Accomack County, Virginia Genealogy

United States &gt; Virginia &gt; Accomack County



Accomack County, Virginia is a county, established in 1634, in Eastern Virginia on the southern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula.

County Courthouse
23316 Courthouse Avenue Accomac, Virginia 23301 Clerk of the Circuit Court: (757) 787-5776

Accomack County Courthouse

History
Accomac Shire was established in the Virginia Colony by the House of Burgesses in 1634 under the direction of King Charles I. It was one of the original eight shires of Virginia. The shire's name comes from the Native American word Accawmack.

In 1642, the named was changed to Northampton County by the British, to eliminate "heathen" names in the New World. ("shires" and "counties" were essentially the same in England). In 1663, Northampton County was split into two counties. The northern section assumed the original Accomac name, the southern retained Northampton.

In 1670, the Virginia Colony's Royal Governor William Berkeley abolished Accomac County, but the Virginia General Assembly re-created it in 1671. In 1940, the General Assembly officially added a "k" to the end of the county's name to arrive at its current spelling, which is Accomack County. (from Wikipedia)

Parent County
1634--Accomack county was created in 1634 from Northampton County. County seat: Accomac

Populated Places
Towns:

Communities:

African American

 * Koger, Celestine G. The 1850 Slave Inhabitants Schedule of Accomac [sic] County, Virginia. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, c1995. Available at FHL.

Cemeteries
For a more detailed list, including addresses and external links, see Accomack County, Virginia Cemeteries.

The following is a list of cemeteries in Accomack County:

Census
For tips on accessing census records online, see Virginia Census.

1790 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1800 - Exists, but it is not included in Ancestry or Heritage Quest Online databases. Microfilm copies of the original records at the Library of Virginia are available at the Family History Library. These records were also published in The Virginia Genealogist:


 * Ewald, Annie Laurie. "Accomack County, Virginia, 1800 Census," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1957):98-108; Vol. 1, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1957):157-162; Vol. 2, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1958):13-18; Vol. 2, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1958); Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1958):128-133; Vol. 2, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1958):153-166. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [This census taker was exceptional in that he identified relationships and residences of inhabitants to distinguish between persons of the same names.]

1850 Agriculture Census


 * Green, Linda L. Virginia 1850 Agriculture Census. 3+ vols. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Southern Cross Publications, 2004 and Westminster, Maryland: Willow Bend Books, 2006-2007. Available at FHL. [Volume one includes Accomack County.]

1870


 * Surname index to The Accomack County 1870 Census, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.

1890 Union Veterans


 * Turner, Ronald Ray. Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. Available online, courtesy: Prince William County Virginia website. [Includes residents of this county.]

Church
Church of England


 * "A Parsonage House for Accomack, 1635," Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Mar., 1963), p. 36. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * "Early Episcopacy in Accomack," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Oct., 1897), pp. 128-132. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * Surname index to St. George's Parish Accomack County Vestry Book 1763-1787, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.
 * Surname index to Meetings of the Overseers of the Poor for Accomack &amp; St. George's Parish September 1787-1819, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.

Methodist


 * Stevenson, Arthur Linwood. Native Methodist Preachers of the Eastern Shore of Virginia: With Supplements Concerning Methodist Preachers and Methodist Preachers' Children Who Have Married on the Shore and a Few Others. [Va.?]: A.L. Stevenson, 1970. Available at FHL.
 * Surname index to A Record of Baptisms on the Accomack Circuit (Cokesbury Methodist Episcopal Church of Onancock, Virginia, 1859-1888), courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.

Court
Chancery Court


 * Surname index to Accomack County Chancery Orders 1831-1845, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.

County Court


 * Curtis, George B. "The Colonial County Court, Social Forum and Legislative Precedent: Accomack County, Virginia, 1633-1639," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 85, No. 3 (Jul., 1977), pp. 274-288. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * Houston, William Robert Montgomery and Jean M. Mihalyka. Colonial Residents of Virginia's Eastern Shore: Whose Ages Were Proved Before Court Officials of Accomack and Northampton Counties. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1985. Three copies available at FHL. [Ages taken from court, land, and probate records.]
 * Wawrzyczek, Irmina. "The Women of Accomack versus Henry Smith: Gender, Legal Recourse, and the Social Order in Seventeenth-Century Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 105, No. 1 (Winter, 1997), pp. 5-26. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

Eastern Shore District Court


 * Surname index to Eastern Shore District Court 1789-1816, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.

