Shenandoah County, Virginia Genealogy

United States &gt; Virginia &gt; Shenandoah County



Parent County
1772--Prior to January 12, 1778, Shenandoah County was originally called Dunmore County. Dunmore County was created 24 March 1772 from Frederick County. County seat: Woodstock

African American

 * Heinegg, Paul. "Shenandoah County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1818," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

Cemeteries

 * Ellsberry, Elizabeth Prather, comp. Cemetery Records of Shenandoah County, Virginia. Vol. I. Chillicothe, MO, USA: Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry, c1965. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Census
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.]

Court
Chancery Court


 * Indexed images of Shenandoah County, Virginia Chancery Records 1772-1927 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General

Bibliography


 * [Byrd] Joslyn, Roger D. "Was Andrew Byrd of Greene County, Ohio, a Son of Colonel Abraham Byrd of Shenandoah County, Virginia, and Fayette County, Kentucky?", The American Genealogist, Vol. 74, No. 2 (Apr. 1999):131-146.
 * [Dilley] Jones, Thomas W. "Dilley of Northern Virginia and Ohio: A Proposed Solution Hanging on a Single Word," The American Genealogist, Vol. 79, No. 3 (Jul. 2004):220-227.
 * [Newman] 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 (full-view). [Includes a chapter titled "Genealogy of the Newman Family, 1618-1900," see Table of Contents; discusses Newmans of Shenandoah County.]
 * [Pence] Pence, Kingsley Adolphus. The History of Judge John Pence and Descendants, Born in Shenandoah County, Virginia, January 15, 1775: Resided in Champaign County, Ohio, Bartholomew County, Indiana, and Henderson County, Illinois. Denver: K.A. Pence, 1912. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($); another digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [Ruddell] Smutz, Harold Turk. John Ruddell of the Shenandoah Valley: His Children and Grandchildren. Webster Groves, Mo.?: unknown, 1974. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Land
Grants and Patents


 * Crown. 84 patents dated 1749-1858 in what is now Shenandoah County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper. 2005. [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.]
 * Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1742-1775. Vol. II. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Shenandoah County (then called Dunmore County).]
 * Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1775-1800. Vol. III. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Shenandoah County.]

Local Histories

 * Wayland, John Walter. A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia. Strasburg, Va.: Shenandoah Pub. House, 1927. Available at FHL; 1980 reprint at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps

 * Massanutten Area Atlas. Original records, Shenandoah County Archives, Woodstock, Va. Microfilmed reproduction available at FHL. [This is a bound book of hand drawn maps showing property boundaries for grant map, ca. 1748-1915. It covers parts of Shenandoah, Warren and Page counties.]

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1977):49-53. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Shenandoah County's 1789 Delinquent List appears on pp. 49-50.]

Military
French and Indian War


 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Shenandoah County militia officers and veterans; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War


 * 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 "Roster of Capt. Thomas Buck's company, enlisted from Dunmore county (now Shenandoah), Sept. 5, 1777, see pp. 178-180.]

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

 * Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. Available at FHL. [Includes a section on Woodstock silversmiths.]

Probate
Wills


 * Ellsberry, Elizabeth Prather, comp. Will Records of Shenandoah County, Virginia 1771-91. Chillicothe, MO, USA: Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry, c1965. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Shenandoah County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1978):210-213. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1782-1818] Heinegg, Paul. "Shenandoah County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1818," 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 FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Shenandoah County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1789] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1977):49-53. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Shenandoah County's 1789 Delinquent List appears on pp. 49-50.]
 * [1789, 1799] Indexed images of the 1789 and 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Shenandoah 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 1815 land tax. Shenandoah County is included in Vol. 4.]
 * [1815] Land Tax Roll, 1815, Frederick Findings. Mechanicsville VA: Summer 1996. Vol. 8 Iss. 2; Fall 1995. Vol. 8 Iss. 3; Winter 1995. Vol. 8 Iss. 4; Spring 1996. Vol. 9 Iss. 1; Summer 1996. Vol. 9 Iss. 2; Fall 1996. Vol. 9 Iss. 3; Winter 1996. Vol. 9 Iss. 4; Winter 1998. Vol. 10 Iss. 1; Spring 1998. Vol. 10 Iss. 2.

Vital Records
Birth

Beth Fridley has published abstracts of the following Shenandoah County, Virginia birth records online at Ancestry:


 * Shenandoah County, Virginia Births, 1853-71 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Shenandoah County, Virginia Births, 1872-77 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Shenandoah County, Virginia Births, 1878-90 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Shenandoah County, Virginia Births, 1891-96 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).

Marriage


 * Ashby, Bernice M. Shenandoah County Marriage Bonds, 1772-1850. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1996. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($). Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1968):38. Review available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

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