Arlington County, Virginia Genealogy

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

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Description
Arlington County is a jurisdiction of 25.8 square miles located across the Potomac River from Washington D.C. The County was originally part of the ten-mile square surveyed in 1791 for the Nation’s Capital. From 1801 to 1847, what are now Arlington and a portion of the City of Alexandria were known as Alexandria County, District of Columbia. In 1847, at the request of the local residents, Congress retroceded Alexandria County to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The name “Arlington” was chosen because General Robert E. Lee’s home of that name is located in the County, on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington is the County seat.

Arlington County Virginia Courthouse
Arlington County Courthouse 1425 North Courthouse Road Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-228-7010

Formerly Alexandria County - Clerk Circuit Court has birth, marriage, death, land and court records

Arlington County Virginia History


Known as Alexandria County until 1920, when it was renamed Arlington County. The county was named after Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington (1618-1685), an English statesman.

Parent County
1847--Arlington County was created 13 March 1847 from Fairfax County. County seat: Arlington

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, visit "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.

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Alexandria County [Arlington County]," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1959). Available at . Digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Arlington County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1960):80. Available at . Digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * Ray, Suzanne Smith. "Genealogical Research in the Records of Alexandria City and Arlington County," The Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Jul.-Aug. 1984):1. Available at ; digital version at Virginia Genealogical Society website.

African Americans
(see Alexandria County)


 * Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. 2005-present. - free online book. Cole, Ennis, Fletcher, Handless, Lucas, McIntosh, Nichols, Shorter, Thomas, Valentine, Webster families of pre-1820 Arlington County, Virginia.

Cemeteries
For a detailed list, including addresses, phone numbers, and external links, see Arlington County, Virginia Cemeteries.

The following is a list of cemeteries in Arlington County:


 * Decker, K. and Angus McSween. Historic Arlington: A History of the National Cemetery from Its Establishment to the Present Time, with Sketches of the Historic Personages Who Occupied the Estate Previous to Its Seizure by the National Government... Decker and McSween Pub. Co., 1892. Digital version at Google Books (full-view).
 * Smith, F.H. Memorial Ceremonies at the National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Under the Auspices of the Grand Army of the Republic, May 30, 1868. Washington, D.C.: McGill &amp; Witherow, Printers and Stereotypers, 1868. Digital version at Google Books (full-view).

Church of England

 * Slaughter, Philip and Edward Lewis Goodwin. History of Truro Parish in Virginia. Philadelphia, PA: George W. Jacobs, 1907. Available at and . Digital versions available at ; Google Books (full-view); and World Vital Records ($).


 * The Truro Parish Colonial Vestry Book (1732-1785) and the proceedings of the Overseers of the Poor (1787-1802). Digitized images available online at Truro Parish Colonial Vestry Minutes.

LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Arlington

Court
Indexed images of Arlington County, Virginia Chancery Records 1790-1842 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 –
 * 1861-1865 –
 * 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


 * - 17th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Alexandria Riflemen), Company E (Mount Vernon Guards), Company G (Emmett Guards), Company H (Old Dominion Rifles), Company I (O'Connell Guards), and Company K (Warrenton Rifles).

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate Records

 * 1858-1878, 1868-1878 - Arlington County Index to Wills and Estates, Book 9, 1858-1878, 1868-1878 Virginia Pioneers ($)

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * 1815 - Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Alexandria County is included in Vol. 4.]
 * 1829 - A List of Tithables for the Town Part of the County of Alexandria, 1829. Original records, Arlington County Courthouse in Arlington, Virginia; FHL copy: Item 4.

Birth

 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1850-1881 - Arlington County Marriage Index 1850-1881. 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

Arlington County Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Arlington County VAGenWeb Project, a part of The VAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project
 * Arlington County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * Cyndi's List
 * Site of Arlington Chapel Marker, The Historical Marker Database
 * Site of Arlington Chapel Marker, The Historical Marker Database