Charles City County, Virginia Genealogy

United States   Virginia    Charles City County

Tidewater county.





History


The county was named after King Charles I of England (1600-1649).

Parent County
1634--Charles City County was created in 1634 and was an original shire or county. County seat: Charles City

Record Loss

 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

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 Charles City County, see pp. 55-56]
 * Dorman, John Frederick. "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Charles City County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun.1963):75-77. Available at New England Ancestors ($).

African American
Paul Heinegg has determined that in 1790, Charles City County, Virginia had the highest percentage of free African Americans in its population, per capita, where that statistic can be measured, of all Virginia counties (14.8% of the population or 363 free blacks).


 * Heinegg, Paul. "Charles City County Personal Property Tax List 1784-1814," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware [free online book]. [Heinegg identifies the following free African American surnames in Charles City County before 1820: Ampey, Anderson, Atkins, Barham (see introduction), Bates, Bowman, Bowser, Bradby, Brown, Bragby, Carsey, Carter, Cary, Charity, Chavis, Colley, Corney, Cumbo, Elliott, Evans, Fields, Gibson, Goeing, Gowen, Grantum, Green, Griffin, Hamlin, Harris, Hill, Homes, Hood, Humbles, Hunt, Jasper, Lewis, Kecatan, King, Lucie, Marshall, Miles, Morris, Moss, Redcross, Reed, Rosarran, Scott, Seldon, Smith, Stewart, Stringer, Sweat, Thomas, Toney, Valentine, Wallace, Willis, and Young.]

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

The following is a list of cemeteries in Charles City County:

References:


 * Tyler, Lyon G. "Old Tombstones in Charles City County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Oct. 1895):122-125; Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jan. 1896):143-150. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Tyler, Sherry Brown and Charles City County Historical Society. 80% Heaven Bound: Deaths &amp; Burials in Charles City County, Virginia. Virginia: The Society, 2000.

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

 * History of Elam Baptist Church [1810-1910], Charles City Co., VA. Reformer Electric Print, 1910.
 * Downs, L. McCarthy. History of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Charles City County, Virginia. 1976.

Church of England
See also Bristol Parish See also Charles City Parish  See also Chickahominy Parish  See also Jordan's Journey Parish  See also Martin's Brandon Parish  See also Smith's Hundred Parish  See also Southampton Parish  See also Wallingford Parish  See also West and Shirley Parish  See also Westover Parish  See also Weyanoke Parish  See also Wilmington Parish


 * "The Colonial Churches of Charles City County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Apr. 1942):114-135. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1945. Available at ; digital version at BYU Family History Archives. [Includes Charles City County.]

Methodist

 * Ledbetter, Judith F. In This Place I Delivered My Soul: The Methodists of Charles City, Virginia. Charles City, Virginia: Memorial United Methodist Church, 1995.

Presbyterian

 * Walls, Louise Adams, William Elmer Cropper, and Robert Lee Marston. A History of Bethany Presbyterian Church, Charles City County, Virginia. n.p.: Committee for the Preparation of a Church History, 1990.

Quaker

 * Bell, James Pinkney Pleasant. Our Quaker Friends of Ye Olden Time: Being in Part a Transcript of the Minute Books of Cedar Creek Meeting, Hanover County, and the South River Meeting, Campbell County, Va. Lynchburg, Va.: J.P. Bell Company, 1905. Available at ; digital version at Google Books (full-view). [Includes Quakers of Charles City County.]
 * "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 42, No. 4 (Oct. 1934):341-344; Vol. 43, No. 2 (Apr. 1935):144-149; Vol. 43, No. 4 (Oct. 1935):347-354. Available at JSTOR.
 * Wright, F. Edward. Quaker Records of Henrico Monthly Meeting and Other Church Records of Henrico, New Kent and Charles City Counties, Virginia. Lewes, Delaware: Colonial Roots, 2002.
 * A religious petition (1793) from Quaker residents of Charles City County, Virginia is available online in Early Virginia Religious Petitions, courtesy: The Library of Congress: American Memory.

Court
General


 * Cope, Robert S. "The Court of Charles City County, Virginia, 1688-1695," Thesis/dissertation, Ohio State University, 1947.

