Mathews County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Mathews County is located in the Eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for Brigadier General Thomas Mathews, then speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.

County Courthouse
Mathews County Courthouse 10622 Buckley Hall Road PO Box 463 Mathews, VA 23109 Phone: 804-725-2242 Mathews County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1865

Populated Places


For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:



History Timeline
The county is named after Thomas Mathews (1742–1812), an American Revolutionary War general and Virginia politician, who represented Norfolk Borough in the Virginia House of Delegates, and served as that body's Speaker from 1782 until 1793. Mathews County, located on the eastern tip of Virginia’s Middle Peninsula on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, has a rich history going back to the early 17th century. A shipbuilding center during the American Revolution and the War of 1812, Mathews served as an official port of entry from 1802 to 1844. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mathews was an important stop on the maritime highway. Initially known as Kingston Parish, one of the four parishes of Gloucester County, the citizens on November 11, 1790 petitioned the House of Delegates requesting Gloucester County to be divided. The General Assembly endorsed the recommendation and made the separation effective on May 1, 1791. They named Mathews County after then Speaker of the House of Delegates Thomas Mathews of Norfolk, Virginia, one of the sponsors of the legislation that led to the new county’s formation. The Mathews County seal was adopted on February 11, 1793 and represents the shipbuilding industry, which was of major importance to the economy of Mathews.

Bible Records

 * 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Bible Record Collections at Mathews Memorial Library - digital images for family Bible collections in Mathews
 * Bible Record Collections at Library of Virginia - Family Bible records available online or in manuscript form

Biographies

 * Biographical Sketches of S. Bassett French. Samuel Bassett French (1820–1898), attorney, judge, Confederate officer, and editor, was a Norfolk native and later resident of Chesterfield County and Richmond. Between 1890 and 1897, in preparation for an intended biographical dictionary to be titled Annals of Prominent Virginians of the XIXth Century, French compiled biographical information for nearly 9,000 men, often obtaining information directly from the subject or from members of the immediate family. This collection consists of more than 14,000 digital images of French's handwritten notes.
 * Emma Lee Smith White (1884-1983) was an American teacher, insurance agent, newspaper reporter and politician who served in the Virginia House of Delegates for two terms, from 1930 until 1934, representing Gloucester and Mathews Counties.
 * John Warren Cooke (1915–2009), a native of Mathews County, Virginia, served in the Virginia House of Delegates 1942–1980 and was its Speaker from 1968 until his retirement.
 * Lyman Beecher Brooks (27 May 1910–20 April 1984), president of Norfolk State College (later Norfolk State University), was born at Blakes in Mathews County, the son of John Robert Brooks, a farmer and waterman who supplemented his family's income by giving music lessons, and his second wife, Mary Anna Burrell Brooks, a schoolteacher. His mother named him for Lyman Beecher Tefft, president of Hartshorn Memorial College (later Virginia Union University), her alma mater.
 * Sally Louisa Tompkins (1833-1916), a native of Mathews County, Virginia, was the first woman to be named a commissioned officer in the Confederate States Army. Her military rank allowed the Robertson Hospital to receive rations and medical supplies from the CSA’s Quartermaster Office.

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Tyler, Lyon G. "Old Tombstones in Mathews County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Apr. 1895):255-256. Digital version at JSTOR - free
 * Tombstones of Mathews County, Virginia 1711-1986. Compilers: Christine L. Sheridan and Elsie W. Ernst. Mathews County Historical Society, Inc., 1988;

Census Records

 * 1784 - First Census of the United States Heads of Families. Kingston Parish. 1790-1940 - United States Census Online Genealogy Records. There are several providers of census records both subscription and free of charge. Content varies, becoming more detailed over the years. The 1890 census was destroyed by fire. Search results can vary by site, due to variations in search engines and differences in interpretation of handwriting in censuses. 1890 Union Veterans

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 Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Kingston Parish


 * Matheny, Emma R. and Helen K. Yates. Kingston Parish Register, Gloucester and Mathews Counties, Virginia, 1749-1827. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1979. Original is available at FHLand digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * The Vestry Book of Kingston Parish, Mathews County, Virginia (until May 1, 1791, Gloucester County), 1679-1796. Transcribed, annotated, and indexed by C.G. Chamberlayne. Originally published Richmond, Virginia, 1929. Available at FamilySearch Digital Library; FHL; digital versions at Ancestry ($).
 * Brown, Robert L. Old Kingston Parish 1652-1976. Creative Arts Advertising, 1976. Available at the Mathews County Visitor and Information Center.
 * McCartney, Martha W. Kingston Parish Register: Mathews, Gloucester and Middlesex Counties, Virginia Slaves and Slaveholders, 1746-1827. Genealogical Publishing, 2014.

