Charles City County, Virginia Genealogy

United States &gt; Virginia &gt; Charles City County

Parent County
1634--Charles City County was created in 1634 and was an original shire or county. County seat: Charles City

Neighboring Counties

 * Chesterfield
 * Henrico
 * James City
 * New Kent
 * Prince George
 * Surry

African American
Paul Heinegg has determined that in 1790, Charles City County, Virginia had the highest percentage of free African Americans in its population, per capita, where that statistic can be measured, of all Virginia counties (14.8% of the population or 363 free blacks).


 * Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware [free online book]. [Heinegg identifies the following free African American surnames in Charles City County before 1820: Ampey, Anderson, Atkins, Barham (see introduction), Bates, Bowman, Bowser, Bradby, Brown, Bragby, Carsey, Carter, Cary, Charity, Chavis, Colley, Corney, Cumbo, Elliott, Evans, Fields, Gibson, Goeing, Gowen, Grantum, Green, Griffin, Hamlin, Harris, Hill, Homes, Hood, Humbles, Hunt, Jasper, Lewis, Kecatan, King, Lucie, Marshall, Miles, Morris, Moss, Redcross, Reed, Rosarran, Scott, Seldon, Smith, Stewart, Stringer, Sweat, Thomas, Toney, Valentine, Wallace, Willis, and Young.]

Cemeteries

 * Tyler, Lyon G. "Old Tombstones in Charles City County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Oct. 1895):122-125; Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jan. 1896):143-150. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Tyler, Sherry Brown and Charles City County Historical Society. 80% Heaven Bound: Deaths &amp; Burials in Charles City County, Virginia. Virginia: The Society, 2000.

Church
Baptist


 * History of Elam Baptist Church [1810-1910], Charles City Co., VA. Reformer Electric Print, 1910.
 * Downs, L. McCarthy. History of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Charles City County, Virginia. 1976.

Church of England

Colonial Parishes


 * "The Colonial Churches of Charles City County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Apr. 1942):114-135. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * "Wilmington Parish, James City and Charles City Counties, Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 37, No. 2 (Apr. 1929):97-100. Available at JSTOR ($).

Methodist


 * Ledbetter, Judith F. In This Place I Delivered My Soul: The Methodists of Charles City, Virginia. Charles City, Virginia: Memorial United Methodist Church, 1995.

Presbyterian


 * Walls, Louise Adams, William Elmer Cropper, and Robert Lee Marston. A History of Bethany Presbyterian Church, Charles City County, Virginia. n.p.: Committee for the Preparation of a Church History, 1990.

Quaker


 * "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 42, No. 4 (Oct. 1934):341-344; Vol. 43, No. 2 (Apr. 1935):144-149; Vol. 43, No. 4 (Oct. 1935):347-354. Available at JSTOR.
 * Wright, F. Edward. Quaker Records of Henrico Monthly Meeting and Other Church Records of Henrico, New Kent and Charles City Counties, Virginia. Lewes, Deleware: Colonial Roots, 2002.
 * A religious petition (1793) from Quaker residents of Charles City County, Virginia is available online in Early Virginia Religious Petitions, courtesy: The Library of Congress: American Memory.

Court
General


 * Cope, Robert S. "The Court of Charles City County, Virginia, 1688-1695," Thesis/dissertation, Ohio State University, 1947.

County Court


 * Fleet, Beverley. Charles City County Court Orders, 1655-1658. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1961. Digital book available at Ancestry ($).
 * Fleet, Beverley. Charles City County Court Orders, 1658-1661. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1961. Digital book available at Ancestry ($).
 * Fleet, Beverley. Charles City County Court Orders, 1661-1664. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1961. Digital book available at Ancestry ($).
 * Fleet, Beverley. Charles City County Court Orders, 1664-1665: Fragments, 1650-1696. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1961. Digital book available at Ancestry ($).
 * Ayres, Margaret McNeill. Charles City County, Virginia, Order Book 1676-1679. Memphis, Tennessee, 1968. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1969):88. Review available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * Anderson, Russell H. "Charles City County Court Record, 1762-4, Wills, Deed and Bond," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1951):103-107. Available at JSTOR ($). [Copy of lost records found in the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.]
 * "Charles City County, Virginia, Miscellaneous Records," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):178-184. Available at New England Ancestors ($). [Includes remnants of court, guardianship, land, and probate found in the Earl Gregg Swem Library of the College of William and Mary.]
 * Clay, Robert Y. "Charles City County, Virginia, Reports of the County Clerk to the Auditor, 1784, 1799-1800," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1977):83-88. Available at New England Ancestors ($).

