Henrico County, Virginia Genealogy

United States   Virginia    Henrico County

Tidewater county.

County Courthouse
Henrico County Courthouse 4301 East Parham Road PO Box 27032 Richmond, Virginia 23328 Phone 804-501-4202

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, probate and land records from 1781 divorce and court records

History


The county is named after Prince Henry Frederick of Wales (1594-1612), eldest son of King James I of England.

Many French Huguenot families lived in Manakintown in Henrico County during the eighteenth century.

Parent County
1634--Henrico County was created in 1634 as an original shire or county. County seat: Richmond

Record Loss

 * Henrico Co., Virginia - Proceedings of Commission Re: Its Records Destroyed by British, 1774-1782. MSS., available on microfilm at . [Includes deeds and wills.]
 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

African American
From 1790 to 1860, Henrico County had one of the largest slave populations in the state (5819 in 1790; 20,041 in 1860). It also had one of the largest free colored populations (581 in 1790; 3590 in 1860). Ten years later in 1870, it had the largest African American population in Virginia (31,031) - the city of Richmond in particular.


 * Freedmen's.
 * Aiken, Nancy E. Bryan, Michel Perdreau, and John L. Jones. History of the Jones Family by John L. Jones &amp; In Memoriam, J. McHenry Jones. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2001. Available at . [Reuben Jones, b. 1795 Henrico Co., VA, was a free African American.]
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Henrico County Personal Land Tax List, 1799-1816," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Henrico County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1814," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Rockette, John Franklin. Rockett, Carpenter, Millican, Wise, Stevens, Selman, Abernathy, Rhodes, Ware Families, 1681-1981: and Seventy-six Connected Kins-men. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1981. Available at . [Discusses African American Rocketts.]

Bible Records

 * [Lancaster] Lancaster, Beverly. Lancaster Bible Records. West Bloomfield, Michigan: B. Lancaster, 2005. ; digital version at Family History Archives.
 * [Price] Family Bible Records of Taliaferro, Fontaine, Price and Shelton. MSS., available on microfilm at.

Cemeteries

 * Tombstone Transcription Project Henrico County - cemetery transcriptions - USGenWeb
 * Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. "Inscriptions from Various Tombstones in Dinwiddie, Chesterfield, Henrico and New Kent Counties, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jan. 1900):178-183. Available at JSTOR ($).

Individual cemeteries

BillionGraves:


 * Bethlehem Cemetery, Dumbarton
 * Emmanuel Cemetery, Lakeside
 * Mount Vernon Cemetery, Glen Allen
 * Ridge Cemetery, Tuckahoe

Census
1782 City of Richmond Enumeration


 * City of Richmond Heads of Families - 1782 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. Begins on page 111.

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) Boar Swamp
 * 2) First Baptist Church, City of Richmond, Va. (1780). A centennial history was published in 1880. It is available online.
 * 3) Four Mile
 * 4) Hungry (1791)
 * 5) Leigh Street, Richmond, Va. (1854). A centennial history was published in 1954:.
 * 6) Tabernacle, Richmond, Va. (1891). A centennial history was published in 1991:.

Henrico County fell within the bounds of the Dover Association.

Church of England
See also Bristol Parish See also Dale Parish  See also Henrico Parish  See also King William Parish  See also St. James's Parish  See also Varina Parish

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Richmond

Huguenot

 * Goree, Langston James, Janice Curtis Pampell et al. Master Index to the Huguenot: The Biennial Publications of the Huguenot Society, Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia, and, Index to Vestry Book of King William Parish, Virginia, 1707-1750. Bryan, Texas: Family History Foundation, 1986. Available at.

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):


 * Curles Monthly Meeting (1678-1805) aka Henrico Monthly Meeting . Early records have been microfilmed: . Early records of Henrico Monthly Meeting have been published: . Hinshaw also published the early records:.
 * Richmond Monthly Meeting, Richmond, Va. (begun 1795)
 * White Oak Swamp Monthly Meeting (1722-1807) aka Henrico aka Chickahominy Swamp . Early records have been microfilmed:.


 * Brown, Jane Douglas Summers and Jones Memorial Library. Jane Douglas Summers Brown (1903-) Quaker Records: Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Virginia); MS 1515. MSS, Jones Memorial Library, Lynchburg, Va. Available on 26 microfilms at . [Includes records of Henrico County Quakers; Brown assisted "William Wade Hinshaw in the writing of the Virginia volume of the Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy."]

Genealogy
More than 325 genealogies have been published about Henrico County families. To view a list, visit Henrico County, Virginia Genealogy.

Immigration

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd D. "Some Henrico County Immigrants," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1987):131-132. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). . Coverage: 1708 to 1710.


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


 * Ljungstedt, Milnor. "Items from Southern Records" [Showing Family and Trade Connections with Northern Colonies and the Home Countries], The American Genealogist, Vol. 15 (1938):95-104. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). [Henrico Co., VA: Randolph, Webb.]


 * "Parkers of Browsholme, Yorkshire, England," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Apr. 1898):442-444. Available at JSTOR($). See also Sally Moore Koestler, "Dr. Richard Parker of Charles City," accessed 1 February 2010.

