York County, Virginia Genealogy

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York County, created in 1643, is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region in Southeast Virginia. It has an area of 106 square miles.

County Courthouse
The York County - Poquosin Courthouse aka York County Circuit Court http://www.yorkcounty.gov/circuitcourt 300 Ballard St. Yorktown, VA 23690

The courthouse serves both York County and the independent city of Poquoson.

The Records room is open from 8:15 AM to 4:45 PM Monday through Friday and can be contacted by calling (757) 890-4103.

Parent County
1634--York County was created in 1634 as an original shire or county. County seat: Yorktown

Populated Places
Places recognized by the US Census Bureau:


 * Hampton - Incorporated City
 * Yorktown, Virginia - County Seat

Other places not recognized by the US Census Bureau:


 * Grafton
 * Lackey
 * Lightfoot
 * Seaford
 * Tabb
 * Yorktown Naval Weapons Stati

Neighboring Counties

 * Gloucester
 * James City
 * Northampton

Cemeteries
For a detailed list, including addresses, phone numbers, and external links, see York County, Virginia Cemeteries.

The following is a list of cemeteries in York County:

Church History and Records

 * Baptist


 * New Bethel Baptist Church
 * New Quarters Baptist Church
 * Rising Sun Baptist Church
 * Zion Prospect Baptist Church


 * Christian


 * Northside Christian Church


 * The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * Poquoson Ward and Virginia Peninsula Branch (YSA) 113 Sinclair Lane Yorktown, VA


 * Episcopal


 * Grace Episcopal Church 111 Church Street (for mailing, P.O. Box 123) Yorktown, VA 23690


 * Methodist


 * Providence United Methodist Church
 * Tabernacle United Methodist Church
 * Zion Methodist Church


 * Presbyterian


 * York River Presbyterian Church

Family Histories

 * [Staige] Marye, William Bose. "Records of the Marye [of Spotsylvania County] and Staige [of York County] Families of Virginia," The American Genealogist, Vol. 10 (1933):141-149. Available at New England Ancestors.

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Correspondence with the American Colonies 1739-1782," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1998):108-128; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):189-205. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Yorktown with the following surname: Norton.] Available at FHL.
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America, 1777-1811" The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200. [Overseas contacts of a resident of York Co., VA with the following surname: Cunninghame.]
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Brewerton Parish, York River, York Town [Yorktown], and York County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * [http://immigrantservants.com/search/advancedResults.php?surname=&givenName=&varientSurnameSpellings=&gender=&dateOfBirthDay=&dateOfBirthMonth=&dateOfBirthQuantifier=&dateOfBirthYear=&placeOfBirthParish=&placeOfBirthTown=&placeOfBirthCity=&placeOfBirthCounty=&placeOfBirthColony=&placeOfBirthNation=&occupations=&religions=&orphan=&familyPosition=&immigrationYearQualifier=&immigrationYear=&portOfDepartureTown=&portOfDepartureCity=&portOfDepartureCounty=&portOfDepartureNation=&placeOfArrivalTown=&placeOfArrivalCounty=&placeOfArrivalColony=&shipName=&convict=&yearOfIndentureQualifier=&yearOfIndenture=&lengthOfIndentureYears=&lengthOfIndentureMonths=&yearOfFreedomQualifier=&yearOfFreedom=&placeOfIndentureTown=&placeOfIndentureCity=&placeOfIndentureCounty=York&placeOfIndentureColony=Virginia&agentSurname=&agentGivenName=&agentTitle=&masterSurname=&masterGivenName=&masterTitle=&residenceParish=&residenceTown=&residenceCity=&residenceCounty=&residenceColony=&residenceNation=&landowner=&literate=&spouseSurname=&spouseGivenName=&spouseMarriageDateDay=&spouseMarriageDateMonth=&spouseMarriageDateQualifier=&spouseMarriageDateYear=&spouseMarriageLocationParish=&spouseMarriageLocationCounty=&spouseMarriageLocationColony=&spouseMarriageLocationNation=&deathDateDay=&deathDateMonth=&deathDateQualifier=&deathDateYear=&deathLocality=&deathCounty=&deathColony=&deathState=&testate=&proofServantStatus=&proofConvictStatus=&headright=&preServitudeSources=&postServitudeSources=&comments=&family=&sourceCitations=&interestedResearchers= List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe ]who served labor terms in Colonial York County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.
 * Ljungstedt, Milnor. "Items from Southern Records" [Showing Family and Trade Connections with Northern Colonies and the Home Countries], The American Genealogist, Vol. 15 (1938):95-104. Available at New England Ancestors. [York Co., VA: Chesely, Clarke, Hall, Hethersall, Lane, Martin, Moosser [?], Perry, Phelps, Rogers, Weatherall, Williams.]

Military
Colonial Militia


 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some York County militia officers and/or soldiers; see place name index.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some York County militia officers; see place name index.]

French and Indian War


 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some York County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some York County militia officers; see place name index.]

Newspapers
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette(1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburgwebsite. In addition, Professor Tom Costa and The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia have created a database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in this source and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia. These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.

Private Papers

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Correspondence with the American Colonies 1739-1782," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1998):108-128; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):189-205. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Yorktown with the following surname: Norton.] Available at FHL.

Probate Records
London Courts


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Brewerton Parish, York River, York Town [Yorktown], and York County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: York County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 25, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1981):51-53. Available at New England Ancestors ($).

Taxation

 * Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of York County, Virginia are available online at Binns Genealogy.
 * Indexed images of the 1791 and 1800 Land Tax Lists of York County, Virginia are available online at Binns Genealogy.

Societies, Libraries and Museums
(at Wikipedia), covering York and James City counties, Jamestowne, Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown Battlefield Park, Yorktown National Cemetery

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog
 * National Park Service - Colonial National Historical Park
 * National Park Service - Historic Jamestowne
 * National Park Service - Yorktown Battlefield