Orphan's Court


 * Surname index to Accomack County Orphan's Court Accounts 1741-1805, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. In addition to finding a direct ancestor’s surname listed, and watching to see if more recent publications make additions and corrections to earlier works, this list is also useful for determining if genealogists have published accounts, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, for any members of an ancestor’s “FAN Club” [Family, Associates, and Neighbors]. Checking publications about those individuals can lead you to new information about your own ancestry. Be mindful that compiled genealogies may contain errors.

General

For information about the earliest colonists of Accomack County, Virginia, McCartney's work is a great place to start:


 * McCartney, Martha W. Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2007. Available at FHL; purchase at Genealogical Publishing Company.

Another multi-family work covering families of Accomack County is:


 * Carey, Mary Frances, Barry W. Miles, and Moody K. Miles. Colonial Families of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. 3 vols. Lewes, Delaware: Colonial Roots, 2004-2007. Available at FHL. [Contents: v. 1. Descendants of James Bonnewell, Richard Bundick, William Mason, Edward Thornton, Henry Trader, and Henry Wright -- v. 2. Descendants of Edward Bayly, Richard Bayly, Edward Byrd, Edward Ker, John Lewis, Samuel Marshall, and Roger Miles -- v. 3. Descendants of Thomas Elliott (Northampton County), Thomas Elliott (Onley, Accomack County), Thomas Elliott (Wachapreague, Accomack), John Fisher, John Mapp, and Bartholowmew Mears.]

