Virginia Gazetteers

Online Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places
 * Virginia Counties.org
 * A new and comprehensive gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia Joseph Martin. A New and Comprehensive Gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia : containing a copious collection of geographical, statistical, political, commercial, religious, moral and miscellaneous information. 1835. Digital Publisher FamilySearch International
 * Statistical gazetteer of the state of Virginia Richard Edwards. Statistical Gazetteer of the State of Virginia : embracing important topographical and historical information from recent and original sources, together with the results of the last census population, in most cases, to 1854. Richmond : Published for the proprietor 1855
 * The Gazetteer of Virginia Henry Gannett. The Gazetteer of Virginia. Washington, Govt. Print. Off. 1904
 * Virginia county names : two hundred and seventy years of Virginia history Charles M Long. Virginia county names : two hundred and seventy years of Virginia history. 1908. Digital Publisher FamilySearch International
 * A new and comprehensive gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia Joseph Martin. A New and Comprehensive Gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Charlottesville, J. Martin 1835
 * Geographic and cultural names in Virginia Thomas H Briggs. Geographic and cultural names in Virginia, 1974. Digital Publisher FamilySearch International
 * A list of places included in 19th century Virginia directories Ray Orvin Hummel. A List of Places Included in 19th Century Virginia Directories. 1960. Digital Publisher FamilySearch International

Print Only Gazetteers

 * Formation of Virginia counties from 1634 John Vogt. Formation of Virginia Counties from 1634. Athens, Georgia : John Vogt, c1985
 * Place-names of the Northern Neck of Virginia : from John Smith's 1606 map to the present Mary R Miller. Place-names of the Northern Neck of Virginia : from John Smith's 1606 map to the present. Richmond, Virginia : Virginia State Library, 1983
 * Virginia place names : derivations, historical uses Raus McDill Hanson. Virginia Place Names : derivations, historical uses. Verona, Virginia : McClure Press, c1969
 * Approved place names in Virginia Mary Topping. Approved Places Names in Virginia : an index to Virginia names approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names through 1969. Charlottesville, Virginia : University Press of Virginia, c1971
 * Virginia counties : those resulting from Virginia legislation Morgan Poitiaux Robinson. Virginia Counties : those resulting from Virginia legislation. Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, 1992
 * Powhatan Indian place names in Tidewater Virginia Martha W. McCartney & Helen C. Rountree. Powhatan Indian Place Names in Tidewater Virginia. Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, c2017

Why Use Gazetteers
A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers list or describe towns and villages, parishes, states, populations, rivers and mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only the names of places that existed at the time the gazetteer was published. Within a specific geographical area, the place-names are listed in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary. You can use a gazetteer to locate the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and religious jurisdictions over those places.

There are many places within a state with similar or identical place-names. You will need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town where your ancestor lived, the state the town was or is in, and the jurisdictions where records about the person was kept.

Gazetteer Contents
Gazetteers may also provide additional information about towns, such as:


 * Different religious denominations
 * Schools, colleges, and universities
 * Major manufacturers, canals, docks, and railroad stations
 * The population size.
 * Boundaries of civil jurisdiction.
 * Ecclesiastical jurisdiction(s)
 * Longitude and latitude.
 * Distances and direction from other from cities.
 * Schools, colleges, and universities.
 * Denominations and number of churches.
 * Historical and biographical information on some individuals (usually high-ranking or famous individuals)