King William County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
King William County is located in the east-central portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia on the Middle Peninsula, one of three peninsulas on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The county was named for King William III, King of England, Scotland and Ireland from April 11, 1689 to March 19, 1702.

County Courthouse
King William County Courthouse 351 Courthouse Lane Ste 201 King William, VA 23086-0216 Phone: 804-769-4927 King William County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1910.

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:

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
1790 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation. 1800 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation. 1810 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1890 Union Veterans
 * Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. By Ronald Ray Turner. .  Includes residents of this county.
 * 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census. Online at: Ancestry ($). Includes this county.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Baptists

Church of England St. John's Parish St. David's Parish Meade's 1861 history of parishes in King William County is available online.
 * Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of King and Queen and King William Counties, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 23, No. 4 (Oct. 1943):440-464. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1945. Available at ; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * Ryland, Elizabeth Hawes. "King William County and Its Court House," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Jan. 1940):99-112. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index can be used to search King William County chancery records for the years 1868-1938 (majority of records are 1885-1913). Digital images are available 1868-1913. Indexed information available through 1938 - see online catalog or contact Archives Research Services for availability of original records.

Emigration and Immigration
(also includes King George; King and Queen counties)
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America, 1777-1811," The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200. [Overseas contacts of residents of King William County with the following surname: Frazer.]
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of St. John's Parish and King William County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

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. "King William County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1832," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of King William County.

Funeral Homes

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

Genealogies
Compiled Genealogies by Surname 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
 * See King William County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of 200+ Published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families
 * Clarke, Peyton Neale. Old King William Homes and Families: An Account of Some of the Old Homesteads and Families of King William County, Virginia, from Its Earliest Settlement. Louisville, Ky.: n.p., 1897. Digital version at Internet Archive. 1964 reprint: ; 1966 reprint:
 * Harris, Malcolm Hart. Old New Kent County: Some Account of the Planters, Plantations, and Places in ... West Point, Va.: M.H. Harris, 1977. 2 vols. . [Includes King William County.]
 * Ryland, Elizabeth Hawes (1879-1954). Genealogical Notes. 1930-1954. Available at Virginia Historical Society. "Include genealogical notes, Bible records, and charts concerning the following Virginia families, primarily of King William and King and Queen counties: Arnold, Banks, Baylor, Beverley, Braxton, Brooke, Burwell, Camm, Carter, Chamberlayne, Claiborne, Dandridge, Gaines, Garlick, Gregory, Gwathmey, Jennings (oversize), Johnson, Littlepage, Moore, Nelson, Page, Pendleton, Robinson, Quarles, Rootes, Temple, Todd, Tunstall, Walker, West, Whiting, Winston, and Wormeley."

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Deeds
 * "Extracts of King William County Records," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 25, No. 1 (Jan. 1917):65-70; Vol. 25, No. 2 (Apr. 1917):174-179; Vol. 25, No. 3 (Jul. 1917):290-296. Available at JSTOR ($). [Remnants of destroyed deeds.]

Grants and Patents
 * Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants 1694-1742. Vol. I. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1987. Available at . [Includes King William County.]
 * 1704 Quit Rents Virginia Pioneers ($).

Local Histories

 * Harris, Malcolm H. "'Delaware Town' and 'West Point' in King William County, Va.," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct. 1934):342-351. Available at JSTOR ($).

Historic Residences
 * Clarke, Peyton Neale. Old King William Homes and Families: An Account of Some of the Homesteads and Families of King William County, Virginia, From its Earliest Settlement. Louisville: J.P. Morton and Company, 1897. Available at (3 copies); digital versions at FamilySearch Digital Library,  Ancestry ($).
 * "Old Houses in King William County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct. 1938), unpaginated. Available at JSTOR($).
 * Ryland, Elizabeth Hawes. "Homes in King William County: Comments and Corrections," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Jan. 1939):120-121. Available at JSTOR ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
French and Indian War Revolutionary War
 * 1919-1980 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . Online at: Ancestry ($). Identifies some King William County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.
 * Clerk, H. Randolph. "King William County Payments for Wives, Widows and Parents of Soldiers," [Revolutionary War] The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Apr. 1918):232-233. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Eastern District, King William County on page 131.
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." ; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans. Virginia section begins on page 238.
 * Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War. By J.T. McAllister. 1913. Hot Springs, Va.: McAllister Pub. Co. Online at: Internet Archive

Regiments. Service men in King William County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. King William County supplied soldiers for the:
 * - 7th Virginia Regiment
 * - 15th Virginia Regiment

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; online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, Virginia, King William County, p. 87. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Regiments. King William County men served in the 87th 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 King William 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:
 * - 9th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company H (Lee's Rangers).

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.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records London Courts
 * 1652-1900 Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of St. John's Parish and King William County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * 1639-1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry — index, incomplete ($)
 * 1811-1816 Images of Deeds. Bk 6 at Virginia Pioneers ($).
 * 1816-1819 Images of Deeds. Bk 7 at Virginia Pioneers ($).
 * 1818-1822 Images of Deeds. Bk 8 at 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
 * 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 ($). [King William County appears in 32:69-75.]
 * 1782  Land Taxed in King William County in 1782 online at Genealogy Trails - free.
 * 1782 1782 King William County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List; index online at New River Notes - free.
 * 1782 Lee, Ida J. "Land Taxed in King William County in 1782," [1782 Land Tax] The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Oct. 1926):326-328. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * 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 Digital Library, - images. 1782 personal property tax list of King William County.
 * 1782-1820 Ward, Roger G. "Burned County Gleanings: King William County Land Tax Lists, 1782-1820," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 36, No. 4 (Fall 1998):262-270. ; digital version at Ancestry ($). Some abstracts of taxpayers and "genealogical tidbits," such as relationships, land transfers, etc.
 * 1782-1832 Heinegg, Paul. "King William County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1832," Free African Americans.com.  Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
 * 1782-1850 Lee, Ida J. "King William County Personal Tax List, 1782-1850," [some letter 'A' surnames] The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr. 1927):114-122. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * 1782-1863 Personal property tax lists, 1782-1863.   - images.
 * 1783  Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783; index online at Revolutionary War Service website - free.
 * 1783 County Land Tax Records, 1783, Tidewater Virginia Families, Vol. 12, No. 1 (May 2003). Available at.
 * 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 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & 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. King William County is included in Vol. 2.
 * 1796-1812 Tax Digests at Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1800 Tax List, 1800, The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Jul. 1990). Available at . Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * 1810 Schreiner-Yates, Netti. A Supplement to the 1810 Census of Virginia: Tax Lists of the Counties for which the Census is Missing. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1971. Available at . The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax list. King William County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.
 * 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. King William County is included in Vol. 3.
 * 1815 Tax Digests at Virginia Pioneers ($)

Birth

 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 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 $
 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1853-1911 Virginia, U.S., Death Registers, 1853-1911 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection;  index & images
 * 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index & images

FamilySearch Centers
To locate the closest FamilySearch center or affiliate library, use the link listed above.

Libraries
Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical &amp; Historical SocietyWebsite
 * Tidewater Genealogical Society

Websites

 * King William Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.


 * – 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

 * 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 King William County, see pp. 60-61]