Warwick, Virginia

United States   Virginia    Warwick (County and later Independent City)

Formerly a Tidewater county in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia.

Parent County
1634--Warwick was created as an original shire or county. It was formerly Warwick River. The name changed in 1642. It was incorporated as an independent city in 1952, but merged with the city Newport News 1 July 1958.

Record Loss

 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

Research Guides

 * 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 Warwick County, see pp. 63-64]
 * Dorman, John Frederick. "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Warwick County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1980):57-58. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * Dunn, Richard. Warwick County, Virginia: Colonial Court Records in Transcription. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002. ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes many miscellaneous records and guides to various archives for finding records of this burned county.]
 * Mero, James H. and Tidewater Genealogical Society. Warwick County, Virginia (Now the City of Newport News, Virginia): A Guide for Research in Warwick County Records. Hampton, Virginia: Hugh S. Watson, Jr. Genealogical Society, 1991.

African American

 * Heinegg, Paul. "Warwick County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1820," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

Census
1850


 * Matheny, Emma Robertson. 1850 Census of Warwick County. Richmond, Virginia, 1966. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1967):40. Review available at New England Ancestors ($).

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.]

Church
Church of England


 * Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1945. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives. [Includes Warwick County.]

Court
County Court


 * Dunn, Richard. Warwick County, Virginia: Colonial Court Records in Transcription. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 975.5416 P2d; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($). [Includes orders 1648-1651, order book 1680, 1689-1690 court book (2), orders 1691, 1697-8, 1701, 1701, 1705, 1705, 1713-1714 and county minutes 1748-1762.]
 * "Warwick County, Virginia, Court Orders, 1647," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1957):51-63. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * "Warwick County, Virginia, Records, 1663," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1974):285-287. Available at New England Ancestors ($).

Genealogy
More than 35 genealogies have been published about Warwick County families. To view a list, visit Warwick County, Virginia Genealogy.

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Mulberry Island and Warwick County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * [http://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=Warwick&placeOfIndentureColony=Virginia&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 Warwick County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.

Land
Grants and Patents


 * 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). Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Warwick County. N.B. If Ancestry's search engine fails, try checking the printed index at the end of the book.]
 * Walter, Alice Granbery. Virginia Land Patents of the Counties of Norfolk, Princess Anne &amp; Warwick. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1977):49-53. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Warwick County's 1789 Delinquent List appears on p. 53.]

Colonial Militia

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Warwick County militia officers and/or soldiers; see place name index.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Warwick County militia officers; see place name index.]

French and Indian War

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

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; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Warwick County, p. 106. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Occupations

 * Dunn, Richard. Warwick County, Virginia: Colonial Court Records in Transcription. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes cattle accounts.]

Officials

 * Dunn, Richard. Warwick County, Virginia: Colonial Court Records in Transcription. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Identifies sheriffs and undersheriffs.]

Private Papers

 * [Lawrence] Family Bible Records of George Lawrence. MSS., Smithfield Branch of the Isle of Wight Library in Smithfield, Virginia; available on microfilm at FHL.

Probate
London Courts


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Mulberry Island and Warwick County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * Hopkins, William Lindsay. Some Wills from the Burned Counties of Virginia and Other Wills Not Listed in Virginia Wills and Administrations 1632-1800. Richmond, Virginia: W.L. Hopkins, 1987. Available at FHL. [Includes Warwick County.]

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?

The original Warwick County Personal Property Tax Lists are held at the Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. The Genealogical Society of Utah microfilmed Tax Books covering the years 1782 to 1861 three times in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1990s: FHL US/CAN Film 34221; FHL US/CAN Film 29306 Items 1-3; FHL US/CAN Film 1905743 Item 2.

The original Warwick County Land Tax Lists are also held at the Library of Virginia. In 1955, the Genealogical Society of Utah microfilmed Tax Books covering the years 1782-1807, 1809-1861: FHL US/CAN Film 29979.

Many of these records have also appeared in print or online:


 * [1704] "Virginia Quit Rent Rolls, 1704," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 28 (1920):207-218, 328-339; Vol. 29 (1921):18-28, 337-343, 402-412; Vol. 30 (1922):21-30, 280-285, 341-347; Vol. 31 (1923):70-75, 153-163, 215-231, 314-318; Vol. 32 (1924):69-75, 144-158, 281-287, 338-343; Vol. 33 (1925):47-50, 359-370; Vol. 34 (1926):113-119, 252-258, 313, 321. Available at FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FHL; digital version of VMHB at JSTOR ($). [Warwick County appears in 30:344-347.]
 * [1704] Hansford, Thelma. Tax Lists York County 1782, 1783, 1784; Rent Roll York County 1704, Gloucester 1704, Warwick 1704; James City County Taxes 1768. Virginia?: T.I. Hansford?, 1950. Available at FHL.
 * [1713] Rollings, Virginia H. Warwick, Va. 1713 Rent Roll. [Newport News, Va.: s.n.], 1990. Available at FHL.
 * [1780] Account of Indian corn received for taxes, 1780, Magazine of Virginia Genealogy. Richmond VA: Feb 1992. Vol. 30 Iss. 1.
 * [1782] Weaver, Jeffrey C. The 1782 Warwick County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List, available online, courtesy: New River Notes.
 * [1782-1820] Heinegg, Paul. "Warwick County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1820," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1782-1890] Vollertsen, Arthur H. and Dorothy F. Vollertsen. Warwick, County, Virginia, 1782-1880: Who was Who, a Statistical Abstract Transcribed from the Virginia State Tax Lists (1782-1890) and the Federal Census Records (1810-1880)... Fort Eustis, Va.: Fort Eustis Historical and Archaeological Association, 1977. FHL US/CAN Book 975.5416 X2p.
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Warwick County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1789] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1977):49-53. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Warwick County's 1789 Delinquent List appears on p. 53.]
 * [1788, 1800] Indexed images of the 1788 and 1800 Land Tax Lists of Warwick County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1789, 1798] Indexed images of the 1789 and 1798 Personal Property Tax Lists of Warwick County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [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. Warwicck County is included in Vol. 3.]

Web Sites

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