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 111 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Richmond (105) and Henrico County (6).

Land and Property
Deeds


 * Henrico Co., Virginia - Proceedings of Commission Re: Its Records Destroyed by British, 1774-1782. MSS., available on microfilm at . [Includes deeds and wills.]

Grants and Patents


 * Bannister. 322 patents dated 1636-1803 in what is now Henrico 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.]
 * Nugent, Nell Marion. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1666. Vol. I (1934; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1991). ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Henrico County. N.B. If Ancestry's search engine fails, try checking the printed index at the end of the book.]

Local Histories

 * Manarin, Louis H. and Clifford Dowdey. The History of Henrico County. Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1984. Available at.

Military
The Virginia Confederate Soldiers' Home a.k.a. Lee Camp Soldiers' Home in Richmond serviced many veterans between the 1880s and 1940s. US Military Old Soldiers Home Records identifies several types of records concerning these individuals.

Colonial Militia

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

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Henrico 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 Henrico County, see p. 87.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Henrico County militia officers; see place name index.]

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


 * - 5th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:


 * 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. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Henrico 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." ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812
Henrico County men served in the 33rd Regiment and Richmond City men served in the 19th 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 Henrico 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, Henrico County, pp. 84-85. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

 * - 1st Regiment, Virginia Artillery (Confederate). Company C (2nd) (Henrico Artillery aka Courtney Artillery), Company D (Richmond Howitzers)
 * - 1st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Williams Rifles) (Confederate) Company A (Richmond Grays), Company B (Richmond City Guard), Company C (Montgomery Guard), Company D (Old Dominion Guard), Company G (Capt. William H. Gordon's Co.), Company H (Richmond Grays No. 2), Company I (Capt. William O. Taylor's Co.), Company K (Virginia Rifles)
 * - 4th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 5th Battalion, Virginia Infantry (Wilson's)(Archer's)(Confederate).
 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12 months, 1861-62) (Mullins') (Confederate). Company F (1st) (Shields Lancers or Dragoons), Company G (Randolph Cavalry), and Company I.
 * - 6th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company I (Elliot Grays aka Manchester Grays)..
 * - 10th Battalion, Virginia Heavy Artillery (Allen's) (Confederate). Company A (Metropolitan Guards).
 * - 10th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (1st Cavalry Regiment, Wise Legion (Confederate). Company A (Caskie's Mounted Rangers), Company D (Wise Mounted Guard), Company E (1st) (Jennings Wise Hussars), and Company I (Henrico Light Dragoons).
 * - 12th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company G (Richmond Grays).
 * - 15th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Henrico Grays), Company B (Virginia Life Guard), Company D (Henrico Guard), Company F (Emmett Guard), Company G (Southern Guard), Company H (Young Guard), and Company K (Marion Rifles).
 * - 23rd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company H (Richmond Sharpshooters).
 * - 24th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company A (Henrico Mounted Guard aka Henrico Picket Guard), Company B, and Company G.
 * - 44th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company E (Richmond Zouaves).

Records and histories are available, including:


 * Virginia, Civil War
 * Virginia, Civil War

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


 * May 31-June 1, 1862 = Seven Pines, also known as Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station
 * June 25, 1862 = Oak Grove, also known as French’s Field or King’s School House
 * June 29, 1862 = Savage's Station
 * July 1, 1862 = Malvern Hill, also known as Poindexter's Farm
 * May 11, 1864 = Yellow Tavern
 * July 27-29, 1864 = Deep Bottom I, also known as Darbytown, Strawberry Plains, New Market Road, Gravel Hill
 * August 13-20, 1864 = Deep Bottom II, also known as New Market Road, Fussell’s Mill, Bailey’s Creek, Charles City Road, or White’s Tavern
 * September 29-30, 1864 = Chaffin’s Farm/New Market Heights, also known as Combats at New Market Heights, Forts Harrison, Johnson, and Gilmer; Laurel Hill
 * October 7, 1864 = Darbytown &amp; New Market Roads, also known as Johnson’s Farm or Fourmile Creek
 * October 13, 1864 = Darbytown Road, also known as Alms House
 * October 27-28, 1864 = Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road, also known as Second Fair Oaks


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

Native American
The Manachees Tribe and Powhites Tribe lived in the area in the late 1600s.

Naturalization
Virginia

Newspapers
These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.


 * 1736-1780 Virginia Gazette, index and images online at Colonial Williamsburg.
 * 1736-1803 Database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in this source and other Virginia newspapers, see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia.
 * 1860-1865 Richmond Daily Dispatch 1860-1865 - free.
 * 1940s-1985 Index to Richmond Times Dispatch and Richmond News Leader at Library of Virginia - free. Surnames indexed alphabetically under Biography.
 * 1985-present GoogleNews has the Richmond Times - Dispatch on-line. The images start with 1985 and continue to the present. It is not a complete list, but it is worth your time. It is free to use and view the newspaper but you cannot print or copy the image.

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 Richmond silversmiths.]

