Nelson County, Virginia Genealogy

United States &gt; Virginia &gt; Nelson County





History


The county is named after [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Nelson,_Jr. Virginia Governor Thomas Nelson] (1738-1789), a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Parent County
1807--Nelson County was created 25 December 1807 from Amherst County. County seat: Lovingston

Record Loss

 * Lost census: 1890

Neighboring Counties
Albemarle | Amherst | Appomattox | Augusta | Buckingham | Rockbridge

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.]

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General


 * Nelson County Heritage Book Committee. Nelson County, Virginia Heritage, 1807-2000. Summersville, W. Va.: S.E. Grose and the Nelson Book Committee, 2001. 975.5493 H2n

Bibliography


 * [Dawson] Sherrard, Joseph H. The Loving, Dawson, Gleason Families of Nelson County, Virginia. Fair Oaks, Calif.: J.H. Sherrard IV, 1985. 929.273 L948sj
 * [Dunning] Dunning, Harold M. Genealogy of the Dunnings, Descendants of William Dunning of Nelson County, Virginia. Typescript, 1961. 6017638
 * [Gleason] Sherrard, Joseph H. The Loving, Dawson, Gleason Families of Nelson County, Virginia. Fair Oaks, Calif.: J.H. Sherrard IV, 1985. 929.273 L948sj
 * [Hight] Creasy, Mary Hight and Aldwin Hight. History of the John Hight Family of Nelson County, Virginia Notes on the Related Families of George Washington Stratton, James Loving, John Preston Campbell, Thomas Jones. Lynchburg, Va.: M.H. Creasy, 1979. 929.273 H538c
 * [Lea] Lea, Reba Fitzpatrick. The Lea Family in Nelson county, Virginia - Their History and Genealogy. Lynchburg, Va.: Brown-Morrison, 1946. 929.273 L461L
 * [Loving] Sherrard, Joseph H. The Loving, Dawson, Gleason Families of Nelson County, Virginia. Fair Oaks, Calif.: J.H. Sherrard IV, 1985. 929.273 L948sj
 * [Moore] Moore, Charles R. The Moore Family of Central Virginia Covering the Counties of Albeharle, Amherst, Bedford, Buckingham, Campbell, Fluvanna, Louisa, Nelson, and Orange, Virginia. Charlottesville, Va.: C.R. Moore, 1985. 929.273 A1 no. 6921
 * [Morrison] Mosher, Merrill Hill. Morrison of Albemarle, Amherst &amp; Nelson Counties, Virginia. Coos Bay, Oregon: M.H. Mosher, 1982. 929.273 M834mmh
 * [Porter] Solla, Linda Weihl. Porter Profiles: The John Porter Family from Nelson County, Virginia. n.p.: L.W. Solla, [1996]. 929.273 P834s; digital version at Family History Archives.
 * [Rose] Rose, Christine. Abstracts of Early Virginia Rose Estates: Wills, Inventories, Accounts and Administrator's Bonds before 1850. San Jose, Calif.: Rose Family Bulletin, 1972. FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 A1 no. 56; digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * [Townsend] Miles, Frances Townsend. Some Descendants of Nathaniel C. Townsend and Sarah H. Austin of Nelson County, Virginia. Bartlesville, Okla.: F.T. Miles, 1976. 929.273 T665a
 * [Wright] Grant, Robert N. Wright Family Land Tax Records 1809-1850 Nelson County Virginia. Westminster, Md.: Heritage Books, 2009. 929.273 W93gnL
 * [Wright] Grant, Robert N. Wright Family Personal Property Tax Lists 1809-1850 Nelson County Virginia. Westminster, Md.: Heritage Books, 2009. 929.273 W93gnp

Land
Grants and Patents


 * Bannister. 935 patents dated 1730-1861 in what is now Nelson County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2004. [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.]
 * 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.]

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, Nelson County on page 132.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812

 * 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 Nelson 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.: Government Printing Office, 1883. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Nelson County, pp. 91-92. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

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 a section on Lovington silversmiths.]

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Nelson County is included in Vol. 1.]

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog