Princess Anne County, Virginia Genealogy

United States   Virginia    Princess Anne County

Princess Anne County, Virginia genealogy and family history research page. Guide to Princess Anne County (established 1691) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

County Courthouse
Because Princess Anne is now an extinct jurisdiction, the former county has no existing courthouse. Records are kept at the Independent City Courthouse in Virginia Beach.

History


The county is named after Princess Anne (1665-1714), who became Queen regnant of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1702.

Parent County
Formed in 1691 when Lower Norfolk County went extinct and was divided into the two new counties of Norfolk and Princess Anne. It became extinct itself in 1963 after its consolidation with the independent city of Virginia Beach. County seat: Kempsville

Boundary Changes
In 1963, Princess Anne County went extinct and the area was absorbed into the independent city of Virginia Beach.

Record Loss

 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

Neighboring Counties

 * Norfolk

Getting Started
Because the county is now extinct, it can be difficult to find historic Princess Anne County records in the Family History Library Catalog. Suggested Place Search: "Virginia Beach (Independent City), Virginia."

African American

 * Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. 2005-present. - free online book. Heinegg identifies the following free African American surnames in Princess Anne County before 1820: Africa, Anderson, Angus, Collins, Cotance, Cuffee, Duncan, Fullard, Fuller, Goings, Harmon, Hill, Hodges, Howell, James, Jasper, Jones, Lewis, Matthews, Mills, Newton, Nichols, Nicholas, Patterson, Pittman, Puckham, Sample, Smith, Sparrow, Theloball, Weeks, White, Whitehurst, Williams, Wilson.
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Princess Anne County Personal Property Tax List, 1790-1822," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Princess Anne County Register of Free Negroes, 1830-1862," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * James, Edward W. "Land and Slave Owners, Princess Anne County, 1771, 1772, 1773 and 1774," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, Vol. 1, Part 1 (1895):39-43.
 * James, Edward W. "Land and Slave Owners, Princess Anne County, 1775," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, Vol. 3, Part 1 (1899):1-7; Vol. 3, Part 3 (1900):100-101; Vol. 3, Part 4 (1901):152-154. Digitized by Internet Archive - free.
 * James, Edward W. "Land and Slave Owners, Princess Anne County, 1776," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, Vol. 1, Part 4 (1896):107-108. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * James, Edward W. "Slave Owners, Princess Anne County, 1810," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, Vol. 1, Part 3 (1896):69-77. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * James, Edward W. "Slave Owners, Princess Anne County, 1820," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, Vol. 5, Part 1 (1904):7-16; Vol. 5, Part 2 (1905):55-64. Digitized by Google Books - free.
 * James, Edward W. "Slave Owners, Princess Anne County, 1850," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, Vol. 1, Part 2 (1895):39-43. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * James, Edward W. "Slave Owners and Slave Employers, Princess Anne County, 1860," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, Vol. 1, Part 2 (1895):57-58. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * Princess Anne County minute books : an index to enslaved and free African-Virginians in Princess Anne County - Contents: Book 1. 1691-1709 ; Book 2. 1709-1717 ; Book 3. 1717-1728 ; Book 4. 1728-1737 ; Book 5. 1737-1744; freely available via the Internet Archive
 * Princess Anne County minute books : an index to enslaved and free African-Virginians in Princess Anne County - Contents: Book 6. 1744-1753 ; Book 7. 1753-1762 ; Book 8. 1762-1769 ; Book 9. 1770-1773 ; Book 10. 1773-1782 ; Book 12. 1786-1787 ; Book 13. 1787-1788 ; Book 14. 1789-1790 ; Book 15. 1790-1792 ; Book 16. 1792-1795 ; Book 17. 1796-1798 ; Book 18. 1798-1801; freely available via the Internet Archive
 * Princess Anne County guardian accounts : an index to enslaved and free African-Virginians in Princess Anne County - includes abstracts of: Virginia. County Court (Princess Anne County). Guardians accounts. [no. 1, 3-12, 14-15] ; 1736-1871
 * Our heritage : Black history : Princess Anne County, Virginia Beach, Virginia : a pictorial history (1998)
 * "Slave Owners in Princess Anne Co.," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jan. 1894):146-148; Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jul. 1894):52-60. Digitized by JSTOR - free. [List of masters in 1810 who owned 10 or more slaves.]

Bible Records

 * Princess Anne County, Virginia Bible records - Abstracts of 72 family Bibles in three volumes compiled by Melinda Lukei. Freely available via the Internet Archive.

Census
1783 Enumeration


 * Princess Anne County Heads of Families - 1783 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 60.

1785 Enumeration


 * Princess Anne County Heads of Families - 1785 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 102.

