Essex County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Essex County is located in the Eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named either for the shire or county in England or for the Duke of Essex.

Essex County Virginia Courthouse
Essex County Courthouse P. O. Box 445 Tappahannock, Virginia 22560 Phone: 804-443-3541

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1814, divorce and land records from 1865, probate records from 1656 and court records from 1692

Essex County Courthouse is the repository for seventeenth-century records of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia.

Parent County
1692--Essex County was created 16 April 1692 from Rappahannock (old) County. County seat: Tappahannock

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.


 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

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

If you are researching families who lived in Essex County, Virginia between the 1690s and 1750s, the Sparacios' books are a great time saver. They comprehensively index several publications covering that period:


 * Sparacio, Ruth Trickey and Sam Sparacio. Surname Index of Antient Press Publications. 14+ vols. McLean, Va.: R. &amp; S. Sparacio, Antient Press, 1993-. 975.5 P22s v. 1-2; publisher's website: Antient Press.

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 Essex County, see p. 57]

African American
Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-18721

The original Register of Free Negroes, 1810-1861 for Essex County is kept at the County Courthouse. It has been microfilmed by the Library of Virginia 1929922 Item 6, 1929923 Item 1, and abstracted:


 * Davis, Virginia Lee Hutcheson. "Register of Free Blacks, 1810-1843, Essex County," Tidewater Virginia Families: A Magazine of History and Genealogy, Vol. 8, No. 3 (November/December 1999):179-187; Vol. 8, No. 4 (February/March 2000):247-251; Vol. 9, No. 1 (May/June 2000):50-55; Vol. 9, No. 2 (August/September 2000):118-121; Vol. 9, No. 3 (November/December 2000):188-191. 975.51 D25t

Additional Essex County African American resources include:


 * Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. 2005-present. - free online book. Adams, Ailstock, Armfield, Atkins, Barton, Black, Bond, Bowden, Braxton, Breedlove (see introduction), Brooks, Bunday, Bush, Byrd, Cambridge (see introduction), Chandler, Clark, Cook, Day, Ellis, Fortune, Fry, Goings, Goldman, Gregory, Haithcock, Halestock, Hays, Hollinger, Jones, Kee, Lantor, Lawrence, Lawson, McCoy, McGuy, Mann, Mason, Meggs, Nickens, Rollins, Sampson, Simmons, Soleleather, Taylor, Twopence, Webb, Whistler, and Wilson families in pre-1820 Essex County, Virginia.
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Essex County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1819," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]


 * McGuire, Lillian H. Uprooted and Transplanted : From Africa to America : Focus on African-Americans in Essex County, Virginia : Oppressions, Achievements, Contributions, The 1600s-1900s. New York: Vantage Press, 1999.

Census
1783 Enumeration


 * Essex County Heads of Families - 1783 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 51.

1890 Union Veterans


 * "Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890." Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner.    Includes residents of this county.

Church of England
See also North Farnham Parish See also Piscataway Parish  See also St. Anne's Parish  See also St. George's Parish  See also St. Mary's Parish  See also Sittenburne Parish  See also South Farnham Parish

County Court
Most Essex County, Virginia County Court Order Books have survived (starting in 1692). They have been abstracted from 1692 to 1729.

Superior Court of Chancery
The Superior Court of Chancery of Fredericksburg (1802-1831) had jurisdiction over certain Essex 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.]

Genealogy
More than 400 genealogies have been published about Essex County families. To view a list, visit Essex County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Historic Residences

 * Woman's Club of Essex County (Virginia). Old Homes of Essex County. n.p.: Woman's Club of Essex County (Virginia), c1940, 1957. Available at.

Immigration
Tappahannock, also known as Hobb's Hole, has been a port since colonial times. No official passenger lists survive for the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Clydeside and Essex County proved in London. Land in Tappahannock is also mentioned. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * 1769 - Passenger List of "Charming Molly" Virginia Pioneers ($)

Land and Property
Deeds


 * Fleet, Beverley. Essex County Records, 1703-1706. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Fleet, Beverley. Essex County Wills and Deeds, 1711-1714. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Fleet, Beverley. Essex County Wills and Deeds, 1714-1717. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Grants and Patents


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

Local Histories

 * Slaughter, James B. Settlers, Southerners, Americans: The History of Essex County, Virginia, 1608-1984. n.p.: Essex County Board of Supervisors, c1985 (1998). Available at.
 * Warner, Thomas Hoskins. History of Old Rappanhannock County, Virginia, 1656-1692: With Introduction, 1608-1656, Including the Present Counties of Essex and Richmond and Parts of Westmoreland, King George, Stafford, Caroline and Spotsylvania Counties. Tappahannock, Virginia: P.P. Warner, 1965. Available at.

