Virginia Research Guide
The Search for Your Early Virginia and West
Virginia Ancestors
Copyright 2011, June C. Byrne, Ormond
Beach, Florida
Newcomers to
genealogy research are often startled to discover that the earliest
settlements of Virginia predate the settlement at Plymouth by more than
a decade. Jamestown was first settled in 1607. By 1620,
when the Mayflower landed, there were over a thousand residents in
Virginia and the House of Burgesses had been formed. Unfortunately,
only a tiny percentage of the earliest colonists actually
survived. Gradually, more colonists flooded into the Tidewater
area and spread up the river system. Although there were a few
colonists from other areas, most of these early emigrants were English
landed gentry and servants and slaves. Many were driven totally by
plans for economic gain. Some planned to come and make a fortune
and return to England. Because of this, Virginia was an entirely
different type of colony than the one formed at Plymouth by the
Pilgrims.
Over the next
hundred years or so, settlements spread out rapidly from the original
settlements near Jamestown up the various river systems. By the mid
1700s, there was also major growth in the northern section of what was
then Virginia, but would later become West Virginia. Waves of
German and Dutch immigrants from New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey
came into the Northern Neck area driven by economic opportunity. There
were waves of Scottish, Scotch Irish, and German immigrants who were
refugees from political and religious problems. These mostly landed at
Philadelphia which was the major immigration point at that
time. By 1800, these two waves of immigrants, who had
initially landed at different geological locations, had settled most of
what is now Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
Prior to the end of
the French and Indian War in 1763, settlement was mostly confined to
the Eastern and Northeastern portion. After the Treaty of
Paris, the frontier gradually moved inland. But it is important
to realize in researching early Virginia, that it was a frontier and,
as such, did not keep the lovely records found in other areas.
There were no civil vital records until after the Revolutionary
War. Prior to that, all vital record keeping was a function of
the church. If you are used to researching in New England, you
will find the records in Virginia to be dismal in comparison.
Virginia
contributed vast numbers of soldiers to the Revolutionary War, but
unfortunately, much of that contribution was in the form of the
militia. There are very few surviving records of these militia
units. Occasionally, a list of soldiers or officers is to be
found in the county order books. But mostly these records simply
disappeared.
Because tidewater
Virginia was originally settled by those interested in land, good
records were kept. And the churches kept excellent records.
Unfortunately, during the Civil War, Virginia had all of the county
records and church records from all over the state moved to
Richmond. The reason given was the they would always protect
Richmond. Anyone who has ever seen the famous painting of
Richmond burning, can guess the outcome of this. The records were put
into warehouses. One of these burned. So if your county
records were in the wrong warehouse, you are flat out of luck. If they
were stored elsewhere, you will find much to help you in your search.
Censuses and
Tax Lists
Censuses: The 1790 US Census for
Virginia is
completely missing. In 1800, only two complete Virginia counties
survived, Louisa and Accomack. Part of Alexandria also survived. Louisa
County was published by the local genealogy society in Volume 4, issue
1, June 1972 of the Louisa County
Historical Magazine, and
Accomack was published in The Virginia
Genealogist. It was serialized
over six issues in 1957 and 1958, Volume 1, issues 3 and 4, Volume 2,
issues 1 through 4. The 1810 US Census has 16 counties
missing. In the 1820-1830-1840 US Censuses, Alexandria County is
included with the District of Columbia. The years 1810-1860 include
present day West Virginia. The 1890 Special Veteran’s Census
survived. For details see:
Anne Bruner Eales
and Robert M. Kvasnicka, editors, Guide to Genealogical
Research in the National Archives, Third Edition, (Washington, DC: National Archives and
Records Administration, 2000), 40.
Tax Lists: All extant tax records for
Virginia are at the Library of Virginia. Other than a very few tax
lists or rent rolls from colonial times, tax lists begin in 1782 or at
the time of the formation of the county. At that time, the the
General Assembly of Virginia overhauled the existing tax law and
provided for statewide enumeration on the county level of certain
personal property and land.
There is an
excellent article on the Library of Virginia site explaining what you
will find in these records. Basically, most of the tax records
are records of tithables, i.e., free white males over sixteen.
