Fairfax County, Virginia Genealogy

United States &gt; Virginia &gt; Fairfax County



History


The county is named after Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (1693-1781), Proprietor of the Northern Neck.

Parent County
1742--Fairfax County was created 6 May 1742 from Prince William County. County seat: City of Fairfax

In 1649, King Charles II of England granted the land between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers, known as the Northern Neck, to a group of his most loyal supporters. By 1681, one of those men, Thomas, Lord Culpeper, and Governor of the Virginia Colony, had acquired the interests of the others. Upon his death in 1689, his daughter Catherine inherited his approximately 5 million acres land holding. Catherine married Thomas, fifth Lord Fairfax, and upon their deaths in 1719, the Northern Neck lands passed to their son, Thomas, sixth Lord Fairfax, and Baron of Cameron.

Boundary Changes:
Fairfax County was formed in 1742 from the northern part of Prince William County. Prince William County was created in 1731 from a portion of Stafford County (and a part of King George County), Stafford County was created in 1664 from Westmoreland County, which was created in July 1653 from the northern portion of Northumberland County, itself formed in 1648.

In 1757, the northwestern two-thirds of Fairfax County became Loudoun County. The current border between Fairfax and Loudoun was re-established in 1957. In 1789, the area that now encompasses Alexandria City and Arlington County was donated to the Federal Government during the creation of the District of Columbia in 1791 and designated Alexandria County of the District of Columbia until 1846, when it was returned to Virginia as the independent county of Alexandria. In 1870, the city of Alexandria seceded as an independent Virginia city and in 1920, Alexandria County was renamed Arlington County.

Record Loss
Fairfax County: created in 1742, original wills and deeds as well as many other loose papers were destroyed during the Civil War; deed books for twenty-six of the fifty-six years between 1763 and 1819 are missing.

Prince William County: created in 1731, many county court records have been lost, destroyed, or stolen at various times. Scattered years of deeds, wills, and orders, as well as various bond books and a plat book, survive.

Stafford County: created in 1664, many pre-Civil War county court records were lost to vandalism during the war. Scattered years of deeds, wills, and orders have survived as has an old General Index.

Northumberland County: created in 1645, suffered some loss in a fire in the clerk's office on 25 October 1710.

Westmoreland County: created in 1653, lost an order book for the period 1764-1776 to theft, and many loose papers were damaged during both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

Burned Record Counties Database: (http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/local/burned/index.htm)

Places/Localities 

Populated Places
Fairfax County contains two independent cities, three incorporated towns, and 79 unincorporated localities, thirty-four of which are designated as unincorporated census designated places (CDP).

Cities: The cities are the City of Fairfax and the City of Falls Church.

The area around the courthouse in Fairfax City was initially incorporated in 1805 as the town of Providence, officially renamed the Town of Fairfax in 1874, and incorporated as an independent city in 1961 as the City of Fairfax, although it remains the county seat of Fairfax County. Court and land records are kept by Fairfax Circuit Court.

The City of Falls Church gained township status in 1875 and was incorporated as an independent city in 1948. However, court and land records were kept by Fairfax Circuit Court until the end of 1987. Records after that date can be found in Arlington County.

Towns: The three incorporated towns in Fairfax County are Herndon, incorporated in 1879, Vienna, first known as Ayr Hill until it changed its name to Vienna in the 1850's and later was incorporated in 1890, and Clifton, incorporated in 1902.

Unincorporated Communities: The thirty-four unincorporated communities within Fairfax County identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as (unincorporated) Census-Designated Places are: Annandale; Bailey's Crossroads; Belle Haven; Burke; Centreville; Chantilly; Dunn Loring; Fort Belvoir; Fort Hunt; Franconia; Great Falls; Groveton; Huntington; Hybla Valley; Idylwood; Jefferson; Lake Barcroft; Lincolnia; Lorton; Mantua; McLean; Merrifield; Mount Vernon; Newington; North Springfield; Oakton; Pimmit Hills; Reston; Rose Hill; Seven Corners; Springfield; Tysons Corner; West Springfield; Wolf Trap;

