Amherst County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Amherst County, Virginia ancestry, family history and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.

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Description
Amherst County is located in the Piedmont region near the center of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was formed in 1761 from the southern half of Albemarle County in honor of Lord Jeffery Amherst, British Commander-in-Chief. Amherst is the County seat.

Amherst County Virginia Courthouse
Amherst County 100 East Court Street Amherst, Virginia, 24521 Phone: 804-946-9321

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate court and land records from 1761

Amherst County Virginia History


The county was named after Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst (1717-1797). Amherst conquered what is now Canada for the British during the French and Indian War.

Parent County
1758--Amherst County was created 14 September 1758 from Albemarle County. County seat: Amherst

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, visit "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps"

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Neighboring Counties
Appomattox | Bedford | Campbell | Lynchburg (independent city) | Nelson | Rockbridge

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Amherst County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1960):38-40. ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

African American

 * Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
 * Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. 2005-present. - free online book. Ailstock, Ampey, Arnold, Beverly, Brannum, Clark, Coy, Evans, Ferrar, Fields, Fortune, Hailstock, Hartless, Humbles, Jackson, Jenkins, Johns, Key, Lansford, Lantor, Mallory, Mason, Peters, Pinn, Redcross, Sneed, Thomas, Valentine, and Viers families of pre-1820 Amherst County, Virginia.
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Amherst County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1822," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * McLeRoy, Sherrie S. Strangers in Their Midst the Free Black Population of Amherst County, Virginia. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 199_. Information was taken from the register of free blacks, census listings, tax records, deeds, wills, marriages and land plats. Time period covers 1761-1865.

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

The following is a list of cemeteries in Amherst County:

Census
1783 Enumeration


 * Amherst County Heads of Families - 1783 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 47.

1785 Enumeration


 * Amherst County Heads of Families - 1785 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 83.

1890 Union Veterans


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

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Buffaloe River (by 1771). Edwards published a membership list dated 1771 in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 66.
 * 2) Ebenezer (1773)

Amherst County fell within the bounds of the Albemarle Association.

Church of England
See also Amherst Parish See also Lexington Parish

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

Court
Chancery Court


 * Indexed images of Amherst County, Virginia Chancery Records 1773-1879 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. Additional records are also available at the Amherst County Courthouse. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.
 * Sweeny, Lenora Higginbotham. "Amherst County Chancery Suits," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Jul., 1939), pp. 318-324. Digital version at JSTOR ($). [Loose chancery papers, also discusses Sweeny's discovery of Amherst's Revolutionary-era court order book.]

County Court


 * Sweeny, Lenora Higginbotham. "Amherst County Chancery Suits," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Jul., 1939), pp. 318-324. Digital version at JSTOR ($). [Loose chancery papers, also discusses Sweeny's discovery of Amherst's Revolutionary-era court order book.]

Genealogy
More than 225 genealogies have been published about Amherst County families. To view a list, visit Amherst County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Land and Property
Grants and Patents


 * Bannister, 971 patents dated 1738-1844 in what is now Amherst and Nelson Counties, 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.]

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Amherst County 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 Amherst County, see p. 104.]

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


 * - 6th Virginia Regiment
 * - 10th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:

The following Amherst County Revolutionary War records are available for free online, courtesy: Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution:


 * 1) "Petition by the men of the Amherst County, Virginia Militia who fought at the Battle of Camden," transcribed by James Lynch.
 * 2) "Payroll of Capt. Azariah Martin's Company of Militia from Amherst County VA," transcribed by C. Leon Harris.

Additional Revolutionary War records for Amherst County include:


 * Sweeny, Lenora Higginbotham. "Amherst County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 9, No. 4 (Oct., 1929), p. 324. Digital version at JSTOR ($). [List, found in private papers, which appears to identify payments made to Amherst County residents for Revolutionary War provisions.]
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Amherst County on page 128.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county.]

War of 1812
Amherst County men served in the 90th Regiments.


 * Douthat, James L. Roster of War of 1812, Southside, Virginia. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2007. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. 975.5 M2djL. [Includes Amherst County.]
 * 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.: Governnment Printing Office, 1883. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Amherst County, p. 61.]

Civil War

 * - 2nd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company E (Amherst Mounted Rangers)
 * - 19th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company H (The Southern Rights Guard) and Company I (The Amherst Rifles).
 * - 20th Battalion, Virginia Heavy Artillery (Confederate). Company D.
 * - 49th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B (Amherst Rough and Readys) were presumably from Amherst County.
 * - 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (Pedlar Mills Guard).

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865 - Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865
 * 1861-1865 - Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers 1861-1865
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * Amherst County Families and History , compiled from Henry Hardesty's Historical and Geographical Encyclopaedia. Inc. Includes the reigments that served, campaigns and unit rosters on pages 5-19.

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 Williamsburg website. 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.

Officials

 * Starke, Aubrey H. "Amherst County Magistrates, 1779-1798," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1960):125-126. Available at . Digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

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). [Amherst County petitions (1775-1856) are described on pp. 107-132.]

Probate Records

 * Clemens, William M. Virginia Wills Before 1799: A Complete Abstract Register of All Names Mentioned in Over Six Hundred Recorded Wills, ... Copied from the Court House Records of Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, Loudoun, Prince William and Rockbridge Counties. Pompton Lakes, N.J.: Biblio Co., 1924. Fiche 6015628-6015629; digital versions at Access Genealogy; Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($). Free online surname index and 2004 reprint purchase details at Mountain Press website.
 * Digital Images of Amherst County Wills 1810-1831; 1832-1897. See names of Testators. Virginia Pioneers

Online Probate Records


 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * 1782-1822 - Heinegg, Paul. "Amherst County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1822," Free African Americans.com, available online. 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. Online at FamilySearch - free; . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Amherst County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * 1790, 1799 - Indexed images of the 1790 and 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Amherst County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * 1800 - "Amherst County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1961):80-84; Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1961):125-130; Vol. 5, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1961):155-160; Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1962):18-22. . Digital version at New England Ancestors ($).
 * 1800 - Tax List, 1800, Bedford Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 9, No. 2 (May 1998); Vol. 9, No. 3 (Aug. 1998); Vol. 9, No. 4 (Nov. 1998).
 * 1815 - Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Amherst County is included in Vol. 1.]

Birth

 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1753-1783, 1763-1852 - Amherst County Marriages 1753-1783, 1763-1852 Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1763-1852 - Amherst County Marriage Index 1763-1852. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1815-1821 - Sweeny, Lenora Higginbotham. Marriage Records of Amherst County, 1815-1821; And Subscriptions for Building St. Mark's Church, Amherst County, Virginia. Lynchburg, Virginia, 1961.
 * 1854-1900 - Amherst County Marriage Index 1854-1900. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Amherst County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * Central Virginia Genealogical Association

Amherst County Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Amherst County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * Amherst County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * Amherst County, VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Cemetery, census, family, land, marriage, military, newspaper, and will records. Queries, mailing lists.
 * Cyndi's List
 * Cyndi's List