Bibliography


 * [Ames] Edwards, Lucy Ames and Nannie Ames Mears. Ames, Mears and Allied Lines: The American Ancestors of Samuel William Ames and Sarah Anne Edmunds Mears of Accomack County, Virginia. 1967. Available at FHL.
 * [Andrews] Thompson, Evelyn Straughan. William Andrews, Ancient Planter, Accomack, Virginia, 1600-1654: And His Descendants. MSS., Clayton Library, Houston, Texas. Available at FHL.
 * [Bashaw] Humphries, Georgene. Welding Links Lineages: The Family History of Ancestors &amp; Descendants of Henry and Eleanor Hardin Breshears. [Jerome, Idaho: G. Humphries], 1992. Available at FHL.
 * [Bayly] See General Section.
 * [Bloxom] Bloxsom, Daniel E. Bloxom, Bloxsom, Bloxam, Accomack County, Va. Los Angeles, California: D.E. Bloxsom, Jr., 1982. Available at FHL.
 * [Boggs] See Phillips.
 * [Bonnewell] See General Section.
 * [Bundick] See General Section.
 * [Byrd] See also General Section.
 * [Byrd] Byrd, Colwell P. History and Genealogy of the Byrd Family: From the Early Part of 1700 A.D., When They Settled at Muddy Creek, Accomack County, Virginia, Down to A.D. 1907. Pocomoke City, Md.: C.P. Byrd, 1908. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($) and BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Crowson] Lansford, Delores Caylor. Crowson Family History. [Florida?]: Desores Caylor Lansford, c1992, 1993. Available at FHL.
 * [Delaymos] Russell, George Ely. "Portuguese and Spanish Colonists in Seventeenth-Century Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 1 (January 2001):50-60; Vol. 77, No. 1 (Apr. 2001):138-147.
 * [Dennis] Head, James H. Dennis and Wimbrow Family History: The Families Dennis and Wimbrow (Wimbrough) of Maryland and the Dennis Family of Northeast Missouri: An Account of the Genealogy of My Great Grandparents Isaac M. Dennis (1827-1897), Henrietta Wimbrow (1833- ). Colorado Springs, Colorado: J.H. Head, 1989. Available at FHL.
 * [Doughty] Brayton, John Anderson. "The Ancestry of the Rev. Francis Doughty of Massachusetts, Long Island, New Amsterdam, Maryland, and Virginia," The American Genealogist, Vol. 77, No. 1 (Jan. 2002):1-16, Vol. 77, No. 2 (April 2002):127-136.
 * [Elliott] See General Section.
 * [Fisher] See General Section.
 * [Foulke] Foulke, Roy A. Foulke Family: One Branch Descended from James Ffookes Who Was Already Settled in Accomack County, Virginia by the Year 1663. Bronxville, New York: Foulke, 1972. Available at FHL.
 * [Gibbons] Dryden, Ruth T. The Gibbons Family of Somerset County, Maryland. San Diego, California: R.T. Dryden, 1991. Available at FHL.
 * [Huffington] Shivers, George R. The Ancestors and Descendants of Jonathan Huffington, Jr. and Henrietta Adams Huffington. Allen, Maryland: Allen Historical Society, 1999. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Ingram] Barnum, Dorothy Jeter. The James and Mary Kendall Ingram Family. Moultrie, Georgia: D.J. Barnum, c1988. Available at FHL.
 * [Jones] Joynes, Levin S., Thomas Robinson Joynes and Levin Joynes. A Sketch of the Life of Thomas R. Jones, of Accomack, Virginia; with a Brief Notice of His Father, Col. Levin Joynes, of the Continental Army. 1876. 1902 reprint available on microfilm at FHL.
 * [Joynes] Johnson, Susie Warren. "The Joynes Family of Accomack and Northampton Counties, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct., 1938), pp. 499-505. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [Ker] See General Section.
 * [Knott] Horsman, Barbara Ann Knott. Reading Backwards on My Knott Heritage. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1994. Available at FHL.
 * [Lewis] See General Section.
 * [Littleton] Berry, Brian J.L. and Terry Littleton. John Littleton of Accomack Co., VA, His Family and Descendants. McKinney, Texas: B.J.L. Berry, 1999. Available at FHL.
 * [Mapp] See General Section.
 * [Marshall] See General Section.
 * [Mason] See also General Section.
 * [Mason] Soule, Mary Lou. Early Mason Families in Virginia, Kentucky, and Illinois. 1999. Available at FHL.
 * [Massey] Wilson, Robert E. The Massie/Massey and Related Families: Boyce, Cannon, Compton, Cooper, Davis, Elliott, Johnson, Mace, Massie/Massy, Wingate. Taftsville, Vermont: R.E. Wilson, 2002. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Mears] See Ames; See also General Section.
 * [Miles] See General Section.
 * [Neale] Neall, Harry Levy and Rosalie S. Neall Cunningham. Genealogy of the American Family of Neall: It Being a Branch of the Bedfordshire, England Family of Neale, from Whose Members, circa 1630, Came the Emigrants Who Founded the Early American Family of Neale Who Settled at Accomack, Virginia, and Salem, Massachusetts, Some of the Succeeding Generations Finding Their Permanent Location of the Eastern Shore of Maryland: This Family History Has Its More Intimate Relationship in the Descendants of Francis Neale, a Quaker, Whose Children Changed the Spelling of Their Surname to Neall. 2 vols. Haywood, California: R.N. Cunningham, 1969. Available at FHL.
 * [Parker] Grissom, Dale Phillips. My Mother's People: Parker and Allied Families. 2 parts. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1997. Available at FHL.
 * [Parker] Jackson, Mary Watters and Ruth Watters Burks. Parker. W.D. Parker, 2005. Available at FHL.
 * [Phillips] Rountree, Henning A. The Ancestors of Benjamin Phillips (1760-1818) and Ruth Boggs Phillips (1759-1837): Who Were Born in Accomack County, Va., and Died in Elizabeth City (now Hampton) County, Va. Hampton, Virginia: H.A. Rountree, Jr., 1982. Available at FHL.
 * [Phillips] Rountree, Henning A. The Descendants of Benjamin Phillips (1760-1818): Who Was Born in Accomack County, Va., and Died in Elizabeth City (now Hampton) County, Va. Hampton, Virginia: H.A. Rountree, Jr., 1982. Available at FHL.
 * [Savage] Griffith, Ralph E. James Savage [and] Elizabeth Bains Pedigree Chart. n.d. Available at FHL.
 * [Scarborough] Johnson, Robert Leland. In Memory of Colonel Edmund Scarborough II (Scarburgh) (1618-1671) and Anne Toft (1643-1687) of Accomack County, Virginia. Denver, Colorado: Robela Pub., 2003. Available at FHL (2 copies), digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Scarburgh] See Wise.
 * [Selleck] Kaufmann, Paulette Clark. "David Selleck, of Somerset, England, and of Massachusetts and Virginia," The Genealogist, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Spring 2005):3-40.
 * [Selleck] Stott, Clifford L. and Paulette Clark Kaufmann. "The Selleck Family of Gaulden Manor, Tolland, Somerset: Ancestors of David Selleck of Boston, Massachusetts, and Virginia," The American Genealogist, Vol. 81, No. 1 (Jan. 2006):36-47.
 * [Snead] Butler, Florence Roberta Walker. The Sneads: Of Accomack County Virginia, Craven, Onslow and Johnston Counties, North Carolina and Allied Families. 2 vols. R.W. Butler, 2008. Available at FHL.
 * [Spalding] Henson, Alice Spalding. The Descendants of Daniel Spalding. Jefferson, Missouri: A.S. Henson, 1995. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Thornton] See General Section.
 * [Toft] See Scarborough.
 * [Townsend] Bayles, John J. and James L. Taylor. Some Descendants of John Townsend of Snow Hill, Maryland, 1640-1698, Accomack Co., Va., and Somerset Co., Md. Oxnard, California: J.J. Bayles, 1989. Available at FHL.
 * [Townsend] Dryden, Ruth T. The Townsend Family of Maryland. San Diego, California: R.T. Dryden, 1993. Available at FHL.
 * [Trader] See General Section.
 * [Tyson] Barton, Jerry Tyson. Tyson Family History: Descendants of John &amp; Susannika Tyson. Georgetown, Texas: Tyson Genealogy Network, c2000. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Warrington] Bishop, Beth and Anna Scattergood Hoag. Notebook Containing Extracts from Various Records of Virginia on the Warrington Family. MSS., microfilmed reproduction available at FHL.
 * [Wessels] See Young.
 * [West] West, Elmer D. Some Descendants of Anthony West of Accomack, Virginia. Silver Spring, Md.: E.D. West, c1980. Available at FHL.
 * [Wise] Wise, Jennings Cropper. Col. John Wise of England and Virginia (1617-1695). Richmond, Va.: Bell Book and Stationery Co., c1918. Available at FHL; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Wright] See General Section.
 * [Young] Somers, G.T. and Ruth E. Young. The Youngs ... of Accomack: Henry Young (and wife Ann Vessels) 1790 (Approx.) to 11/29/1841: His Descendants and Ancestors: As of June 20th, 1954. [United States: R.E. Young?, 1954?]. Available at FHL.