The other forty-five unincorporated communities are: Accotink; Arcturus; Barkers Crossroads; Blevinstown; Browns Mill; Butts Corner; Cobbs Corner; Colchester; Colchester Hunt; Comptons Corner; Cooktown; Crowells Corner; Culmore; Donovans Corner; Doveville; Dranesville; Fair Lakes; Fairfax Station; Farrs Corner; Five Forks; Four Corners; Hattontown; Hollindale; Jermantown; Kings Park; Kings Park West; Kingstowne; Langley; Lees Corner; Lewinsville; Lewis Park; Makleys Corner; Mason Neck; Matildaville; New Alexandria; Oak Hill; Odricks Corner; Pohick; Schneider Crossroads; Shady Oak; Strathmeade Springs; Sunset Hills; Uniontown; Virginia Hills; Westhampton

According to the 2000 census, the 13 largest communities in Fairfax County by population are all unincorporated. Neighboring Counties


 * Arlington
 * Loudoun
 * Montgomery County, Maryland
 * Prince George's County, Maryland
 * Prince William
 * Washington, DC

African American

 * Guide to African-American Resources, Alexandria Library Local History/Special Collections is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.
 * Lane, Estelle. "News of Interest to Colored Readers," Alexandria Gazette. 1927-1928 is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.
 * Sweig, Donald. Registrations of Free Negroes Commencing September Court 1822, Book No. 2 &amp; Register of Free Blacks 1835, Book 3: Being the Full Text of the Two Extant Volumes, 1822-1861, of Registrations of Free Blacks Now in the County Courthouse, Fairfax, Virginia. Fairfax, Virginia : Prepared for publication and published by History Section, Office of Comprehensive Planning, Fairfax County, Virginia under the direction of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in cooperation with the Fairfax County History Commission, 1977. Available at FHL. Reviewed by Elizabeth Shown Mills in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 86, No. 1 (Jan., 1978), pp. 114-115. Review available at FHL; digital version of review at JSTOR ($).
 * Volunteers for Freedom: Black Civil War Soldiers in Alexandria National Cemetery is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.
 * Voter Registration in Alexandria, Virginia: African Americans, 1902-1954 is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.

Cemeteries

 * Civil War Era Burials - Alexandria National Cemetery is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.
 * Volunteers for Freedom: Black Civil War Soldiers in Alexandria National Cemetery is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.

Census
1820 Manufacturers Census


 * "1820 Manufacturers Census," Northern Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jul. 1997):125-126. Available at FHL. [Includes Fairfax, Fauquier, and Loudoun counties.]

1850


 * Tallichet, Marjorie D. Alexandria City and County 1850 Census. Heritage Books, Inc., 1986. Index is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.

1890 Union Veterans


 * 1890 Veterans Census Northern Virginia is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.
 * 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
General


 * Hiatt, Marty and Craig Roberts Scott. Loudoun County, Virginia, Tithables, 1758-1786. 3 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1995. Available at FHL. [Volume 1 includes a 1749 tithables list for Fairfax County which identifies tithe payers and many of their religions.]

Church of England


 * Liddle, Chester A. and Patricia H. Osisek. Families of Pohick Church, Truro Parish, Fairfax County, Virginia. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1991. FHL has original edition and two supplements.
 * Slaughter, Philip and Edward Lewis Goodwin. The History of Truro Parish in Virginia. G.W. Jacobs &amp; Co., 1908. Digital book at Google Books (full-view).
 * Truro Parish and Pohick Church. Minutes of the Vestry, Truro Parish, Virginia, 1732-1785. Lorton, Va.: Pohick Church; Annandale, Va.: Baptie Studios, c1974. Available at FHL.

Court
General


 * Horrell, Joseph. "George Mason and the Fairfax Court," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 91, No. 4 (Oct. 1983):418-439. Available at JSTOR ($).

County Court

Searches of Fairfax County Court Orders should begin with the Fairfax County History Commission and Edith Moore Sprouse's:


 * 1) A Surname and Subject Index of the Minute and Order Books of the County Court, Fairfax County, Virginia, 1749-1800 [1802]
 * 2) A Surname and Subject Index of the Minute and Order Books of the Courts, Fairfax County, Virginia, Part IV, 1807-1829
 * 3) Fairfax County, Va. Court Records, 1835-1860.