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):167-171. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Essex County's 1788-1789 Delinquent Lists appear on pp. 169-170.]

Colonial Militia

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Essex 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 ; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Essex County militia officers; see place name index.]

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. [Identifies some Essex 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. ; 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 Essex County, see p. 75.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Essex County militia officers; see place name index.]

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


 * - 7th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:


 * Stewart, Robert Armistead. "Essex Militia," [1781] The Researcher: A Magazine of History and Genealogical Exchange, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Jul. 1927):237. . [Taken from Auditor's Public Claim Papers, Virginia State Archives.]
 * 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 version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Essex County on page 130.]

War of 1812
Essex County men served in the 6th 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, Essex County, pp. 77-78.]

Civil War

 * - 9th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company F (Essex Light Dragoons).
 * - 9th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (Essex Light Dragoons).
 * - 47th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company H (1st) (Essex Sharpshooters) and Company I (1st) (Essex Grays).
 * - 55th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies A (Essex Artillery), D (Essex Davis Rifles), F (Essex Sharpshooters), G (Essex Grays).

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865 -
 * 1861-1865 -
 * 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)

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization
Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929

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.

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 Essex County (Ephesus Springs) silversmiths.]

Private Papers

 * Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
 * 1692 – 1799;1717 – 2171;1722 – 30;1775-1792 - Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories etc. Virginia Pioneers ($).
 * 1692 – 1695 – Images of Orders. Deeds, Wills (with index). Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1695 – 1699 – Wills and Estates. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1717 – 1720 – Wills and Estates. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1722 – 1730 – Wills and Estates. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * Images of Wills, Estates, Orders 1692 – 95; Images of Wills & Estates 1695 – 99; 1717 – 20; 1722 – 1730; 1775 – 1785; 1786 – 1792. Virginia Pioneers ($)

Local Courts


 * Fleet, Beverley. Essex County Records, 1703-1706. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961. Three copies available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Fleet, Beverley. Essex County Wills and Deeds, 1711-1714. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961. Three copies available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Fleet, Beverley. Essex County Wills and Deeds, 1714-1717. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961. Three copies available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Sweeny, William Montgomery. Wills of Rappahannock County, Virginia 1656 - 1692. [Lynchburg, Virginia?]: Mrs. W.M. Sweeny, 1947. Available and . Digital version World Vital Records ($).

London Courts


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Clydeside and Essex County proved in London. Land in Tappahannock is also mentioned. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Online Probate Records


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

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?

The original Essex County Personal Property Tax Lists are kept at the Library of Virginia. Microfilm copies for the years 1782 to 1852 are available at the Family History Library:.

Published abstracts:


 * [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 ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version of VMHB at JSTOR ($). [Essex County appears in 33:359-370. "Thomas Leftwitch in Essex" appears on the King and Queen County list, see 32:151.]
 * [1704] Nicklin, John Bailey Calvert. "Essex County: An Annotated Copy of the Rent Roll of 1704," William and Mary College Quarterly, 2nd Series, Vol. 21 (1941):397-405. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version of W&amp;MQ at JSTOR ($).
 * [1715] Nicklin, John Bailey Calvert. "Quit Rent Roll of 1715 - Essex County, Va.," William and Mary College Quarterly, 2nd Series, Vol. 18 (1938):203-206. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [1741] Sweeny, William Montgomery. "True and Exact Poll of the Election of Burgesses, Essex County, Va., November 20, 1741," William and Mary College Quarterly, 2nd Series, Vol. 22 (1942):54-60. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [1782-1819] Heinegg, Paul. "Essex County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1819," Free African Americans.com, available online. [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. Available at . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Essex County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1788-1789] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):167-171. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Essex County's 1788-1789 Delinquent Lists appear on pp. 169-170.]
 * [1790, 1800] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Essex 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 . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Essex County is included in Vol. 3.]

Birth

 * 1853-1916 - Essex County Birth Index 1853-1916. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1655-1900 - Wilkerson, Eva Eubank. Index to Marriages of Old Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia, 1655-1900. Richmond, VA, USA: Clearfield Co., 1953. ; 1983 reprint available at ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); - free; World Vital Records ($).
 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1804-1921 - Essex County Marriage Index 1804-1921. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1851-1900 - Virginia Marriages 1851-1900 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1853-1916 - Essex County Death Index 1853-1916. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Essex County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

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

Family History Centers

 * Tappahannock Virginia Family History Center

Essex County Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Essex County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * Essex County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * "Northern Neck," Wikipedia.
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: VA-NORTHERN-NECK-L
 * Cyndi's List
 * Cyndi's List