Nelson County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Nelson 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
Nelson County is located in the West-Central portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for the third Governor of Virginia, Thomas Nelson, Jr..

Nelson County, Virginia Courthouse
Nelson County Courthouse P.O. Box 10 84 Courthouse Square, 1st Floor Lovingston, VA 22949-0010 Phone: 804-263-4069

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1808

Parent County
1807--Nelson County was created 25 December 1807 from Amherst County. County seat: Lovingston

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 census: 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:

Neighboring Counties
Albemarle | Amherst | Appomattox | Augusta | Buckingham | Rockbridge

African Americans
Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Nelson County.
 * 1865-1872 Freedmen's
 * 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 - at FamilySearch — index

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 this county.]

Church of England
See also Amherst Parish

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

Court
Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index can be used to search digital images of Nelson County chancery records for the years 1808-1912.

Funeral Homes

 * 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete

Genealogy
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
 * See Nelson County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of 50+ published books and articles

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


 * Nelson County Heritage Book Committee. Nelson County, Virginia Heritage, 1807-2000. Summersville, W. Va.: S.E. Grose and the Nelson Book Committee, 2001.

Land and Property
Grants and Patents


 * Bannister. 935 patents dated 1730-1861 in what is now Nelson County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2004. [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.]
 * Bannister. 971 patents dated 1738-1844 in what is now Amherst and Nelson Counties, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper. 2005. [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

 * Coincon, J.B. Colonial History of Nelson County, 1734-1807. Amherst, Va.: Amherst Publishing Co., Inc. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.

Revolutionary War

 * 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, Nelson County on page 132.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812
Nelson County men served in the 28th Regiment.


 * Douthat, James L. Roster of War of 1812, Southside, Virginia. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2007. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. 975.5 M2djL. [Includes Nelson County.]
 * 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, Nelson County, pp. 91-92. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War
Confederate


 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).
 * - 8th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company B (Nelson Rangers).
 * - 19th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (The Howardsville Grays), Company G (The Nelson Grays), and Company I (The Amherst Rifles).
 * - 49th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C (New Market Volunteers), Company F (Ewell Guards), Company H (Fauquier Guards), and Company K (Crowder's Company).
 * - 51st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies B (Nelson Rifles) and E (Wythe Rifles).
 * - 56th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies D (Buckingham Yancey Guards) and F (Louisa Nelson Grays).
 * - Nelson Light Artillery, (Confederate)

Union


 * - 2nd Regiment, Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home, Company D

Records and histories are available, including:


 * Pollard, Oliver A. Jr. Under the blue ledge, Nelson County, Virginia. Richmond: The Dietz Press, 1997.
 * Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies. New York: 1995
 * 1861-1865 - titled A Guide to Virginia Military Organizations 1861-1865
 * Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 — Ancestry index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 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)

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization
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 Lovington silversmiths.]

Private Papers
Virginia,

Probate Records

 * 1808 - 1926 - Images of General Index to Wills Virginia Pioneers.net ($)

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. Available at . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Nelson County is included in Vol. 1.]


 * [1809-1830] Tax Digests at Virginia Pioneers ($)

Birth

 * 1853-1860 - Nelson County Birth Index 1853-1860. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1853-1866 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
 * 1808-1926 - Nelson County Marriage Index 1808-1926. Batch at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1853-1935 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1864-1901 - Nelson County, Virginia Marriages (VAGenWeb) - free.


 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Voter Records

 * 1902-1970 at FamilySearch, index

Nelson County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * Central Virginia Genealogical Association

Family History Centers
To locate the closest family history center or affiliate library, use the link listed above.

Nelson County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Nelson Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
 * Nelson County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * Cyndi's List
 * Cyndi's List