They also created A Cumulative Subject Index to the Court Order Books of Fairfax County, Virginia, 1749-1802.

Chancery Court


 * Indexes (1803-1963) and images (1803-1913) to Fairfax County, Virginia Chancery Records are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Dumfries District Court and Superior Court of Law


 * Dumfries District Court Order Books, 1793-1817. Original records, Prince William County Courthouse, Manassas, Va.; available on microfilm at FHL. [Dumfries District Court encompassed Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William counties.]

Fredericksburg Superior Court of Chancery

The Superior Court of Chancery of Fredericksburg (1802-1831) had jurisdiction over certain Fairfax County court cases. An index has been compiled:


 * Indexes of Court Records in the Clerk's Office, Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1782-1904. Original records, Fredericksburg City Courthouse, Fredericksburg, Va., microfilmed reproduction available at FHL. [Indexes the following records: District Court law book v. 8, 1782-1792; District Court law books 1790-1793, v. A-F 1789-1811; Superior Court of Law law order books v. G-H 1812-1831; Superior Court of Chancery chancery order books 1814-1831; Hustings Court orders v. A-O 1782-1871; Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery law order books v. A-E 1831-1875; Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery chancery order books v. A-D 1831-1872; Circuit Court chancery order books v. A2, B-C 1875-1904; Fredericksburg District Court (1789-1808) had jurisdiction over the following counties: Spotsylvania (including Fredericksburg), Caroline, King George, Stafford, Orange, and Culpeper; Superior Court of Chancery (1802-1831) had jurisdiction over the following localities: city of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fairfax, Lancaster, Northumberland, Madison, King George, Orange, Prince William, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Essex, and Westmoreland.]

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. In addition to finding a direct ancestor’s surname listed, and watching to see if more recent publications make additions and corrections to earlier works, this list is also useful for determining if genealogists have published accounts, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, for any members of an ancestor’s “FAN Club” [Family, Associates, and Neighbors]. Checking publications about those individuals can lead you to new information about your own ancestry. Be mindful that compiled genealogies may contain errors.

General


 * Liddle, Chester A. and Patricia H. Osisek. Families of Pohick Church, Truro Parish, Fairfax County, Virginia. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1991. FHL has original edition and two supplements.

