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Virginia Genealogy

Virginia Genealogy Facts

The history of America is closely tied to that of Virginia, particularly during the Colonial period. Jamestown, founded in 1607, was the first permanent English settlement in North America and slavery was introduced there in 1619.

  • Virginia entered the union as the 10th state on June 25, 1788.
  • Virginia has 95 Counties and 39 independent cities.
  • Virginia’s capital is Richmond and the official state website is www.va.gov/.
  • Virginia is bordered by Kentucky (southwest), Maryland (north), North Carolina (south), Tennessee (southwest), West Virginia (northwest) and Washington, District of Columbia.
  • Virginia has a land area of 42,769 square miles making it the 35th largest state.
  • Virginia’s 2010 population was 8,001,024 .
  • Virginia  largest cities (2010) are Virginia Beach, 437,994; Norfolk, 242,803; Chesapeake, 222,209; Richmond , 204,214; Newport News , 180,719; Alexandria , 139,966; Hampton , 137,436; Roanoke , 97,032; Portsmouth, 95,535; Suffolk, 84,585.
  • Virginia was named for Queen Elizabeth I of England (she was known as the Virgin Queen). Sir Walter Raleigh may have suggested this name around 1584 .
  • Virginia’s nickname is ” Old Dominion “
  • Virginia State Motto is ” Sic Semper Tyrannis ” which means Thus Always to Tyrants .

Virginia County Genealogy

Most pre-1900 county records have been microfilmed and can be searched at the Library of Virginia and the FHL. Most original records remain in the county and independent city courthouses. Virginia is the only state with independent cities; they are independent of the county or counties in which they are located geographically. Researchers should treat them as they would a county when constructing a research plan.

Some counties in Virginia have experienced devastating loss of early records, especially during the Civil War. Researching ancestors from “Burned Record Counties” requires willingness to probe deeply for the few scraps of information that might have survived.

Select a County Below

Accomack, Albemarle, Alleghany, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Arlington, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Brunswick, Buchanan, Buckingham, Campbell, Caroline, Carroll, Charles City, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Clarke, Craig, Culpeper, Cumberland, Dickenson, Dinwiddie, Essex, Fairfax, Fauquier, Floyd, Fluvanna, Franklin, Frederick, Giles, Gloucester, Goochland, Grayson, Greene, Greensville, Halifax, Hanover, Henrico, Henry, Highland, Isle of Wight, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Lee, Loudoun, Louisa, Lunenburg, Madison, Mathews, Mecklenburg, Middlesex, Montgomery, Nelson, New Kent, Northampton, Northumberland, Nottoway, Orange, Page, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince George, Prince William, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Richmond, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Southampton, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Surry, Sussex, Tazewell, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland, Wise, Wythe, York

Virginia has counties that no longer exist. They were established by the state, provincial, or territorial government. Most of these counties were created and disbanded in the 19th century; county boundaries have changed little since 1900 in the vast majority of states. These counties need to be looked at when doing genealogy research. Pay close attention where the courthouse records went to if the county was abolished or combined with another county.

  • Accawmack County was established in 1634 as a Original Shire. It was renamed to Northampton County in 1642
  • Charles River County was established in 1634 as an Original Shire. It was renamed to York County in 1642
  • Dunmore County was established in 1772 from Frederick County. It was renamed to Shenandoah County in 1778
  • Elizabeth River Shire was established in 1634 as an Original Shire. It was renamed to Elizabeth City County about 1636. In merged into the Independent City of Hampton in 1952.
  • Fincastle County was established in 1772 from Botetourt County. It ceased to exist in 1776 when it was divided to form Montgomery County, Washington County, and Kentucky County (now the state of Kentucky). Some Fincastle County genealogy records may be found in the Montgomery County.
  • Kentucky County was established in 1777 from Fincastle County. It was abolished when it formed the State of Kentucky in 1780.
  • Lower Norfolk County was established in 1637 from New Norfolk County. It was abolished in 1691. Records can be found in the City of Chesapeake
  • Nansemond County was established in 1642 from Upper Norfolk County. It was Incorporated as the City of Nansemond in 1972 and merged with the City of Suffolk in 1974.
  • New Norfolk County was established in 1636 from Elizabeth City County. It was abolished in 1637 and divided into Lower Norfolk and Upper Norfolk Counties.
  • Norfolk County was established in 1691 from Lower Norfolk County. It merged into the Independent City of Chesapeake in 1963.
  • Princess Anne County was established in from Lower Norfolk County. It merged into the Independent City of Virginia Beach in 1963.
  • Old Rappahannock County was established in 1656 from Lancaster County. It ceased to exist in 1692 when divided to form Essex County and Richmond County. Records located in Essex County.
  • Upper Norfolk County was established in 1637 from New Norfolk County. It was renamed to Nansemond County in 1646.
  • Warrosquyoake County was established in 1634 as an Original Shire. It was renamed to Isle of Wight County in 1637.
  • Warwick River County was established in 1634 as an Original Shire. It was renamed to Warwick County in 1643.
  • Warwick County was established in 1643 from Warwick River County. It was abolished in 1952 when it became Indepentent City of Warwick. In 1958 the City of Warwick merged into the Indepentent City of Newport News.
  • Yohogania County was established in 1776 from West Augusta territory. The County was ceded to Pennsylvania in 1785.

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Virginia Genealogy Links

See Virginia County Genealogy for County Links. These genealogy links fall into 3 categories: Commercial Sites, Personal Sites or Organization Sites. Some are have free access some require a payment. This is just a list that has been collected or submitted. I do not endorse or promote one genealogy site above another. Feel free to submit your own favorite genealogy or family history related sites.

Virginia State History

Virginia (state), in full Commonwealth of Virginia, state in the eastern United States and entered the Union as the tenth of the original 13 states on June 25, 1788. Virginia was named for the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I of England. Virginia was England’s first successful overseas colony and the site of the first permanent English settlement in America. West Virginia was part of Virginia until 1863. Virginia’s nickname is Old Dominion.

The eight original shires were: Accawmack, Charles City, Charles River, Elizabeth City, Henrico, James City, Warrosquyoake, and Warwick River.

Many of Virginia’s records have been lost to fire, war, and time. Jamestown, the original capital, was destroyed three times, and some counties lost records during the Revolutionary War. However, the greatest destruction of Virginia’s records occurred during the Civil War. Many courthouses were destroyed, but the most significant loss of records resulted from the burning of Richmond in 1865. Even with the loss of records, research in most Virginia counties remains richly rewarding. Frequent changes in county boundary lines need to be kept in mind when doing research using public records. Knowledge of settlement patterns and of westward migration is necessary to guide researchers to the record groups that are most likely to contain the information that they need.

Virginia played an important role in the American Revolution (1775-1783). During the American Civil War (1861-1865) the state’s capital, Richmond, was also capital of the Confederacy.

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