Chesterfield County, Virginia Genealogy

United States   Virginia    Chesterfield County





History


The county was named after British statesman Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773).

Parent County
1749--Chesterfield County was created 1 May 1749 from Henrico County. County seat: Chesterfield

Record Loss

 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

African American

 * Heinegg, Paul. "Chesterfield County Tithables, 1747-1821," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Kegley, Mary B. Free People of Colour: Free Negroes, Indians, Portuguese and Freed Slaves. Wytheville, Virginia: Kegley Books, 2003. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives. [Includes information from Chesterfield County.]

Cemeteries
For a detailed list, including addresses, phone numbers, and external links, see Chesterfield County, Virginia Cemeteries.

The following is a list of cemeteries in Chesterfield County:

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.]

Genealogy
More than 25 genealogies have been published about Chesterfield County families. To view a list, visit Chesterfield County, Virginia Genealogy.

Immigration

 * 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. Available at New England Ancestors. [Chesterfield Co., VA: Branch.]
 * [http://www.immigrantservants.com/search/advancedResults.php?surname=&givenName=&varientSurnameSpellings=&gender=&dateOfBirthDay=&dateOfBirthMonth=&dateOfBirthQuantifier=&dateOfBirthYear=&placeOfBirthParish=&placeOfBirthTown=&placeOfBirthCity=&placeOfBirthCounty=&placeOfBirthColony=&placeOfBirthNation=&occupations=&religions=&orphan=&familyPosition=&immigrationYearQualifier=&immigrationYear=&portOfDepartureTown=&portOfDepartureCity=&portOfDepartureCounty=&portOfDepartureNation=&placeOfArrivalTown=&placeOfArrivalCounty=&placeOfArrivalColony=&shipName=&convict=&yearOfIndentureQualifier=&yearOfIndenture=&lengthOfIndentureYears=&lengthOfIndentureMonths=&yearOfFreedomQualifier=&yearOfFreedom=&placeOfIndentureTown=&placeOfIndentureCity=&placeOfIndentureCounty=Chesterfield&placeOfIndentureColony=Virginia&agentSurname=&agentGivenName=&agentTitle=&masterSurname=&masterGivenName=&masterTitle=&residenceParish=&residenceTown=&residenceCity=&residenceCounty=&residenceColony=&residenceNation=&landowner=&literate=&spouseSurname=&spouseGivenName=&spouseMarriageDateDay=&spouseMarriageDateMonth=&spouseMarriageDateQualifier=&spouseMarriageDateYear=&spouseMarriageLocationParish=&spouseMarriageLocationCounty=&spouseMarriageLocationColony=&spouseMarriageLocationNation=&deathDateDay=&deathDateMonth=&deathDateQualifier=&deathDateYear=&deathLocality=&deathCounty=&deathColony=&deathState=&testate=&proofServantStatus=&proofConvictStatus=&headright=&preServitudeSources=&postServitudeSources=&comments=&family=&sourceCitations=&interestedResearchers= List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe] who served labor terms in Colonial Chesterfield County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 7 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Manchester and Chesterfield County.

Land
Grants and Patents


 * Bannister. 604 patents dated 1638-1790 in what is now Chesterfield 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

 * Cox, T. Bransford, John B. Watkins, and Chesterfield County (Va.). Board of Supervisors. Chesterfield County, Virginia, Its History and Present Condition: Prepared Under the Supervision of John B. Watkins, as Authorized by the Board of Supervisors of the County, August, 1906. Richmond, Va.: Williams Printing Co., 1907. Available at FHL; digital version at Google Books (full-view).

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):167-171. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Chesterfield County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on pp. 115-116.]

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Chesterfield 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 FHL; 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 Chesterfield County, see pp. 70, 107.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Chesterfield County militia officers; see place name index.]

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, Chesterfield County on page 129.]
 * 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 Chesterfield 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, Chesterfield County, pp. 67-68.]

Newspapers
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette(1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburgwebsite. 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

 * King, George Harrison Sanford. "Bass Family Bible, Chesterfield County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1965):81-83. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virignia: Chesterfield County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1963):174-176. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1747-1821] Chesterfield County, Virginia Lists of Tithables and Insolvents, 1747-1821. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia; also available on microfilm at FHL.
 * [1747-1821] Heinegg, Paul. "Chesterfield County Tithables, 1747-1821," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1747-1778] Chesterfield County - the Colonial Tithe Lists 1747-1778, CD, available for purchase at Binns Genealogy.
 * [1756] Pritchett, John W. Southside Virginia Genealogies. CD. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007. Available at FHL; digital version at Virginians - The Family History of John W. Pritchett. [Includes annotated 1756 tithe list of Chesterfield County.]
 * [1786, 1788] 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 FHL. [Sources for this publication are the 1786 personal property tax list and a partial reading of the 1788 personal property tax list (only published names that do not appear on 1786 list). Chesterfield County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1788] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):167-171. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Chesterfield County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on pp. 115-116.]
 * [1790, 1801] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1801 Personal Property Tax Lists of Chesterfield County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1791, 1802] Indexed images of the 1791 and 1802 Land Tax Lists of Chesterfield County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1800] "Chesterfield County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1971):254-258; Vol. 16, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1972):23-28; Vol. 16, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1972):89-95. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).
 * [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. Chesterfield County is included in Vol. 1.]

Vital Records
Marriage


 * Knorr, Catherine Lindsay. Marriage Bonds and Ministers' Returns of Chesterfield County. Pine Bluff, Ark., 1958. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1959):91-92. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

Websites

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