Step-by-Step Virginia Research, 1880-Present

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Step 1. Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History
 * Genealogy: 150 questions to ask family members about their lives
 * Creating Oral Histories

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2. Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
A census is a count and description of the population of a country, state, county, or city for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day. For each person living in a household (depending on the year). their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, ye

Using the clues to lead to census record searches.
'''Here is the family, as expected, in the 1940 census, living in Shiloh, King George, Virginia. They do not show up in the 1930 census index. But they are in the 1920 census of Shiloh.'''



Searching for the next generation
William L. Bowler was also born in Virginia. His age is given as 38 in the 1920 census. His birth is then calculated to be in 1888. He should be listed in the 1900 census, approximately age 18.

There is a William L. Boulware listed in the 1900 census, in the home of his parents, Lomax and Mary J. Boulware in the town of Shiloh. No families appear with the "Bowler" spelling.''' This appears to be William L. Bowler because it is the only family coming close to a similar surname. More research in other record types will be needed to prove the connection. '''There is no 1890 census. The name Lomax "Bolar" is unique enough to identify the same family, with even another surname spelling, in the 1880 census.'''



Look for ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Use the clues from each census for hints where to find families in both earlier and later census records.
- For more information, see Virginia Census and United States Census.

Step 3: Find birth, marriage, and death certificates for ancestors and their children.
States, counties, or (even towns in some states) recorded births, marriages, and deaths.
 * In addition to the child's name, birth date, and place of birth, a birth certificate may give the birthplaces of the parents, their ages, and occupations. *A marriage certificate might list the parents of the bride and groom.
 * A death certificate may give the person's birth date and place, parents' names and birthplaces, and spouse's name.

Using the census clues to lead to a birth certificate.
Census information gives approximate birth years and probable birth places, and that information leads to finding important birth records.

Example of index entries leading to original certificates.

Using the census clues to lead to a marriage certificate.
Finding marriage records can:
 * establish the full identity of the wife, with her maiden name and possible birth details.
 * find the names of the parents of the bride and groom.

Example of a marriage index entry.

Using the census clues to lead to a death certificate.
Moving forward in time, older generations stop showing up in the census. That is a clue that they probably died in the last 10 years. The death certificate is important because of all the possible secondary data beyond just the date and place of death: Example of a death certificate. Some of the examples shown above are index entries. That means for each of them an actual, original, full certificate exists. It is highly advisable to order the original certificate. It will contain many details not given in the index. In some cases, the image of the original is found online. Instructions are given below on obtaining the original certificate in other cases. -
 * birth date and place of the deceased
 * maiden name of the wife
 * names of the deceased's parents
 * birth places of the deceased's parents.

How to Find the Records
There are basically three ways to find these indexes or full original certificates:
 * online databases
 * writing to a county courthouse (prior to the beginning of state civil registration)
 * purchasing them through the mail

Records at the County Courthouse.
These records were originally created by county clerks, and then copies were sent to the state. County clerks can be willing to help find all the birth records for one family or perform other searches that the state would not do. To contact county clerks by e-mail or telephone, go to the Wiki article for each county. Links to the county Wiki articles are found at the end of this page or by clicking here: Virginia Counties.

Order Certificates from Virginia Vital Records Department.
Almost always the full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).


 * Where to Write for Virginia Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Virginia, see How to Find Virginia Birth Records, How to Find Virginia Marriage Records, and How to Find Virginia Death Records.

Step 4: Try to find additional details about ancestors in obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records online.
There are additional record collections available, based upon a person's death: obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records. These are a great source for more details about a person. Here are some examples; notice the level of details.