Obviously, not every name made it onto the list because there were
upwards of a dozen legislative acts aimed at stopping concealed
tithables. See this site: http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/tax/rn17_tithables.htm
There are two
volumes of early tax lists which help take the place of the missing
1790 census. The first one was published by the US Census Bureau. There
are some other published lists of residents and slave holders most of
which are based on tax lists of various kinds. You need to check
the front of the book to see what tax lists are included.
They used different years for each county. In some of the
areas,
the county lines changed rapidly so that your ancestor may appear to
have moved from county to county because he appears in two counties in
one book when he actually did not move. The county lines moved.
These tax lists are widely used as a substitute for the missing 1790
census. Most tax lists used in these books predate
1790.• Heads of Families at
the First Census of the US taken in the year 1790: Records of the State
Enumerations, 1782-1785, Virginia, (Washington, DC: Government Printing
Office, 1908). This book is widely available, reprinted and
microfilmed.
• Augusta B.
Fothergill and John Mark Naugle, Virginia Tax Payers,
1782-1787, other than those published by the United States Census Bureau, (Richmond, Virginia, 1940) This is
similar to the first book, but it was published later and includes some
other tax lists. It also includes areas which are now in
Kentucky. It has been reprinted.
Vital Records
Civil Marriage Records: Prior to 1780,
few civil records were kept and record keeping was sporadic for the
first few years after that. Prior to 1780, record keeping was a
church function. There are a couple of books which have earlier
marriages. William Armstrong Crozier, Early Virginia Marriages, (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical
Publishing Company, 1968). The title of this book is deceptive because
it only includes these counties: Amelia, Augusta, Charles City,
Elizabeth City, Fauquier, King George, Lancaster, Lunenburg, Middlesex,
Rockbridge, Southampton, Surry, Sussex, Westmoreland, and York. It is
based on early marriage bonds, etc.
Dorothy Ford
Wulfeck, Marriages
of Some Virginia Residents, 1607-1800. This was published in several volumes in
the 1960s and has been since reprinted. It has some
marriages from county histories, estate records, and other different
sources. (D, DL)
After the early
1780s, counties kept the marriage records so you have to search the
particular county. To see what survived for each county, check
the holdings of the Library of Virginia. The holdings for the
West Virginia counties are not complete because much has been turned
over to that state for safekeeping.
Virginia Periodicals: The Virginia Genealogist. You must look at this. It is one of
the best sets of published information on Virginia. There are every
name and place name indexes to Volumes 1 to 20 and 21 to 40. The
indexes were published in two volumes. Most major research libraries
have these. Later volumes must be searched
individually.
Earl Gregg Swem, Virginia Historical
Index. It was originally
published in 1934 and 1936, but it has been reprinted and is available
at all FHC on microfiche 6046961. It is known by researchers and
librarians as Swems. It is a everyname surname, place name, and
topic index to Henning’s Statutes and the major Virginia
periodicals published prior to the 1930s. It is a quick every name
index to the following Virginia periodicals: volumes
1-38, 1893-1930;The
Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, the William and Mary
College Quarterly Historical Magazine, first series, volumes 1-27, 1892-1919; The William and Mary
College Quarterly Historical Magazine, second series, volumes 1-10, 1921-1930; Tyler's Quarterly
Historical and Genealogical Magazine, volumes 1-10, 1919-1929; Virginia Historical
Register and Literary Advertiser,
volumes 1-6, 1848-1853; the Lower Norfolk County
Virginia Antiquary, volumes
1-5, 1895-1906; Hening's Statutes at
Large, 1619-1792, volumes 1-13;
Calendar of
Virginia State Papers and other
manuscripts preserved in the Capitol at Richmond, 1652-1869, volumes
1-11.
PERSI indexes most
later Virginia periodicals. Remember that this is a topic and
locality index only. Surnames are only indexed when they are in
the title of the article. An earlier edition is available on micofiche
at all FHC. The latest version is on Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest
and available for purchase on CDs. I suggest you check local
libraries and FHC for this before purchasing
anything.
