Isle of Wight County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Isle of Wight County Virginia ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.

Isle of Wight County, Virginia Courthouse
Current Isle of Wight County Courthouse 17000 Josiah Parker Circle Isle of Wight, VA 23397

Old Isle of Wight County Courthouse 17122 Monument Circle Isle of Wight, VA 23397 Phone: 757-365-6233

Isle of Wight County, Virginia History


The county is named after the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. Many colonial residents moved down into North Carolina in the 1600s and 1700s.

Parent County
1634--Isle of Wight was created in 1634 as an original shire or county. County seat: Isle of Wight The original shire name of Warrosquyoake (also spelled Warrosquoyacke or Warrascoyak) was given then. The name was changed in 1637 to Isle of Wight County

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
Many pre-Revolutionary War loose papers prior to 1783 are missing, but bound volumes of deeds, orders, and wills still exist.


 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

Populated Places
Isle of Wight

Neighboring Counties
Historically, Isle of Wight County has shared borders with all of the following counties:

African American

 * 1782-1833 - Heinegg, Paul. "Isle of Wight County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1833," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]


 * 1785-1870 - (FamilySearch) - free. When you browse this collection, look under "Voting Records."


 * 1813-1838 - Isle of Wight County, Virginia Marriage Bonds of Free African Americans 1813-1838 (VAGenWeb) - free.


 * 1859-1862 - (FamilySearch) - free.

Census
1782 Enumeration


 * Hanover County Heads of Families - 1782 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 29.

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.]

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Mill Swamp (1774). Minute books begin in 1774: . Birth register (1777-1790) was published in the Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Oct. 1967):88-89, which is available online at Ancestry ($). Minutes (1774-1790) and a membership list (1774) were published in the Genealogical Society of Tidewater Virginia Bulletin, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jun. 1971):.
 * 2) Moore's Swamp (1791). Minute books begin in 1791:.

Isle of Wight County fell within the bounds of the Portsmouth Association.

Church of England
See also Lower Parish See also Newport Parish  See also Nottoway Parish  See also Upper Parish  See also Warrosquyoake Parish

Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Isle of Wight County is available online.


 * Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1945. Available at ; digital version at . [Includes Isle of Wight County.]

Puritans

 * Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. Chicago: Chicago Law Print. Co., 1938. [3 copies]; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and . [Includes chapters on the early Puritan settlers.]

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):


 * Pagan Creek Monthly Meeting, near Smithfield, Va. (1673-1790) aka Levy Neck. Minutes and papers of denial (1738-1763) have been published: . Hinshaw also published the early records:.
 * Terrasco Neck Monthly Meeting (1672-1772)
 * Western Branch Monthly Meeting (1672-1844) aka Lower Virginia Monthly Meeting. Early records (1673-1756) have been published:.

Friends from Isle of Wight County, Virginia also attended the Chuckatuck Monthly Meeting in Nansemond County, Virginia and the Blackwater Monthly Meeting in Surry County, Virginia.


 * Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. Chicago: Chicago Law Print. Co., 1938. Available at [3 copies]; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and . [Includes a chapter on Quakers.]
 * White, Miles. "Early Quaker Records in Virginia," Publications of the Southern History Association, Vol. 6, No. 3 (May 1902):220-231; Vol. 6, No. 4 (Jul. 1902):304-313; Vol. 7, No. 1 (May 1903):17-24; Vol. 7, No. 2 (Mar. 1903):96-105; Vol. 7, No. 3 (May 1903):207-213. Digitized by Internet Archive - free. Reprint:.

Court

 * 1746-1903 - (FamilySearch) - free.


 * 1773-1847 - (FamilySearch) - free.

Chancery

 * 1831-1909 - (FamilySearch) - free.

Genealogy
More than 350 genealogies have been published about Isle of Wight County families. To view a list, visit Isle of Wight County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Immigration

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


 * 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. Digital version at American Ancestors. [Isle of Wight Co., VA: Day.]


