Lunenburg County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Lunenburg County, Virginia Courthouse
Lunenburg County Courthouse 11435 Courthouse Road Lunenburg, VA 23952 Phone: 804-696-2230

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate and land records from 1746

Lunenburg County, Virginia History


The county was named after the Duchy of Brunswick-Lunenburg, which is located in modern-day Germany.

Parent County
1745--Lunenburg County was created 6 May 1745 from Brunswick County. County seat: Lunenburg

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Variant Spellings

 * Lunenburgh

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


 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

African American
Freedmen's Bureau

Heinegg, Paul. "Lunenburg County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1807," ''Free African Americans.com. ''[Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

Census
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.]

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Cedar Creek (1779)
 * 2) Flatrock (1805)
 * 3) Meherrin (1771) . 1771 list of original members has been published. Marriages 1771-1773 have been published: Southsider, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Winter 1983). A history was published in Virginia Baptist Register, Issue 15 (1976) and a 1774 note in the same publication, Issue 10 (1971).
 * 4) Reedy Creek (1775)
 * 5) Tussekiah (1777)

Lunenburg County fell within the bounds of the Meherrin Association.

Church of England
See also Cornwall Parish See also Cumberland Parish  See also St. James's Parish

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

Christian

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. "Deaths from the Records of Perseverance Christian Church in Lunenburg County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 24, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1980):301-302. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

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

Land and Property
Grants and Patents


 * Hudgins. 618 patents dated 1728-1796 in what is now Lunenburg County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2002. [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.]

Local Histories

 * Bell, Landon Covington. The Old Free State: A Contribution to the History of Lunenburg County and Southside Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: W. Byrd Press, 1927. Two volumes available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($) Volume 1 and Volume 2.

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1976):199-208; Vol. 22, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1978):43-50. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Lunenburg County's 1789 Delinquent List appears on 20:202-204; 1787 Delinquent List appears on 22:46.]
 * Elliott, Katherine B. Emigration to Other States from Southside Virginia. 2 vols. South Hill, Virginia: K.B. Elliott, 1966. Vol. 1 of original edition available at ; 1983 reprints (both volumes) available at ; 1990-1992 reprints (both volumes) also available at . [Includes individuals who migrated out of Lunenburg County to other parts of the country.]

Bell published records of Lunenburg County residents who migrated to South Carolina:


 * Bell, Mary McCampbell. "Some Migrations from Virginia to South Carolina," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Summer 1981):143-144; Vol. 10, No. 2 (Spring 1982):70-77; Vol. 11, No. 2 (Spring 1983):97-102; Vol. 12, No. 1 (Winter 1984):19-21.

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Lunenburg 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 Lunenburg County, see pp. 89-95, 112.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Lunenburg County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.]

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


 * - 6th Virginia Regiment
 * - 14th Virginia Regiment (3rd Company)

Additional resources:

Lunenburg residents' participation in the 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 versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Lunenburg County on page 131.]
 * 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; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812
Lunenburg County men served in the 73rd Regiment.


 * 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 Lunenburg County.]
 * War of 1812 the 6th Virginia Militia was Lunenburg County, Virginia
 * 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, Lunenburgh County [sic], p. 89. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

 * - 9th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company G (Lunenburg Light Dragoons).
 * - 20th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B (The Pryor Rifle Company) and Company C (The Flat Rock Riflemen or Loch Leven Rangers).
 * - 59th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company H2 (Lunenburg Heavy Artillery).

Records and histories are available, including:


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

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization

 * Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929

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.

Private Papers

 * Virginia,

Probate Records

 * Elliott, Katherine B. Early Wills, 1746-1765, Lunenburg County, Virginia. South Hill, Virginia: K.B. Elliott, 1967. Available at . Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 11, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1967):137. Review available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * Digital Images of Lunenburg County Wills 1810-1818; 1818-1826. See names of Testators. Virginia Pioneers

'Online Probate Links
 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
 * 1810-1818;1818-1826 Images of Wills at Virginia Pioneers ($).

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Lunenburg County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1972):219-221. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1748-1783] Bell, Landon C. Sunlight on the Southside: Lists of Tithes, Lunenburg County, Virginia, 1748-1783. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: George S. Ferguson, 1931. Available at ; digital version available under "Tax Lists" at Lunenburg County, VA USGenWeb Archives census genealogy.
 * [1749] Morton, W.S. "Lunenburg County Tithable List Taken by William Caldwell in 1749," William and Mary College Quarterly, 2nd Series, Vol. 11 (1931):55-58. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [1782, 1785] T.L.C. Genealogy. Lunenburg County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists 1782 & 1785. Miami Beach, Florida: TLC Genealogy, 1992. Available at.
 * [1782] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Online at FamilySearch - free; . [1782 personal property tax list of Lunenburg County.]
 * [1782-1807] Heinegg, Paul. "Lunenburg County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1807," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1783-1784] Lunenburg County 1783-1784 Tax List. Purchase at Binns GenealogyFclay.
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &  Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Lunenburg County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1787, 1789] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1976):199-208; Vol. 22, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1978):43-50. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Lunenburg County's 1789 Delinquent List appears on 20:202-204; 1787 Delinquent List appears on 22:46.]
 * [1789] Indexed images of the 1789 Personal Property Tax List of Lunenburg County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1800] Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 38, No. 3 (Jul. 1994); Vol. 38, No. 4 (Oct. 1994); Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jan. 1995). Available at.
 * [1803] Images of the 1803 Personal Property Tax List of Lunenburg 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 . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Lunenburg County is included in Vol. 2.]

Birth

 * 1853-1868 - Lunenburg County Birth Index 1853-1889. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1746-1929 - Lunenburg County Marriage Index 1746-1929. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1746-1853 - Matheny, Emma R. and Helen K. Yates. Marriages of Lunenburg County, Virginia, 1746-1853. 1967; reprint, Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1760s-1790s - Crozier, William Armstrong. Early Virginia Marriages. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1953. Digital version at - free. Includes Lunenburg County marriages 1760s-1790s.
 * 1763-1821 - Ellsberry, Elizabeth Prather. Marriage Bonds for Lunenburg County, Virginia 1763-1821. Chillicothe, MO, USA: Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry, 1965. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1819-1825 - Marriages (in Will Book 1818-26) Virginia Pioneers ($).
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Bell, Landon Covington. The Old Free State: A Contribution to the History of Lunenburg County and Southside Virginia. 2 vols. Richmond, Va.: W. Byrd Press, 1927. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($); digital version of marriage abstracts from this publication (pp. 385-431) at USGenWeb.

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1853-1870 - Lunenburg County Death Index 1853-1870. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Lunenburg County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

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