Dahl's Swamp

Dahl's Swamp is located in the lower section of District 11. It is part of a 3,050 acre patent granted to Charles Scarburgh and his home.  Charles was the son of Colonel Edmund and Mary Scarburgh.  Charles married Elizabeth Bennett.  Both are buried in a field near Evans' Wharf and a marker was erected at the corner of R634 and R638.  See

    http://easternshorestuff.com/cemeteryproject/accomack/scarborough_marker/images/sm00001.jpg

and

    http://easternshorestuff.com/cemeteryproject/accomack/scarborough_marker/images/sm00002.jpg

(See also the explanatory material "Scarburgh Graves" at http://easternshorestuff.com/cemeteryproject/accomack/scarburgh/scarburgh_graves.htm)

In1723/4 3050 acres of land were surveyed for Colonel Henry Scarburgh (Processioners Returns 21).  He was the the great grandfather of Bennett and George Scarburgh.  The record reads:

In obedience to an order of the worshipfull Court of Accomack County I have by the direction of a Jury surveyed for Col: Henry Scarburgh Esq three thousand and fifty acres of Land Scituate Lying and being in Accomack County one the North Side of Pungoteague Creek bounded as followeth beginning at a Markt pine Standing at the head of Rennys Back Gut and branch thence North 85 Chains to a Stake Standing near the head of Matchatank Creek thence East 196 Chains 150 Lin: to a Markt oak Standing near the head of the Southern branch of Anancock Creek thence along the said Creek to a Markt pine thence South 135 Chains to a Markt tree Standing in the North Branch of Pungoteague thence down the sd Branch its severall Courses to the main Creek thence a Long the main Creek to Renneys Back Gut thence up the sd gutt to the first beginning. Surveyed October ye 23rd day by me
Mitchell Scarburgh Surveyor of Accomack

The within Survey was Recorded December ye 7th 1724 pr Cha: Snead Cl: Cur: Com: Accomack.

In 1790 Bennett and George Scarburgh sold 160 acres of land to Levi Rodgers, part of which included some of the south part of the swamp.  Levi Rodgers' first wife had been Sarah Scarburgh, Bennett and George's sister, and when Levi died in 1818 he left this land to his daughter Elizabeth Parker Rodgers.  Levi Rodgers and his second wife Euphemia are buried at

    http://easternshorestuff.com/cemeteryproject/accomack/rodgers_cem/images/rc00025.jpg

There is no marker for his first wife, Sarah.  Could she be buried there in an unmarked grave?

In 1792 Bennett and George Scarburgh sold 150 acres to Garret Topping.  A house purportedly built by Garret Topping is pictured on page  811 in Whitelaw, volume 2.  It is not known if any part of the house remains today.

In 1794 Bennett and George Scarburgh made another sale to John Riley Parker who also owned land around Parker's Creek.  There are no known markers for him or his wife Elizabeth.  The rest of the land remained in the family.

Sources:
_____.  Cemetery Documentation Project. http://easternshorestuff.com/cemeteryproject/cemintro.htm .

Walczyk, Gail M.  Accomack County Processioners Return 1723-1792 for Accomack And St. George's Parishes.  Coram NY: Peter's Row, 2004.

Whitelaw, Ralph T. Virginia's Eastern Shore A History of Northampton and Accomack Counties. Gloucester MA: Peter Smith.