Church of England Kingston Parish
 * Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of Kingston Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr. 1940):261-264. FHL Book 973 H25w; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * Meade, William. Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia. Originally published Philadelphia, 1857. Volume 1, Volume 2

Methodist
 * Butts, Daniel Gregory Claiborne. From Saddle to City by Buggy, Boat and Railway. Published 1922. D.G.C. Butts personal recollections of fifty years service in the Virginia Conference Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Rev. Butts was appointed to the Mathews County Circuit in 1890 and served a four year term.
 * Salem Methodist Episcopal Church records, 1868-1913, Mathews County, Virginia.

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index can be used to search Mathews County chancery records for the years 1842-1904, but this is an incomplete index. The majority of chancery records remain at the Mathews County Circuit Court Clerk's office.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * Mathews 1833 Free Negroes and Mulattoes (see # 25 on page 2). On 4 March 1833, an Act of General Assembly was passed "making appropriations for the removal of free persons of color" to the western coast of Africa and established a board of commissioners charged with carrying out the provisions of the act. Localities were required to report to the board regarding their ability to find free blacks who were willing to relocate to Liberia, though many were unable to find willing to or able to do so. For those localities that identified free blacks, the reports included names, ages, and sometimes height.
 * 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Mathews County Personal Property Tax List, 1791-1815," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Gwynn's Island Project. Website dedicated to African Americans whose ancestral home place is Gwynn's Island in Mathews County, Virginia.
 * Dixon, John W. The Black Americans of Gwynn's Island 1600s through 1900s. Mathews Memorial Library CREF 909.04 DIX.
 * Johnson, Martha C. Black Families of Elizabeth City Co., VA, 1800-1990: Research of Families of Callis, Davis, Simpson, Radcliff, Originating from Gloucester Co., Mathews Co., York and James Counties and Elizabeth Co., Hampton, Virginia. 1728886 Item 2.
 * Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative. The Library of Virginia’s African American Narrative project aims to provide greater accessibility to pre-1865 African American history and genealogy found in the rich primary sources in its holdings.
 * Free African Americans of North Carolina and Virginia has Paul Heinegg's Free African Americans of North Carolina and Virginia is a collection of genealogies about African American families living in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
 * The Geography of Slavery in Virginia - 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 the Virginia Gazette and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803); historical archive of Virginia newspapers, providing free access to full text searching and digitized images of over a million newspaper pages.


 * Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project (FWP) of the Works Progress Administration, later renamed Work Projects Administration (WPA).
 * List of Colored Voters in the First District, County of Mathews (see # 14), Registered without challenge. Election records consist of lists of voters by county, magisterial district, and sometimes precinct, who participated in elections. Names are recorded alphabetically by first letter of the surname (though last names are not generally listed alphabetically within each letter). Elections held October 22, 1867, occurred while Virginia was under military rule and were the first elections in which African Americans were allowed to vote.
 * List of Colored Voters in the Second District, County of Mathews (see # 15), Registered without challenge. Election records consist of lists of voters by county, magisterial district, and sometimes precinct, who participated in elections. Names are recorded alphabetically by first letter of the surname (though last names are not generally listed alphabetically within each letter). Elections held October 22, 1867, occurred while Virginia was under military rule and were the first elections in which African Americans were allowed to vote.
 * List of Colored Voters in the Third District, County of Mathews (see # 16), Registered without challenge. Election records consist of lists of voters by county, magisterial district, and sometimes precinct, who participated in elections. Names are recorded alphabetically by first letter of the surname (though last names are not generally listed alphabetically within each letter). Elections held October 22, 1867, occurred while Virginia was under military rule and were the first elections in which African Americans were allowed to vote.
 * The Geography of Slavery in Virginia - 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 the Virginia Gazette and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803); historical archive of Virginia newspapers, providing free access to full text searching and digitized images of over a million newspaper pages.