County Court


 * Fleet, Beverley. Charles City County Court Orders, 1655-1658. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1961. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Fleet, Beverley. Charles City County Court Orders, 1658-1661. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1961. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Fleet, Beverley. Charles City County Court Orders, 1661-1664. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1961. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Fleet, Beverley. Charles City County Court Orders, 1664-1665: Fragments, 1650-1696. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1961. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Ayres, Margaret McNeill. Charles City County, Virginia, Order Book 1676-1679. Memphis, Tennessee, 1968. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1969):88. Review available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * Anderson, Russell H. "Charles City County Court Record, 1762-4, Wills, Deed and Bond," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1951):103-107. Available at JSTOR ($). [Copy of lost records found in the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.]
 * "Charles City County, Virginia, Miscellaneous Records," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):178-184. Available at New England Ancestors ($). [Includes remnants of court, guardianship, land, and probate found in the Earl Gregg Swem Library of the College of William and Mary.]
 * Clay, Robert Y. "Charles City County, Virginia, Reports of the County Clerk to the Auditor, 1784, 1799-1800," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1977):83-88. Available at New England Ancestors ($).

Record Book


 * "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 43, No. 4 (Oct. 1935):347-354. Available at JSTOR ($).

Genealogy
More than 60 genealogies have been published about Charles City County families. To view a list, visit Charles City County, Virginia Genealogy.

Historic Residences

 * Berkeley--1619, 1726: A James River Plantation, Ancestral Home of a Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Two United States Presidents, Charles City County, Virginia. 197-?.
 * "Charles City Houses," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan. 1937):90. Available at JSTOR.
 * Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Library. Shirley Plantation Collection, 1650-1888, Charles City County, Virginia, also Maryland. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1993.
 * Downing, Charles M., Donald W. Linebaugh, Dennis B. Blanton, Harrison Tyler, William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research. The Origins of Milton Plantation, Charles City County, Virginia. Williamsburg, Virginia: William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, 1994.
 * Downing, Charles M., Donald W. Linebaugh, Dennis B. Blanton, Harrison Tyler, William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research. The Origins of Sherwood Forest, Charles City County, Virginia. Williamsburg, Virginia: William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, 1992.
 * McClane, Patrick Wade, K Edward Lay, University of Virginia. School of Architecture. Berkeley Plantation, 1726, Charles City County, Virginia. Charlottesville, Va.: School of Architecture, University of Virginia, 1989.
 * O'Neill, Patrick L. "Kittiewan Plantation (44CC0404), Charles City County, Virginia," Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 63, No. 2 (June 2008):81-107.
 * "Old Houses in Charles City, New Kent, Warwick, and Elizabeth City Counties," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr. 1938). Available at JSTOR.
 * Street, Elwood. Historic Charles City County: Many of More Famous Homes Found Too, in this One of Eight Original Shrines. Richmond, Virginia: Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1942.
 * University of Virginia, Library. Berkeley Plantation Journal and Account Book, 1839-1877, Charles City County, Virginia, accession number 11260. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 2001.

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Charles City County, St. Martin Brandon [Martin's Brandon Parish], and West and Shirley Hundred proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * [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=Charles&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 Charles City County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.
 * "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 1 British alien living in Charles City County.

Land
Deeds


 * Anderson, Russell H. "Charles City County Court Record, 1762-4, Wills, Deed and Bond," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1951):103-107. Available at JSTOR ($). [Copy of lost records found in the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.]
 * Deeds, Wills and Bonds: From Charles City County (Va.), 1724/5-1731, 1762-1769, MSS., available at University of Virginia Library.
 * Articles of Agreement Between William Byrd, Esq. of Charles City and John Caldwell of Brunswick County, Virginia [17 Jan 1743], MSS., Carmen Finley Papers, available at Sonoma State University.
 * "Charles City County, Virginia, Miscellaneous Records," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):178-184. Available at New England Ancestors ($). [Includes remnants of court, guardianship, land, and probate found in the Earl Gregg Swem Library of the College of William and Mary.]

Grants and Patents


 * 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). Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Charles City County. N.B. If Ancestry's search engine fails, try checking the printed index at the end of the book.]

Local Histories

 * Dreyer, Mark A.; Ragsdale, Judith R.; Walker, Edward R.; Walker, Elaine V.; College of William and Mary. Dept. of Religion. An Historical Analysis of Charles City County, Va. 1979. Available at the College of William and Mary.

Colonial Militia

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

French and Indian War

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

Revolutionary War

 * Tyler, D. Gardner and Charles City County Historical Bicentennial Committee. Charles City County, Virginia During the Period of the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. 1976.

War of 1812

 * 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, Charles City County, p. 67.]

Civil War

 * Charles City County (Va.). Monument to Confederate Soldiers. Addresses Delivered at the Unveiling of the Monument to Confederate Soldiers of Charles City County, Virginia, at Charles City Courthouse, November 21, 1900. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, Printers, 1901.
 * Copland, Mary Ruffin, United Daughters of the Confederacy. Virginia Division. Harrison-Harwood Chapter, Charles City. Confederate History of Charles City County, Virginia. Richmond?, 1957.