Probate Records
Local Court


 * Fleet, Beverley. Henrico County, Southside, 1736. 1944; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961. Available at [3 copies]; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes sheriff's bond, John Nash's account book, 1737 justices of the peace, an inventory of Henrico County records, 1736 abstracts, and a few wills.]
 * Henrico Co., Virginia - Proceedings of Commission Re: Its Records Destroyed by British, 1774-1782. MSS., available on microfilm at . [Includes deeds and wills.]
 * 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. Available at . [Includes Henrico County.]
 * Henrico County Wills 1650 to 1717 (digital images) Virginia Pioneers
 * Henrico County Wills 1678 to 1693 (digital imagesVirginia Pioneers
 * Henrico County Wills 1717 to 1726 (digital images) Virginia Pioneers
 * Henrico County Wills and Settlements 1770 to 1787 (digital images) Virginia Pioneers

London Courts


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

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 Henrico County, see pp. 58-59]
 * Fleet, Beverley. Henrico County, Southside, 1736. 1944; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961. [3 copies]; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes sheriff's bond, John Nash's account book, 1737 justices of the peace, an inventory of Henrico County records, 1736 abstracts, and a few wills.]

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1678] Tithables List, 1678, Tidewater Virginia Families, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Feb. 1993). Available at.
 * [1679] Pritchett, John W. Southside Virginia Genealogies. CD. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007. Available at ; digital version at Virginians - The Family History of John W. Pritchett. [Includes annotated 1679 tithe list of Henrico County.]
 * [1704] "Virginia Quit Rent Rolls, 1704," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 28 (1920):207-218, 328-339; Vol. 29 (1921):18-28, 337-343, 402-412; Vol. 30 (1922):21-30, 280-285, 341-347; Vol. 31 (1923):70-75, 153-163, 215-231, 314-318; Vol. 32 (1924):69-75, 144-158, 281-287, 338-343; Vol. 33 (1925):47-50, 359-370; Vol. 34 (1926):113-119, 252-258, 313, 321. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version of VMHB at JSTOR ($). [Henrico County appears in 28:208-218.]
 * [1710-1740s] Fife, R.H. and R.L. Maury. "The Vestry Book of King William Parish, Va., 1707-1750," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 11 (1903-1904):289-304, 425-440; Vol. 12 (1904-1905):17-32, 241-256, 369-384; Vol. 13 (1905-1906):65-80, 175-190, 265-280. 975.5 B2v v. 11 (1903-1904) etc.; digital version at JSTOR ($); reprinted in Vestry Book of King William Parish, Virginia 1707-1750. Midlothian, Va.: Manakin Episcopal Church, 1966.  975.5455/M1 K2v with an index prepared in 1974:  975.5455/M1 K2v index; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, Free Online Name Search, Purchase at Genealogical.com;  975.5 R4v. [French Huguenot parish; includes tithe lists dated 1710, 1711, 1712, 1713, 1714, 1715, 1717, 1719, 1720, 1723, 1724, 1725, 1726, 1729, 1730, 1731, 1732, 1733, 1734, 1735, 1736, 1737, 1738, various entries identifying residents in 1740s, c1722 list of landowners, and 1727/1728 list of landowners.]
 * [1747] Southside Tithable List, 1747, Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 42, No. 4 (Oct. 1998). 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. Available at . [1782 personal property tax list of Henrico County.]
 * [1782-1814] Heinegg, Paul. "Henrico County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1814," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [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 . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Henrico County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1790, 1801] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1801 Personal Property Tax Lists of Henrico County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1799-1816] Heinegg, Paul. "Henrico County Personal Land Tax List, 1799-1816," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1800] Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr. 1987); Vol. 31, No. 3 (Jul. 1987). Available at.
 * [1802] Indexed images of the 1802 Land Tax List of Henrico 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. Henrico County is included in Vol. 1.]

Transportation

 * Pawlett, Nathaniel Mason and Howard H. Newlon. The Route of the Three Notch'd Road: A Preliminary Report. Charlottesville, Virginia: Virginia Highway &amp; Transportation Research Council, 1976. Available at.

Births

 * Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. Births from the Bristol Parish Register of Henrico, Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia, 1720-1798. Richmond, Virginia: C.G. Chamberlayne, 1898. Two published transcripts available at FHL and ; digital book at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).

Marriage

 * 1680-1808 - Lindsay, Joyce H. Marriages of Henrico County, Virginia, 1680-1808. Richmond, Va.: Joyce H. Lindsay, 1960..
 * 1780-1861 - Henrico County Marriages 1780 to 1861 Virginia Pioneers
 * 1780-1861 - Ricks, Joel. Henrico County, Virginia, Marriage Bonds, 1780-1861. 1937..
 * 1782-1853 - Pollack, Michael E. Marriage Bonds of Henrico County, Virginia, 1782-1853. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1984. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Societies and Libraries

 * The Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia
 * Tidewater Genealogical Society

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Websites

 * Henrico County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * Richmond Then and Now
 * Cyndi's List
 * Virginia Pioneers
 * Virginia Pioneers

Learning How to Edit our Wiki Sites