Bibliography


 * [Adams] Ljunstedt, Milnor. "The Adamses in the Northern Neck of Virginia (Upper Counties) and Some Nearby Counties of Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 13 (1936):82-88, 233-241. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).
 * [Ball] Ball, Palmer R. and Nancy Graves Ball Surface. The Ball Family of Southwest Virginia: A Genealogy of Some of the Descendants of Moses Ball of Fairfax County. Big Laurel, Virginia: Cumberland-Crafters, 1933. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [Ball] Ball, Bonnie S., James Elihu Ball, and Estella Ball Brady. The Balls of Fairfax and Stafford in Virginia. Haysie, Virginia: B.S. Ball, 1961. Original edition available at FHL; 1976 reprint available at FHL; 1982 reprint available at FHL.
 * [Broadwater] Haycock, Robert Lee. "Career of Col. Charles Broadwater, Fairfax County, Va.," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 47, No. 3 (Jul. 1939):234-238. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [Fairfax] Kilmer, Kenton and Donald Sweig. The Fairfax Family in Fairfax County: A Brief History. Fairfax, Virginia: Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County, Virginia, 1975. Available at FHL.
 * [Hunter] Bull, Mary Alice Hunter. Record of Hunter of Hunterston, Ayrshire, Scotland ... Record of Hunter of Abbotshill and Park, County Ayr, Scotland ... Record of Hunter of Ayrhill, Fairfax County, Virginia. Washington, D.C.: Gibson Bros., 1902. Available at FHL.
 * [Jones] Hymas, Barbara Perine. The Jones Family of Prince Georges County, Maryland and Fairfax County, Virginia, and Related Families, 1659-1997. Madison, Alabama: B.P. Hymas, 2000. Available at FHL.
 * [Kellar] Ratcliffe, Susan Kellar. Michael Kellar and Catharine Monroe of Fairfax County, Virginia: Their Family and Descendants, 1760-2002. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 2002. Available at FHL.
 * [Kirkland] Green, Mae Ruth, Jean R. Leonard, Wilma C. Kirkland, and Elizabeth Kirkland Schladensky. Kirkland Source Book of Records. 2 vols. Greenwood, South Carolina: W.C. Kirkland, 1977-1988. Available at FHL.
 * [Maddy] Maddy, Olive and John K. Maddy. US Maddys: An Account of the Family in England and the Descendants of William Maddy of Fairfax County, Virginia and James Maddy of Fairfax and Orange Counties, Emigrants. Oskaloosa, Iowa: O. Maddy, 1950. Availalbe at FHL; 1985 edition also available at FHL.
 * [Mason] Rowland, Kate Mason. The Life of George Mason, 1725-1792: Including His Speeches, Public Papers, and Correspondence; with an Introduction by General Fitzhugh Lee. 2 vols. New York, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1892. Available at FHL.
 * [Mason] Soule, Mary Lou. Early Mason Families in Virginia, Kentucky, and Illinois. 1999. Available at FHL.
 * [Porter] Murphy, Carl L. Genealogical Research &amp; Findings Relative to the Porter Family - Saline County, Illinois. [Houston, Texas]: C.L. Murphy, 1993. Available at FHL.
 * [Reid] West, Donal S. and Lola Edwards Lindsey. The Descendants of Joseph Reid (1702-1749) and Elizabeth [Hampton], Absolom Reid (1727-) and Sarah Simpson (1735-), Joab Reid (1762-1855) and Nancy West (1764-1805) of Fairfax Co., VA &amp; Adams and Brown Co., OH. 6 vols. [Fort Wayne, Indiana: D.S. West], 1997. Available at FHL.
 * [Rousseau] Rousseau, Marilyn K. "The Colonial Virginia Ancestry of a Pioneer Florida Family: William H. Rousseau (1818-1870), Florida House of Representatives 1852, Florida State Senate 1865," The American Genealogist, Vol. 79, No. 3 (Jul. 2004):184-198.
 * [Sadd] Coles, Edwin Wagner. William Sadd (1710-1770) of England, His Son William Said (1747-1807) of Fairfax County, Virginia and His Descendants. n.p.: E.W. Coles, 1999. Available at FHL.
 * [Sanford] Neal, Rosemary Corley. Southern Sojourners: Corley - Sanford and Allied Lines: Byars, Hanes, Horner, Bowne, Feake, Fones, Winthrop, Leonard, Richards, Bird, Coleman, Crow. [Virginia?]: R.C. Neal, 1991. Available at FHL.
 * [Simpson] Simpson, Gustavus Sailer. One Simpson Line of Fairfax County Virginia. Worthington, Ohio: G.S. Simpson, 1996. Available at FHL.
 * [Simpson] Neibling, Robert C. Solving Ihe identities of Gilbert Simpson (1699 - 1773) of Charles County, Maryland &amp; Fairfax County, Virginia &amp; His Son John Simpson (1739 - 1801) of Fairfax County Virginia &amp; Loudoun County, Virginia. Gulf Shores, Alabama: R.C. Neibling, 2000. Available at FHL.
 * [Simpson] Neibling, Robert C. Profiles of the Three Gilbert Simpsons: of Eighteenth Century Fairfax County, Virginia. Gulf Shores, Alabama: R.C. Neibling, 2001. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives. [2 copies at FHL.]
 * [Thomas] Gilbert, Betty J. Robert Thomas (d.1768), Fairfax Co., Va. and His Descendants. Topeka, Kansas: B.J. Gilbert, 1981. Available at FHL. [FHL title incorrectly states Thomas died in 1868.]
 * [Thomas] Gilbert, Betty J. Robert Thomas, d. 1768 Fairfax Co. Va.: and His Ancestors. Decorah, Iowa: Anundsen, 2002. Available at FHL.
 * [Thrift] Thrift, Luther. The Thrifts of Okefinokee. Waycross, Georgia: L. Thrift, 1989. Available at FHL.
 * [Triplett] Russell, Thomas Triplett. The Family of Francis Triplett of Fairfax County, Virginia. MSS., Clayton Library, Houston, Texas, available at FHL.
 * [Vanlandingham] Vanlandingham, J. Leon. Vanlandingham/Vallandigham/Vallandingham Genealogy: Michael and Anne Dawson Vallandigham of Fairfax County, Virginia and Their Descendants. Norman, Oklahoma: J.L. Vanlandingham, 2006. Available at FHL.
 * [Wells] Wells, John B. Ives Family Records, [ca. 1712-1990]. MSS., 1990, available on microfilm at FHL.
 * [West] Barnhill, Celeste Jane Terrell. Joseph West and Jane Owen. Greenfield, Ind.: Wm. Mitchell Printing, n.d. Available at FHL.
 * [West] Robbins, Kathleen W. West Family History Records: Presented to the Scott County Historical Society on May 31, 1985. [Oneida, Tennessee]: K.W. Robbins, 1985. Available at FHL.