Native Americans

 * "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 43, No. 4 (Oct. 1935):347-354. Available at JSTOR ($).

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

 * University of Virginia, Library. Berkeley Plantation Journal and Account Book, 1839-1877, Charles City County, Virginia, accession number 11260. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 2001.
 * Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Library. Shirley Plantation Collection, 1650-1888, Charles City County, Virginia, also Maryland. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1993.
 * [Byrd] Virginia Historical Society. MSS1B9963b, Byrd Family Papers, 1757-1860, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.
 * [Byrd] Virginia Historical Society. MSS1B9963c, Byrd Family Papers, 1791-1867, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.
 * [Douthat] Virginia Historical Society. MSS1D7495a, Douthat Family Papers, 1795-1922, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.
 * [Jerdone] College of William and Mary, Swem Library. Jerdone Family Papers, 1623-1957, Charles City, Hanover, Louisa, New Kent, and York Counties, Virginia, also Great Britain. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1994.
 * [Selden] Selden Family, John Armistead Selden. Papers, 1811-1868, of the Selden Family of Charles City County, Va., MSS., available at the Virginia Historical Society Library.
 * [Selden] Virginia Historical Society. Mss1Se487a, Selden Family Papers, 1811-1868, Charles City and Charlotte Counties, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.
 * [Willcox] Willcox, James M. and Duke University. Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library. James M. Willcox Papers, 1831-1871, Buckland, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 2001.
 * [Wills] Wills, Henry, Virginia Historical Society. Mss5:3W6857, Henry Wills Account Book, 1782-1795, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.

Petitions
Petitions are valuable to genealogical research because they were often signed by residents of the locality and provide researchers with a glimpse of who lived in the area at the time. Some lists include hundreds of names.


 * "Charles City County Grievances 1676," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Oct. 1895):132-160. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Grundset, Eric. "Petition of Inhabitants of Charles City County 16 November 1710," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol.47, No.3 (Aug. 2009):213-214.
 * A religious petition (1793) from Quaker residents of Charles City County, Virginia is available online in Early Virginia Religious Petitions, courtesy: The Library of Congress: American Memory.

Probate
Remnants of Charles City County, Virginia Court


 * "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Apr. 1935):144-149. Available at JSTOR ($). [Probate Inventory of Captain Richard Tye, Deceased, 1663.]
 * Anderson, Russell H. "Charles City County Court Record, 1762-4, Wills, Deed and Bond," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1951):103-107. Available at JSTOR ($). [Copy of lost records found in the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.]
 * Deeds, Wills and Bonds: From Charles City County (Va.), 1724/5-1731, 1762-1769, MSS., available at University of Virginia Library.
 * "Charles City County, Virginia, Miscellaneous Records," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):178-184. Available at New England Ancestors ($). [Includes remnants of court, guardianship, land, and probate found in the Earl Gregg Swem Library of the College of William and Mary.]

Original Wills


 * Charles City County, Virginia Will: 1772 December 12 [Will of Ellyson Crew], MSS., available at Library of Virginia.
 * Berkeley, Charles City County, Virginia, Will: 1780 January 3 [Will of Benjamin Harrison], MSS., available at Library of Virginia.
 * 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 Charles City County.]

London Courts


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Charles City County, St. Martin Brandon [Martin's Brandon Parish], and West and Shirley Hundred proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [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 ($). [Charles City County appears in 31:314-318.]
 * [1783] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Available at . [1783 personal property tax list of Charles City County.]
 * [1784-1814] Heinegg, Paul. "Charles City County Personal Property Tax List 1784-1814," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Charles City County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1790, 1800] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Charles City County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1790, 1800] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Land Tax Lists of Charles City County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1800] "Charles City County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar.1971):42-47. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Charles City County is included in Vol. 1.]

Vital Records
Marriage

Though the records of Charles City County, Virginia were largely destroyed, Mr. James A. Leachy found a number of marriage bonds in loose papers in the Charles City Clerk's Office covering a range of years (1762-1849). They are abstracted in "Marriage Bonds in Charles City County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jan. 1900):193-196. Available at JSTOR ($).


 * "Charles City County, VA: Marriages &amp; Deaths," Virginia Tidewater Genealogy, Vol.39, No.2 (June 2008):34-38.

Death


 * Tyler, Sherry Brown and Charles City County Historical Society. 80% Heaven Bound: Deaths &amp; Burials in Charles City County, Virginia. Virginia: The Society, 2000.
 * "Charles City County, VA: Marriages &amp; Deaths," Virginia Tidewater Genealogy, Vol.39, No.2 (June 2008):34-38.

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Cyndi's List
 * Cyndi's List