Other Virginia Indexes and Compiled
records. There are a number of widely available books on early Virginia
families.
• Ransom B.
True, The
Biographical Dictionary of Early Virginia, 1607-1660, (Richmond, Virginia: Association for the
Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, 1984). This is available on FHL
microfiche 6332718 and is an index to surnames from records which
mostly date from the 1600s. This record is a list of names extracted
from various sources for "people who were involved in any capacity with
the settlement and development of Virginia from 1607 through the end of
1660". This includes many of the surviving early county records.
Copy the page with your surname on it and then check to see what the
sources are.
• George Cabell
Greer, Early
Virginia Immigrants 1623-1666,
(Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1960.) This is
at all FHC on microfiche 6051247. It is a compilation of some of
the earliest surviving records in the Tidewater area.
• Genealogies of Virginia
Families: A Consolidation of Family History Articles from the Virginia
Magazine of History and Biography.
This is a standard reference book which is at many libraries and all
FHC on microfiche 6046678. There is a complete index on FHL
microfiche 6019375.
• Theses and
Dissertations on Virginia History: A Bibliography, by Richard Duncan is at the Richmond
State Library. If you go there to research, you should check this
for the history of the area in which are you interested.
• The Virginia
Historical Society has a very interesting site at www.vahistorical.org
which has an index to many manuscripts in their possession. They also
have card indexes to early obituaries, marriages, bible records, and
other sources. These card indexes are at the society in
Richmond.
Estate Records
Probate Records: In looking at estate
records for early Virginia, you should remember that prior to 1776, the
Law of Primogeniture was in effect. This meant that the oldest
son automatically inherited everything not left otherwise in a
will. Consequently, many estates were handed down several
generations with little left in the way of paper records.
For early records,
see Clayton Torrance, compiler, Virginia Wills and
Administrations, 1632-1800,
originally published in 1930. This has been reprinted and is
widely available. It is an index to the testators and some
intestates found in county records. It is NOT an index to every
person named in every will but is a very good resource. Note that
description of the records for each county are in the front of the
book. This includes counties in present day West Virginia.
The preface contains an excellent county by county description of what
now exists in the way of wills in Virginia.
Virginia Wills Before
1799, by William Montgomery
Clemens is an every name register of Virginia Wills containing every
name which appears in every will. Unfortunately, it does not include
all counties. It includes ONLY Amherst, Bedford, Campbell,
Loudoun, Prince William and Rockbridge Counties.
Wesley E.
Pippenger, Index to Virginia Estates, 1800 to 1865, (Richmond,
Virginia: Virginia Genealogical Society, 2001). Published in
seven volumes.
For probate records
in West Virginia see Torrence, which includes present day West Virginia
Counties, and also West Virginia Estate
Settlements: an Index to Wills, Inventories, Appraisements, Land
grants, and Surveys to 1850, by
Ross B. Johnston. This is actually an abstract rather than an
index and really covers only the thirteen West Virginia counties formed
before 1800. It does not include counties formed later.
Repositories
The Archives
Division of the Library of Virginia [previously known as the Virginia
State Library] at Richmond has copies of all existing county
records. A catalog to these was published as A Preliminary Guide to
Pre 1904 County Records in the Archives Branch of the Virginia State
Library and Archives. Much has
been microfilmed. Most of their microfilm collection is available
through Interlibrary Loan. A catalog of their holdings and their
ILL items is on line at
http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/index.htm The library also
has a major church record collection. See A guide to Bible records in
the Archives Branch, Virginia State Library.
The University of
Virginia has an extensive bible record collection. There is an
index to the primary surname in The Virginia
Genealogist, Volume 15. This is
not an every name index. UV will respond to queries by mail and email
and will send copies of the bibles for either no fee or a nominal one.
Address mail to: The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections
Library, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA
22904-4110. The staff is wonderful.
The College of
William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia has a Manuscripts and Rare
Books Department in the Earl Gregg Swem Library. This has a lot of odd
pieces of original Virginia documents. All of them have been
microfilmed and are in the FHL Catalog at www.familysearch.org Search
under author Swem. You will see an entry for the College of William and
Mary. There is an exact list of the items in the manuscript
collection which is listed by county.
