Elizabeth City County, Virginia Genealogy

Elizabeth City County, Virginia genealogy and family history research page. Guide to Elizabeth City County (established 1634) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Parent County
1634--Elizabeth City County was created in 1634 as an original shire or county. Elizabeth City was absorbed by Hampton in July 1952.

Record Loss
Elizabeth City records were destroyed during Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and the American Civil War periods. A few pre-Civil War deed books, wills, and order books survive.


 * 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 Elizabeth City County, see pp. 56-57]

African American

 * Heinegg, Paul. "Elizabeth City County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1820," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Johnson, Martha C. Black Families of Elizabeth City Co., VA, 1800-1990: Research of Families of Callis, Davis, Simpson, Radcliff, Originating from Gloucester Co., Mathews Co., York and James Counties and Elizabeth Co., Hampton, Virginia. 1728886 Item 2.

1890 Union Veterans' Census

 * "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) Hampton (1791)

Elizabeth County fell within the bounds of the Dover Association.

Church of England
See also Elizabeth City Parish See also Kecoughtan Parish  See also Lower Parish  See also Nutmeg Quarter Parish  See also Stanley Hundred Parish  See also Upper Parish  See also Waters Creek Parish


 * Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1945. Available at ; . [Includes Elizabeth City County.]

Chancery Court

 * Indexed images of Elizabeth City County, Virginia Chancery Records 1816-1933 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Genealogy
More than 200 genealogies have been published about Elizabeth City County families. To view a list, visit Elizabeth City County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Immigration
Hampton has been a port since colonial times. Unfortunately, no official passenger lists survive for the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Correspondence with the American Colonies 1739-1782," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1998):108-128; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):189-205. [Overseas correspondence of a resident of Hampton with the following surname: Riddlehurst.] Available at.
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Hampton and Elizabeth City County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 3 British aliens, some of whom had families, living in Hampton and Elizabeth City County.

Land

 * 1704 - Quit Rent Virginia Pioneers ($)

Grants and Patents

 * Chapman, Blanche Adams. Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia, and Other Genealogical &amp; Historical Items, 1610-1800. Smithfield, Va., 1941. Original edition available at ; 1995 reprint at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes copy of index to Elizabeth City County land patents, 1624-1788.]
 * Nugent, Nell Marion. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1666. Vol. I (1934; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1991). Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Elizabeth City County. N.B. If Ancestry's search engine fails, try checking the printed index at the end of the book.]

Military
The National Military Home in Hampton serviced hundreds of veterans between the 1870s and 1930s. US Military Old Soldiers Home Records identifies several types records concerning these individuals.

Colonial Militia

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Elizabeth City 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 Elizabeth City 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 Hampton and Elizabeth City 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 Elizabeth City County, see p. 74.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Elizabeth City County militia officers; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War

 * Chapman, Blanche Adams. Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia, and Other Genealogical &amp; Historical Items, 1610-1800. Smithfield, Va., 1941. Original edition: ; 1995 reprint: ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Conventions of 1775-1776, the Committee of Safety, 1775; public claims (list of persons who furnished supplies during Revolution); services listed in Virginia Soldiers of 1777 by Burgess; Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution by John H. Gwathmey; The History of Virginia's Navy of the Revolution by Robert Armistead Stewart.]

War of 1812
Elizabeth City County men served in the 115th Regiment.


 * 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, Elizabeth City County, pp. 70-77.]

Civil War

 * - 1st Regiment, Virginia Artillery (Confederate). Company A (Washington Artillery aka Hampton Artillery)
 * - 3rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company B (Old Dominion Dragoons).

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.

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 Hampton silversmiths.]

Officials

 * Chapman, Blanche Adams. Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia, and Other Genealogical &amp; Historical Items, 1610-1800. Smithfield, Va., 1941. Original edition available at ; 1995 reprint at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes a partial list of civil officers of the county, 1631-1666; members of the House of Burgesses, 1619-1775; Conventions of 1775-1776; lists of attorneys and justices, 1660-1767; more lists of civil officers of the county, 1639-1784.]

Private Papers

 * [Riddlehurst] Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Correspondence with the American Colonies 1739-1782," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1998):108-128; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):189-205. [Overseas correspondence of a resident of Hampton with the following surname: Riddlehurst.] Available at.

Probate

 * 1700-1805 - Images of Wills and Estates Virginia Pioneers ($).
 * 1700-1805 - Images of Loose Wills, Vol. 1,2,3 Virginia Pioneers ($)

Local Court

 * Chapman, Blanche Adams. Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia, and Other Genealogical &amp; Historical Items, 1610-1800. Smithfield, Va., 1941. Original edition available at ; 1995 reprint at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 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. . [Includes Elizabeth 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 Hampton and Elizabeth City County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Elizabeth City County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1965):16-18. ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * Mero, James H. Elizabeth City County, Virginia (Now City of Hampton), A Guide for Research in Elizabeth City County Records. Hampton, Virginia: Hugh S. Watson, Jr. Genealogical Society of Tidewater Virginia, 1984..

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?
 * [1704] Quit Rent Rolls Virginia Pioneers ($).


 * [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 ($). [Elizabeth County appears in 30:341-344.]
 * [1704, 1782] Chapman, Blanche Adams. Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia, and Other Genealogical &amp; Historical Items, 1610-1800. Smithfield, Va., 1941. Original edition available at ; 1995 reprint at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes 1704 Quit Rent Roll; 1782 List of Tithables.]
 * [1704] See also 1787.
 * [1758] "A Poll for the Election of Burgesses for the County of Elizabeth City When Col. John Tabb &amp; Capt. William Wager Were Chosen, July 11, 1758," William and Mary College Quarterly, 1st Series, Vol. 26 (1917):107-108. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [1782] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Online at FamilySearch - free; . [1782 personal property tax list of Elizabeth City County.]
 * [1782-1820] Heinegg, Paul. "Elizabeth City County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1820," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Elizabeth City County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1787] Stewart, Robert Armistead. "First Tax List of the Commonwealth of Virginia: Property Tax List of Elizabeth City County, 1787 [and] Family Names Above Occurring in the Quit Rent Roll of Elizabeth City County, 1704," The Researcher: A Magazine of History and Genealogical Exchange, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Apr. 1927):177-179. Available at.
 * [1790, 1798] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1798 Personal Property Tax Lists of Elizabeth City County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1800] "Elizabeth City County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1975):18-22. ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * [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. Elizabeth City County is included in Vol. 3.]

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1689-1699 - Virginia Pioneers ($) Licenses.
 * 1690s-1720 - Crozier, William Armstrong. Early Virginia Marriages. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1953. Digital version at - free. Includes Elizabeth City County marriages 1690s-1720.


 * 1694-1702 - "Marriage Licenses Granted in Elizabeth City County," The William and Mary Quarterly, 1694-1698: Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jan. 1894):210-211; 1698-1702: Vol. 5, No. 1 (Jul. 1896):57-58. Digital version at JSTOR - free.


 * 1719-1720 - "Elizabeth City County Records," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Jan. 1893):157. Digital version at JSTOR - free. Marriage licenses 1719-1720.


 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).

Voting

 * Chapman, Blanche Adams. Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia, and Other Genealogical &amp; Historical Items, 1610-1800. Smithfield, Va., 1941. Original edition available at ; 1995 reprint at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes polls for elections, 1758, 1765.]

Societies and Libraries

 * Tidewater Genealogical Society

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

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