Funeral Homes

 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Foster-Faulkner Funeral Home
 * Knight Funeral Home Inc. · 656 Holly Point Rd. · Mathews, Virginia · (804) 725-3631

Genealogies
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
 * See Mathews County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for over 150 published books and articles.

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families
 * Yurechko, John Otto. Virginians Along and Near the Lower Rapphahannock River, 1607-1799. 2 vols. Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1997-1998. . Contents: v. 1. Blake, Brooks (Brook), Churchill, Cook (Cock), Daniel, Dixon, Gore, Kidd, Lewis, Martin, Montague, Taylor and Wood -- v. 2. Brown, Clark, Elliott, Fox (Fowkes, Vaulx), Harrison, McTyre, Moore, Pate, Rawlins (Rollins), Rhodes, Sanders (Saunders) and Williams.
 * Genealogies of Virginia Families From Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, with an introduction by John Frederick Dorman; indexed by Judith McGhan. Vol. I Albridgton - Gerlache, Vol. II Gildart - Pettus, Vol. III Pinkethman - Tyler, and Vol. IV Walker - Yeardley (and Appendix). 1981. Baltimore, Md. : Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.
 * Genealogies of Virginia Families From The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, with an introduction by John Frederick Dorman (Vol. I); indexed by Thomas L. Hollowak (Vol. I and V), Robert Barnes (Vol. II), John Winterbottom (Vol. III), and Toby Drews (Vol. IV). Vol. I Adams - Chiles, Vol. II Claiborne - Fitzhugh, Vol. III Fleet - Hayes, Vol. IV Healy - Pryor, and Vol. V Randolph - Zouch. 1981. Baltimore, Md. : Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.

Land and Property Records
Grants and Patents Land patents (pre-1779), land grants (after 1779) and surveys are available online at the Library of Virginia website. For step-by-step instructions on retrieving these records, read the Virginia Land and Property article.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1782, 1784, 1787-E, 1788-E, 1789-E, 1790-E Land tax assessments, Kingston Parish
 * 1791-1800 Mathews County Virginia Land and Personal Tax Lists abstracted by Dr. Stephen E. Bradley, Jr., 1992. Available at the Mathews County Visitor and Information Center.
 * 1801-1818 Land tax records, Mathews County, Virginia
 * 1817-1923 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1863-1904 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1666. By Nell Marion Nugent. 1963. Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
 * Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1800. By Nell Marion Nugent. 1934. Richmond, Virginia : Press of the Dietz Printing Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).

Local Histories

 * Mathews County Virginia: Lost Landscapes, Untold Stories by Martha W. McCartney; Dietz Press, 2015.
 * History and Progress Mathews County, Virginia, Mathews County Historical Society, 1982;
 * Mathews County Panorama, A Pictorial History of Mathews County, Virginia, 1791-1941, Mathews County Historical Society, 1983.
 * New Point Comfort Lighthouse: Its History and Preservation by Mary Louise Clifford; Dietz Press, 2013;
 * Gwynn's Island Virginia: A History and Pictorial Essay by David D. Ryan; Whittet & Shepperson, printers, 1986; ; Mathews Memorial Library CREF 975.531 RYA.
 * Gwynn's Island Virginia: Stories of a New World Settlement from the first families to the present by David D. Ryan; Dietz Press, 2000; ; Mathews Memorial Library CREF 975.531 RYA.

