Virginia Census

Federal Population Schedules
Many federal census records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The United States Research Outline (30972) provides more detailed information about the federal records.

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of the U.S. federal censuses for the state of Virginia for 1810 (partial) through 1930.

Statewide indexes are available for the 1810 (partial),1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870, censuses. The 1810 census is also indexed on 35 microfilms available at the National Archives and the Family History Library.

County-wide indexes sometimes help locate names overlooked in statewide indexes. Several county-wide indexes are listed in the Family History Library Catalog Place Search under VIRGINIA, [COUNTY] - CENSUS.

When indexes are not available or a name is omitted, you can still look for the name in the census. In large cities it helps to first learn the person's address by searching the city directory under the census year (see the “Directories” section). Then look for that address on the original census schedules.

The following reference tools help determine which census schedule microfilm and enumeration district to search for specific addresses:

Census Descriptions of Geographic Subdivisions and Enumerations Districts.


 * 1830 FHL 1402857 item 1
 * 1840 FHL 1402857 item 2
 * 1850 FHL 1402858 item 1
 * 1860 FHL 1402858 item 2
 * 1870 FHL 1402859
 * 1880 FHL 1402862
 * 1900 FHL 1303028
 * 1910 FHL 1374012
 * 1920 FHL 1842720
 * 1930 FHL 2261275

United States. Bureau of the Census. Cross Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1910 Census. Washington, DC: National Archives, [1984]. (51 FHL fiche 6331481.) Fiche 43 lists Richmond street addresses with corresponding census enumeration districts.

Veterans Schedules

The 1890 Union veterans schedules are available at the Family History Library on FHL films 338265-66. They are also available at the National Archives. The veterans schedules for Virginia have been indexed.

Dilts, Bryan Lee. 1890 Virginia Census Index of Civil War Veterans or Their Widows. Salt Lake City, Utah: Index Publishing, 1986. (FHL book 975.5 X22d 1890).

Mortality Schedules

Mortality schedules (lists of deaths during the census year) for the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses are available on microfilm at the Family History Library. The Library of Virginia has the original 1850, 1870, and 1880 schedules. Duke University (William R. Perkins Library, Duke University, Durham, NC 27706) has the 1860 schedules. The 1850 and 1860 schedules for the area that later became West Virginia are also on microfilm at the Family History Library and the West Virginia Archives and History Library.

Slave Schedules

Slave schedules for 1850 and 1860 list the names of slave owners but do not normally list the names of the slaves. The number of slaves, the gender, and the slaves' age ranges are given. Virginia slave schedules at the Family History Library are cataloged with the census population schedules.

Master Indexes

Some of the indexes mentioned above are combined into composite master indexes of several census years, states, and census types:

FamilyFinder™ Index and Viewer: Version 4.0. [Novato, California]: Brøderbund Software, 1997. (FHL compact disc no. 9 1997 index [does not circulate to Family History Centers.) Single, composite index to several Virginia 1607-1810 tax and residents lists, some 1735-1880 Virginia marriage records, an the 1810-1870 Virginia federal censuses. Includes the following Jackson indexes:

Jackson, Ronald Vern. AIS Microfiche Indexes of U.S. Census and Other Records. Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems International, 1984. (No FHL fiche number but available at many Family History Centers.) Several Virginia 1607-1810 tax and residents lists and the 1810 census index are combined together on Search 1. Separate 1820, 1830, 1840, and 1850 indexes are on other searches.

Colonial Censuses 

In addition to the federal censuses, lists of residents are available for some colonial years. The lists of 1624 and 1787 have been published and are available at the Family History Library. These censuses list only the heads of households. For additional information related to the 1624 census, see the Jester and Hiden book listed in the “Genealogy” section of this outline. For the 1787 tax list, see the “Taxation” section of this outline.

You may wish to look at:

Virginia in 1740: A Reconstructed Census. Miami Beach, Florida: T.L.C. Genealogy, 1992. (FHL book 975.5 X22t.)

Online Sources for census records
Most online census records can be searched much faster than census records on microfilm, because users can search online without having to know the state where an ancestor lived. Some Web sites only have census indexes. Others contain indexes linked to images of the original census sheets. Census sheets show more data than the indexes.

Ancestry at www.ancestry.com allows you to search all available years of the censuses by the name of an ancestor. Digitized images of the census pages are also on the site. Ancestry is a subscription site. Many family history centers have a subscription. Contact the center in your area to ask if they do. If you prefer, you can pay for a personal subscription.

HeritageQuest Online at www.heritagequestonline.com/ has indexes and images for most of the census years. It is a subscription site aimed at libraries and institutions. They do not offer personal subscriptions. The way the census was indexed is different from the way Ancestry was indexed. Check with a public or academic library in your area to ask if they have a subscription.

FamilySearch at www.familysearch.org/ has indexes and transcriptions from the 1880 U.S. census. Each entry includes the Family History Library film number, the U.S. National Archives film number, and a page number.

Census Online at www.census-online.com/links/ contains multiple census links for U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

Genealogy Links U.S. Census at www.warnes.net/Teslacorp/GenealogyLinks/ links to census tools and instructions. Links to some indexes and images are also found here.

Cyndi’s List at www.cyndislist.com/census.htm contains a census section that shows many links.

http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~ysbinns/vataxlists/?o_xid=0028727949&amp;o_lid=0028727949&amp;o_xt=28727949