Prince George County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Prince George County Virginia ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.

Description
Prince George County is located in the Central portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia just south of Richmond and was named for Prince George of Denmark, the husband of England's Queen Anne. The County was formed from the part of Charles City County that was divided by the James River. Charles City County consisted of land on both sides of the James River; when it became inconvenient for the settlers on the south side of the James to make the water crossing for monthly court visits, the Virginia General Assembly declared the lands on the south side of the river to be Prince George County. The County was officially established in 1703. Prince George is the County seat.

Prince George County, Virginia Courthouse
Prince George County Courthouse P.O. Box 98 6601 Courts Drive Prince George, VA 23875-0098 804-733-2600

Clerk Circuit Court has incomplete birth records 1865-1896, marriage, divorce and probate record from 1865, court record from 1945 and land records

Prince George County, Virginia History


This county is named after Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland (1653-1708), the husband of Queen Anne of Great Britain.

Parent County
1700--Prince George County was created 5 December 1700 from Charles City. County seat: Prince George

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
1782 and 1864. Most courthouse records were destroyed during the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War. Only a few volumes of deeds, orders, and wills survived.


 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

African American

 * Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Prince George County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1834," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

Cemeteries

 * "Epitaphs at Brandon, Prince George County, Va.," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Jan. 1899):233-236. Available at JSTOR ($).

Census
1890 Union Veterans


 * "Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890."  Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner.    Includes residents of this county.

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Davenport's.

Prince George County fell within the bounds of the Portsmouth Association.


 * Urner, Clarence H. "Early Baptist Records in Prince George County, Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 41, No. 2 (Apr. 1933):97-101. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

Church of England
See also Bath Parish See also Bristol Parish  See also Martin's Brandon Parish  See also Westover Parish  See also Weyanoke Parish

Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Prince George County is available online.


 * Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. Births from the Bristol Parish Register of Henrico, Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia, 1720-1798. Richmond, Virginia: C.G. Chamberlayne, 1898. Two published transcripts available at FHL and ; digital book at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).
 * Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. The Vestry Book and Register of Bristol Parish, Virginia, 1720 - 1789. Richmond, VA: [s.n.] 1898. Available at . Digital versions at Google Books (full view); and World Vital Records ($).
 * Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jul. 1943):249-271. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1945. Available at ; digital version at . [Includes Prince George County.]

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):


 * Binford's Monthly Meeting (1699-1721 and 1820-1826) aka Merchant's Hope
 * Burleigh Monthly Meeting (1696-1832) or Burley. Hinshaw published the early records:.
 * Hunnicutt's Monthly Meeting (1718-1762)

Friends from Prince George County, Virginia also attended the Blackwater Monthly Meeting in Surry County, Virginia.

Court

 * "Prince George County Records," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jan. 1897):272-292. Available at JSTOR ($). [Discusses record loss in the county.]

Genealogy
More than 250 genealogies have been published about Prince George County families. To view a list, visit Prince George County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Historic Residences

 * Wyatt, Edward Avery. Plantation Houses around Petersburg, in the Counties of Prince George, Chesterfield, and Dinwiddie, Virginia. 1955.

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Bristol Parish, Merchant's Hope, Persey's Hundred (Flowerdew [Peirsey's] Hundred), and Prince George County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe who served labor terms in Colonial Prince Edward, Prince George, and Prince William Counties, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Pricegen Immigrant Servants Database.

Land and Property
Grants and Patents


 * Duvall, Lindsay O. Prince George County ... Land Patents, 1666-1719. Irvington, Virginia, 1962. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec.1962):182. Review available at American Ancestors ($).
 * Hudgins. 382 patents dated 1642-1802 in what is now Prince George County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper. [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.]

Record Book


 * Stewart, Robert Armistead. "Abstracts of Prince George [Record] Book, 1759-60," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan. 1931):42-49. Available at JSTOR ($).