Historic Sites & Properties
 * Historic Homes and Properties of Mathews County, Virginia: Pre Civil War, Vol. 1 by MCHS (2009). First in a series of five highlighting ten pre-Civil War home in Mathews County, Virginia: Carobian (Sibley Farm), Fountain Green, Magnolia, Milford II (William Penn Hudgins House), Old Pine (John Warner Borum House), Palace Green (Francis Armistead House), R-R Retreat Acres (Archibald Taylor Hudgins House), Seth Foster House, Whitfield Landing (Jesse Hudgins House) and Williamsdale (Riverlawn);
 * Historic Homes and Properties of Mathews County, Virginia Pre-Civil War, Volume 2 by MCHS (2013). Second in a series of five highlighting ten pre-Civil War home in Mathews County, Virginia: Bellevue, Brunson’s Landing (Jesse Thomas House), Edwards Hall (Bohannon Place/Hurricane Hall II) Pleasant View (Tynant), Poplar Grove, Ransone House (Rebel Yell), Springdale, Sutherland (Shadecliff), Watcombe Manor and White Dog Bistro (Lane Hotel/Bailey Hudgins’ House/Bullfrogs & Butterflies/White Dog Inn);
 * Historic Homes and Properties of Mathews County, Virginia, Vol. 3 by MCHS (2018). Third in a series of five highlighting ten pre-Civil War home in Mathews County, Virginia: Alexander James House, Bayview (Batavia), Belmont, Eastover (Sandberg House/East End), Folly Farm, Miles-Gamble House, Milford (Billups House), Oakland, Tompkins Cottage and Willow Grove. Mathews Memorial Library
 * Historic Homes and Properties of Mathews County, Virginia, Vol. 4 by MCHS (2020). Fourth in a series of five highlighting ten pre-Civil War home in Mathews County, Virginia: Auburn, Augustine Diggs House (Pear Tree Hall), Augustine F. Hudgins House, Cedar Grove (Cedar Croft/Williams House), Gwynnville, Henry Sibley House, Hyco (Haiku House), Isleham, Lilly House and Seaford. Mathews Memorial Library
 * New Point Comfort Lighthouse, Its History and Preservation by Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candace Clifford (2013). ​A lone tower reinforced by riprap, surrounded by Chesapeake Bay waters and off the southern tip of Mathews County, Virginia, the lighthouse at New Point Comfort has weathered a constantly shifting shoreline as well as enemy troops in two wars. First lit in 1806 when it stood onshore beside a keeper's dwelling, the tower has survived intact. The book traces the station's history and present-day preservation efforts by the New Point Comfort Lighthouse Preservation Taskforce.
 * Poplar Grove and Tide Mill. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online. Frances Benjamin Johnston, photographer, date created 1935.
 * Auburn. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online. Frances Benjamin Johnston, photographer, date created 1935.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1917 Edition Mathews, Virginia Historical Topographic Map; surveyed 1916.
 * David Rumsey Historical Map Collection includes 18th and 19th century historical North and South American atlases, globes, school geographies, maritime charts, etc.
 * Library of Congress has a searchable collection of digitized maps in the public domain from North America, 1544-1996.
 * Alan M. Voorhees Map Collection. The Alan M. Voorhees Map Collection extends from the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle through the U.S. Civil War period with the bulk of the collection consisting of pre–20th century maps. Included are maps made by Schedel, Ptolemy, deBry, Mercator, and Smith among many others. In a variety of map formats, such as nautical charts and views, the collection focuses primarily on the Chesapeake Bay area and the development of Virginia within the larger geographical and historical contexts of Europe and America.


 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this couinty - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War War of 1812
 * Revolutionary War Records (1775-1783), Rosters, Pensions and Bounty Land Warrants. This list is for men from Kingston Parish/Mathews County who fought for the colonies in the American Revolutionary War.
 * 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 et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Mathews County on pages 131-132.]
 * Revolutionary War Bounty Land Claims. The collection consists of images of application files for military bounty land. Related bounty land certificate files are indexed, but not imaged. Following a 1779 legislative act, the state offered bounty lands for Revolutionary War military service. To qualify, a Virginia soldier or sailor had to serve at least three years continuously in the Continental or state forces. No bounty land was given by the state for militia service.
 * Revolutionary War Virginia State Pensions. Between 1777 and 1785, the Virginia General Assembly passed several laws authorizing pensions for disabled soldiers and for widows of soldiers who died while on active duty. This collection of 646 pension files provides digital images of the documents submitted for pension claims. The documents usually provide proof of service, records of payments, medical evaluations, and statements of disability from the local court. Details about military service and the applicant's family may also be included. Most of the claims are for Revolutionary War service, but there are a few claims for service in the French and Indian War (1754–1763) and Dunmore's War (1774).
 * 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, Matthews County [sic], p. 90. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Regiments. Mathews County men served in the 61st Regiment. Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 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)
 * The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System is a database containing information about the men who served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Other information on the site includes histories of Union and Confederate regiments, links to descriptions of significant battles, and selected lists of prisoner-of-war records and cemetery records, which will be amended over time. The CWSS is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and several public and private partners whose goal is to increase Americans' understanding of this decisive era in American history by making information about it widely accessible.
 * Confederate Disability Applications. This collection consists of certificates submitted by injured veterans to the Virginia Board of Commissioners on Artificial Limbs. Injured soldiers submitted certificates from their county court stating that they were Virginia citizens, that they had been disabled in the war, and what assistance they required. Veterans listed the command in which they served, included information on when, where, and how they were wounded, and provided details about their medical history. Entries also contain the year of the Virginia General Assembly act under which the application was filed and a link to the digitized images of the applications, including supporting affidavits and receipts for payments issued.
 * Confederate Pension Applications. This collection consists of pension applications and amended applications filed by resident Virginians who served in the Confederate military and their widows, as well as more than 500 enslaved and free Blacks who labored as cooks, herdsmen, laborers, servants, or teamsters. The applications contain statements pertaining to the service record of the applicants and may include medical evaluations, information about income and property, and, in the case of widows, the dates and places of marriages.