Record Book


 * "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 43, No. 4 (Oct. 1935):347-354. Available at JSTOR ($).

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. In addition to finding a direct ancestor’s surname listed, and watching to see if more recent publications make additions and corrections to earlier works, this list is also useful for determining if genealogists have published accounts, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, for any members of an ancestor’s “FAN Club” [Family, Associates, and Neighbors]. Checking publications about those individuals can lead you to new information about your own ancestry. Be mindful that compiled genealogies may contain errors.

General


 * Davis, Virginia Lee Hutcheson. Tidewater Virginia Families: A Magazine of History and Genealogy. 12 vols. Urbanna, Virginia: V.L.H. Davis, 1992-2004. Available at FHL.
 * McCartney, Martha W. Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2007. Available at FHL; purchase at Genealogical Publishing Company.

Bibliography


 * [Aston] Reed, Paul C. "The False English Origin of Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Aston of Charles City County, Virginia," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 3 (Jul. 2001):234-236.
 * [Beeton] Beeton, Robert D. History of the Beeton Family of Virginia. Sterling, Va.: F&amp;L Printing, 1979. Available at FHL.
 * [Bird] Stewart, Robert Armistead. “The First William Bird of Charles City County, Virginia,” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 41, No. 3 (July 1933):189-195; Vol. 41, No. 4 (October 1933):323-329; Vol. 42, No. 1 (January 1934):41-46; Vol. 42, No. 2 (April 1934):123-128; Vol. 42, No. 3 (Jul. 1934):247-251. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * [Bradford] Bradford, David Thomas. The Bradfords of Charles City County, Virginia, and Some of their Descendants, 1653-1993. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1994. Available at FHL.
 * [Bradford] Sandlund, Peter G. The Bradford Family of Charles City County, Virginia, 1651-1729. 2 vols. Alexandria, Virginia: P.G. Sandlund, 1996?. Available at FHL; digital book at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Bradley] Bradley, Frank Eugene. Descendants of Joseph Bradley (abt. 1636-1662) of Charles City County, Virginia. F.E. Bradley, 1995.
 * [Brown] Dance, Daryl Cumber. The Lineage of Abraham: The Biography of a Free Black Family in Charles City, VA. D.C. Dance, 1998.
 * [Brown] Brown, Jefferson. From Indian Fields to Ruthville: A Brown Family History of Charles City County, Va., 1760 to the Present: A Book. 1999.
 * [Byrd] Tinling, Marion, ed., The Correspondence of the Three William Byrds of Westover, Virginia, 1684-1776. 2 vols. Charlottesville, Virginia: Published for the Virginia Historical Society by the University Press of Virginia, 1977.
 * [Charity] Lucas, Edna Charity. The Descendants of James and Keziah Charity of Charles City County, Virginia. E.C. Lucas, 1991.
 * [Christian] Lamb, James Christian. Christian Family of Virginia: A Brief Outline of the Early History of the Family in the Counties of Charles City and New Kent, and an Attempt to Trace the Descendents of William Christian... S.B. Adkins, 1921.
 * [Clay] Rowland, Jane Thomas. My Kinship to the Clay Family: Papers from the Family Files with Rowland/Thomas Connections and Some Ancestors and Descendants of Jane Thomas Rowland and Arthur Ray Rowland. Augusta, Georgia: RR Books, 1998. Available at FHL.
 * [Cosby] Jenkins, Elizabeth Cosby Stafford. The Cosbys of York County, Virginia 1737-1790. Charlotte, North Carolina: E.C.S. Jenkins, 1994. Available at FHL.
 * [Fontaine] Ragland, Charles J. Ancestors and Descendants of the Reverend Peter Fontaine (1691-1759) of Westover Parish, Charles City County, Virginia. 2 vols. Winston-Salem, North Carolina: C.J. Ragland Jr., 1997?. Available at FHL.
 * [Fontaine] Ragland, Charles J. The "Fontainebleau Fontaines": Biographical Sketches of the Ancestors and One Branch of the Descendants of the Reverend Peter Fontaine (1691-1759) of Westover Parish, Charles City County, Virginia. 1998.