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

 * Old parish churches of Virginia : a pictorial-historic exhibition of photographs in colors lent to the Library of Congress (1929)

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Blackwater (1784)
 * 2) London Bridge (1784)
 * 3) Pungo (1762) now known as Oak Grove Baptist Church.

Princess Anne County fell within the bounds of the Portsmouth Association.

Church of England
See also Lynnhaven Parish


 * Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of Lynnhaven Parish, Princess Anne County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul. 1938):270-285. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1945. Available at ; digital version at . [Includes Princess Anne County.]



Court
General


 * Mason, George Carrington. "The Court-Houses of Princess Anne and Norfolk Counties," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 57, No. 4 (Oct. 1949):405-415. Available at JSTOR ($).

County Court


 * Creecy, John Harvie. Virginia Antiquary: Princess Anne County Loose Papers 1700 - 1789, Volume 1. Richmond [Virginia]: Dietz Press, c1954. Available at . Digital version at World Vital Records ($).
 * Walter, Alice Granbery. Genealogical Abstracts of Princess Anne County, Virginia from Deed Books &amp; Minute Books 6 &amp; 7, 1740 - 1762. Virginia Beach, VA: A.G. Walter, 1975. Available at . Digital version at World Vital Records ($).

Directories

 * City Directories on the Internet Archive: 1964/65, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978/79, 1980, 1982, 1987

Education

 * Oceana High School Yearbook: 1940, 1949
 * Virginia Beach High School Yearbooks: 1955
 * Union Kempsville High School: 1946, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969
 * The Last Walk - program commemmorating Union Kempsville High School - includes information about students from each class during 1938-1969
 * A proposal for a comprehensive high school for negroes in Princess Anne County (1949) - would later become Hampton University.

Genealogy
More than 50 genealogies have been published about Princess Anne County families. To view a list, visit Princess Anne County, Virginia Genealogy.

Immigration

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

Land
Deeds


 * Princess Anne County, abstract of deed book 21
 * Walter, Alice Granbery. Genealogical Abstracts of Princess Anne County, Virginia from Deed Books &amp; Minute Books 6 &amp; 7, 1740 - 1762. Virginia Beach, VA: A.G. Walter, 1975. Available at . Digital version at World Vital Records ($).

Patents


 * Walter, Alice Granbery. Virginia Land Patents of the Counties of Norfolk, Princess Anne &amp; Warwick. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Local Histories

 * Old houses in Princess Anne, Virginia (1931)

Colonial Militia

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Princess Anne 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 Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Princess Anne 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 Princess Anne 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 Princess Anne County, see p. 96.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Princess Anne County militia officers; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War
Lord Dunmore's troops were stationed in Norfolk during the period preceding the Revolutionary War and many inhabitants of Princess Anne County swore oaths of allegiance to the King of England. The Battle of Kemp's Landing took place in the county.

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


 * - 4th Virginia Regiment
 * - 15th Virginia Regiment (2nd Company)

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, Princess Anne County on page 132.]
 * 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
Princess Anne County men served in the 20th 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, Princess Anne County, p. 99. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12 months, 1861-62) (Mullins') (Confederate).
 * - 6th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B (2nd) (Princess Anne Grays) and Company F (Seaboard Rifles)..

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

 * [Smith] Family Bible Records of Walter Hall Smith. Original manuscript, Smithfield Branch of the Isle of Wight Library, Smithfield, Va..

Probate
Original Wills


 * James, Edward W. "Will of Josias Mackie, Presbyterian Minister, Norfolk and Princess Anne Counties, 1716," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Apr. 1900):358-363. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Digital Images of Will Bk 2, 1714 to 1724. See names of Testators. [http://www.virginiapioneers.net/counties/countyprincessanne.html Virginia Pioneers]
 * Digital Images of Will Book 3, 1724 to 1735. See names of Testators. [ http://www.virginiapioneers.net/counties/countyprincessanne.html Virginia Pioneers ]

Local Court


 * Creecy, John Harvie. Virginia Antiquary: Princess Anne County Loose Papers 1700 - 1789, Volume 1. Richmond [Virginia]: Dietz Press, c1954. Available at . Digital version at World Vital Records ($).

London Courts


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

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?

The original Personal Property Tax Lists of Princess Anne County are held at the Library of Virginia in Richmond, Va. The Genealogical Society of Utah microfilmed the years 1782 to 1850 in 1992:.