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Accawacke [Accomack], Nasswadax Creek, and Accomack County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * [http://www.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=Accomack&placeOfIndentureColony=&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 Accomack County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.
 * Wawrzyczek, Irmina. "The Women of Accomack versus Henry Smith: Gender, Legal Recourse, and the Social Order in Seventeenth-Century Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 105, No. 1 (Winter, 1997), pp. 5-26. Digital version at JSTOR ($). [Some of the individuals involved in this case were imported servants.]

Land
Deeds


 * Houston, William Robert Montgomery and Jean M. Mihalyka. Colonial Residents of Virginia's Eastern Shore: Whose Ages Were Proved Before Court Officials of Accomack and Northampton Counties. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1985. Three copies available at FHL. [Ages taken from court, land, and probate records.]

Grants and Patents


 * Nugent, Nell Marion. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1666. Vol. I (1934; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1991). Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Accomack County. N.B. If Ancestry's search engine fails, try checking the printed index at the end of the book.]

Headrights


 * Nottingham, Stratton. Certificates and Rights, Accomack County, Virginia, 1663-1709. Onancock, Virginia: S. Nottingham, 1929. 1954 reprint available at FHL; 1977 reprint available at FHL.

Processioner's Returns


 * Surname index to Accomack and St. George's Parishes Processioner's Returns 1723-1792, 1796-1816, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.
 * Surname index to genealogical analysis of landowners appearing in Processioner's Returns of St. George Parish 1795-1796, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.

Local Histories

 * Wise, Jennings Cropper. Ye Kingdome of Accawmacke or the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century. 1911; reprint, Baltimore, 1968. [Includes 1666 tithables list for Northampton County.]

Military
Colonial Militia


 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Accomack 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 Accomack 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 Accomack County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]
 * Boogher, William F. Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. Washington: n.p., 1903. Available at FHL; digital version at Google Books. [Includes a chapter titled "Legislative Enactments connecting the preceding historic sketch [French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War] with the adjudication of the resulting accounts that follow; with the list of officers, soldiers and civilians entitled to compensation for military and other services rendered." For Accomack County, see p. 25.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Accomack County militia officers; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War


 * Nottingham, Stratton. Soldiers and Sailors of the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the Revolutionary War. Westminster, Maryland: Family Line Publications, 1995. Available at FHL.
 * "Rev. John Lyon Tried by a Court Martial in Accomack County, August 8, 1781," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Oct., 1922), pp. 285-288. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

Civil War


 * Surname index to The Eleventh Census of the United States 1890 - Special Schedule - Union Veterans and Widows Bundle 180, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.

World War I


 * Barnes, Alton Brooks Parker. Young No More. [Onancock, Virginia]: P. Barnes, c1994. Available at FHL. [Gives a history of World War I from the viewpoint of men from Accomack and Northampton counties who fought in the war.]

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.

Occupations

 * Surname index to Accomack Indentures 1798-1835, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.