 * [Freeman] Hopkins, Garland Evans. Freeman Forbears: Being the History, Genealogy, Heraldy [sic], Homes and Traditions of the Family of Freeman and Related Families Originating in the Original Shires of James City and Charles River in Virginia. Virginia: G.E. Hopkins, 1942. Available at FHL.
 * [George] Shockey, Amanda Rudder Taylor. Our George Family. [Camden, Ohio]: A.R.T. Shockey, 1991. Available at FHL.
 * [Green] Staubach, Emilee Mills. The Lewis Green, Senior Family of Southside, Virginia: Notes; Some Descendants of Lewis Green of Charles City Co., Va. Houston, Texas: E.M. Staubach, 1976.
 * [Green] Greene, Gerald Fletcher. The Green Family of Charles City County, Virginia. G.F. Greene, 2005.
 * [Grey] "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Apr. 1935):144-149. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * [Grinstead] Grinstead, Raymond McIntire. They Came to Missouri: Grinstead, Clopton, Bacon, Foster, Boyd, Allen, Sacra, Pinkston, McIntire. Chillicothe, Missouri: E.P. Ellsberry, [197-]. Available at FHL.
 * [Hardaway] Davenport, James F., Judith Hardaway Devenport, and Laurence B. Gardiner, Descendants of James Hardaway, Charles City County, Virginia, 1650-1800. J.F. Davenport, 1992.
 * [Harper] Bridges, Kathleen J. William Craddock of Nottoway Co., Va., and His Texan Connection. [Beaumont, Texas: K.J. Bridges, 1990?]. Available at FHL.
 * [Harris] Wiggins, Kathryn. The Harris Papers: A Genealogical Notebook. Camarillo, Calif.: [K. Wiggins], [1968?]. Available at FHL.
 * [Harris] Lynn, Jack. Harris Family Tree - Carroll County Tennessee - Ancestors. El Monte, California: Lynn, Jack, [2000?]. Available at FHL.
 * [Harrison] Leach, Frank Willing. "Benjamin Harrison, 1727/8-1791," Genealogy of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Vol. 16:4580-4946. Available at FHL.
 * [Hawkwood] Helander, Dorin McCurtain. Meet Your Cousins (Some Descendants of George Hagood of Virginia). Albuquerque, New Mexico: D.M. Helander, 1984. Available at FHL.
 * [Haywood] Haywood, James Eldred. Haywood Family Roots, Traces and Trails--West from Virginia, 1650 --- 1992, and It's Many Affilliated [sic] Branches. Sacramento, California: J.E. Haywood, 1993. Available at FHL.
 * [Hellier] The Vain Prodigal Life, and Tragical Penitent Death of Thomas Hellier, Born at Whitchurch near Lyme in Dorset-shire: Who for Murdering his Master, Mistress, and a Maid, was Executed According to Law at Westover in Charles City in the Country of Virginia, Neer the Plantation Called Hard Labour ... Sam. Crouch, 1680.
 * [Ivey] Ivey, Robert A. A History of the Adam Ivey Family of Charles City (Now Prince George) County, Virginia. Gaffney, South Carolina: R.A. Ivey, 1993.
 * [Jones] Fothergill, Augusta B. Peter Jones and Richard Jones Genealogies. Richmond, Va.: Old Dominion Press, 1924. Available at FHL.
 * [Justice] Justice, O. Neil. The Justice Family in Virginia, 1650-1800: John Justice of Charles City County.
 * [King] Galau, Jeane Austin King. Henry King, 1657/8-1743 of Surry, Isle of Wight, Charles City, Prince George &amp; Brunswick Counties, Virginia, His Mother Juliana King, Statlin, Waikley, other Kings Who Could Have Been Henry King's Gather. J.K. Galau, 1988.
 * [Ladd] Ladd, Warren. The Ladd Family: A Genealogical and Biographical Memoir of the Descendants of Daniel Ladd of Haverhill, Mass.; Joseph Ladd of Portsmouth, R.I.; John Ladd of Burlington, N.J.; John Ladd of Charles City Co., Va. New Bedford, Massachusetts: W. Ladd, 1890. Available at FHL.
 * [Land] Pickard, Frank C. Some Descendants of Curtis Land of Charles City County, Virginia. Wyomissing, Pennsylvania: F.C. Pickard, 1995. Available at FHL.
 * [Lanier] Allen, Cameron. "Hannah (Collett) Lanier and Her Parents," The American Genealogist, Vol. 77, No. 4 (Oct. 2002):298-301.
 * [Leigh] Dixon, Elizabeth Williamson. The Lea Family of Virginia, North Carolina and Mississippi.: The Slade Family of Caswell County, North Carolina. MSS., National Library of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Washington, D.C.; also available at FHL.
 * [Llewellyn] Walter, Alice Granbery. The Ffuwellen--Llewellyna--Llewelling Family of Lower Norfolk County, County, Va. [Virginia Beach, Virginia]: A.G. Walter, 1983. Available at FHL.
