Powhatan County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Powhatan County, Virginia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
Powhatan County is located in the Central portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 20 miles west of the state capital, Richmond. It was named in honor of the Indian Chief Powhatan, father of Pocahontas.

County Courthouse
Powhatan County Courthouse 3880 Old Buckingham Road Powhatan, VA 23139-0037 Phone: 804-598-5660 Powhatan County Website Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1777

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:

History Timeline


The county is named after Chief Powhatan (c1545-c1618).

Many descendants of early Virginia French Huguenot families lived in this area.

Bible Records

 * 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Census Records
1783 Enumeration
 * Powhatan County Heads of Families - 1783 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 58.

1850 Census takers uncharacteristically recorded the birth town or county of residents this census year.

1890 Union Veterans
 * "Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890." Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner.    Includes residents of this county.

Church Records
Baptist Early Baptist churches (with years constituted): Powhatan County fell within the bounds of the Middle District Association.
 * 1) Muddy Creek (1774)
 * 2) Powhatan (1771)

Church of England
 * See also:
 * King William Parish
 * St. James Southam Parish

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records

Chancery Court
 * Indexes (1782-1938) and images (1782-1913) to Powhatan County, Virginia Chancery Records are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Emigration and Immigration
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 5 British aliens, some of whom had families, living in Powhatan County.
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America, 1777-1811" The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200. [Overseas contacts of a resident of Powhattan Co. with the following surname: Mayo.]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Powhatan County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1817," Free African Americans.com. [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 .[Includes information from Powhatan County.]
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Powhatan County.

Funeral Homes

 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Genealogies
Compiled Genealogies by Surname See Powhatan County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies or jump to a surname using the alphabet bar for a list of 100+ published surname genealogy books and articles. 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
 * Foley, Louise Pledge Heath. Early Virginia Families Along the James River, Their Deep Roots and Tangled Branches. 3 vols. Richmond, Va.: L.P.H. Foley, 1974-1990. . Volume 1 includes Powhatan County families.
 * Pritchett, John W. Southside Virginia Genealogies. CD-ROM. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. Free online index, courtesy: Virginians - The Family History of John W. Pritchett. [Includes a great deal of information about residents of Powhatan County, see discussion of cited sources.] ; purchase at Virginians.com.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Grants and Patents
 * Bannister et al. 380 patents dated 1702-1751 in what is now Powhatan County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper. [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.]

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1976):269-274. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Powhatan County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on p. 271.]

Military Records
French and Indian War Revolutionary War
 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Powhatan County veterans; see place name index.]
 * 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 et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Powhatan 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." ; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans. Virginia section begins on page 238.

Regiments. Powhatan County residents' participation in the Revolutionary War. 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 Powhatan 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, Powhatan County, pp. 98-99. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Regiments. Powhatan County men served in the 102nd Regiment. Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 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)

Regiments. Civil War service men in Powhatan County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed here: *Information about the Companies that served from Powhatan County can be found at: (1)  titled Powhatan: A Bicentennial History, pages 240-268 and 504-507  (2)   titled A Guide to Virginia Military Organizations 1861-1865
 * - 1st Regiment, Virginia Reserves (Confederate) (Company I)
 * - 4th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company E.
 * - 20th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Powhatan Rifles).
 * - 59th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)
 * - Powhatan Artillery (Confederate)

World War II
 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1906-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & 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.

Other Records
Private Papers
 * 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1633-1800 Wills and Estate Records Index at Library of Virginia.Digital Images of Powhatan County Wills 1777-1795; 1797-1806; 1806-1811. See names of testators. Virginia Pioneers
 * 1777-1795 Images of Wills Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1797-1806 Images of Wills Virginia Pioneers ($)

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 1782-1817 Heinegg, Paul. "Powhatan County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1817," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * 1782, 1784 Powhatan County Tax List 1782 and 1784.
 * 1783 Powhatan County, VA - Census - 1782 Taxlist; index online at USGenWeb Archives - free.
 * 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. Powhatan County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * 1787 Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1976):269-274. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Powhatan County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on p. 271.]
 * 1787-1789 Powhatan County Tax List 1787-1789.
 * 1790, 1801 Indexed images of the 1790 and 1801 Personal Property Tax Lists of Powhatan County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * 1800 County Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist. Falmouth VA: Apr 2005. Vol. 49 Iss. 2.
 * 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. Powhatan County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * 1816, 1818 Insolvents and Removals, 1816, 1818, Southside Virginian. Richmond VA: Jul 1983. Vol. 1 Iss. 4; online at Internet Archive - free.

Birth

 * 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1853-1896 Fridley, Beth, comp. Powhatan County, Virginia Births, 1853-96 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at at FindMyPast — index, ($) — index $
 * 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1777-1830 Knorr, Catherine Lindsay. Marriage Bonds and Ministers' Returns of Powhatan County, Virginia, 1777-1830. Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 1957.
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index

Death

 * 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection;  index & images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index & images

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

Libraries

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

Websites

 * Powhatan County, Virginia
 * Virginia Pioneers ($)


 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Powhatan County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1976):210-212-214. Available at American Ancestors ($).