Virginia, United States Genealogy

United States   Virginia Welcome to the Virginia page, Old DominionMost unique genealogical features:
 * Early tax records replace missing 1790, 1800, &amp; 1810 federal census
 * Burned counties are common in VA
 * Early Episcopal parish registers were used as county government records.
 * 3/4 colonists arrived in bondage as a slave, convict, or indentured servant
 * Some Virginia colonial wills were sent to England or Scotland for probate

Join a Community of Virginia researchers! Ask questions, help others, and share your research successes on Facebook and/or Skype. NEW!

Counties and Independent Cities
Counties:  Accomack· Albemarle· Alleghany· Amelia· Amherst· Appomattox· Arlington· Augusta· Bath· Bedford· Bland· Botetourt· Brunswick· Buchanan· Buckingham· Campbell· Caroline· Carroll· Charles City· Charlotte· Chesterfield· Clarke· Craig· Culpeper· Cumberland· Dickenson· Dinwiddie· Dunmore· Elizabeth City· Essex· Fairfax· Fauquier· Fincastle· Floyd· Fluvanna· Franklin· Frederick· Giles· Gloucester· Goochland· Grayson· Greene· Greensville· Halifax· Hanover· Henrico· Henry· Highland· Illinois· Isle of Wight· James City· Kentucky· King and Queen· King George· King William· Lancaster· Lee· Loudoun· Louisa· Lunenburg· Madison· Mathews· Mecklenburg· Middlesex· Montgomery· Nansemond· Nelson· New Kent· Norfolk· Norfolk (Lower)· Norfolk (New)· Norfolk (Upper)· Northampton· Northumberland· Nottoway· Orange· Page· Patrick· Pittsylvania· Powhatan· Prince Edward· Prince George· Prince William· Princess Anne· Pulaski· Rappahannock· Rappahannock (Old)· Richmond· Roanoke· Rockbridge· Rockingham· Russell· Scott· Shenandoah· Smyth· Southampton· Spotsylvania· Stafford· Surry· Sussex· Tazewell· Warren· Warwick· Washington· Westmoreland· Wise· Wythe· Yohogania· York· Independent Cities:  Alexandria· Bedford· Bristol· Buena Vista· Charlottesville· Chesapeake·, Clinton Forge· Colonial Heights· Covington· Danville· Emporia· Fairfax· Falls Church· Franklin· Fredericksburg· Galax· Hampton· Harrisonburg· Hopewell· Lexington· Lynchburg· Manassas Park· Martinsville· Newport News· Norfolk· Norton· Petersburg· Poquoson· Portsmouth· Radford· Richmond· Roanoke· Salem· Staunton· Suffolk· Virginia Beach· Waynesboro· Williamsburg· Winchester

Click on the map below to go to a county page. Hover over a county to see its name. To see a larger version of the map, click here.

Extinct Counties and Cities: Dunmore· Elizabeth City· Fincastle· Illinois· Kentucky· Manchester· Nansemond· Norfolk· Norfolk (Lower)· Norfolk (New)· Norfolk (Upper)· Rappahannock (Old)· South Boston· South Norfolk· Warwick· Yohogania Counties now part of Kentucky:  Bourbon· Fayette· Jefferson· Kentucky· Lincoln· Madison· Mason· Mercer· Nelson· Woodford

Counties now part of West Virginia:  Barbour· Berkeley· Boone· Braxton· Brooke· Cabell· Calhoun· Clay· Doddridge· Fayette· Gilmer· Greenbrier· Hampshire· Hancock· Hardy· Harrison· Jackson· Jefferson· Kanawha· Lewis· Logan· Marion· Marshall· Mason· McDowell· Mercer· Monongalia· Monroe· Morgan· Nicholas· Ohio· Pendleton· Pleasants· Pocahontas· Preston· Putnam· Raleigh· Randolph· Ritchie· Roane· Taylor· Tucker· Tyler· Upshur· Wayne· Webster· Wetzel· Wirt· Wood· Wyoming

Major Repositories
Library of Virginia· Virginia Historical Society· University of Virginia· College of William and Mary· Colonial Williamsburg Library· Jones Memorial Library· Virginia Theological Seminary· National Archives· Library of Congress· New York Public Library

Migration Routes
Atlantic Ports· Chesapeake Bay· James River· Potomac River· Rappahannock River· York River· Chesapeake and Ohio Canal· Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad· Fall Line Road (or Southern Road)· Great Indian Warpath· Great Trading Path· Great Valley Road· Kanawha Trail· King's Highway· National Road (or Cumberland Road)· New River and Southern Trail· Occaneechi Path· Old Cherokee Path· Old Northwestern Turnpike· Pamunkey-New River Trail· Pioneer Road· Richmond Road· Richmond-Williamsburg Road· Saura-Saponi Trail· Secondary Coast Road· Upper Road· Wilderness Road· Wilmington, Highpoint, and Northern Trail

