Shenandoah County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

Description
Shenandoah County is located in the Northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and shares a border with West Virginia. Shenandoah County was created on 15 May 1772 from Frederick County and was initially named Dunmore County.

Shenandoah County, Virginia Courthouse
Shenandoah County, Virginia 112 S Main Street P O Box 406 Woodstock, Virginia 22664 Phone: 540-459-3791

Formerly Dunmore County, whose records it has. Name changed to Shanando [Shenandoah] 1 February 1778. Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1772

Parent County
1772--Before 1 February 1778, Shanando [Shenandoah] County was called Dunmore County. Dunmore County was created 15 May 1772 from Frederick County. County seat: Woodstock

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.

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


 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

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:

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Shenandoah County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1978):210-213. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * Good, Rebecca H. and Rebecca A. Ebert. Finding Your People in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia: A Genealogical Guide. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1998. 4th ed.

African American

 * 1782-1818 "Shenandoah County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1818," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * 1865-1872.
 * 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Shenandoah County.

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 - at FamilySearch — index
 * Ellsberry, Elizabeth Prather, comp. Cemetery Records of Shenandoah County, Virginia. Vol. I. Chillicothe, MO, USA: Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry, c1965. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Census
1783 Enumeration


 * Shenandoah County Heads of Families - 1783 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 63.

1785 Enumeration


 * Shenandoah County Heads of Families - 1785 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 104.

1820 - Exists, but the National Archives microfilm copy of Shenandoah County, Virginia omits pages 150a and 150b. The missing names have been published in The Virginia Genealogist:


 * Petty, Gerald M. "Virginia 1820 Federal Census: Names Not on the Microfilm Copy," The Virginia Genealogist 18, no 2 (April-June 1974):136-139.


 * The list is also available online at the Shenandoah County GenWeb Project. See 1820 Census page 150, Shenandoah County, Virginia for digital copies of the missing Shenandoah County pages.

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) Lost River (1784)
 * 2) Smith's Creek (1774)
 * 3) South River (1783)
 * 4) Water Lick (1787)

Shenandoah County fell within the bounds of the Culpeper Association and the Ketocton Association.

Church of England
See also Beckford Parish.

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

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):


 * Smith's Creek Monthly Meeting (1736-1810) aka Broadway

Court
Chancery Court


 * Indexed images of Shenandoah County, Virginia Chancery Records 1772-1927 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Funeral Homes

 * 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete

Genealogy
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
 * See Shenandoah County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of 100+ published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families


 * Cartmell, T. K. Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia (Illustrated) from Its Formation in 1738 to 1908, Compiled Mainly from Original Records of Old Frederick County, Now Hampshire, Berkeley, Shenandoah, Jefferson, Hardy, Clarke, Warren, Morgan and Frederick. n.p.: n.p., c1909. Available at ; ; digital version at Ancestry ($), FamilySearch Digital Library, World Vital Records ($). [3 copies at FHL.]
 * O'Dell, Cecil. Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia. Marceline, Mo.: Walsworth Pub. Co., 1995. . One of the most impressively researched one-place studies in the United States. In a review, Dorman stated "Comprehensive studies such as this appear only rarerly. This volume should be in every Virginia genealogical collection."
 * Vann, Marvin J. Shenandoah County, Virginia, a Study of the 1860 Census with Supplemental Data. 4 vols. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1993-1998. 975.595 X2v v. 1
 * The Katherine Bushman Papers, 1961-1997 at the Library of Virginia include files about Shenandoah County families.

Land and Property
Grants and Patents


 * Crown. 84 patents dated 1749-1858 in what is now Shenandoah County, 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.]
 * Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1742-1775. Vol. II. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Shenandoah County (then called Dunmore County).]
 * Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1775-1800. Vol. III. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Shenandoah County.]

Local Histories

 * Cartmell, T. K. Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia (Illustrated) from Its Formation in 1738 to 1908, Compiled Mainly from Original Records of Old Frederick County, Now Hampshire, Berkeley, Shenandoah, Jefferson, Hardy, Clarke, Warren, Morgan and Frederick. n.p.: n.p., c1909. Available at ; ; digital version at Ancestry ($), FamilySearch Digital Library, World Vital Records ($). [3 copies at FHL.]
 * Wayland, John Walter. A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia. Strasburg, Va.: Shenandoah Pub. House, 1927. Available at ; 1980 reprint at ; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).
 * History of Shenandoah County, Virginia. Free Lookups Available!

Maps

 * Massanutten Area Atlas. Original records, Shenandoah County Archives, Woodstock, Va. Microfilmed reproduction available at . [This is a bound book of hand drawn maps showing property boundaries for grant map, ca. 1748-1915. It covers parts of Shenandoah, Warren and Page counties.]

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1977):49-53. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Shenandoah County's 1789 Delinquent List appears on pp. 49-50.]

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Shenandoah County militia officers and veterans; see place name index.]

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


 * - 8th Virginia Regiment


 * - 12th Virginia Regiment (7th Company)

"A Copy of the men drafted and listed March 19 1781 Agreeable to an act of assembly for the County of Shenandoah," transcribed and annotated by James L. Lynch, is available for free online, courtesy: Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution.

Additional resources include:

residents' participation in the Revolutionary War.


 * Boogher, William F. Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. Washington, D.C.: n.p., 1903. ; digital version at Google Books. [Includes a chapter titled "Roster of Capt. Thomas Buck's company, enlisted from Dunmore county (now Shenandoah), Sept. 5, 1777, see pp. 178-180.]
 * 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: . [See Virginia, Western District, Shenandoah County on page 136.]
 * 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." ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812
Shenandoah County men served in the 13th and 97th Regiments.


 * Shenandoah County, Virginia War of 1812 Soldiers
 * 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, Shenandoah County, p. 103-104. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

 * - 7th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Ashby's) (Confederate). Company C (Shenandoah Rangers), Company K (Captain William Miller).


 * - 10th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Strasburg Guards) and Company F (Muhlenburg Rifles).
 * - 11th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry. Company E (Potomac Mounted Riflemen or Valley Mounted Riflemen).
 * - 12th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company J.
 * - 18th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company D.
 * - 35th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).

Records and histories are available, including:


 * Shenandoah County Virginia Men in Gray. 2 vols. Free Lookups Available!
 * 11th Virginia Cavalry. Free Lookups Available!
 * 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)

Civil War Battles
The following Civil War battles were fought in Shenandoah County.


 * May 15, 1864 = New Market
 * September 21-22, 1864 = Fisher's Hill
 * October 9, 1864 = Tom's Brook, also known as Woodstock Races
 * October 19, 1864 = Cedar Creek, also known as Belle Grove


 * Maps of Civil War battles in Virginia: 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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.


 * 2007-present - Northern Virginia Daily (Strasburg, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
 * 2009-present - Shenandoah Valley-Herald (Woodstock, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).

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 . [Includes a section on Woodstock silversmiths.]

Private Papers
Virginia, Historical

Probate Records

 * Ellsberry, Elizabeth Prather, comp. Will Records of Shenandoah County, Virginia 1771-91. Chillicothe, MO, USA: Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry, c1965. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Online Probate Links


 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
 * 1772 - 1784 Wills & Inventories Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1783 - 1789 Wills & Inventories Virginia Pioneers ($)

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1774-1776] Dunmore County (Va.) Rent Rolls, 1774-1776
 * [1782-1799] Shenandoah County Personal Property Tax Lists 1782-1799 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
 * [1782-1818] Heinegg, Paul. "Shenandoah County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1818," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1783] - Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783; index online at Revolutionary War Service website - free.
 * [1783] Tax List 1783 - Shenandoah County (VAGenWeb) - free. Images and transcription.
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Shenandoah County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1789] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1977):49-53. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Shenandoah County's 1789 Delinquent List appears on pp. 49-50.]
 * [1789, 1799] Indexed images of the 1789 and 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Shenandoah 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 1815 land tax. Shenandoah County is included in Vol. 4.]
 * [1815] Land Tax Roll, 1815, Frederick Findings. Mechanicsville VA: Summer 1996. Vol. 8 Iss. 2; Fall 1995. Vol. 8 Iss. 3; Winter 1995. Vol. 8 Iss. 4; Spring 1996. Vol. 9 Iss. 1; Summer 1996. Vol. 9 Iss. 2; Fall 1996. Vol. 9 Iss. 3; Winter 1996. Vol. 9 Iss. 4; Winter 1998. Vol. 10 Iss. 1; Spring 1998. Vol. 10 Iss. 2..

Birth

 * 1853-1866 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1872- - Shenandoah County, Virginia Births (VAGenWeb) - free.
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Beth Fridley has published abstracts of the following Shenandoah County, Virginia birth records online at Ancestry:


 * Shenandoah County, Virginia Births, 1853-71 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Shenandoah County, Virginia Births, 1872-77 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Shenandoah County, Virginia Births, 1878-90 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Shenandoah County, Virginia Births, 1891-96 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).

Marriage

 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1772-1850 - Shenandoah County Marriage Index 1772-1850. Batch at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1772-1850 - Ashby, Bernice M. Shenandoah County Marriage Bonds, 1772-1850. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1996. ; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).


 * 1781-1915 - Shenandoah County Marriage Index 1781-1915. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Take care when using published abstracts of early marriages of Shenandoah County. Editors who originally did this work did not understand German very well.


 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
 * 1851-1929 - Virginia Marriages 1851-1929 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1853-1935 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Shenandoah County Marriage Records (VAGenWeb) - free.

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Vital Record Substitutes

 * 1786-1827 - Shenandoah County Church Records of Births 1786-1827: Zion-Pine Church, Shenandoah County - free.

Shenandoah County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * Central Virginia Genealogical Association Website


 * Shenandoah County Library 300 Stoney Creek Blvd Edinburg, VA 22824 Phone: 504-984-8200

Family History Centers
To locate the closest family history center or affiliate library, use the link listed above.

Shenandoah County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Shenandoah County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * Shenandoah County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * Cyndi's List
 * Cyndi's List