 * Mahler, Leslie. "American Colonists Mentioned in London Wills," The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):201-204. [Hutchinson family of 'Wacasquoyk' (Warwick Squeak); Wiseman family of 'Warwicksqueake' and Isle of Wight Co., VA.]

Early migration routes to and from Isle of Wight County for European settlers included:


 * Atlantic Ocean
 * King's Highway about 1704
 * Secondary Coast Road late 1730s

Land and Property
Deeds


 * (FamilySearch) - free. Includes a large assortment of deed papers, records, etc.


 * Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. Chicago: Chicago Law Print. Co., 1938. Available at [3 copies]; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and . [Includes chapters on deed books 1662-1686, 1688-1704.]

Grants and Patents


 * Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. Chicago: Chicago Law Print. Co., 1938. Available at [3 copies]; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and . [Includes chapters on land grants 1628-1705.]
 * Hudgins. 393 patents dated 1635-1797 in what is now Isle of Wight County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2003. [Names of those who received land patents, dates, land descriptions, and references may be viewed free of charge (click "Index" next to the county listing); however, in order to view the maps, it is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product.]
 * Nugent, Nell Marion. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1666. Vol. I (1934; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1991). Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Isle of Wight County. N.B. If Ancestry's search engine fails, try checking the printed index at the end of the book.]

Local Histories

 * Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. Chicago: Chicago Law Print. Co., 1938. Available at [3 copies]; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and.
 * Morrison, E. M. Isle of Wight County: 1608-1907. Norfolk, Va.?: unknown, 1907. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Migration

 * Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. Chicago: Chicago Law Print. Co., 1938. Available at [3 copies]; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and . [Includes a chapter on Isle of Wight and Nansemond settlers who emigrated to North Carolina. Another chapter is titled "Richard Bennett and the Puritan exodus to Nansemond and Maryland."]

Bacon's Rebellion

 * Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. Chicago: Chicago Law Print. Co., 1938. Available at [3 copies]; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and . [Includes chapter on Bacon's Rebellion.]


 * Tyler, Lyon G. "Isle of Wight County: Papers Relating to Bacon's Rebellion," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Oct. 1895):111-115. Digital version at JSTOR - free.

Colonial Militia

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

Revolutionary War
Regiments. Service men in Isle of Wight County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Isle of Wight County supplied soldiers for the:


 * - 4th Virginia Regiment
 * - 15th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:


 * McIlwaine, H.R. Proceedings of the Committees of Safety of Cumberland and Isle of Wight Counties, Virginia, 1775-1776. Richmond: D. Bottom, Superintendent of Public Printing, 1919. Available at ; digital versions at Ancestry ($),, and Google Books.
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Isle of Wight County on page 131.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812
Isle of Wight County men served in the 29th Regiment.


 * List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Isle of Wight County, p. 86. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

 * - 3rd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (James River Artillery).
 * - 19th Battalion, Virginia Heavy Artillery (Atkinson's) (Confederate). Company A (Smithfield Light Artillery Blues or Old Dominion Artillery).

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at — index ($)
 * (FamilySearch) - free.
 * , view under Lineage Society Papers. (FamilySearch) - free.

World War II

 * United States. Selective Service System. Draft Registrations, 1942-1946, from Local Draft Board No. 1 of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Original manuscripts at the Smithfield Branch of the Isle of Wight Library in Smithfield, Virginia; also available at.

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization
Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929

Native Americans

 * Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. Chicago: Chicago Law Print. Co., 1938. Available at [3 copies]; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and . [Includes a chapter on local Native Americans.]

Newspapers
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette (1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburg website. 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.

Officials

 * Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. Chicago: Chicago Law Print. Co., 1938. Available at [3 copies]; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and . [Includes a chapter on county officers.]

Private Papers

 * at FamilySearch — index and images


 * Family Bible of the Scott, Brock, and Dornin Family of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. MSS. Available at.

