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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