Lancaster County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Lancaster County is located in the eastern area of the Commonwealth of Virginia, bounded on the east by the Chesapeake Bay and to the south and west by the Rappahannock River. Lancaster County was named for its counterpart county in England.

County Courthouse
Lancaster County Courthouse 8265 Mary Ball Road PO Box 129 Lancaster, VA 22503 Phone: 804-462-0012 Lancaster County Website

County Health Department has birth records. Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1715, death, probate and land records from 1652, divorce records from 1800 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

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Philip Alexander Bruce. Economic History of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century: An Inquiry into the Material Condition of the People, Based upon Original and Contemporaneous Records 2 volumes; New York and London: Macmillan, 1896. Online at:Internet Archive.
 * Booker, Motley and Norman R. Tingle. "Andrew Robertson - Pioneer Physician of Lancaster County, Virginia," [Andrew Robertson, b. 1716 in Inverness, Scotland] Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 22 (1972).
 * Sadtler, Otis K. "Post Offices in Lancaster County," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 2 (1952).

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Heiger, Herman J. "Blakey Graveyard, Lancaster County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1970):136. Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).

Census Records
1783 Enumeration
 * Lancaster County Heads of Families - 1783 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 55.

1785 Enumeration
 * Lancaster County Heads of Families - 1785 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 91.

1850
 * 1850 Census of Lancaster County, Virginia. The Mary Ball Memorial Museum and Library, Inc., 1968. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1969):88. Review online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).

1890 Union Veterans
 * Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. By Ronald Ray Turner. ; (*); images.  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

Baptist


 * Norris, Robert O. "History of Lebanon Baptist Church Lancaster County, Virginia," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 9 (1959).

Church of England See also Christ Church Parish (Lancaster) See also Christ Church Parish (Middlesex)  See also Piankatank Parish  See also Poropotank Parish  See also St. Mary's Whitechapel Parish  See also Trinity Parish  See also Upper Parish
 * Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Lancaster County is available online.
 * Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of Northumberland and Lancaster Counties, Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Apr. 1946):137-151; Vol. 54, No. 3 (Jul. 1946):233-243. Available at JSTOR ($).&nbsp

Presbyterian There was a Presbyterian congregation in Lancaster County from the 1760s through 1780. Ministers preached at Lancaster Court House and the Forest Meeting House.
 * "An Order Prohibiting the Erection of a Presybterian Church in Lancaster County in 1759 titled 'Lancaster County, Virginia Court Records, Deed Book 15, p. 321,'" Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 13 (1963).
 * Gordon, James. "Journal of Col. James Gordon, of Lancaster County, Va.," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Oct. 1902):98-112. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Peirce, Elizabeth C. "Col. James Gordon's Presbyterian Meeting House - Lancaster County," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 17 (1967).

Quaker Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):
 * Corrotoman Monthly Meeting (1656-1686)

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records

General
 * Peirce, Elizabeth Combs. "Courthouses of Lancaster County, 1656-1950," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 1 (1951).
 * Simmons. "Decades of Court History in Lancaster County," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 34 (1984).

Chancery Court
 * Indexed images of Lancaster County, Virginia Chancery Records 1722-1936 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

County Court
 * Fleet, Beverley. Lancaster County, 1652-1655. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub., Co., 1961. ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes a guide to surviving records.]
 * Fleet, Beverley. Lancaster County, Record Book No. 2, 1654-1666 [pages 1-394]. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Peirce, Elizabeth C. "Lancaster County Order Book Fifteen July 1770-1778: Ten Selected Entries," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 9 (1959).
 * "Rules of Lancaster Court in 1671," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Apr. 1897):264. Available at JSTOR ($).

Superior Court of Chancery The Superior Court of Chancery of Fredericksburg (1802-1831) had jurisdiction over certain Fairfax County court cases. An index has been compiled:
 * Indexes of Court Records in the Clerk's Office, Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1782-1904. Original records, Fredericksburg City Courthouse, Fredericksburg, Va., microfilmed reproduction: [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.]

Emigration and Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Lancaster City and Lancaster County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * "Colonial Convicts of the Northern Neck," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 52 (2002).
 * Jett, Carolyn. Runaway Slaves (Servants), Lancaster County, Virginia, 1736-1775. Lancaster, Virginia: Mary Ball Washington Museum, 2000.


