King George County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to King George County Virginia ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.

Description
King George County is located in the Northeastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia on the Rappahannock River. It was formed in 1720 from the upper part of Richmond County and named for King George I. King George is the County seat.

King George County, Virginia Courthouse
King George County Courthouse P O Box 105 King George, Virginia 22485 Phone: 540-775-3322

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1786 divorce, court, land and probate records from 1721

King George County, Virginia History


The county is named after King George I of Great Britain (1660-1727).

Parent County
1720--King George County was created 2 November 1720 from Richmond and Westmoreland Counties. County seat: King George

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
Many courthouse loose papers from prior to 1830 are missing. Bound volumes of deeds, orders, and wills still exist.


 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

George Harrison Sanford King's Card File is especially valuable for reconstructing King George County families. His papers are available online, see Virginia Genealogy.

Populated Places
Home Town Locator

Getting Started
Compiled genealogies are a good place to start research for this area, see King George County, Virginia Genealogy.

If you are researching families who lived in King George County, Virginia between the 1720s and 1780s, the Sparacios' book indexes are a great time saver. Surname index of Antient Press publications

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 King George County, see p. 60]
 * Dorman, John Frederick. "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: King George County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1971):193-195. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).

African American

 * Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
 * Heinegg, Paul. "King George County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1815," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Heinegg, Paul. "King George County Register of Free Negroes, 1785-1799," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

Cemeteries

 * King George County, Virginia Cemeteries
 * King George County, Virginia Cemetery Interment.net Cemetery Records online
 * Klein, Margaret C. Tombstone Inscriptions of King George County, Virginia. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1994. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).

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 King George County.]

Church of England
See also Brunswick Parish See also Hanover Parish  See also Overwharton Parish  See also St. Paul's Parish  See also Sittenburne Parish

Meade's 1861 history of parishes in King George County is available online.

Court
District Court of Fredericksburg

The District Court of Fredericksburg and later the Superior Court of Chancery had jurisdiction over certain King George 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 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.]

Superior Court of Chancery

A Guide to the King George County, Virginia Chancery Causes 1802-1922

See District Court of Fredericksburg

Genealogy
More than 200 genealogies have been published about King George County families. To view a list, visit King George County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes will of a resident of King George County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]


 * 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. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). [Todd family of King George County, Virginia.]

Land and Property
Grants and Patents


 * Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants 1694-1742. Vol. I. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1987. Available at . [Includes King George County.]

Local Histories

 * Harris, Nancy E. King George County, Virginia 1720-1990. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1994. ; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records.


 * Lawrence, Liza. The Vistas at "Eagle's Nest": The Fitzhugh-Grymes Family Home King George County Virginia. Digital version at - free.

Maps
King George County, Virginia Map 1895

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1976):199-208; Vol. 21, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1977):287-292. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. King George County's 1786, 1789, and 1790 Delinquent Lists appear on 20:199-201; another 1789 Delinquent List appears on 21:292.]

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Westmoreland County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and 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 ; 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 King George County, see pp. 88, 111.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Accomack County militia officers; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War
Regiments. Service men in King George County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. King George County supplied soldiers for the:


 * - 3rd Virginia Regiment
 * - 10th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:


 * 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 versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, King George County on page 131.]

War of 1812
King George County men served in the 25th Regiment.


 * 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, King George County, p. 87. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

 * - 9th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company I (Potomac Cavalry).
 * - 30th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (King George Grays).
 * - 47th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B.

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index ($)

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Native Americans

 * Deyo, William L. A Brief Outline of Recorded History of the Patawomeck [Potomac] Tribe. Colonial Beach, Va.: DeJoux Publications, 2000.

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.

Officials

 * Fisher, Therese. Skeletons in the Closet: 200 Years of Murders in Old Virginia; a Genealogical and Historical Resource. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2001. Available at . [Identifies King George County's sheriffs 1776-1781.]

Probate Records
Online Probate Links
 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $

Local Court


 * 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 . [Includes King George County.]
 * King, George Harrison Sanford. "Copies of Extant Wills from Counties Whose Records Have Been Destroyed: Will of Major John Dinwiddie of King George County, Virginia," [and Dinwiddie Family Notes] The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1959):51-64. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * King, George Harrison Sanford. "Copies of Extant Wills from Counties Whose Records Have Been Destroyed: Will of William Berry of King George County," [and Berry Family Notes] The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jan-Mar 1957):5-17. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early King George County probate records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) King George County Inventories 1721-1744
 * 2) King George County Orphans Accounts 1740-1761
 * 3) King George County Letters of Administration 1740-1765
 * 4) King George County Fiduciary Accounts No. 4 1794-1807

London Courts


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes will of a resident of King George County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1782] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Online at FamilySearch - free; . [1782 personal property tax list of King George County.]
 * [1782] Stewart, Robert Armistead. "Land Tax List of King George County, 1782," The Researcher: A Magazine of History and Genealogical Exchange, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Jul. 1927):238-239. Available at.
 * [1782-1815] Heinegg, Paul. "King George County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1815," Free African Americans.com. [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. Online at FamilySearch - free; . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. King George County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1787] Land Tax Records, 1787, Tidewater Virginia Families, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Nov. 1998). Available at.
 * [1786, 1789, 1790] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1976):199-208; Vol. 21, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1977):287-292. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. King George County's 1786, 1789, and 1790 Delinquent Lists appear on 20:199-201; another 1789 Delinquent List appears on 21:292.]
 * [1800] Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 34, No. 2 (Apr. 1990). Available at.
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. King George County is included in Vol. 3.]

Birth

 * 1871-1917 - King George County Birth Index 1871-1917. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1780s-1840s - Crozier, William Armstrong. Early Virginia Marriages. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1953. Digital version at - free. Includes King George County marriages 1780s-1840s.
 * 1786-1850 - King George County Marriage Index 1786-1850. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1856-1930 - King George County Marriage Index 1856-1930. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

The records have also been published, written by Elizabeth Nuckols Lee. It's on the shelf at the Family History Library. Lee copied the county records and they are neatly typed and indexed. Very helpful.

King George County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * King George County Historical Society P O Box 424 King George, Virginia 22485


 * L.E. Smoot Memorial Library


 * Library of Virginia Microfilm King George County, Virginia


 * Mary Ball Washington Museum and Library


 * The Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society


 * Tidewater Genealogical Society


 * Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical &amp; Historical Society

Family History Centers

 * Fredericksburg Virginia Family History

King George County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * King George County, Virginia USGENWEB Archives
 * King George County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * Cyndi's List
 * Cyndi's List