Historic Residences

 * Moxham, Robert Morgan. Belmont Plantation on the Occoquan, Fairfax County, Virginia. North Springfield, Virginia: Colonial Press, 1975. Available at FHL.

Immigration

 * Cantwell, John A. "Imported Indentured White Servitude in Fairfax and Prince William Counties, 1750-1800," unpub. M.A. Thesis, George Mason University, 1986. [Cantwell identifies many of the servants he found by name. These individuals have been index by the Immigrant Servants Database (see below).]
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes will of a resident of Fairfax County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * [http://www.immigrantservants.com/search/advancedResults.php?surname=&givenName=&varientSurnameSpellings=&gender=&dateOfBirthDay=&dateOfBirthMonth=&dateOfBirthQuantifier=&dateOfBirthYear=&placeOfBirthParish=&placeOfBirthTown=&placeOfBirthCity=&placeOfBirthCounty=&placeOfBirthColony=&placeOfBirthNation=&occupations=&religions=&orphan=&familyPosition=&immigrationYearQualifier=&immigrationYear=&portOfDepartureTown=&portOfDepartureCity=&portOfDepartureCounty=&portOfDepartureNation=&placeOfArrivalTown=&placeOfArrivalCounty=&placeOfArrivalColony=&shipName=&convict=&yearOfIndentureQualifier=&yearOfIndenture=&lengthOfIndentureYears=&lengthOfIndentureMonths=&yearOfFreedomQualifier=&yearOfFreedom=&placeOfIndentureTown=&placeOfIndentureCity=&placeOfIndentureCounty=Fairfax&placeOfIndentureColony=Virginia&agentSurname=&agentGivenName=&agentTitle=&masterSurname=&masterGivenName=&masterTitle=&residenceParish=&residenceTown=&residenceCity=&residenceCounty=&residenceColony=&residenceNation=&landowner=&literate=&spouseSurname=&spouseGivenName=&spouseMarriageDateDay=&spouseMarriageDateMonth=&spouseMarriageDateQualifier=&spouseMarriageDateYear=&spouseMarriageLocationParish=&spouseMarriageLocationCounty=&spouseMarriageLocationColony=&spouseMarriageLocationNation=&deathDateDay=&deathDateMonth=&deathDateQualifier=&deathDateYear=&deathLocality=&deathCounty=&deathColony=&deathState=&testate=&proofServantStatus=&proofConvictStatus=&headright=&preServitudeSources=&postServitudeSources=&comments=&family=&sourceCitations=&interestedResearchers= List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe] who served labor terms in Colonial Fairfax County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.

Land
Grants and Patents


 * Davey. 253 patents dated 1651-1911 in what is now Fairfax, Fauquier, Northumberland, Prince William, Stafford, and Westmoreland Counties, 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, which is "Nova" in this instance); 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 Fairfax County.]