Obituaries

 * Online Virginia Death Records &amp; Indexes links by county
 * Virginia Genealogy Obituaries
 * ObitsArchive.com - Virginia ($)
 * ObituariesHelp.org - Virginia Newspaper Obituaries Listings
 * Old Virginia Obituaries, 1790-1940
 * Obituary Links
 * USGenWeb Obituary Project Virginia
 * — index and images

Cemeteries

 * Online Virginia Death Records &amp; Indexes links by county
 * Virginia Cemetery Records at Interment.net
 * Findagrave.com Virginia Cemetery Records
 * Billiongraves.com Virginia Cemeteries
 * USGenWeb Virginia Tombstone Transcription Project
 * Linkpendium
 * Virginia Gravestones
 * Virginia Cemetery Records
 * Access Genealogy
 * Cemetery Census
 * Arlington National Cemetery
 * I Dream of Genealogy
 * I Dream of Genealogy

U.S. Social Security Death Index and Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at
 * Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

For more information, see Virginia Obituaries and Virginia Cemeteries.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and World War II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. Example of a World War I draft card. Example of a World War II draft card.



'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see Virginia Military Records.
 * , index and images.
 * , index and images.

Step 6: Look for church records.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration in 1912.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



Indexes

 * , index/images - How to Use this Collection
 * Virginia Vital Records, 1660-1923 ($) index and images
 * Index only. Incomplete. Coverage Table - How to Use this Collection Also at Ancestry.com ($),  Also at MyHeritage, ($), index
 * Index only Incomplete. Coverage Table - How to Use this Collection
 * Index only Incomplete. - How to Use this Collection
 * Virginia, Deaths and Burials Index, 1853-1917 ($)
 * Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia With Index and Genealogical Guide, Vol. Ii, index ($)

Baptists

 * Materials towards a history of the Baptists in the provinces of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia (1772) Morgan Edwards. Include several lists of founding members of Baptist churches in Virginia and biographies of ministers.
 * Early Virginia Religious Petitions, digitized by the Library of Congress, include many petitions from Virginia congregations that identify inhabitants who belonged to their faiths.

Protestant Episcopal (Anglican Church or Church of England)

 * Index to Marriage Notices in The Southern Churchman (Newspaper), 1835-1941. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company, 1996. The "Southern Churchman'' was a newspaper published by the Episcopal faith.

Lutheran

 * 1781-1969 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969, index and images, incomplete.($)

Quaker (Society of Friends)

 * U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935, index & images ($).
 * Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Vol. VI: (Virginia), index and transcripts.($)

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 * For help with church records kept in Virginia, see Virginia Church Records.
 * To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.
Example of a will.
 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.

Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * Library of Virginia Wills/Administration
 * Virginia wills before 1799 : a complete abstract register...., ($), index/images
 * Library of Virginia Chancery Records Index
 * Virginia Will Records, ($) index/images
 * Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850, ($) index/images
 * Virginia County Records, Volume VI, ($) index/images
 * Virginia County Records, Volume IX, ($) index/images
 * Virginia County Records, Volume X, ($) index/images

Probate Information in County Articles
Each Virginia county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Virginia Counties

For more information, see Virginia Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



Virginia Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records
 * Virginia, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1904-1963, ($), index

Virginia Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records
 * Virginia, Federal Naturalization Records, 1901-1938, index & images ($).
 * Images only.
 * Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - U.S. District Court - Original Documents for Virginia, 1910-1929 - Western District (Charlottesville) ($)
 * Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - U.S. District Court - Original Documents for Virginia, 1909-1920 - Eastern District(Alexandria) ($)
 * U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, (World Archives Project) for Virginia, 1914-1929 - Western District (Abingdon), U.S. District Court ($)
 * U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, (World Archives Project) for Virginia, 1910-1929 - Western District (Charlottesville), U.S. District Court ($)
 * U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, (World Archives Project) for Virginia, 1906-1929- Eastern District (Richmond), U.S. Circuit and District Courts ($)
 * U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, (World Archives Project) for Virginia, 1909-1920 - Eastern District (Alexandria), U.S. District Court ($)

Local histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states usually contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories:
 * Hathi Trust Digital Library. Don't use the keywords Virginia; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
 * Google Books. Use keywords "Virginia" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * Internet Archive.Use keywords "Virginia" and the county name.
 * Genealogy Book Links, Virginia. Browse list; county histories are interspersed.
 * Ancestry.com, ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Virginia and the name of the county.