 * [Mudgett] "Mudgett of Charles City County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1964):13. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * [New] Manahan, John E. "New Light on Old Charles City County," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 64, No. 4 (Oct., 1956):458-473. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * [Nicolson] Holmes, Janice N. Nicolson History, 1655-1985: Nine Generations of Direct Descendants of the Robert Nicolson Who Patented 500 Acres in Charles City County in the Virginia Colony on January 3, 1655/56. Fort Worth, Texas: J.N. Holmes, 1985. Available at FHL.
 * [Parker] Powell, Waunita. A Parker Collection, Especially of Dr. Richard Parker of Browlsholme, England &amp; Charles City Co., Va. &amp; Henrico Co., VA.: and Descendants in Kentucky, Indiana to Edgar Co., Illinois. Paris, Illinois: W. Powell, 1988. Available at FHL.
 * [Parker] Powell, Waunita. Three Richard Parkers of Va.: Dr. Richard Parker of Charles City Co. &amp; Henrico Co., Va., Aug. 1656 md. Mary Perkins, Wid./Nicholas; Richard Parker of Nansemond Co., Va.; Richard Parker of Surry, md. Judith Hunt, Wid./Wm. Hunt. Paris, Illinois: W. Powell, 1992. Available at FHL.
 * [Parrish] Parrish, James Dudley. The Military History of Some Southern Families: The Parrish/Parish Families of Va, NC, SC, Al, Tx: And Other Allied Families, Wigley/Va/Ga/Ms/Tx, Grigsby/Va/Ky/SC/Tx, Butler/Va/SC/Tx. Charlottesville, Virginia: J.D. Parrish, [1998]. Available at FHL.
 * [Perkins] Hall, William K. The Perkins Family of Virginia: Descendants of Nicholas Perkins Who Died ca. 1654 in Charles City County. Alabama: n.p., 1953. Available at FHL.
 * [Price] Robeson, Laura Price. The Price Families: Some Branches 1580-1987. San Gabriel, California: L.P. Robeson, 1987. Available at FHL.
 * [Read] Read, William T. Our Read Family: This Book is for the Most Part about Peter Read of Charles City County, VA and His Descendants as They Migrate to North Carolina, Mississippi and Finally to North Eastern Texas. Plant City, Florida: W.T. Read, 2007. Available at FHL; digital book at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Ricketts] Genealogy of the Ricketts Family. Available at FHL.
 * [Rickman] William Rickman and His Family, ca. 1746-1846. [Kapaa, Hawaii: L.R. Wilkerson, 1990?]. Available at FHL.
 * [Roper] McHan, Anna Lois Tallent, Patricia Caldwell, and L. David Roper. Roper and Tallent Families of Macon County NC. Blacksburg, Virginia: L.D. Roper, 1994. Available at FHL.
 * [Southall] Southall, James P.C. "Concerning the Southall's of Charles City County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr. 1940):306-313; Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul. 1940):397-403. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * [Taylor] Lemmond, Cheri Hager. The Taylor Family of Old Charles City County, Virginia and their Haymore Connections. Corpus Christi, Texas: C.H. Lemmond, 1987. Available at FHL.
 * [Wilkinson] Cloer, Carol Ward. The Thread of Life: From Mother to Daughter: Twelve Generations of Women. n.p.: Ab Initio Books, 2001. Available at FHL.
 * [Woodliffe] Kerman, Elizabeth Ann Taylor. The Woodlief Family and Their Royal Connection, 1239 to 1987: A Genealogical Study of the Woodlief Family and Several Other Selected Related Families. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: E.A.T. Kerman, 1987. Available at FHL.
 * [Woodliffe] Reed, Paul C. "The English Ancestry of John Woodliffe of Berkeley Hundred, Virginia, With a New Royal Descent from Edward I," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 3 (Jul. 2001):191-200; Vol. 76, No. 4 (Oct. 2001):300-314.
 * [Yates] Walter, Alice Granbery. Johannes Yate Married Elizabeth Saverie in 1604 at Standlake, Oxfordshire, England. Virginia Beach, Va.: A.G. Walter, 197-?. Available at FHL. [Elizabeth Yeate, probably the sister of Johannes Yate, married Thomas Horne. Yates individuals, possibly sons of Johannes, immigrated to Charles City County, Virginia. Horne individuals, possibly sons of Elizabeth immigrated to Bermuda, and from there to Lower Norfolk County and Surry County, Virginia.]

Historic Residences

 * Berkeley--1619, 1726: A James River Plantation, Ancestral Home of a Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Two United States Presidents, Charles City County, Virginia. 197-?.
 * "Charles City Houses," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan. 1937):90. Available at JSTOR.
 * Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Library. Shirley Plantation Collection, 1650-1888, Charles City County, Virginia, also Maryland. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1993.
 * Downing, Charles M., Donald W. Linebaugh, Dennis B. Blanton, Harrison Tyler, William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research. The Origins of Milton Plantation, Charles City County, Virginia. Williamsburg, Virginia: William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, 1994.
 * Downing, Charles M., Donald W. Linebaugh, Dennis B. Blanton, Harrison Tyler, William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research. The Origins of Sherwood Forest, Charles City County, Virginia. Williamsburg, Virginia: William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, 1992.
 * McClane, Patrick Wade, K Edward Lay, University of Virginia. School of Architecture. Berkeley Plantation, 1726, Charles City County, Virginia. Charlottesville, Va.: School of Architecture, University of Virginia, 1989.
 * O'Neill, Patrick L. "Kittiewan Plantation (44CC0404), Charles City County, Virginia," Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 63, No. 2 (June 2008):81-107.
 * "Old Houses in Charles City, New Kent, Warwick, and Elizabeth City Counties," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr. 1938). Available at JSTOR.
 * Street, Elwood. Historic Charles City County: Many of More Famous Homes Found Too, in this One of Eight Original Shrines. Richmond, Virginia: Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1942.
 * University of Virginia, Library. Berkeley Plantation Journal and Account Book, 1839-1877, Charles City County, Virginia, accession number 11260. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 2001.

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Charles City County, St. Martin Brandon [Martin's Brandon Parish], and West and Shirley Hundred proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * [http://www.immigrantservants.com/search/advancedResults.php?surname=&givenName=&varientSurnameSpellings=&gender=&dateOfBirthDay=&dateOfBirthMonth=&dateOfBirthQuantifier=&dateOfBirthYear=&placeOfBirthParish=&placeOfBirthTown=&placeOfBirthCity=&placeOfBirthCounty=&placeOfBirthColony=&placeOfBirthNation=&occupations=&religions=&orphan=&familyPosition=&immigrationYearQualifier=&immigrationYear=&portOfDepartureTown=&portOfDepartureCity=&portOfDepartureCounty=&portOfDepartureNation=&placeOfArrivalTown=&placeOfArrivalCounty=&placeOfArrivalColony=&shipName=&convict=&yearOfIndentureQualifier=&yearOfIndenture=&lengthOfIndentureYears=&lengthOfIndentureMonths=&yearOfFreedomQualifier=&yearOfFreedom=&placeOfIndentureTown=&placeOfIndentureCity=&placeOfIndentureCounty=Charles&placeOfIndentureColony=Virginia&agentSurname=&agentGivenName=&agentTitle=&masterSurname=&masterGivenName=&masterTitle=&residenceParish=&residenceTown=&residenceCity=&residenceCounty=&residenceColony=&residenceNation=&landowner=&literate=&spouseSurname=&spouseGivenName=&spouseMarriageDateDay=&spouseMarriageDateMonth=&spouseMarriageDateQualifier=&spouseMarriageDateYear=&spouseMarriageLocationParish=&spouseMarriageLocationCounty=&spouseMarriageLocationColony=&spouseMarriageLocationNation=&deathDateDay=&deathDateMonth=&deathDateQualifier=&deathDateYear=&deathLocality=&deathCounty=&deathColony=&deathState=&testate=&proofServantStatus=&proofConvictStatus=&headright=&preServitudeSources=&postServitudeSources=&comments=&family=&sourceCitations=&interestedResearchers= List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe] who served labor terms in Colonial Charles City County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.
 * "Parkers of Browsholme, Yorkshire, England," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Apr. 1898):442-444. Available at JSTOR($). See also Sally Moore Koestler, "Dr. Richard Parker of Charles City," accessed 1 February 2010.

Land

 * Anderson, Russell H. "Charles City County Court Record, 1762-4, Wills, Deed and Bond," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1951):103-107. Available at JSTOR ($). [Copy of lost records found in the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.]
 * Deeds, Wills and Bonds: From Charles City County (Va.), 1724/5-1731, 1762-1769, MSS., available at University of Virginia Library.
 * Articles of Agreement Between William Byrd, Esq. of Charles City and John Caldwell of Brunswick County, Virginia [17 Jan 1743], MSS., Carmen Finley Papers, available at Sonoma State University.
 * "Charles City County, Virginia, Miscellaneous Records," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):178-184. Available at New England Ancestors ($). [Includes remnants of court, guardianship, land, and probate found in the Earl Gregg Swem Library of the College of William and Mary.]

Local Histories

 * Dreyer, Mark A.; Ragsdale, Judith R.; Walker, Edward R.; Walker, Elaine V.; College of William and Mary. Dept. of Religion. An Historical Analysis of Charles City County, Va. 1979. Available at the College of William and Mary.

Military
Colonial Militia


 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Charles City County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Charles City County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.]

French and Indian War


 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Charles City County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War


 * Tyler, D. Gardner and Charles City County Historical Bicentennial Committee. Charles City County, Virginia During the Period of the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. 1976.

Civil War


 * Charles City County (Va.). Monument to Confederate Soldiers. Addresses Delivered at the Unveiling of the Monument to Confederate Soldiers of Charles City County, Virginia, at Charles City Courthouse, November 21, 1900. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, Printers, 1901.
 * Copland, Mary Ruffin, United Daughters of the Confederacy. Virginia Division. Harrison-Harwood Chapter, Charles City. Confederate History of Charles City County, Virginia. Richmond?, 1957.

Native Americans

 * "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 43, No. 4 (Oct. 1935):347-354. Available at JSTOR ($).

Newspapers
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette(1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburgwebsite. 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.

Private Papers

 * University of Virginia, Library. Berkeley Plantation Journal and Account Book, 1839-1877, Charles City County, Virginia, accession number 11260. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 2001.
 * Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Library. Shirley Plantation Collection, 1650-1888, Charles City County, Virginia, also Maryland. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1993.
 * [Byrd] Virginia Historical Society. MSS1B9963b, Byrd Family Papers, 1757-1860, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.
 * [Byrd] Virginia Historical Society. MSS1B9963c, Byrd Family Papers, 1791-1867, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.
 * [Douthat] Virginia Historical Society. MSS1D7495a, Douthat Family Papers, 1795-1922, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.
 * [Jerdone] College of William and Mary, Swem Library. Jerdone Family Papers, 1623-1957, Charles City, Hanover, Louisa, New Kent, and York Counties, Virginia, also Great Britain. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1994.
 * [Selden] Selden Family, John Armistead Selden. Papers, 1811-1868, of the Selden Family of Charles City County, Va., MSS., available at the Virginia Historical Society Library.
 * [Selden] Virginia Historical Society. Mss1Se487a, Selden Family Papers, 1811-1868, Charles City and Charlotte Counties, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.
 * [Willcox] Willcox, James M. and Duke University. Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library. James M. Willcox Papers, 1831-1871, Buckland, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 2001.
 * [Wills] Wills, Henry, Virginia Historical Society. Mss5:3W6857, Henry Wills Account Book, 1782-1795, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.

