When Sheriff John P. (Jack) Robbins, Jr. became Sheriff of Northampton County in 2002, he was following a long family tradition.  A very long family tradition.  One that began 350 years ago when his 11^th great grandfather, Edmund Scarburgh became the Sheriff of Accomack County in 1661.

Of course, Robbins didn’t know this when he became a Sheriff’s deputy in 1977 or even when he became sheriff.  He was just pursuing a career in which he had held a long time interest.

A few years ago he was looking at a list of Northampton County sheriffs and noticed a few familiar names on it - Addison, which was his mother’s maiden name, and Robins, a variation on the spelling of his last name.

Robbins consulted the family expert, his second cousin David Scott.  Scott, a Nassawadox physician, has been researching Eastern Shore genealogy since his was a teen-ager in the 1970s.

“I said, oh yeah, you’re a descendant of a lot of these people,” Scott confirmed.  “If you include cousins, you are probably related to three quarters of these people.”

But as a genealogist, Scott knows the difference between being a direct descendant and merely cousins.  He looked at the sheriff’s list, which dates back to 1634, and he looked at his genealogies, and he connected Robbins in the direct line of eight former Northampton County sheriffs.

I might be the only sheriff in the state with that many sheriffs in my family tree, says Robbins.  Scott agrees that Robbins’ large number of direct sheriff ancestors is likely unique.  Several factors contribute to the probability.  The Eastern Shore was one of the earliest places settled in Virginia, and it had the first sworn sheriff in the new world in 1634.  Robbins’ ancestors have been here since the early 1600s, and the Shore is geographically isolated resulting in many families which are intertwined.

The sheriffs come from both Robbins’ father’s side of the family  – he was John Page Robbins, from Johnsontown, and his mother’ side - she was Margaret Tutwiler Addison of Eastville.

The first sheriff from whom Robbins is directly descended was Colonel Edmund Scarburgh, one of the most prominent figures in early Eastern Shore history.  Scarburgh  was intelligent, wealthy and powerful, owning 46,000 acres of land and serving in almost every significant political position available in that period.  In addition to being the sheriff from 1661-1668, he was Virginia’s surveyor general, clerk of court, member of court and a member of the House of Burgesses.

Robbins is also a direct descendant of Argoll Yardley, II, the grandson of the much-respected colonial governor Sir George Yardley.   Yardley was sheriff in 1681.  He’s Robbins’ 9^th great-grandfather on his father’s side.

Robbins’ other ancestors holding the post include Capt. Arthur Robins, his 7^th great grandfather, who was sheriff in 1691 and Arthur Robins III, sheriff in 1773.

Col. John Stringer, sheriff in 1670,  Hillary Stringer, sheriff in 1686, Ralph Pigott sheriff in 1721, and John Addison, sheriff in 1820 round out the family tree.

Some of Robbins’ modern-day duties are remarkably similar to those several centuries ago.  Then and now, the sheriff was responsible for arresting those charged with offenses, keeping the jail, and maintaining the security of the court.

Unlike today, says Robbins, in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, basically I think they were tax collectors.   One of the sheriffs’ most important duties was collecting tithables  — the equivalent of a tax.  The tithe was assessed in pounds of tobacco.  The sheriffs’ salaries were paid with tobacco as well.  The Northampton County order book for 1773 has the following accounting:

“To Arthur Robins Gent Sheriff his salary              1385 (pounds tobacco)

“To Arthur Robins Gent for a lock for the prison       70 (pounds tobacco)

“Ordered the Sheriff do collect 8 (pounds) tobacco from every tithable or in money at

12/6 (12 shillings, 6 pence).”

Sheriffs in the 17^th and 18^th centuries also oversaw punishments ranging from sitting in stocks, wearing a sign describing one’s offenses in church or being dragged across a body of water.

While such duties are no longer part of the office, Robbins takes a great deal of pride both in his family connections to past sheriffs and in Northampton County’s long and interesting sheriff’s history.