Quit Rents


 * 1704 Quit Rent Rolls Virginia Pioneers ($)

Local Histories

 * Cooke, John Esten. Henry St. John, Gentleman, of "Flower of Hundreds," in the County of Prince George, Virginia: A Tale of 1774-'75. New York: Harper &amp; Brothers, 1860. Available at Google Books. [Fiction]
 * Shands, William et al. Proceedings of Citizens of Prince George County, Virginia: On the Subject of Re-annexing Texas to the United States, May 17, 1844. Blair &amp; Rives, Printers, 1844.

Migration

 * 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 ; 1983 reprints (both volumes) available at ; 1990-1992 reprints (both volumes) also available at . [Includes individuals who migrated out of Prince George County to other parts of the country.]

Early migration routes to and from Prince George County for European settlers included:


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

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Prince George 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 ; 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 Prince George County, see p. 97.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Prince George County militia officers; see place name index.]

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


 * - 6th Virginia Regiment
 * - 14th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:


 * 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, Prince George County on page 133.]
 * 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." ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812
Prince George County men served in the 62nd 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, Prince George County, p. 99. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

 * - 5th Battalion, Virginia Infantry (Wilson's)(Archer's)(Confederate).
 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12 months, 1861-62) (Mullins') (Confederate).
 * - 13th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12th Months, 1861-62) (Confederate). Company F (Prince George Cavalry).

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 (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization

 * Virginia

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.

Private Papers

 * [Bland] Campbell, Charles. The Bland Papers: Being a Selection from the Manuscripts of Colonel Theodorick Bland, Jr. of Prince George County, Virginia. 2 vols. Petersburg, Virginia: Edmund &amp; Julian C. Ruffin, 1840. Volume 1 is available at Google Books.
 * [Bolling] Warfield, J. Ogle. "Bolling Family Bible, Prince George County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1968):33-34. Available at American Ancestors ($).
 * [Jordan] "Bible Record of Joshua M. Jordan, of Prince George County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jul. 1905):32-33. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * [Jordan] "Bible Record of Joshua M. Jordan, of Prince George County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jul. 1905):32-33. Available at JSTOR ($).

Probate Records
Original Wills


 * 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 Prince George County.]

Remnants of Prince George County Court

SamPubCo has created a free online resource for locating extant Prince George County wills:


 * Prince George County, Virginia Will Books 1-5 (1713-1792)

Other Prince George County probate resources include:


 * "Prince George County Records," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jan. 1897):272-292. Available at JSTOR ($). [Discusses record loss in the county.]
 * Stewart, Robert Armistead. "Abstracts of Prince George [Record] Book, 1759-60," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan. 1931):42-49. Available at JSTOR.

London Courts


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Bristol Parish, Merchant's Hope, Persey's Hundred (Flowerdew [Peirsey's] Hundred), and Prince George County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Online Probate Links
 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
 * 1713 - 1728 Images of Wills and Estates at Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1759 - 1760 Images of Wills and Estates at Virginia Pioneers ($)

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Prince George County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1976):294-296. Available at American Ancestors ($).
 * "Prince George County Records," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jan. 1897):272-292. Available at JSTOR ($). [Discusses record loss in the county.]

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 ($). [Prince George County appears in 28:328-339.]
 * [1782] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Online at FamilySearch - free; . [1782 personal property tax list of Prince George County.]
 * [1782-1834] Heinegg, Paul. "Prince George County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1834," 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. Petersburg (the portion in Prince George County) is included in Vol. 1; Prince George County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1790, 1800] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Prince George County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1790, 1799] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1799 Land Tax Lists of Prince George County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1800] Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist. Falmouth VA: Jan 2006. Vol. 50 Iss. 1.
 * [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. Prince George County is included in Vol. 1.]

Birth

 * 1720-1798 - Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. Births from the Bristol Parish Register of Henrico, Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia, 1720-1798. Richmond, Virginia: C.G. Chamberlayne, 1898. Two published transcripts available at FHL and ; digital book at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).
 * 1865-1896 - Prince George County Birth Index 1865-1896. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1715-1728 - St. Paul's Register Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1865-1904 - Prince George County Marriage Index 1865-1904. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1865-1873 - Prince George County Death Index 1865-1873. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Prince George County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Prince George Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
 * Prince George County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)