Amherst County, Virginia Genealogy

United States   Virginia    Amherst County





History


The county was named after Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst (1717-1797). Amherst conquered what is now Canada for the British during the French and Indian War.

Parent County
1758--Amherst County was created 14 September 1758 from Albemarle County. County seat: Amherst

Neighboring Counties
Appomattox | Bedford | Campbell | Lynchburg (independent city) | Nelson | Rockbridge

African American

 * Heinegg, Paul. "Amherst County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1822," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * McLeRoy, Sherrie S. Strangers in Their Midst the Free Black Population of Amherst County, Virginia. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 199_. Information was taken from the register of free blacks, census listings, tax records, deeds, wills, marriages and land plats. Time period covers 1761-1865.

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

The following is a list of cemeteries in Amherst County:

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.]

Court
Chancery Court


 * Indexed images of Amherst County, Virginia Chancery Records 1773-1879 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. Additional records are also available at the Amherst County Courthouse. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.
 * Sweeny, Lenora Higginbotham. "Amherst County Chancery Suits," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Jul., 1939), pp. 318-324. Digital version at JSTOR ($). [Loose chancery papers, also discusses Sweeny's discovery of Amherst's Revolutionary-era court order book.]

County Court


 * Sweeny, Lenora Higginbotham. "Amherst County Chancery Suits," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Jul., 1939), pp. 318-324. Digital version at JSTOR ($). [Loose chancery papers, also discusses Sweeny's discovery of Amherst's Revolutionary-era court order book.]

Genealogy
More than 30 genealogies have been published about Amherst County families. To view a list, visit Amherst County, Virginia Genealogy.

Immigration

 * [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=Amherst&placeOfIndentureColony=&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 Amherst County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.

Land
Grants and Patents


 * Bannister, 971 patents dated 1738-1844 in what is now Amherst and Nelson Counties, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2005. [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.]

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 M2bL. [Identifies some Amherst County 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 FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 H2bw 1965; 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 Amherst County, see p. 104.]

Revolutionary War
A transcript of a "Petition by the men of the Amherst County, Virginia Militia who fought at the Battle of Camden," by James Lynch, is available for free online, courtesy: Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution. The petition includes the names of several Amherst County residents involved in the War. Additional Revolutionary War records for Amherst County include:


 * Sweeny, Lenora Higginbotham. "Amherst County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 9, No. 4 (Oct., 1929), p. 324. Digital version at JSTOR ($). [List, found in private papers, which appears to identify payments made to Amherst County residents for Revolutionary War provisions.]
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Amherst County on page 128.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

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 Amherst 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.: Governnment Printing Office, 1883. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Amherst County, p. 61.]

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.

Officials

 * Starke, Aubrey H. "Amherst County Magistrates, 1779-1798," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1960):125-126. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 B2vg. Digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

Petitions

 * Eckenrode, H.J. Virginia State Library: A Calendar of Legislative Petitions Arranged by Counties Accomac - Bedford. Richmond, Va.: Davis Bottom, Superintendent of Public Printing, 1908. Digital version at Google Books (full-view). [Amherst County petitions (1775-1856) are described on pp. 107-132.]

Probate

 * Clemens, William M. Virginia Wills Before 1799: A Complete Abstract Register of All Names Mentioned in Over Six Hundred Recorded Wills, ... Copied from the Court House Records of Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, Loudoun, Prince William and Rockbridge Counties. Pompton Lakes, N.J.: Biblio Co., 1924. Fiche 6015628-6015629; digital versions at Access Genealogy; Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($). Free online surname index and 2004 reprint purchase details at Mountain Press website.

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Amherst County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1960):38-40. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 B2vg. Digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1782-1822] Heinegg, Paul. "Amherst County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1822," 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. . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Amherst County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1790, 1799] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Amherst County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1800] "Amherst County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1961):80-84; Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1961):125-130; Vol. 5, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1961):155-160; Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1962):18-22. . Digital version at New England Ancestors ($).
 * [1800] Tax List, 1800, Bedford Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 9, No. 2 (May 1998); Vol. 9, No. 3 (Aug. 1998); Vol. 9, No. 4 (Nov. 1998).
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Amherst County is included in Vol. 1.]

Vital Records
Marriage


 * Sweeny, Lenora Higginbotham. Marriage Records of Amherst County, 1815-1821; And Subscriptions for Building St. Mark's Church, Amherst County, Virginia. Lynchburg, Virginia, 1961. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1962):86. The review is available at FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 B2vg Digital version is at New England Ancestors ($).

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog