Chesterfield County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

Description
Chesterfield County is located in the Central portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for Philip Dormer Stanhope, Fourth Earl of Chesterfield, a prominent English statesman who had been the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

Chesterfield County Virginia Courthouse
Chesterfield County Courthouse 9500 Courthouse Road P O Box 125 Chesterfield, Va 23832 Phone: 804-748-1241

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1771, land records from 1749, divorce, probate and court records

Chesterfield County Virginia History


The county was named after British statesman Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773).

Parent County
1749 Chesterfield County was created 1 May 1749 from Henrico County. County seat: Chesterfield

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

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:

African American

 * 1865-1872 Freedmen's Bureau
 * 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
 * Chesterfield County Tithables, 1747-1821. By Paul Heinegg. Online at: Free African Americans.
 * Free People of Colour : Free Negroes, Indians, Portuguese and Freed Slaves. 2003. By Mary B. Kegley. Wytheville, Virginia : Kegley Books.
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Chesterfield County.

Bible Records

 * Bass Family Bible, Chesterfield County, Virginia. By George Harrison Sanford King. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1965):81-83. Available at, digital version at American Ancestors ($).

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 - at FamilySearch — index

Census
1783 Enumeration


 * Chesterfield County Heads of Families - 1783 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 49.

1890 Union Veterans


 * Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. c1994. By Ronald Ray Turner. Online at: Prince William County Virginia, ;.

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Bethel (1799).
 * 2) Chesterfield (1773)
 * 3) Salem (1794). . A history is available: . Includes a list of persons buried in the cemetery. A list of members was published in Virginia Settlers (Winter 1996):.
 * 4) Skinquarter (1778)
 * 5) Spring Creek (1790)
 * 6) Tomahawk (1777)

Chesterfield County fell within the bounds of the Middle District Association.

Church of England
See also Dale Parish See also King William Parish  See also Manchester Parish

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

Additional Resources:


 * Prosecution of Baptist Ministers, Chesterfield County, Va., 1771-'73. 1904. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol 11. Online at: JSTOR.

Court Records
Library of Virginia's Chancery Record Index can be used to search for Chesterfield County chancery records for the years 1751-1913. Originals located at the Library of Virginia.

Funeral Homes

 * 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete

Genealogy
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
 * See Chesterfield County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for list of 200+ published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

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

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families
 * Foley, Louise Pledge Heath. Early Virginia Families Along the James River, Their Deep Roots and Tangled Branches. 3 vols. Richmond, Va.: L.P.H. Foley, 1974-1990. . Volume 1 includes Chesterfield County families.
 * Pritchett, John W. Southside Virginia Genealogies. CD-ROM. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. Free online index, courtesy: Virginians - The Family History of John W. Pritchett. [Includes a great deal of information about residents of Chesterfield County, see discussion of cited sources.] CD-ROM no. 3887. Purchase at Virginians.com.

Immigration
Bermuda Hundred has been a port since colonial times. Unfortunately, no official passenger lists survive for the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.


 * Items from Southern Records. By Milnor Ljungstedt. The American Genealogist, Vol. 15 (1938):95-104. Showing family and trade connections with Northern Colonies and the Home Countries. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 7 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Manchester and Chesterfield County.

Land and Property
Grants and Patents


 * Bannister. 604 patents dated 1638-1790 in what is now Chesterfield County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2002. [Names of those who received land patents, dates, land descriptions, and references may be viewed free of charge (click "Index" next to the county listing); however, in order to view the maps, it is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product.]

Local Histories

 * Chesterfield County, Virginia, Its History and Present Condition : Prepared Under the Supervision of John B. Watkins, as Authorized by the Board of Supervisors of the County, August, 1906. 1907. By T. Bransford Cox, John B. Watkins, and Chesterfield County (Va.). Board of Supervisors. Richmond, VA : Williams Printing Co. Online at: Google Books.

Migration

 * Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790. By Robert Y. Clay. The Virginia Genealogist Vol. 19, No. 3. July - Sept.1975:190-194. Online at: New England Ancestors ($), . Chesterfield County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on pp. 115-116.

French and Indian War

 * Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. By William F. Boogher. 2007. Baltimore : Genealogical Pub. Co. Online 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 Chesterfield County, see pp. 70, 107.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. 1852. Washington, D.C. : Clearfield. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Collection with index and images at Ancestry ($); . Identifies some Chesterfield County militia officers; see place name index.
 * Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. By Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck. 1988. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. . Identifies some Chesterfield County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.

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


 * - 5th Virginia Regiment
 * - 15th 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. Washington : Blair and Rives. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books; . See Virginia, Eastern District, Chesterfield County on page 129.
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. 1852. Washington, D.C. : Clearfield. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Collection with index and images at Ancestry ($); . Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.
 * Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War: McAllister's Data. By J. T. McAllister. c1913. Hot Springs, Virginia : McAllister Pub. Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books;.

War of 1812
Chesterfield County men served in the 23rd Regiment.