Colonial Parishes
Abingdon· Accomac· Accomack· Albemarle· Amherst· Antrim· Appomattox· Argall's Gift· Augusta· Bath· Beckford· Berkeley· Blisland· Blount Point· Botetourt· Boutracy· Bristol· Bromfield· Brunswick· Bruton· Camden· Cameron· Charles City· Charles· Charles River· Chickacoan· Chickahominy· Chippokes· Chiskiack· Chotank· Christ Church (Lancaster Co.)· Christ Church (Middlesex Co.)· Chuckatuck· Cople· Cornwall· Cumberland· Dale· Denbigh· Dettingen· Drysdale· East· Elizabeth City· Elizabeth River· Fairfax· Fairfield· Farnham· Flowerdew Hundred·Fluvanna· Frederick· Fredericksville· Hamilton· Hampton· Hanover· Harrop· Henrico· Hog Island· Hungars· James City· Jordan's Journey· Kecoughtan· Kingston· King William· Lancaster· Lawnes Creek· Lee· Leeds· Lexington· Littleton· Lower (Elizabeth City Co.)· Lower (Isle of Wight Co.) · Lower (Lancaster Co.) · Lower (Nansemond Co.)· Lower (Northampton Co.)· Lower (Stafford Co.)· Lower (Upper Norfolk Co.)· Lower Suffolk· Lunenburg· Lynnhaven· Machodick· Manchester· Marston· Martin's Brandon· Martin's Hundred· Meherrin· Middle Plantation· Middletowne· Montgomery· Mulberry Island· New Poquoson· Newport· Nomini· Norborne· Northampton· North Farnham· Nottoway (Prince Edward Co.)· Nottoway (Southampton Co.)· Nutmeg Quarter· Occohannock· Overwharton· Patrick· Petsworth· Piankatank· Piscataway· Poropotank· Portsmouth· Potomac· Raleigh· Richmond· Rockbridge· Rockingham· Russell· St. Andrew's· St. Anne's (Albemarle Co.)· St. Anne's (Essex and Caroline Cos.)· St. Asaph's· St. Brides· St. David's· St. George's (Accomack Co.) · St. George's (Spotsylvania Co.)· St. James Northam· St. James Southam· St. James's (Goochland Co.)· St. James's (Mecklenburg Co.)· St. John's· St. Luke's· St. Margaret's· St. Mark's· St. Martin's· St. Mary's· St. Mary's Whitechapel· St. Patrick's· St. Paul's (Hanover Co.)· St. Paul's (King George Co.)· St. Peter's· St. Stephen's (King and Queen Co.)· St. Stephen's (Northumberland Co.)· St. Thomas· Shelburne· Sittenburne· Smith's Hundred· South· Southampton· South Farnham· Southwark· Stafford· Stanley Hundred· Stratton Major· Suffolk· Tillotson· Trinity (Lancaster Co.)· Trinity (Louisa Co.)· Truro· Upper (Elizabeth City Co.)·Upper (Isle of Wight Co.)· Upper (Lancaster Co.)· Upper (Nansemond Co.)· Upper (Northampton Co.)· Upper (Stafford Co.) Upper Suffolk· Varina· Wallingford· Ware· Warrosquyoake· Warwick· Washington (Westmoreland Co.)· Washington (Washington Co.)· Waters Creek· West· West and Shirley· Westbury· Westover· Weyanoke· Wicomico· Wilmington· York· Yorkhampton

Featured content

 * Loudoun County, Virginia has over 60 pages of information about research in this county: history, localities, genealogical resources, societies and libraries, websites, and references.
 * Virginia Census shows the online federal indexes, as well as little-known colonial censuses to help track down that elusive ancestor.
 * Virginia Taxation teaches you the ins-and-outs of how to locate the residence of early Virginians using tax lists.



Contributors
Top: Lembley | Murphynw | DSGurtler Recent: Wongw1 | Tracelines | Doug Rusmisell | Robinsfamily06 Thanks for all your hard work!

Did you know?

 * Many Virginia land and headright grants (1623-1782) have been indexed and published in Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants. 8 vols. 975.5 R2n v. 1 1963 etc. Once you find the name of the land grant recipient, you may access Images of the original records for free online at the Library of Virginia website (click the "Images &amp; Indexes" tab).
 * The first 30 volumes of The Virginia Genealogist are available to read in digital format at the subscription website New England Ancestors.org.
 * The first 40 volumes of the Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly (later called Magazine of Virginia Genealogy) are available to read in digital format at the subscription website Ancestry.com.
 * Index of Nineteenth Century Virginia Room by Room Inventories is a free online resource, courtesy: University of Mary Washington.

Research tools

 * The Virginia GenWeb Project provides county information about formation date, parent county, county seat, bibliography, cemeteries, census, churches, towns, history, look ups, obituaries, queries, repositories, surname registry, and many Internet links.
 * Early Virginia Religious Petitions, 1774-1802 can be browsed online by date or place of the petition, including petition images with signatures.
 * Virginia State and County Genealogy Records Resources 

General Virginia Sources

 * A Guide to Genealogical Resources at the University of Virginia
 * Library of Virginia
 * Southwest Virginia Project
 * Virginia Genealogical Society
 * Virginia Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Virginia GenWeb
 * Virginia GenWeb Archives
 * Virginia Historical Society

Maps and County Boundary Changes

 * Civil War Maps at the Virginia Historical Society
 * Counties: Geography of Virginia
 * David Rumsey Historical Map Collection: Virginia
 * Historical Maps (includes free access to highly detailed historical topo maps of VA; MyTopo)
 * Historical Maps of Virginia
 * History of County Formations in Virginia 1617-1995
 * Libre Map Project: Virginia Maps and GIS Data
 * Mapping Virginia
 * Maps of Virginia County Boundary Changes
 * Perry-Castaneda Map Collection: Virginia Maps
 * VA County Boundary Lines
 * Virginia County Formation
 * Virginia County Maps (with links to additional maps; Census Finder)
 * Virginia County Maps and Atlases (Family History 101)
 * Virginia Historical Counties (interactive map; Newberry Library)

Things you can do
Below list some of the many tasks you can help with: