there.

I also found the City of Norfolk, Virginia has a reservoir that supplies drinking water to the city called "Lake Whitehurst."

I Googled Whitehurst and Norfolk and found many people with the name. Charles B. Whitehurst is currently the Vice Mayor of Portsmouth, Virginia. Is he a relative? I don't know, he doesn't have my red hair, but anything is possible...