 * [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 ($). [Princess Anne County appears in 30:280-285.]
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Princess Anne County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1790/1791, 1799] Indexed images of the 1790/1791 and 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Princess Anne County, Virginia are available online at Binns Genealogy.
 * [1790-1822] Heinegg, Paul. "Princess Anne County Personal Property Tax List, 1790-1822," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1800] Tax List, 1800, The Virginia Genealogist. Falmouth VA: Oct 2006. Vol. 50 Iss. 4. Available at.
 * [1810] James, Edward Wilson. "Slaveowners in Princess Anne County," William and Mary College Quarterly, 1st Series, Vol. 2 (1894):146-149; Vol. 3 (1894):53-60. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version of W&amp;MQ at JSTOR ($). [James abstracted the names of slaveowners who owned 10 or more slaves.]
 * [1811] James, Edward W. "Property Owners, Princess Anne County, 1811," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, Vol. 5, Part 3 (1905):77-113. Digital version at Google Books - free.
 * [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. Princess Anne County is included in Vol. 3.]

Birth

 * Fridley, Beth. Princess Anne County, Virginia Births, 1853-80 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Fridley, Beth. Princess Anne County, Virginia Births, 1881-96 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Available at Ancestry ($).

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).


 * 1724-1766 - James, Edward W. "Marriage Licenses--Princess Anne County," The William and Mary Quarterly, 1724-1750: Vol. 1, No. 3 (Jan. 1893):162-163; 1751-1764: Vol. 1, No. 4 (Apr. 1893):203-207; 1765-1766: Vol. 2, No. 2 (Oct. 1893):73-77. Digitized by JSTOR - free.


 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).


 * 1749-1821 - Marriages of Princess Anne County, Virginia: 1749-1821 - volume 1


 * 1749-1821 - Marriages of Princess Anne County, Virginia: 1749-1821- volume 2


 * 1786-1790 - James, Edward W. "A List of Persons Joined Together in Holy Matrimony by the Revd Joshua Lawrence [Baptist Minister]," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, Vol. 2, Part 2 (1897):71-73. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.


 * 1788-1814 - James, Edward W. "A List of Marriages Solemnized by the Revd Anthony Walke [Lynnhaven Parish, Princess Anne County]," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, 1788-1796: Vol. 2, Part 1 (1897):17-24; 1797-1814: Vol. 2, Part 2 (1897):50-55. Digitized by Internet Archive - free.


 * 1791-1816 - James, Edward W. "Marriages Performed by the Revs Wm Morriss and James Dawley [Baptist] [and William Dawley], P.A. County," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, 1791-1805: Vol. 2, Part 3 (1898):75-79; 1804-1816: Vol. 2, Part 4 (1899):129-132. Digitized by Internet Archive - free.


 * 1790-1813 - James, Edward W. "Princess Anne County Marriages," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, Vol. 3, Part 1 (1899):19-. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.


 * 1800-1817 - James, Edward W. "Marriages Performed by Rev Charles Henley P.A. County," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, 1800-1812: Vol. 2, Part 4 (1899):103-107; 1808-1815: Vol. 3, Part 1 (1899):39-40; 1816-1817: Vol. 3, Part 2 (1900):71-73. Digitized by Internet Archive - free.


 * 1810-1843 - James, Edward W. "Marriages Performed by Rev. George Norris [Baptist Minister]," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, 1810-1821: Vol. 3, Part 2 (1900):43-46; 1821-1833: Vol. 3, Part 3 (1900):114-116; 1834-1843: Vol. 3, Part 4 (1901):147-148. Digitized by Internet Archive - free.


 * 1812-1833 - James, Edward W. "Marriages Performed by Rev. David Watters, P.A. County, [Methodist Minister]" The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, 1812-1833: Vol. 3, Part 3 (1900):81-87. Digitized by Internet Archive - free.


 * 1816-1825 - James, Edward W. "Marriages by Revs Ferguson &amp; Chevers, P. A. Co.," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, Vol. 5, Part 1 (1904):36. Digital version at Google Books - free.


 * 1819-1862 - James, Edward W. "Princess Anne County Marriages," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, 1819-1837: Vol. 3, Part 4 (1901):118-121; 1833-1862: Vol. 5, Part 1 (1906):1-4. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.


 * 1853-1863 - James, Edward W. "Marriages Performed by Rev H H Banks [Baptist Minister]," The Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Antiquary, 1853-1859: Vol. 5, Part 2 (1905):37-42; 1860-1863: Vol. 5, Part 3 (1905):116-118. Digitized by Google Books - free.


 * 1853-1910 - Princess Anne County, Virginia Marriages, Volume 1, 1853-1910 at Virginia Beach Public Library's Digital Archives - free.


 * 1911-1937 - Princess Anne County, Virginia Marriages, Volume 2, 1911-1937 at Virginia Beach Public Library's Digital Archives - free.

Death

 * 1853-1910 - Princess Anne County, Virginia Death Records 1853-1896 (Virginia Beach Public Library's Digital Archives) - free.

Societies and Libraries

 * Virginia Beach Genealogical Society
 * Virginia Beach Genealogical Society

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Virginia Beach Virginia Family History Center

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * Virginia Pioneers ($)