 * Muster rolls, 1812-1813, 1861-1865. 1992. Compiled by Chesterfield County, Virginia, County Clerk. Richmond, Virginia : Virginia State Library and Archives. FHL Film 1929610 30926 Item 2
 * Roster of War of 1812, Southside, Virginia. By James L. Douthat. 2007. Signal Mountain, Tenn : Mountain Press. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press ($);.
 * 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... 1883. Washington, D.C : Government Printing Office. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Chesterfield County, pp. 67-68.

Civil War

 * Information about the following regiments can be found titled Chesterfield, An Old Virginia County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Virginia Militia Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 1st Regiment, Virginia Reserves (Confederate) (Chesterfield Reserves)
 * - 2nd Regiment, Virginia Artillery (Confederate)
 * - 3rd Regiment, Virginia Artillery (Confederate)
 * - 4th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 6th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (Alstadt Grays).
 * - 14th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Chesterfield Central Guards) and Company I (Chester Grays) (Southern Braves).

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865
 * 1861-1865
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry

Civil War Battles
The following Civil War battles were fought in Chesterfield County.


 * May 15, 1862 Drewry's Bluff, also known as Fort Darling or Fort Drewry
 * May 6-7, 1864 Port Walthall Junction
 * May 9, 1864 Swift Creek, also known as Arrowfield Church
 * May 10, 1864 Chester Station
 * May 12-16, 1864 Proctor's Creek, also known as Drewry’s Bluff or Fort Darling
 * May 20, 1864 Ware Bottom Church


 * Maps of Civil War battles in Virginia: 1861 and 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

Additional Resources:


 * Muster rolls, 1812-1813, 1861-1865. 1992. Compiled by Chesterfield County, Virginia, County Clerk. Richmond, Virginia : Virginia State Library and Archives. FHL Film 1929610 30926 Item 2

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization
Virginia

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.

Probate Records
Digital Images of Chesterfield County Wills 1774 to 1785. See names of Testators. Virginia Pioneers ($)

Digital Images of Chesterfield County Wills 1785 to 1800. See names of Testators. Virginia Pioneers ($)

Online Probate Records
 * 1639-1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
 * 1774-1785; 1785-1800 Images of Wills, Inventories, Guardianships, Estates at Virginia Pioneers ($)

Research Guides

 * A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Chesterfield County. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1963):174-176. Available at, digital version at American Ancestors ($).

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * 1747 Chesterfield County Tax Lists 1747 List of Tithes online at Genealogy Trails.
 * 1747-1778 Chesterfield County Tithe Lists 1747-1778 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
 * 1747-1821 Chesterfield County, Virginia Lists of Tithables and Insolvents, 1747-1821. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia; also available on microfilm at.
 * 1747-1821 Chesterfield County Tithables, 1747-1821. By Paul Heinegg. Free African Americans.
 * 1747-1778 Chesterfield County - the Colonial Tithe Lists 1747-1778. Binns Genealogy ($).
 * 1756 Chesterfield Tithables, 1756. By J. C. Kolbe. The Southside Virginian, Vol. 2; online at Internet Archive.
 * 1756 Southside Virginia Genealogies. 2007. By John W. Pritchett. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co. Available at, online at: Virginians - The Family History of John W. Pritchett. Includes annotated 1756 tithe list of Chesterfield County.
 * 1762 Chesterfield Tithables, 1762. By L. H. Hart. The Southside Virginian, Vol. 3; online at Internet Archive.
 * 1786-1811 Chesterfield County Personal Property Tax Lists 1786-1811 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
 * 1786, 1788 The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. c1987. By Netti Schreiner-Yantis and Florene Speakman Love. Springfield, Virginia : Genealogical Books in Print. . Sources for this publication are the 1786 personal property tax list and a partial reading of the 1788 personal property tax list (only published names that do not appear on 1786 list). Chesterfield County is included in Vol. 2.
 * 1788 Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790. By Robert Y. Clay. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1975):190-194. ; CD available at: New England Ancestors ($). These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Chesterfield County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on pp. 115-116.
 * 1790, 1801 Personal Property Tax Lists of Chesterfield County, Virginia 1790 and 1801. Indexed images at Binns Genealogy ($).
 * 1791, 1802 Personal Property Tax Lists of Chesterfield County, Virginia 1791 and 1802. Indexed images at Binns Genealogy ($).
 * 1800 Chesterfield County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1971):254-258; Vol. 16, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1972):23-28; Vol. 16, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1972):89-95. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * 1815 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). By Roger D. Ward. c1997. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co. . . The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Chesterfield County is included in Vol. 1.

Birth

 * 1853-1866 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1771-1853 - Chesterfield County Marriage Index 1771-1853. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1853-1935 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1855-1896 - Chesterfield County Marriage Index 1855-1896. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Marriage Bonds and Ministers' Returns of Chesterfield County. 1958.By Catherine Lindsay Knorr. Pine Bluff, Arkansas : n.p.

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Family History Centers

 * Richmond Virginia Midlothian Family History Center

Chesterfield County Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Chesterfield County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * Chesterfield County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * Cyndi's List
 * Virginia Pioneers. A fee website, however, you can view names of testators under "counties" for free. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * Virginia Pioneers. A fee website, however, you can view names of testators under "counties" for free. Virginia Pioneers ($)