 * Ljungstedt, Milnor. "Items from Southern Records" [Showing Family and Trade Connections with Northern Colonies and the Home Countries], The American Genealogist, Vol. 15 (1938):95-104. Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). [Lancaster Co., VA record surnames: Burgess, Chauncey, Cosens, Davenport, Eustace, Hambleton, Hayward, Hayworth, Howard, Jauncey, Marshal, Smyth.]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Burkett, Brigitte. Lancaster County Virginia, Register of Free Negroes 1803-1860. Richmond, Virginia: B. Burkett, 1999.
 * Cowling, Dorothy Norris C. Historical Notes on the Life and Achievements of Blacks in Lancaster County and the State of Virginia (1619-1974). 1991. A Study Sponsored by the Lancaster County African American Historical Society.
 * Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. 2005-present. - free online book. Adams, Bee, Bell, Bluford, Bolling, Carter, Cassidy, Davis, Dennison (see introduction), Dias, Donathan, Dyer, Graves, Haws, Hunt, Jones, Kelly, Laws, Lewin, Lewis, McCullam, Mann, Maxfield, Mozingo, Nickens, Oliver, Palmer, Peters, Phillipson, Pinn, Poor (see introduction), Rich, Richardson, Scott, Shoecraft, Sorrell, Spriddle, Spriggs, Stewart, Weaver, Wiggins, and Wood families of pre-1820 Lancaster County, Virginia.
 * Hill, Margaret Lester. "A List of Male Free Negroes, 1850, Lancaster County," Tidewater Virginia Families: A Magazine of History and Genealogy, Vol. 5, No. 1 (May/June 1996):41. 975.51 D25t
 * Jett, Carolyn. Runaway Slaves (Servants), Lancaster County, Virginia, 1736-1775. Lancaster, Virginia: Mary Ball Washington Museum, 2000.
 * Sutton, Karen Elizabeth. Black, Red and Revolutionary: Free African Americans of Lancaster and Northumberland Counties, Virginia, in the Era of the American Revolution. University of Maryland, 1997.
 * Van Riemsdijk, Tatiana. "His Slaves or Hers? Customary Claims, a Planter Marriage, and a Community Verdict in Lancaster County, 1793," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 113, No. 1 (2005):46-79. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * Cowling, Dorothy Norris C. Historical Notes on the Life and Achievements of Blacks in Lancaster County and the State of Virginia (1619-1974). Richmond, VA: Lancaster County African American Historical Society, 1991.
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Lancaster County.

Native American
 * Philips, John. "Indian Affairs in Lancaster County," [1653] The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jan. 1896):177-179. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * "The Treaty of Lancaster, 1744," [Indian] The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Oct. 1905):141-142. Available at JSTOR ($).

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 Lancaster County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of published books and articles or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families
 * Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. 2005-present. - free online book. Adams, Bee, Bell, Bluford, Bolling, Carter, Cassidy, Davis, Dennison (see introduction), Dias, Donathan, Dyer, Graves, Haws, Hunt, Jones, Kelly, Laws, Lewin, Lewis, McCullam, Mann, Maxfield, Mozingo, Nickens, Oliver, Palmer, Peters, Phillipson, Pinn, Poor (see introduction), Rich, Richardson, Scott, Shoecraft, Sorrell, Spriddle, Spriggs, Stewart, Weaver, Wiggins, and Wood families of pre-1820 Lancaster County, Virginia.
 * Wills, Anita L. Pieces of the Quilt: The Mosaic of an African American Family. Charleston, S.C.: Booksurge, 2008. Available at Virginia Historical Society.
 * Yurechko, John Otto. Virginians Along and Near the Lower Rapphahannock River, 1607-1799. 2 vols. Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1997-1998. . Contents: v. 1. Blake, Brooks (Brook), Churchill, Cook (Cock), Daniel, Dixon, Gore, Kidd, Lewis, Martin, Montague, Taylor and Wood -- v. 2. Brown, Clark, Elliott, Fox (Fowkes, Vaulx), Harrison, McTyre, Moore, Pate, Rawlins (Rollins), Rhodes, Sanders (Saunders) and Williams.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records An early settlers map is available for Christ Church in Lancaster County. The cartographer plots the locations of pioneers tracts circa 1750. The FamilySearch Library has a copy:.

Grants and Patents
 * Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants 1694-1742. Vol. I. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1987. ; digital version at Ancestry. [Includes Lancaster County.]
 * 1742-1775 Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1742-1775. Vol. II. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Nugent, Nell Marion. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1666. Vol. I (1934; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1991). ; online at: Hathitrust, Ancestry ($).

Record Books
 * Fleet, Beverley. Lancaster County, Record Book No. 2, 1654-1666 [pages 1-394]. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Local Histories

 * "Lancaster County History; An Antient Planter," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 51 (2001).
 * Norris, Robert O. "Some Unusual Happenings in the Colonial Life of Lancaster County," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 8 (1958).