Probate Records

 * 1647-1800 - (FamilySearch) - free.
 * 1647-1800 - Chapman, Blanche Adams. Wills and Administrations of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, 1647-1800. 1938; reprint, Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2003. Original edition at ; 1995 reprint at ; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($). ["The original records on file in Isle of Wight County and abstracted in this work are: Wills and Administrations Book A (1641-1650); Will and Deed Books 1 and 2 (1658-1659, 1666-1719); Will Books 3-11 (1726-1800); Deed Book I (1691-1695); Administrations and Probates (1666-1701); and The Great Book (1719-1729). In addition to the names of the testators and legatees, the entries provide the names of executors, securities, and witnesses and frequently include assignments of property."]
 * 1662-1686 - Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. Chicago: Chicago Law Print. Co., 1938. Available at [3 copies]; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and . [Includes chapter on wills 1662-1686.]
 * Hopkins, William Lindsay. Some Wills from the Burned Counties of Virginia and Other Wills Not Listed in Virginia Wills and Administrations 1632-1800. Richmond, Virginia: W.L. Hopkins, 1987. Available at . [Includes Isle of Wight County.]
 * 1766-1879 - (FamilySearch) - free.

Online Probate Records
 * Wills and Estates 1636-1767; 1661-1719 (also deeds, estates, inventories); 1726-1734; 1733-1745; 1745-1752. Virginia Pioneers ($)

London Courts


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

'Online Probate Links
 * 1636-1767;1661-1719 - Virginia Pioneers ($) Images of Wills & Estates
 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
 * 1726-1734; 1733-1745; 1745-1752; 1794-1803; 1804-1808 - Virginia Pioneers ($) Images of Wills & Estates (also deeds)

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [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 ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version of VMHB at JSTOR ($). [Isle of Wight County appears in 29:337-343.]
 * [1704] Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. Chicago: Chicago Law Print. Co., 1938. Available at [3 copies]; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and . [Includes 1704 quit rents.]
 * [1714] Quit Rent Roll, 1714, Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 87, No. 2 (Apr. 1979). Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [1778] Assessors Book, 1778, William and Mary Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Jan. 1917). Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [1782-1833] Heinegg, Paul. "Isle of Wight County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1833," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [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 . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Isle of Wight County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1790, 1799] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Isle of Wight County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1800] Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Oct. 1988); Vol. 33, No. 1 (Jan. 1989); Vol. 33, No. 2 (Apr. 1989). Available at.
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Isle of Wight County is included in Vol. 3.]
 * [1824-1899] (FamilySearch) - free.

Birth

 * 1853-1876 - Isle of Wight County Birth Index 1853-1876. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1867-1896 - (FamilySearch) - free.
 * 1867-1896 - Fridley, Beth, comp. Isle of Wight County Virginia Birth Records, 1867-96 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1628-1800 - Chapman, Blanche Adams and Anita Comtois. Marriages of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, 1628-1800. Originally published in 1933. Reprint: Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1976. Reprint available at ; digital version at World Vital Records ($).
 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1772-1852 - Isle of Wight County Marriage Index 1772-1852. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1774;1793-1794;1800 - Marriages Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1799-1824 - Ministers' Returns Isle of Wight County, Virginia (VAGenWeb) - free.
 * 1813-1838 - Isle of Wight County, Virginia Marriage Bonds 1813-1838 (VAGenWeb) - free.
 * 1813-1838 - Isle of Wight County, Virginia Marriage Bonds of Free African Americans 1813-1838 (VAGenWeb) - free.
 * 1854-1900 - Isle of Wight County Marriage Index 1854-1900. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Death

 * 1853-1874 - Isle of Wight County Death Index 1853-1874. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1925-1944 - (FamilySearch) - free.

Isle of Wight County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Isle of Wight Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
 * Isle of Wight County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * Cyndi's List
 * Cyndi's List