King William County, Virginia: History
For thousands of years before European contact, Indigenous peoples of North America lived across the Tidewater region. At the time of the founding of Jamestown, 30 Native American tribes comprised the Powhatan Confederacy, numbering 14,000-21,000 people. The Algonquian-speaking Mattaponi Indian Tribe and Upper Mattaponi tribe, among the 6 tribes recognized by the federal government, are located in the county. The Mattaponi are one of two Virginia Indian tribes who still occupy reservation land first allocated by the English under treaty in the 17th century.
One prominent family during Colonial Virginia times was that of William Aylett. The Tobacco Inspection Act of 1730 established a tobacco inspection warehouse at Aylett's. Aylett's daughters intermarried with other Northern Neck families.
English colonists formed King William County in 1702 out of King and Queen County. The county is named for William of Orange, King of England. The courthouse, built in 1725, is the oldest courthouse in continuous use in the United States.