Northumberland County, Virginia
| Northumberland County, Virginia | ||
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Northumberland County Courthouse in Heathsville
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 Location in the U.S. state of Virginia |
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 Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1648 | |
| Seat | Heathsville | |
| Largest community | Heathsville | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 286 sq mi (741 km2) | |
| • Land | 191 sq mi (495 km2) | |
| • Water | 94 sq mi (243 km2), 33.0% | |
| Population (est.) | ||
| • (2015) | 12,232 | |
| • Density | 65/sq mi (25/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 1st | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Northumberland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,330. Its county seat is Heathsville. The county is located on the Northern Neck and is part of the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace AVA winemaking appellation.
The area was occupied at the time of English settlement by the Algonquian-speaking historic tribes of the Wicocomico and Chickacoan. The county was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1648 during a period of rapid population growth and geographic expansion. Settlement began in this area of the Northern Neck around 1635. Originally known as the Indian district Chickacoan, the area was first referred to as Northumberland in the colonial records in 1644. The following year, John Mottrom served as the first burgess for the territory in the House of Burgesses, which met at the capital of the Virginia Colony at Jamestown.
The colonial court ordered the two tribes to merge and by 1655, assigned them a reservation of 4,400 acres (18 km2) near Dividing Creek, south of the Great Wicomico River. By the early 1700s, the Wicocomico tribe was greatly reduced, and English colonists took control of their lands. They were believed to be extinct as a tribe as, landless, they disappeared from the historical record. Descendants of the last weroance are working to regain recognition as a tribe, the Wicocomico Indian Nation.
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