Historic Residences
 * McKenney. "Morattico Plantation--Lancaster County," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 38 (1988).
 * Wharton, James. "The Lost Settlement of Queenstown, Plow Turns Up Early Trace of Early Port," [Lancaster County] Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 10 (1960).

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Military Records
French and Indian War Revolutionary War
 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. . Online at: Ancestry ($). Identifies some Lancaster County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.
 * "Colonial Militia, Lancaster County," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 12 (1962).
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; Ancestry ($). Identifies some Lancaster County militia officers; see place name index.
 * Gentry, Daphne. "Return of Recruits Raised in Lancaster County, 1781," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1979):173-174. Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * O'Dell, Jeffrey M. "The War of Independence and the Northern Neck of Virginia," [Chapter VI, Lancaster County, Justices, Captains] Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 21 (1971).
 * Sutton, Karen Elizabeth. Black, Red and Revolutionary: Free African Americans of Lancaster and Northumberland Counties, Virginia, in the Era of the American Revolution. University of Maryland, 1997.

Regiments. Service men in Lancaster County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Lancaster County supplied soldiers for the:
 * - 5th 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, Lancaster County, p. 87. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.
 * Stratton, Nottingham, Revolutionary soldiers and sailors from Lancaster County, Virginia muster rolls and pay rolls of the Ninety-second Regiment of Virginia militia, Lancaster County, 1812 (Onancock, Virginia copy right 1930) pages 74 FS Library Book 975.522 M2

Regiments. Lancaster County men served in the 92nd Regiment. Civil War Regiments Civil War service men in Lancaster 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 D (Lancaster Cavalry).
 * - 47th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (Lacy Rifles).


 * 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)
 * Sherrill, Sandra P. and Ladies Memorial Association. The Confederate Memorial of Lancaster County, Virginia, Erected in 1872 by the Ladies Memorial Society. 199-?.

Regiments Civil War service men in Lancaster 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 D (Lancaster Cavalry).
 * - 47th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (Lacy Rifles).

World Wars
 * Lowery, Margaret Palmer. "John Chowning Gresham: The Northern Neck's First Medal of Honor Winner," [of Plainview, Lancaster County] Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 20 (1970).

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.

Other Records
Private Papers
 * [Currie] "Letter from John Currie of 'Verville,' Lancaster County, To His Mother (Civil War, not dated)," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 9 (1959).
 * [Currie] Dawe, Louise Belote. "'Your Affectionate Son John,' Some letters from John Currie to his family at Verville, Lancaster County, Virginia 1862-1865," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 19 (1969).
 * [Derby] "A Letter Written by Miss Hattie Derby, Age 19, Neice of the Rev. Henry Derby, Rector of Christ Church Parish, Lancaster County, Virginia To a Cousin Living in Sussex County, Virginia, dated Lancaster C. H., Dec. 21st, 1881," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 9 (1959).
 * [Gordon] Gordon, James. "Journal of Col. James Gordon, of Lancaster County, Va.," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Oct. 1902):98-112. Available at JSTOR ($).

Officials
 * Peirce, Alice Clark. "Members of the House of Burgesses of Lancaster County, Including Members of Conventions of 1773-1776," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 12 (1962).
 * Tyler, Lyon G. "Burgesses of Lancaster County," [1651-1740] The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Apr. 1897):260-261. Available at JSTOR ($).

Petitions
 * "Miscellaneous Legislative Petitions From The Counties of Westmoreland, Richmond, Northumberland and Lancaster," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 10 (1960).
 * Kreiser, Barnette. "Lancaster County Court Independency Oath," [1776] Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 26 (1976).

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records Local Court
 * 1633-1800 Wills and Estate Records Index at Library of Virginia.
 * 1652-1900 Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Fleet, Beverley. Lancaster County, Record Book No. 2, 1654-1666 [pages 1-394]. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Lancaster County, Virginia Estate Records 1835-1865 Database Project of the Mary Ball Washington Museum includes abstracts of estate records, wills, and related court documents.
 * Lee, Ida J. Abstracts Lancaster County, Virginia Wills 1653-1800. Richmond [Virginia]: Dietz Press, 1959. ; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Watts, Dorothy C and William H. Watts. Index to Ida J. Lee's Abstracts of Lancaster County Virginia Wills 1653-1800. Albuquerque, New Mexico: D.C. Watts and W.H. Watts, 1987.