He occasionally talks to local school groups about how the office began when reeves served the English king as tithe collectors and keepers of the peace.  Each reeve served in a geographical area known as a shire, and the shire’s reeve morphed into name sheriff, Robbins explains.

Last year the General Assembly recognized the 375^th anniversary of the office of sheriff and the Eastern Shore’s role in it. In addition to having the first sworn sheriff in America, the Eastern Shore boasts the first elected sheriff as well.  In 1651 the House of Burgesses required each county to chose a sheriff.  Forging new ground, Northampton’s commissioners asked the residents to elect one instead.  The result was the first elected sheriff in the new world - William Waters of Northampton County.

As part of the 375^th anniversary, Henrico County Sheriff Mike Wade designed commemorative badges and made them available to sheriffs and deputies who wished to buy them.  It should come as no surprise that the sheriff who has eight sheriffs in his family tree wears that badge with pride.

by Claudia Bagwell
David R. Scott contributed genealogical research for this article.

Deputy Christopher Ray, 22, the passenger in the car, was killed on General Thomas Highway near Handsom Road outside Franklin, the sheriff’s office said. The car crashed into a tree that had fallen across the roadway, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office said the driver was Deputy Jason Brinkley, who was treated and released from a hospital.

Ray joined the sheriff’s office on June 1 after graduating from Radford University with a degree in criminal justice.

“The thoughts and prayers of the entire Southampton County Sheriff’s Office go out to Deputy Ray’s family and Deputy Brinkley and his family in this most difficult time,” a statment from the sheriff’s office said.

Virginia State Police are investigating the crash. A State Police spokeswoman did not return a voicemail Saturday seeking information.

By Patrick Wilson
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 29, 2009

Patrick Wilson, (757) 446-2957, patrick.wilson@pilotonline.com

 Ms. Henley expressed her appreciation to the VSI and the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office for their support.  Ms. Henley is graduating from a York County high school in less than two weeks and is planning to attend Virginia Commonwealth University next school year with a criminal justice major and a concentration in forensics.

For the past 16 years Sheriff’s Isaacs and the Virginia Sheriff’s Institute has awarded 43 scholarships totaling more than 32,000 to college students living in the City of Suffolk. 

Pictured standing from left to right with Lt. James Darden and Sheriff Raleigh Isaacs:  Taylor E. Layne, Artina O. Mills, Brielle S. Wilson, Andre’ D. Skinner, Jay D. Canaday

The big rig was engulfed in flames. The fire has been put out, and all that is left are the charred remains of the vehicle.

Officials on the scene have confirmed that a Greene County sheriff’s deputy was driving the car hit by the truck. The State Patrol says the unidentified deputy’s car veered off the road, then back onto the pavement and into the path of the oncoming truck.

The area of Route 230 near Dundee Road is now open after authorities cleaned up the crash site.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to them and Chad’s family. Chad had a great love of law enforcement and will be surely missed by his fellow officers and workers,” said Greene County Sheriff Scott Haas.

Carr had been in law enforcement for seven-and-a-half years, and had recently been promoted to the narcotics investigation unit. Carr’s fellow deputies say one of his favorite assignments was being a canine handler. Carr also received a life-saving award for saving a man’s life while performing rescue CPR.

Haas praised the driver of that tractor trailer, Kent Eaton, for trying to help Carr after the crash.

“We’re thankful that he helped, or made an attempt to help our officer and we’re very thankful that he was not injured,” said Haas.

The Sheriff’s Office says they’ll be establishing a fund for his two children.

Drew is an outstanding citizen of Carroll County and a standout student at Galax schools. At school, he has set an exemplary example for other students as a student and an athlete.  He attends Hillcrest Baptist Church where he is an active youth leader and is a member of the Galax Fire Department. 

Upon accepting this award, Drew thanked Sheriff Manning, the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.  He stated that growing up in the law enforcement community has motivated his desire to become a law enforcement officer.  

Drew is an exceptional young man and will someday make Virginia an exceptional law enforcement officer.