Church
Records:
See collection of
Library of Virginia in Richmond.
Prior to the
American Revolution, the only legal church in Virginia was the Church
of England, AKA the Established Church. Many of these records did not
survive. All of the surviving records of the Church of England have
been published. The parish
lines of the Diocese of Virginia did not correspond with any county
lines. And they changed faster than the county lines. See Parish Lines of Diocese
of Virginia, by Charles Francis
Cocke. Parish lines are extremely confusing. Do look at this
book.
Some were kept by
the original ministers, such as William Douglas. His records were
published in The Douglas Register. Note that many of his marriage records
are not actually marriage records. If he did not personally marry
the couple, he noted the marriage when he baptized a child.
Consequently, the marriage date may actually be the date of birth of
the first of their children that he personally baptized. Many
genealogies have marriage dates wrong because of this. There are
also a number of deaths in this book.
Most of the
Virginia Quaker church records were published in Hinshaw. See also Early Quaker Record in
Virginia, by Miles White, Jr.
For Baptist Church
Records see the Inventory of Virginia Baptist Church Records which is
available at a FHC on microfiche 6046547. Baptists were more interested
in dates of conversion than in keeping records of marriages or
births. But you may find some interesting data, particularly of
deaths, in their newspapers. The Baptist Historical Society in Richmond
has a collection of the early Baptist newspapers. Locate the
following books of indexes and check them. You can then write to
Richmond for copies of the articles. Index to obituary
notices in the Religious Herald, 1828-1938 and Index to Marriage
Notices in the Religious Herald 1828-1938. Virginia Baptist Historical Society. PO
Box 34, University of Richmond, VA 23173.
The location of
other church records can be found in the Virginia Research Outline and
the West Virginia Research Outline, both of which are published by the
LDS Church. They can be downloaded free at www.familysearch.org
Do not assume that all chutch records have been published.
As in other states, some old church records are still in the
churches or are microfilmed and indexed oddly. Churches changed names
and you may need to locate the earliest name of a church to find the
records. One of the great things that local societies ought to do is to
create lists of churches and the locations of the records. Few
counties do this and you may have to struggle with it.
Early
Newspapers
Newspapers: Genealogical Abstracts
from 18th-Century Virginia Newspapers is supposed to include all birth,
marriage and death information in all surviving 18th century
newspapers. This is not every mention of a name in a newspaper.
It includes newspapers from a few other states. Williamsburg was the
only place in Virginia that had a newspaper prior to the revolution.
All of the issues of the Williamsburg Virginia
Gazette that had been located
by the end of the 1940s are indexed in Lester J. Cappon and Stella F.
Duff's massive Virginia Gazette Index,
1736-1780. (FHC microfiche
6051225.) Digital images of most of the extant issues are available on
line at:
http://research.history.org/JDRLibrary/Online_Resources/VirginiaGazette/VGbyYear.cfm
The index and links to the pages can also be found at:
http://www.pastportal.org/menu.htm
See also the
information on Baptist newspapers under the heading Church
Records. On the Library of Virginia website, you will find a
comprehensive list of available newspapers and books and articles with
abstracts. Many of these books and periodicals are available in
local repositories if you check their catalogs.
Geography
Maps and Geography: See the Atlas of County
Boundary Changes in Virginia, 1634-1895. Virginia is a very difficult state to
research in if you do not have a clear picture of boundary changes
which were frequent and extremely confusing.
• There are
several excellent gazetteers of Virginia and West Virginia. One
of the most available is Topping, Mary, et al, Approved Place Names in
Virginia, (Charlottesville, Virginia: University Press of Virginia,
1971). This is available at any FHC on microfiche set 6051296.
• Henry
Gannett, A Gazetteer of Virginia and West Virginia, (Baltimore,
Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1975.) This is a reprint of
two separate volumes published in 1904. ©)
Burned Counties: During the Civil War,
there was a massive loss of records in some counties. The Library
of Virginia maintains a searchable database of the few records existing
from the burned counties.
http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/local/burned/index.htm
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