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History · Elizabeth

Elizabeth dates to 1812, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1912 on and the census since 1870.

1812founded
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Elizabeth began

When was Elizabeth founded?

1812

Elizabeth dates its founding to 1812 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 216 in 18702020 census: 199214 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1821.The full story ↓

What stands out about Elizabeth’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Elizabeth are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 282 in 1880; 199 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19123 editions of the USGS map, 1912 to 1981. Watch Elizabeth change.Old housesHalf of Elizabeth’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Elizabeth’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Elizabeth’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Elizabeth, census by census

010020030018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 282

Peaked at 282 in 1880; 199 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Elizabeth’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Elizabeth on the map, 1912 to 1981

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Elizabeth. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Elizabeth on the 1912 USGS mapElizabeth on the 1950 USGS mapElizabeth on the 1981 USGS map1912Kosmosdale sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Elizabeth.

The story

How Elizabeth came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Elizabeth.

Read it all →

The original plat of the town of Elizabeth was recorded on April 17, 1812. It was witnessed by Sheriff John Tipton. The land for the town was donated by Capt. Jacob Zenor and wife Suzannah Muchendorffer Zenor. The town is named after Jacob's daughter-in-law Elizabeth Lemmon Zenor wife of George Zenor.

Rose Hill Cemetery, the second-largest cemetery in the county, is located on the west side of the town. The land for the cemetery was donated by Jacob Zenor and wife, with the only rule being that burial be made available regardless of the religious denomination of the deceased.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Elizabeth in 1922

Passages that mention Elizabeth, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The commercial and religious interests of Elizabeth City County were not the only ones which suffered by war. After peace was made in 1783, the ancient schools of Syms and Eaton were much neglected, for, under the changed state of affairs, the ministers and churchwardens fo Elizabeth City parish, a…
History of Hampton and Elizabeth City County, Virginia1922Read the page →
Read the text

The commercial and religious interests of Elizabeth City County were not the only ones which suffered by war. After peace was made in 1783, the ancient schools of Syms and Eaton were much neglected, for, under the changed state of affairs, the ministers and churchwardens fo Elizabeth City parish, and even the justices, doubted their true succession as incorporators. Thus the lands were again wasted, and the schools much impaired. At length, in

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Church Steeple and Bell In 1760, Alexander Kennedy devised land to the poor of Elizabeth City County, and the sum of 40 pds. sterling towards purchasing out of England a bell for the church of Elizabeth City Parish, provided ''the vestry and church wardens will undertake a belfry within twelve …
History of Hampton and Elizabeth City County, Virginia1922Read the page →
Read the text

The Church Steeple and Bell In 1760, Alexander Kennedy devised land to the poor of Elizabeth City County, and the sum of 40 pds. sterling towards purchasing out of England a bell for the church of Elizabeth City Parish, provided ''the vestry and church wardens will undertake a belfry within twelve months after my decease." A vestry book tells of the contracts awarded for building and painting the Belfry, and no doubt the bell

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Elizabeth, 1812 to 1983

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1812
    FoundingElizabeth is established
  3. 1821Post officeThe Elizabeth post office opens
  4. 1880CensusPopulation peaks at 282
  5. 20th century
  6. 1912On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1983Born hereCraig Schoen is born here
By decade

Elizabeth, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Elizabeth, Indiana2016Elizabeth, IndianaElizabeth Town, Indiana2016Elizabeth Town, IndianaBurns Hugh2016Burns Hugh

Questions about Elizabeth’s history

What year was Elizabeth founded?

In 1812, according to Wikidata. Elizabeth’s post office opened in 1821, and the census of 1870 counted 216 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.