Chesapeake History

In 1636, the County of New Norfolk was formed from Elizabeth City, one of the nine original shires of the colony of Virginia. New Norfolk was split into Lower and Upper Norfolk Counties one year later. In 1691, Lower Norfolk County was divided into Norfolk County and Princess Anne County. Then later, the cities of Norfolk (1845) and Portsmouth (1958) were partitioned off from Norfolk County. The City of Chesapeake was created in 1963 when the City of South Norfolk and Norfolk County merged.

One of the key events in Chesapeake's history is the Battle of Great Bridge. To learn more about how the city of Chesapeake got it's name, please read Genealogy of a City.

For those of you with an interest in local history or genealogy, please click on to the
Local History Room or the Family History Center.