Arlington County, Virginia Genealogy

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History


Known as Alexandria County until 1920, when it was renamed Arlington County. The county was named after Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington (1618-1685), an English statesman.

Parent County
1847--Arlington County was created 13 March 1847 from Fairfax County. County seat: Arlington

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

The following is a list of cemeteries in Arlington County:


 * Decker, K. and Angus McSween. Historic Arlington: A History of the National Cemetery from Its Establishment to the Present Time, with Sketches of the Historic Personages Who Occupied the Estate Previous to Its Seizure by the National Government... Decker and McSween Pub. Co., 1892. Digital version at Google Books (full-view).
 * Smith, F.H. Memorial Ceremonies at the National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Under the Auspices of the Grand Army of the Republic, May 30, 1868. Washington, D.C.: McGill &amp; Witherow, Printers and Stereotypers, 1868. Digital version at Google Books (full-view).

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Arlington

Court
Indexed images of Arlington County, Virginia Chancery Records 1790-1842 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. In addition to finding a direct ancestor’s surname listed, and watching to see if more recent publications make additions and corrections to earlier works, this list is also useful for determining if genealogists have published accounts, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, for any members of an ancestor’s “FAN Club” [Family, Associates, and Neighbors]. Checking publications about those individuals can lead you to new information about your own ancestry. Be mindful that compiled genealogies may contain errors.

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Alexandria County [Arlington County]," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1959). Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Arlington County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1960):80. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * Ray, Suzanne Smith. *"Genealogical Research in the Records of Alexandria City and Arlington County," The Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Jul.-Aug. 1984):1. Available at FHL; digital version at Virginia Genealogical Society website.

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Alexandria County is included in Vol. 4.]
 * [1829] A List of Tithables for the Town Part of the County of Alexandria, 1829. Original records, Arlington County Courthouse in Arlington, Virginia; also available on microfilm at FHL.

Websites

 * Arlington County VAGenWeb Project, a part of The VAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project
 * Family History Library Catalog