Land Causes


 * Sparacio, Ruth Trickey, Sam Sparacio, and Dumfries, Va. District Court. Abstracts of Land Causes, Prince William County, Virginia. [1789-1793] 2 vols. McLean, Va.: Antient Press, 1992. Available at FHL. [Includes Fairfax County.]
 * Wilson, Donald L. "Prince William County Land Causes," [1789-1793] The Newsletter of the Prince William County Genealogical Society, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Aug. 1984):5-7; Vol. 3, No. 7 (Jan. 1985):3-6; Vol. 3, No. 10 (Apr. 1985):6-7; Vol. 3, No. 12 (Jun. 1985):6-7; Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jul. 1985):4-6; Vol. 4, No. 2 (Aug. 1985):3-4; Vol. 4, No. 3 (Sep. 1985):5-7; Vol. 4, No. 7 (Jan. 1986):4-6; Vol. 4, No. 9 (Mar. 1986):3-4; Vol. 4, No. 10 (Apr. 1986):5-7; Vol. 4, No. 12 (Jun. 1986):5-7; Vol. 5, No. 1 (Jul. 1986):5-7; Vol. 5, No. 3 (Sep. 1986):6-9; Vol. 5, No. 6 (Dec. 1986):5-6; Vol. 5, No. 10 (Apr. 1987):5-7. Available at FHL.

Local Histories

 * Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Industrial and Historical Sketch of Fairfax County, Virginia. Newell Printing Co., 1907. Digital version at Google Books (full-view).
 * Sweig, Donald M. "The Virginia Nonimportation Association Broadside of 1770 and Fairfax County: A Study in Local Participation," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 87, No. 3 (Jul. 1979):316-325. Available at JSTOR ($).

Maps

 * Mitchell, Beth and Donald M. Sweig. An Interpretive Historical Map of Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1760: Showing Landowners, Tenants, Slave Owners, Churches, Roads, Ordinaries, Ferries, Mills, Tobacco Inspection Warehouses and the Towns of Alexander and Colchester. Virginia: Office of Comprehensive Planning, County of Fairfax, 1987. Available at FHL.

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):167-171. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Fairfax County's 1787-1790 Delinquent Lists appear on pp. 170-171.]

Military
French and Indian War


 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Fairfax Parish and Fairfax 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 FHL; 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 Fairfax County, see p. 76-79.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Fairfax County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.]
 * Mayo, Sandra. "Fairfax and Prince William Counties in the French and Indian War," Northern Virginia Heritage, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Feb. 1987). Digital version at Historic Prince William.

Revolutionary War


 * Pierce, Alycon Trubey. "Wringing Northern Virginians Out of Final Pension Payment Vouchers, 1818-1864," Northern Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Apr. 1997):73-77. Available at FHL. [Identifies married daughters and granddaughters of Revolutionary War Pensioners, and other persons mentioned in these records. Pierce abstracted entries for residents of Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William counties.]

Civil War


 * 1890 Veterans Census Northern Virginia is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.
 * Civil War Era Burials - Alexandria National Cemetery is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.
 * Harrison, Noel G. "Atop an Anvil: The Civilians' War in Fairfax and Alexandria Counties, April 1861-April 1862," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 106, No. 2 (Spring, 1998), pp. 133-164. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * Johnson, William Page. Brothers and Cousins: Confederate Soldiers and Sailors of Fairfax County, Virginia. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1995. Available at FHL.
 * Notes on Locating a Confederate Ancestor is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.
 * Oath of Allegiance in Virginia, 1862-1865 is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.
 * Volunteers for Freedom: Black Civil War Soldiers in Alexandria National Cemetery is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.

World War I


 * World War I Draft Registrations for Northern Virginia is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.

Naturalization

 * Index to Naturalization Petitions, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria, 1909-1929 is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.

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.


 * Lane, Estelle. "News of Interest to Colored Readers," Alexandria Gazette. 1927-1928 is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.
 * Obituary Notices from the Alexandria Gazette, 1784-1915. Rev. ed. Willow Bend Books.
 * Obituary Index to the Alexandria Gazette, 1916-1946 is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.

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 sections on Alexandria and Fairfax silversmiths.]

Petitions

 * 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 "Petition from Fairfax County, Virginia, for Importation of Salt, November 23, 1775," see pp. 172-173.]

Private Papers

 * [Huntt] "Huntt Family Bible: Fairfax County, Virginia," The Newsletter of the Prince William County Genealogical Society, Vol. 3, No. 12 (Jun. 1985):3-5. Available at FHL.

Probate
Local Court

King's abstracts are a good place to start:


 * King, Junie Estelle Stewart. Abstracts of Wills and Inventories, Fairfax County, Virginia 1742-1801. 1936; reprint, Baltimore, MD, USA: Clearfield, 1996. Original edition and 1959 reprint available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Some individual's wills have appeared in print or in manuscript collections:


 * Holbrook, E. Richardson. Copies of the Wills of General George Washington: The First President of the United States and of Martha Washington, His Wife, and Other Interesting Records of the County of Fairfax, Virginia Wherein They Lived and Died. Washington, D. C.: National Capital Press, 1904. Available at FHL. [2 copies at FHL.]
 * Roberts, Mrs. Arthur John and Daughters of the American Revolution. Oklahoma Old Wills and Family Records. [Includes will of Charles Thrift, Sr., Fairfax Co., Va.] Available at FHL.
 * Will of John Littleton of Fairfax Co., Va. 1745, Photocopy, available at FHL.

London Courts


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes will of a resident of Fairfax County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Research Guides

 * Grundset, Eric G. "Fairfax County Genealogy," The Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 10, No. 3 (May-Jun. 1984):1-2. Available at FHL; digital version at Virginia Genealogical Society website.

School

 * "The Senior Class:" Index to Yearbooks from Alexandria (VA) High Schools, 1919-1951 is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.

Taxation
At first glance, researchers might conclude that Virginia tax lists contain very little family history data, though one soon learns that valuable genealogical conclusions can be drawn from these records, nicknamed "annual censuses," such as: relationships, approximate years of birth, socio-economic status, identification of neighbors, the ability to distinguish between persons of the same name, evidence of land inheritance, years of migration, and years of death.

Virginia began enumerating residents' payments of personal property and land taxes in 1782. These two types of taxation were recorded in separate registers. Personal property tax lists include more names than land tax lists, because they caught more of the population. The Family History Library has an excellent microfilm collection of personal property tax lists from 1782 (or the year the county was organized) well into the late nineteenth century for most counties, but only scattered land tax lists. Microfilm collections at The Library of Virginia include land tax lists for all counties and independent cities for the years 1782 through 1978, as well as personal property tax lists for the years 1782 through 1930 (and every fifth year thereafter). Taxes were not collected in 1808.

Some tax records are available online or in print, though published abstracts often omit useful details found only in the original sources. Statewide indexes can help genealogists identify specific counties where surnames occurred in the past, providing starting points for research.


 * [1744] 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. [Poll List for the Election of Burgesses for Fairfax County, 1744, see pp. 116-125.]
 * [1748/1749] Steadman, Melvin Lee. Falls Church by Fence and Fireside. Falls Church, Virginia: Falls Church Public Library, 1964. Available at FHL. [1748/1749 tithables list for Fairfax County.]
 * [1749] Hiatt, Marty and Craig Roberts Scott. Loudoun County, Virginia, Tithables, 1758-1786. 3 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1995. Available at FHL. [Volume 1 includes a 1749 tithables list for Fairfax County which identifies tithe payers and many of their religions.] Digital version of 1749 tithe list available online, courtesy: Fairfax County Chapter NSDAR.
 * [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. Fairfax County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1787-1790] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):167-171. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Fairfax County's 1787-1790 Delinquent Lists appear on pp. 170-171.]
 * [1789, 1799] Indexed images of the 1789 and 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Fairfax 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. [This source is based on the 1815 land tax. Fairfax County is included in Vol. 4.]

Vital Records
Marriage


 * Hiatt, Marty and Craig Roberts Scott. Implied Marriages of Fairfax County, Virginia. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1994. Available at FHL.

Societies and Libraries

 * Lloyd House, Alexandria, Virginia
 * Public Library, Alexandria, Virginia
 * The Virginia Room, The City of Fairfax Regional Library, Fairfax, Virginia

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