Fairfax County

Fairfax County Virginia is located in northern Virginia, Fairfax County was formed in 1742 from the northern part of Prince William County. It was named for Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (1693–1781), proprietor of the Northern Neck.

The oldest settlements in Fairfax County were located along the Potomac River. George Washington settled in Fairfax County and built his home, Mount Vernon, facing the river. Gunston Hall, the home of George Mason is located nearby. Modern Fort Belvoir is partly located on the estate of Belvoir Manor, built along the Potomac by William Fairfax in 1741. Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, the only member of the British nobility ever to reside in the colonies, lived at Belvoir before he moved to the Shenandoah Valley. The Belvoir mansion and several of its outbuildings were destroyed by fire immediately after the Revolutionary War in 1783, and George Washington noted the plantation complex gradually deteriorated into ruins.

In 1757, the northwestern two-thirds of Fairfax County became Loudoun County. In 1789, part of Fairfax County was ceded to the federal government to form Alexandria County of the District of Columbia. Alexandria County was returned to Virginia in 1846, reduced in size by the secession of the independent city of Alexandria in 1870, and renamed Arlington County in 1920. The Fairfax County town of Falls Church became an independent city in 1948. The Fairfax County town of Fairfax became an independent city in 1961.

FAIRFAX COUNTY FACILITIES

Virginia Room, Fairfax City Regional Library

10360 North Street Fairfax, VA 22030-2514 Phone: (703) 293-6383 Web Site: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library E-mail: [mailto:va_room@fairfaxcounty.gov mailto:va_room@fairfaxcounty.gov] Hours of Operation: Mon-Thu 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM; Fri 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Sat 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Sun 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM

FAIRFAX COUNTY ARCHIVES

Fairfax County Circuit Court 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Room 315 Fairfax, VA 22030 Phone: (703) 246-4168 Web Site: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/courts/circuit/archives.htm E-mail: [mailto:arch@fairfaxcounty.gov arch@fairfaxcounty.gov] Types of Records: Marriage info (1742 to mid 1800s); marriage records (1860s to 1957); birth and death info (1700s, 1800s); birth and death records (1912-1917); deed books (1742-1944); will books (1742-1948); tax records (1853-1920); court minute books (1749-1903); other early court files, pension records, war records, etc.

Fairfax County Circuit Court

4110 Chain Bridge Road, Room 315 Fairfax, VA 22030 Phone: (703) 691-7320 Types of Records: Land records (Room 328, 703-246-3029 ); Marriage records (Room 116, 703-246-4100 ); Probate records (Room 401, 703-246-4153 )

FAMILY HISTORY CENTERS

Annandale Virginia Family History Center

3900 Howard Street Annandale, VA Phone: (703) 256-5518 Web Site: http://www.familysearch.org

Centreville Virginia Family History Center

14150 Upper Ridge Drive Centreville, VA Phone: (703) 830-5343 Web Site: http://www.familysearch.org

McLean Virginia Family History Center

2034 Great Falls Street Falls Church, VA Phone: (703) 532-9019 Web Site: http://www.familysearch.org

Mount Vernon Virginia Family History Center

6219 Villa Street Alexandria, VA Phone: (703) 313-7918 Web Site: http://www.familysearch.org

Oakton Virginia Family History Center

2710 Hunter Mill Road Oakton, VA Phone: (703) 281-1836 Web Site: http://www.familysearch.org

OTHER FAIRFAX COUNTY RESOURCES

Collingwood Library and Museum on Americanism

8301 East Boulevard Drive Alexandria, VA 22308-1399 Phone: (703) 765-1652 Web Site: http://www.collingwoodlibrary.com

Fairfax City Museum and Visitor's Center

10209 Main Street Fairfax, VA Phone: (703) 385-8414 Web Site: http://www.fairfaxva.gov/MuseumVC/MVC.asp

Gum Springs Historical Society

8100 Fordson Road Alexandria, VA 22306 Phone: (703) 799-1198 Web Site: http://www.gshsfcva.org E-mail: [mailto:gshs1@verizon.net gshs1@verizon.net]

Mount Vernon Genealogical Society Resource Center

Hollin Hall Senior Center 1500 Shenandoah Road, Room 214 Alexandria, VA 22308 Web Site: http://www.mvgenealogy.org E-mail: [mailto:libraryasst@mvgenealogy.org libraryasst@mvgenealogy.org]

OTHER AREA RESOURCES

Special Collections at the Barrett Branch of the Alexandria Library

717 Queen Street Alexandria, VA 22314-2420 Phone: (703) 838-4577 Web Site: http://www.alexandria.lib.va.us/branches/lhsc.html

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

700 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20408-0001 Phone: 1-86-NARA-NARA ( 1-866-272-6272 ) Web Site: http://www.archives.gov

Virginia Department of Health

Office of Vital Records P.O. Box 1000 Richmond, VA 23218-1000 Phone: (804) 662-6200 Web Site: http://www.vdh.state.va.us/vitalrec/index.asp Types of Records: Birth and death records (1853 to 1896; since June 14, 1912); marriage records (since 1853); divorce records (since 1918)

The Library of Virginia

800 East Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219-8000 Phone: (804) 692-3500 Web Site: http://www.lva.lib.va.us

SOCIETIES

Fairfax Genealogical Society (FxGS) The Fairfax Genealogical Society (FxGS) was established in 1974 as a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to promote fellowship and cooperation among persons who are conducting genealogical research and aid those doing research in our area. We currently have over 400 members, including not only many who live in or near Fairfax County, but also many who are searching for information in our area.

As set forth in the Society's by-laws, its purposes are:


 * To bring together persons who are conducting genealogical research and promote fellowship and cooperation among them.
 * To collect, preserve, and disseminate genealogical knowledge and information.
 * To stimulate and provide instruction in the use of proper genealogical research methodology and adherence to standards of accuracy and thoroughness in genealogical research.
 * To promote scholarly genealogical writing and publication.
 * To promote the preservation of records and resources of the area having genealogical research value.
 * To encourage an interest in genealogy as an aid to discovering a person's origin and role in life, and to encourage interest in preserving the family unit.
 * To encourage and provide support to research into methods of researching, organizing, indexing and retrieving, preserving and disseminating genealogical information and records.

FxGS Annual Spring Conference