I went to the Isle of Wight county courthouse today for a little while to get oriented. The staff in the records room could not have been friendlier, and I saw them assisting a lady getting documentation for membership in the Jamestown Society – a group of direct descendants of Jamestown colonists – as though they were looking for one of their own relatives. They were dedicated and very helpful!
While getting a few tips from the staff on how the records are arranged, and what finding aids they have and how to use them, it became apparent that it will be quite a challenge to find anything about our Davis folk, since the one name we have from the time our family lived there is John Davis. There were pages of references to John Davis throughout the index to the Will Books. Several John Davis references in the marriage books. None seemed to have wed the elusive Elizabeth Edwards. Several Johns were mentioned in the wills of other Davises, and one of them may just be our forebear. The connective tissue will be hard to find.
Since the marriage records were of little (or no) help, I think the best bet will be the land records in the deed books and tax records. I may be able to find the right Davis and discover some more family members. I am itching to go back on a day when I can spend more than an hour there!