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
 * If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
 * A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections
These collections of biographies can be searched online. Most have a table of contents and an index. Or use the "Find" function on a computer.
 * Tyler, Lyon Gardiner. Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Five Volumes. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publication, 1915. Includes multi-generation family histories.
 * Vols. I-V online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust.

Also at:
 * Vol. I: Internet Archive
 * Vol. I-II: Ancestry ($), index/images. Although same as the Encyclopedia, Ancestry has named this collection Virginia Biography, Volume I-II
 * Vol. II: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($), index/images.
 * Vol. III: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($), index/images.
 * Vol. IV: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($), index/images.
 * Vol. V: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($), index/images.


 * Virginia Biographical Encyclopedia, ($), index/images
 * Virginia Apprentices, 1623-1800, ($), index/images
 * Virginia Biography, Volume I-II, ($), index/images
 * Men of Mark in Virginia: Ideals of American Life; a collection of biographies of the leading men in the state Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4, Vol. 5
 * Virginia and Virginians, Vol. I, Vol. II, ($), index/images.
 * Virginia, Colonial Planters, ($), index/images
 * Some emigrants to Virginia : memoranda in regard to several hundred emigrants to Virginia during the colonial period whose parentage is shown or former residence indicated by authentic records, e-book

Step 10: Contact a county historical or genealogical society.
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 * Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.


 * Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the list to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society.

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * Virginia, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * Virginia, United States Historical Images, Old Version

Virginia Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in Virginia Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Virginia Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * Virginia Online Genealogy Records

Step 12: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Virginia.
This article focused more on Virginia state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Virginia. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records. Counties:  Accomack Albemarle Alleghany Amelia Amherst Appomattox Arlington</li> Augusta</li> Bath</li> Bedford</li> Bland</li> Botetourt</li> Brunswick</li> Buchanan</li> Buckingham</li> Campbell</li> Caroline</li> Carroll</li> Charles City</li> Charlotte</li> Chesterfield</li> Clarke</li> <li>Craig</li> <li>Culpeper</li> <li>Cumberland</li> <li>Dickenson</li> <li>Dinwiddie</li> <li>Essex</li> <li>Fairfax</li> <li>Fauquier</li> <li>Floyd</li> <li>Fluvanna</li> <li>Franklin</li> <li>Frederick</li> <li>Giles</li> <li>Gloucester</li> <li>Goochland</li> <li>Grayson</li> <li>Greene</li> <li>Greensville</li> <li>Halifax</li> <li>Hanover</li> <li>Henrico</li> <li>Henry</li> <li>Highland</li> <li>Isle of Wight</li> <li>James City</li> <li>King and Queen</li> <li>King George</li> <li>King William</li> <li>Lancaster</li> <li>Lee</li> <li>Loudoun</li> <li>Louisa</li> <li>Lunenburg</li> <li>Madison</li> <li>Mathews</li> <li>Mecklenburg</li> <li>Middlesex</li> <li>Montgomery</li> <li>Nelson</li> <li>New Kent</li> <li>Northampton</li> <li>Northumberland</li> <li>Nottoway</li> <li>Orange</li> <li>Page</li> <li>Patrick</li> <li>Pittsylvania</li> <li>Powhatan</li> <li>Prince Edward</li> <li>Prince George</li> <li>Prince William</li> <li>Pulaski</li> <li>Rappahannock</li> <li>Richmond</li> <li>Roanoke</li> <li>Rockbridge</li> <li>Rockingham</li> <li>Russell</li> <li>Scott</li> <li>Shenandoah</li> <li>Smyth</li> <li>Southampton</li> <li>Spotsylvania</li> <li>Stafford</li> <li>Surry</li> <li>Sussex</li> <li>Tazewell</li> <li>Warren</li> <li>Washington</li> <li>Westmoreland</li> <li>Wise</li> <li>Wythe</li> <li>York</li> </ul>
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