Fredericksburg (Independent City), Virginia Genealogy

Description
The City of Fredericksburg is located in the Northern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707-51), eldest son of King George II of Great Britain and father of King George III.

Courthouse
The courthouse contains many historical records. Security measures are in place and no electronics are allowed in the building.

For additional records, see Spotsylvania County.

Parent County
1879--Fredericksburg became an independent city from Spotsylvania County in 1879.

African American

 * Fitgerald, Ruth Coder. A Different Story: A Black History of Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spottsylvannia, Virginia. [Fredericksburg, Virginia]: Unicorn, c 1979 FHL975.536 F2f
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Fredericksburg City Personal Property Tax List 1787-1815," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized images of African Americans of the City of Fredericksburg.

Cemeteries

 * Confederate Cemetery Burials

Census

 * Fisher, Therese. "A List of Males in the Town of Fredericksburg from the Age of 18 to 45 Years Old; 1806," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 40, No. 4 (Oct./Nov. 1996):306-308. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..

Baptist

 * Darter, Oscar H. The History of Fredericksburg Baptist Church, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Richmond, Virginia, 1959.

Court
Searches of Fredericksburg court records should begin with:


 * Indexes of Court Records in the Clerk's Office, Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1782-1904. Original records, Fredericksburg City Courthouse, Fredericksburg, Va., microfilmed reproduction available at . [Indexes the following records: District Court law book v. 8, 1782-1792; District Court law books 1790-1793, v. A-F 1789-1811; Superior Court of Law law order books v. G-H 1812-1831; Superior Court of Chancery chancery order books 1814-1831; Hustings Court orders v. A-O 1782-1871; Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery law order books v. A-E 1831-1875; Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery chancery order books v. A-D 1831-1872; Circuit Court chancery order books v. A2, B-C 1875-1904; Fredericksburg District Court (1789-1808) had jurisdiction over the following counties: Spotsylvania (including Fredericksburg), Caroline, King George, Stafford, Orange, and Culpeper; Superior Court of Chancery (1802-1831) had jurisdiction over the following localities: city of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fairfax, Lancaster, Northumberland, Madison, King George, Orange, Prince William, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Essex, and Westmoreland.]
 * See also Historic Court Records for indexes of Apprentice Records, Clerk's Order Books, Court Records, Free Negro / Slave records, Inquests, Marriage Records, Mayor's Court, Military Records &amp; Wills.

Genealogy

 * [Mercer] John T. Goolrick. The Life of General Hugh Mercer. With Brief Sketches of General George Washington, John Paul Jones, General George Weedon, James Monroe and Mrs.Mary Ball Washington, Who were Friends and Associates of General Mercer at Fredericksburg; Also a Sketch of Lodge No. 4, A. F. and A. M., of Which Generals Washington and Mercer were Members; and a Genealogical Table of the Mercer Family. New York &amp; Washington: The Neale Publishing Company, 1906. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [Page] Rutherford, Dolores Crumrine. Page Family Records in Virginia Counties. 2 vols. Carmichael, Calif.: D.C. Rutherford, 1982-2006. [Fredericksburg appears in Vol. 2 Part 2]
 * [Page] Rutherford, Dolores Crumrine. The Page Family in Virginia Personal Property Taxes (1782-1850). 2 vols. Carmichael, Calif.: D.C. Rutherford, 2002. [Fredericksburg appears in Vol. 2]

Historic Residences

 * Goolrick, John T. Fredericksburg and the Cavalier Country: America's Most Historic Section, It's Homes: It's People and Romances. Richmond, Va.: Garrett &amp; Massie, 1935. Available at.
 * Goolrick, John T. Old Homes and History Around Fredericksburg: The Northern Neck and the Southside, Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties and Battle Sketches. Richmond: Garrett &amp; Massie, c1929. Available at FamilySearch Digital Library,.

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America 1777-1811," The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200; Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring 2001):53-74. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Fredericksburg with the following surnames: Brook, Galibert, Hunter, Proudfitt.]

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 7 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Fredericksburg.

Local Histories

 * Goolrick, John T. Fredericksburg and the Cavalier Country: America's Most Historic Section, It's Homes: It's People and Romances. Richmond, Va.: Garrett &amp; Massie, 1935. Available at.

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Fredericksburg militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]

Civil War Battles
The following Civil War battles were fought in Fredericksburg:


 * December 11-15, 1862 = Fredericksburg I, also known as Marye's Heights
 * May 3, 1863 = Fredericksburg II, also known as Marye's Heights


 * Maps of Civil War battles in Virginia: 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

Since Fredericksburg became an independent city from Spotsylvania County in 1879, the Civil War records for Fredericksburg will be found in the Spotsylvania County military records.

Newspapers

 * Robert Hodge's name index of Fredericksburg newspapers, 1787-1928: http://fbgresearchindxes.umw.edu/newspapersearch.asp
 * Christian Banner
 * 1850-1862 at GenealogyBank ($)
 * Fredericksburg Daily Star
 * 1917-1918 at Google News Archive
 * Fredericksburg Ledger
 * 1865-1874 at Google News Archive
 * Fredericksburg News
 * 1847-1882 (microfilm) at the Central Regional Rappahannock Library
 * 1849-1862 at Google News Archive
 * Fredericksburg Star
 * 1898-1900 at Google News Archive
 * The Free Lance
 * 1885-1926 at Google News Archive
 * 1899-1911 at Chronicling America
 * 1899-1911 at Newspapers.com ($)
 * The Free Lance-Star
 * 1920-2006 at Google News Archive
 * Political Arena
 * 1827-1841 (microfilm) at the Central Regional Rappahannock Library
 * Virginia Express
 * 1803-1804 at Genealogy Bank ($)
 * Virginia Gazette
 * 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.


 * Virginia Herald (Fredericksburg, Va.)
 * 1778-1876 (microfilm) at the Central Regional Rappahannock Library
 * 1787-1829 at Genealogy Bank ($).
 * 1792-1809 at Google News Archive


 * UMW Libraries guide to Virginia Newspapers Online
 * Newspapers at the Library of Virginia


 * See also Accessing the Old Newspapers of Fredericksburg for newspaper indexes and more.

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 Fredericksburg silversmiths.]

Probate

 * Historic Court Records

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [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. Fredericksburg is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1787-1832] Fredericksburg Personal Property Tax Lists 1787-1832 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
 * [1787-1815] Heinegg, Paul. "Fredericksburg City Personal Property Tax List 1787-1815," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1790, 1801] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1801 Personal Property Tax Lists of Fredericksburg, Virginia are available online at Binns Genealogy.
 * [1798] City of Fredericksburg Personal Property Tax List for 1798 online - free.
 * [1813] City of Fredericksburg Personal Property Tax List for 1813 online - free.
 * [1815] City of Fredericksburg Personal Property Tax List for 1815 online - free.
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at . [This source is based on the 1815 land tax. Spotsylvania County is included in Vol. 4.]

Societies and Libraries

 * Fredericksburg Regional Genealogical Society
 * Central Rappahannock Heritage Center
 * Central Regional Rappahannock Library and the Virginiana Room

Websites

 * Fredericksburg Virginia Family History Center
 * Fredericksburg Virginia Family History Center