Petitions
Petitions are valuable to genealogical research because they were often signed by residents of the locality and provide researchers with a glimpse of who lived in the area at the time. Some lists include hundreds of names.


 * "Charles City County Grievances 1676," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Oct. 1895):132-160. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Grundset, Eric. "Petition of Inhabitants of Charles City County 16 November 1710," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol.47, No.3 (Aug. 2009):213-214.
 * A religious petition (1793) from Quaker residents of Charles City County, Virginia is available online in Early Virginia Religious Petitions, courtesy: The Library of Congress: American Memory.

Probate
Remnants of Charles City County, Virginia Court


 * "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Apr. 1935):144-149. Available at JSTOR ($). [Probate Inventory of Captain Richard Tye, Deceased, 1663.]
 * Anderson, Russell H. "Charles City County Court Record, 1762-4, Wills, Deed and Bond," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1951):103-107. Available at JSTOR ($). [Copy of lost records found in the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.]
 * Deeds, Wills and Bonds: From Charles City County (Va.), 1724/5-1731, 1762-1769, MSS., available at University of Virginia Library.
 * "Charles City County, Virginia, Miscellaneous Records," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):178-184. Available at New England Ancestors ($). [Includes remnants of court, guardianship, land, and probate found in the Earl Gregg Swem Library of the College of William and Mary.]

Original Wills


 * Charles City County, Virginia Will: 1772 December 12 [Will of Ellyson Crew], MSS., available at Library of Virginia.
 * Berkeley, Charles City County, Virginia, Will: 1780 January 3 [Will of Benjamin Harrison], MSS., available at Library of Virginia.

London Courts


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Charles City County, St. Martin Brandon [Martin's Brandon Parish], and West and Shirley Hundred proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Charles City County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun.1963):75-77. Available at New England Ancestors ($).

Taxation
At first glance, researchers might conclude that Virginia tax lists contain very little family history data, though one soon learns that valuable genealogical conclusions can be drawn from these records, nicknamed "annual censuses," such as: relationships, approximate years of birth, socio-economic status, identification of neighbors, the ability to distinguish between persons of the same name, evidence of land inheritance, years of migration, and years of death.

Virginia began enumerating residents' payments of personal property and land taxes in 1782. These two types of taxation were recorded in separate registers. Personal property tax lists include more names than land tax lists, because they caught more of the population. The Family History Library has an excellent microfilm collection of personal property tax lists from 1782 (or the year the county was organized) well into the late nineteenth century for most counties, but only scattered land tax lists. Microfilm collections at The Library of Virginia include land tax lists for all counties and independent cities for the years 1782 through 1978, as well as personal property tax lists for the years 1782 through 1930 (and every fifth year thereafter). Taxes were not collected in 1808.

Some tax records are available online or in print, though published abstracts often omit useful details found only in the original sources. Statewide indexes can help genealogists identify specific counties where surnames occurred in the past, providing starting points for research.


 * Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Charles City County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Land Tax Lists of Charles City County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * "Charles City County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar.1971):42-47. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Charles City County is included in Vol. 1.]

Vital Records
Marriage

Though the records of Charles City County, Virginia were largely destroyed, Mr. James A. Leachy found a number of marriage bonds in loose papers in the Charles City Clerk's Office covering a range of years (1762-1849). They are abstracted in "Marriage Bonds in Charles City County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jan. 1900):193-196. Available at JSTOR ($).


 * "Charles City County, VA: Marriages &amp; Deaths," Virginia Tidewater Genealogy, Vol.39, No.2 (June 2008):34-38.

Death


 * Tyler, Sherry Brown and Charles City County Historical Society. 80% Heaven Bound: Deaths &amp; Burials in Charles City County, Virginia. Virginia: The Society, 2000.
 * "Charles City County, VA: Marriages &amp; Deaths," Virginia Tidewater Genealogy, Vol.39, No.2 (June 2008):34-38.

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog