Amelia County, Virginia Genealogy

United States &gt; Virginia &gt; Amelia County



County Courthouse
Amelia County Courthouse

Courthouse Square

Amelia, VA 23002

Parent County
1734--Amelia County was created 1 February 1734 from Brunswick and Prince George Counties. County seat: Amelia

Neighboring Counties

 * Chesterfield
 * Cumberland
 * Dinwiddie
 * Nottoway
 * Powhatan
 * Prince Edward

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

The following is a list of cemeteries in Amelia County:

Census
1782 Enumeration


 * Pritchett, John W. Southside Virginia Genealogies. CD. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007. Available at FHL; digital version at Virginians - The Family History of John W. Pritchett. [Includes annotated 1782 enumeration of heads of households of Amelia County.]

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
Baptist


 * "Petition of Amelia County Baptists, 27 October 1768," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1962):74. Available at New England Ancestors ($).

Quaker


 * Bell, James Pinkney Pleasant. Our Quaker Friends of Ye Olden Time: Being in Part a Transcript of the Minute Books of Cedar Creek Meeting, Hanover County, and the South River Meeting, Campbell County, Va. Lynchburg, Va.: J.P. Bell Company, 1905. Available at FHL; digital version at Google Books (full-view). [Includes Quakers from Amelia County.]

Court
General


 * Morton, W.S. "Notes from Amelia County Records which Relate to Its Courthouse," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Jul., 1939), pp. 378-379. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

County Court

Reiley Kidd has transcribed Amelia County, Virginia County Court Order Books. They have been made available online, courtesy: Amelia Historical Society and VAGenWeb Project:


 * Book 17 (1785-1786)
 * Book 18 (1786-1788)
 * Book 19 (1788-1791)

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.

Bibliography


 * [Hall] Hall, Wm. B. "Two Unrelated John Halls of Amelia County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 17, No. 2 (Apr., 1937), pp. 285-291. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [Seay] Thompson, Mrs. Arthur A. "The Family of Samuel Seay, Amelia County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1963):127-135. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * [Southall] Warner, Seth. "Descendants of the Reverend Daniel Southall of Eastern North Carolina," The Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Fall 2007):175-190; Vol. 22, No. 1 (Spring 2008):107-127; Vol. 22, No. 2 (Fall 2008):221-240.
 * [Ward] Agns, Jean. "Some Wards of Nottoway Parish, Amelia County, and Their Connections," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan., 1937), pp. 91-98. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

Historic Residences
The histories of the following old houses, including identification of some owners, are available at the website of the Amelia Historical Society:


 * The Glebe
 * Haw Branch
 * Hardaway House
 * Edgewood
 * Dykeland
 * Hotel Amelia

Other Amelia County house histories include:


 * Jefferson, Mary Armstrong. Old Homes and Buildings in Amelia County, Virginia, Vol. 1. Amelia, Virginia, 1964.

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes will of a resident of Raleigh, Amelia County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Land
Grants and Patents


 * Hudgins and Sullivan. 901 patents dated 1717-1779 in what is now Amelia and Nottoway Counties, 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.]

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1975):190-194. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Amelia County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on 19:193-194.]
 * Elliott, Katherine B. Emigration to Other States from Southside Virginia. 2 vols. South Hill, Virginia: K.B. Elliott, 1966. Vol. 1 of original edition available at FHL; 1983 reprints (both volumes) available at FHL; 1990-1992 reprints (both volumes) also available at FHL. [Includes individuals who migrated out of Amelia County to other parts of the country.]

Military
French and Indian War


 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Amelia 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 Amelia County, see pp. 28-30.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Amelia County militia officers; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War


 * Jones, W. Mac. "Some Revolutionary Soldiers as Shown by the Order Book of Amelia County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Apr., 1928), pp. 111-115. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * Morton, W.S. "Revolutionary Soldiers of Amelia County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct., 1935), pp. 397-402. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

War of 1812


 * Douthat, James L. Roster of War of 1812, Southside, Virginia. Signal Mountain, Tennessee: Mountain Press, 2007. Available at FHL. [Includes Amelia County.]

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.

Petitions

 * Eckenrode, H.J. Virginia State Library: A Calendar of Legislative Petitions Arranged by Counties Accomac - Bedford. Richmond, Va.: Davis Bottom, Superintendent of Public Printing, 1908. Digital version at Google Books (full-view). [Amelia County petitions (1778-1842) are described on pp. 96-107.]
 * "Petition of Amelia County Baptists, 27 October 1768," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1962):74. Available at New England Ancestors ($).

Probate
Local Court

SamPubCo has created a free online resource that serves as a good starting place to search for Amelia County wills:


 * Amelia County, Virginia Will Testators Index, Books 1-25 (1734-1926)

Other Amelia County probate resources include:


 * "Amelia County, Virginia, Will Book 1 with Inventories and Accounts, 1734-1761," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1971):83-90; Vol. 15, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1971):183-190; Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1971):265-272; Vol. 16, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1972):50-62; Vol. 16, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1972):109-118; Vol. 16, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1972):292-300; Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1973):53-62; Vol. 17, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1973):139-148; Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1973):175-180; Vol. 17, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1973):304-309; Vol. 18, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1974):17-22; Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1974):105-119. Digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

London Courts


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes will of a resident of Raleigh, Amelia County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Amelia County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1959):171-174. Available 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.


 * [1736-1771, 1778-1782] Amelia County, Virginia Lists of Tithables, 1736-1782 [missing years 1772-1777], and Miscellaneous Documents, ca. 1740-1795. Original records, Amelia County Courthouse, Amelia, Virginia; available on microfilm at FHL.
 * [1736-1771] Amelia County - the Colonial Tithe Lists 1736-1771, CD, available for purchase at Binns Genealogy.
 * [1736] Light, Steve. "A List of all the Titheables Below Deep Creek in 1736." Available online, courtesy: Amelia County, Virginia VAGenWeb Project.
 * [1737] Pritchett, John W. Southside Virginia Genealogies. CD. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007. Available at FHL; digital version at Virginians - The Family History of John W. Pritchett. [Includes annotated 1737 tithe list of Amelia County.]
 * [1765] Kidd, Reiley. "1765 Personal Property Tax Lists." Available online, courtesy: Amelia County, Virginia VAGenWeb Project.
 * [1766] Kidd, Reiley. "1766 Personal Property Tax Lists." Available online, courtesy: Amelia County, Virginia VAGenWeb Project.
 * [1768] Southall, S.O. "Poll of Amelia County, Va., 1768," Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 33 (1951):54-69. Available at FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FHL.
 * [1778-1782] Amelia County - 1778-1782 Tithable Lists; 1736-1813 Misc Accounts, Lists, Tithables, CD, available for purchase at Binns Genealogy.
 * [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. Amelia County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1788] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1975):190-194. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Amelia County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on 19:193-194.]
 * [1790, 1800] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Amelia County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1791, 1800] Indexed images of the 1791 and 1800 Land Tax Lists of Amelia County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: 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. Amelia County is included in Vol. 1.]

Vital Records
Birth


 * Fridley, Beth. Amelia County, Virginia Births, 1853-96 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Available at Ancestry ($).

Marriage


 * "Amelia County Marriage Bonds," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Apr., 1907), pp. 255-264; Vol. 16, No. 2 (Oct., 1907), pp. 81-95; Vol. 16, No. 3 (Jan., 1908), pp. 199-214; Vol. 16, No. 4 (Apr., 1908), pp. 269-283; Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jul., 1908), pp. 34-49. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * De Krafft, H.W. "Amelia County Marriage Bonds--1735-1755," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Jan., 1911), pp. 174-176. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * Williams, Kathleen Booth. Marriages of Amelia County, Virginia, 1735-1815. 1961.

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