London Courts
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Lancaster City and Lancaster 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 ($)
 * 1700-1719 Images of Wills at Virginia Pioneers ($)

School Records
Online School Indexes and Records
 * Dobyns, Louise Towles. "Early Public Education in Lancaster County," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 24 (1974).

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
 * 1652-1720 Jones, Christine Adams and Donna Helmuth. Early Lancaster County Tithables 1652-1720.
 * 1654  Stanard, William G. "Tithables of Lancaster County, Va., 1654, with Notes," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Oct. 1897):158-169; Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jan. 1898):249-260; Vol. 5, No. 4 (Apr. 1898):429-434. Digitized by JSTOR - free.
 * 1659 Tithables, 1659, Tidewater Virginia Families, Vol. 1, No. 1 (May 1992).
 * 1668 Tithables, 1668, Tidewater Virginia Families, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Aug. 1993); Vol. 2, No. 3 (Nov. 1993).
 * 1696 Wayne, A.A. "Tithables, Lancaster County, Va., Court of December 1696, Court Order Book 1696 to 1702, Page 7," Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 24 (1942):122-125. ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available as
 * 1701 "Tithable Persons in the Parishes of Christ Church and St. Mary's White Chapel, 1701," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 16 (1966).
 * 1716 "Tithables in Lancaster Co., 1716," The William and Mary Quarterly, 1st Series, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Oct. 1912):106-112. ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available as ; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * 1716 Tax List, 1716, St. Marys White Chapel Parish, Virginia Tidewater Genealogy, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Sep. 1977).
 * 1745-1798 Lancaster County, Virginia Tithables, 1745-1798. Original records, Lancaster County Courthouse, Lancaster, Virginia..
 * 1750 Whitechapel Parish, Lancaster County, Rental List, 1750" was published in Magazine of VA Genealogy, vol. 53 (2015), no. 3, pp. 225--229.
 * 1782 Records, 1782, Tidewater Virginia Families, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Aug. 1999).
 * 1782-1850 Lancaster County, Virginia Personal property tax lists, 1782-1850. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.; microfilmed reproduction available at - images.
 * 1783  Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783; index online at Revolutionary War Service website.
 * 1787 Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. . The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Lancaster County is included in Vol. 2.
 * 1800 Tax List, 1800, The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 34, No. 4 (Oct. 1990). ; online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * 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. Lancaster County is included in Vol. 3.

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

 * 1649-1800 Headley, Robert K. Married Well and Often; Marriages of the Northern Neck 1649-1800. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2003.
 * 1652-1850 Lee, Ida Johnson. Lancaster County, Virginia, Marriage Bonds, 1652 - 1850. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1972. ; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * 1660-1800 Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1710s-1790s "Marriage Bonds in Lancaster County," [1710s-1790s] The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Oct. 1897):103-108; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Oct. 1903):96-103; Vol. 12, No. 3 (Jan. 1904):175-183. Digitized by JSTOR ($).
 * 1710s-1790s Crozier, William Armstrong. Early Virginia Marriages. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1953. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Includes Lancaster County marriages 1710s-1790s.
 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1790s "Lancaster County Marriages," [1790s] The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jan. 1910):176-178. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * 1802-1842 "William Forester Marriage Register 1802-1842," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1966):3-10; Vol. 10, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1966):57-65. . Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * 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

 * Fredericksburg Virginia FamilySearch Center
 * Gloucester Virginia FamilySearch Center
 * Lexington Park Maryland FamilySearch Center
 * Tappahannock Virginia FamilySearch Center
 * Heritage Public Library - New Kent - an affiliate library
 * Mathews Memorial Library - an affiliate library
 * Northumberland Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Mary Ball Washington Museum and LibraryWebsite The Northern Neck of Virginia Historical SocietyWebsite Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical &amp; Historical SocietyWebsite
 * Tidewater Genealogical Society

Websites

 * Lancaster County USGenWeb Archives
 * Northern Neck, Wikipedia


 * – 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
Compiled genealogies are a good place to start research for this area, see Lancaster County, Virginia Genealogy. If you are researching families who lived in Lancaster County, Virginia between the 1650s and 1710s, the Sparacios' book indexes are a great time saver. Surname index of Antient Press publications


 * 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 Lancaster County, see p. 61]
 * Dorman, John Frederick. "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Lancaster County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1971):273-275. Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * Fleet, Beverley. Lancaster County, 1652-1655. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub., Co., 1961. ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes a guide to surviving records.]
 * Kreiser, Barnette. "The Restoration of Early Lancaster County Records," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 27 (1977).