Private Papers

 * [Joynes] Joynes Family Bible Records, 1812-1891. Original records; microfilmed reproduction available at FHL.
 * [Parker] Lewis, James F. "Bible of John R. Parker, Accomack County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1971):133-134. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).
 * [Scott] Scott Family Bible Records, 1817-1825. Original records; microfilmed reproduction available at FHL.
 * [Taylor] Edwards, Conley L. "Family Records from the Ledger of Edward Taylor, Accomack County, 1741-1780," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Jul-Sep. 1978):179-180. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

Probate
Local Court


 * Houston, William Robert Montgomery and Jean M. Mihalyka. Colonial Residents of Virginia's Eastern Shore: Whose Ages Were Proved Before Court Officials of Accomack and Northampton Counties. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1985. Three copies available at FHL. [Ages taken from court, land, and probate records.]

District Court


 * Surname index to Eastern Shore District Court Wills and Deeds 1800-1806, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.

Guardian Bonds


 * Surname index to Accomack County Guardian Bonds 1819-1827, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.

London Courts


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

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Accawmack County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1959). Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).
 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Accomack County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1959). Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

Taxation
At first glance, researchers might conclude that Virginia tax lists contain very little family history data, though one soon learns that valuable genealogical conclusions can be drawn from these records, nicknamed "annual censuses," such as: relationships, approximate years of birth, socio-economic status, identification of neighbors, the ability to distinguish between persons of the same name, evidence of land inheritance, years of migration, and years of death.

Virginia began enumerating residents' payments of personal property and land taxes in 1782. These two types of taxation were recorded in separate registers. Personal property tax lists include more names than land tax lists, because they caught more of the population. The Family History Library has an excellent microfilm collection of personal property tax lists from 1782 (or the year the county was organized) well into the late nineteenth century for most counties, but only scattered land tax lists. Microfilm collections at The Library of Virginia include land tax lists for all counties and independent cities for the years 1782 through 1978, as well as personal property tax lists for the years 1782 through 1930 (and every fifth year thereafter). Taxes were not collected in 1808.

Some tax records are available online or in print, though published abstracts often omit useful details found only in the original sources. Statewide indexes can help genealogists identify specific counties where surnames occurred in the past, providing starting points for research.


 * [1663-1695] Nottingham, Stratton. Accomack Tithables 1663-1695. Onancock, Virginia: S. Nottingham, 1931. Available at FHL; 1987 reprint at FHL.
 * [1666] Wise, Jennings Cropper. Ye Kingdome of Accawmacke or the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century. 1911; reprint, Baltimore, 1968. [Includes 1666 tithables list for Northampton County.]
 * [1704] "Virginia Quit Rent Rolls, 1704," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 28 (1920):207-218, 328-339; Vol. 29 (1921):18-28, 337-343, 402-412; Vol. 30 (1922):21-30, 280-285, 341-347; Vol. 31 (1923):70-75, 153-163, 215-231, 314-318; Vol. 32 (1924):69-75, 144-158, 281-287, 338-343; Vol. 33 (1925):47-50, 359-370; Vol. 34 (1926):113-119, 252-258, 313, 321. Available at FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FHL; digital version of VMHB at JSTOR ($). [Accomack County appears in 34:113-119, 252-258.]
 * [1782-1850] Accomack County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists, 1782-1850. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. and Accomack County Courthouse, Accomac, Va. Microfilmed reproduction available at FHL.
 * [1787] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Available at FHL. [1787 personal property tax list of Accomack County.]
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Accomack County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1788, 1799] Indexed images of the 1788 and 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Accomack County, Virginia are available online at Binns Genealogy.
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Accomack County is included in Vol. 3.]

Vital Records
Birth

The birth registers of Accomack County, Virginia (1853-1896) have been indexed twice. Petersrow Publishers offers a free surname search of published abstracts on their website. Ancestry's fee-based databases include abstracts.


 * Surname index to The Accomack County Birth Register 1853-1896, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.
 * Surname index to The Accomack County Birth Register 1853-1896: African American Births, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.
 * Fridley, Beth. Accomack County, Virginia Births, 1853-65 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Fridley, Beth. Accomack County, Virginia Births, 1866-73 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Fridley, Beth. Accomack County, Virginia Births, 1874-77 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Fridley, Beth. Accomack County, Virginia Births, 1878-81 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Fridley, Beth. Accomack County, Virginia Births, 1882-92 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Fridley, Beth. Accomack County, Virginia Births, 1893-96 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).

Death


 * Surname index to The Accomack County Death Register 1853-1896, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.
 * Surname index to Accomack County Death Register 1853-1896: African American Deaths, courtesy: Petersrow Publishers.

Websites

 * Accomac Roots (Extensive African-American History in Accomac County Virginia)
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog

Link title