Regiments. Civil War service men in Mathews County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed here:
 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).
 * - 26th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D.

World War I
World War II
 * 1917-1918  at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * World War I Questionnaires transcribed, Mathews County, Virginia. On 7 January 1919, Governor Davis created the Virginia War History Commission whose goal was “to complete an accurate and complete history of Virginia’s military, economic and political participation in the World War.” The Commission conducted a survey of World War I veterans in Virginia through the use of a printed questionnaire. Local branches tried a variety of methods and techniques to get soldiers to complete the questionnaire with mixed results. Many soldiers refused to submit a completed questionnaire, fearing that doing so would subject them to future military service.
 * Profiles of Honor. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I and the 75th anniversary of its entry into World War II, the Library of Virginia and the Virginia World War I and World War II Commemoration Commission partnered to create Profiles of Honor, a statewide online collection of original photographs and manuscripts that remain in private hands and were previously unavailable. Highlights scanned at Profiles of Honor event at Mathews Memorial Library (Mathews, VA) on August 4-5, 2018.
 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Profiles of Honor. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I and the 75th anniversary of its entry into World War II, the Library of Virginia and the Virginia World War I and World War II Commemoration Commission partnered to create Profiles of Honor, a statewide online collection of original photographs and manuscripts that remain in private hands and were previously unavailable. Highlights scanned at Profiles of Honor event at Mathews Memorial Library (Mathews, VA) on August 4-5, 2018.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1906-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers

 * Virginia Chronicle: Digital Newspaper Archive. A historical archive of Virginia newspapers, providing free access to full text searching and digitized images of over a million newspaper pages.
 * Gloucester and Mathews Newspaper Articles 1770 to 1922, over 800 articles in print from 127 newspapers from 30 States. Compiled by Joan Charles. Hampton, Virginia. August 2008.
 * Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal The Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal is a weekly newspaper independently owned by Tidewater Newspapers Inc. A member of the Virginia Press Association, it covers the people and events of Gloucester and Mathews counties in Tidewater Virginia. The complete paper is published in print and online each Wednesday afternoon with a Thursday dateline.
 * Virginia Gazette. The Virginia Gazette was the official newspaper of Virginia, printed in Williamsburg from 1736 until 1780. When the capital of Virginia moved to Richmond in 1780, printers transferred their businesses to the new seat of government. Both Dixon & Nicolson and Clarkson & Davis resumed their papers in Richmond. The papers are digitized and are searchable by date or topic.
 * The Geography of Slavery in Virginia - 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 the Virginia Gazette and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803); historical archive of Virginia newspapers, providing free access to full text searching and digitized images of over a million newspaper pages.

Other Records
Misc. Records
 * 1705-1857 - Richard Billups Papers: Business, military and legal papers, chiefly 1774-1822, of Richard Billups of Mathews and Gloucester Counties, Virginia. Papers include accounts, land records, and correspondence and some concern shipbuilding. Includes minutes, 1842, of a temperance meeting and Methodist church records.

 Voting Records 
 * 1902-1970 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * Lustenberger, Anita A., Heirs and Estates: Mathews County, Virginia Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery Process Book 1831-1861. 2012. Mathews Memorial Library CREF 975.531 LUS
 * 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. [Includes Mathews County.]

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records How can Virginia tax lists help me?
 * 1774-1775 Billups, John R. Tithables, 1774-1775, of Kingston Parish, also Billups' Accounts, 1787-1842. MSS., Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia; also available at . [Kingston Parish was located in Gloucester County at the time, but later fell within the bounds of Mathews County.]
 * 1774-1791 Mason, Polly Cary. Records of Colonial Gloucester County Virginia. 2 vols. 1946-1948; reprint, Baltimore: Clearfield, 2003. and available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($). [Includes land patent abstracts, 1704/05 rent roll, Gloucester County tax lists 1770-1782, Mathews County tax lists 1774-1791, burgesses, council, and court, county officials, etc.]
 * 1791 1791 Mathews County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List; index online at New River Notes - free.
 * 1791-1820 Ward, Roger G. "Burned County Gleanings: Mathews County Land Tax Lists, 1791-1820," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 35, No. 4 (Fall 1997):317-323. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Abstracts of some taxpayers that include "genealogical tidbits," such as relationships, land transfers, etc.]
 * 1791-1815 Heinegg, Paul. "Mathews County Personal Property Tax List, 1791-1815," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * 1803 Indexed images of the 1803 Personal Property Tax List of Mathews County, Virginia are available online, courtesy:Binns Genealogy.
 * 1803 Indexed images of the 1803 Land Tax List of Mathews County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * 1809-1816, 1822-1831] Mathews County Personal Property Tax Lists 1809-1816, 1822-1831 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).

Birth

 * 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at at Findmypast — index, ($) — index $
 * 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1854-1858 - Mathews County, Virginia marriage records — transcriptions
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Book Indexes
 * Marriages in Mathews County, Virginia: 1861-1900 By Carolyn Winn Markie. Infinity Publishing, 2006;

Death

 * 1853-1896 Mathews County Virginia Death Register 1853-1896 Compiled by Jane B. Goodsell. Iberian Publishing Co., 2001.
 * 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection;  index & images
 * 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index & images

Family History Centers

 * Gloucester Virginia Family History Center
 * Newport News Virginia Family History Center
 * Williamsburg Virginia Family History Center


 * Mathews Memorial Library - an affiliate library
 * Williamsburg Regional Libraries - James City County Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

 * Tidewater Genealogical Society
 * Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical &amp; Historical SocietyWebsite
 * Mathews County Historical Society, Inc.
 * Mathews Memorial Library
 * Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical &amp; Historical Society

Museums

 * Gwynn's Island Museum originally established as a Community Project in 1991, the Gwynn’s Island Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of Gwynn’s Island and Mathews County, Virginia.
 * Mathews Historical Museum will have a permanent museum in Mathews County within five years, that will collect, preserve and exhibit cultural artifacts that represent the history of the county.
 * Mathews Maritime Foundation Museum & Boat Shop is owned and operated by the Mathews Maritime Foundation. Established in 1998, the Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Mathews County’s maritime and cultural heritage through research, conservation, documentation and education.
 * Thomas James Store, owned by the Mathews County Historical Society, is a rare and excellent example of an early nineteenth-century rural commercial building. Although it has undergone some alterations and was almost certainly moved from its original location, the store retains much of its original fabric and is remarkably well preserved for its age. It dates to c. 1820, and appears to be one of the oldest buildings in the downtown commercial district of Mathews County. It is a registered National Historic Building.
 * Tompkins Cottage Museum, which is headquarters for the Mathews County Historical Society, is named for Christopher Tompkins, a local sea captain, planter, local merchant and member of the state legislature. He bought the cottage property in 1837 and is the first known owner. Exhibits include a room dedicated to the history of Mathews County and serves as a gift shop, two rooms representing a home from the 1840s to the 1920s, and a room dedicated to Sally Louisa Tompkins who was the first woman commissioned in an American military unit. It is a registered National Historic Building.

Societies

 * Mathews County Historical Society, Inc.

Websites

 * Mathews Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.


 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

 * Davis, Virginia Lee Hutcheson. "Records of Tidewater Virginia Counties," Tidewater Virginia Families: A Magazine of History and Genealogy, Vol. 1, No. 2 (May-June 1992):53-66. 975.51 D25t [For Mathews County, see p. 61]