Essex County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Essex County is located in the Eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named either for the shire or county in England or for the Duke of Essex.

County Courthouse
Essex County Courthouse 305 Prince Street Tappahannock, VA 22560 Phone: 804-443-3541 Essex County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1814, divorce and land records from 1865, probate records from 1656 and court records from 1692.

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:

Bible Records

 * 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. By George Barton Cutten. 1952. Richmond, Virginia : The Dietz Press, Incorporated. Online at: Hathitrust; . Includes a section on Essex County (Ephesus Springs) silversmiths.

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Census Records
1783 Enumeration
 * Essex County Heads of Families - 1783 at U.S. Census Bureau. County begins on page 51.

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, ;.

Church Records
Baptist

Church of England See also North Farnham Parish See also Piscataway Parish  See also St. Anne's Parish  See also St. George's Parish  See also St. Mary's Parish  See also Sittenburne Parish  See also South Farnham Parish

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * Essex County, Virginia, records, 1717-1722 : deeds, etc., no. 16, 1718-1721, wills, inventoires and settlements of estates, no. 3, 1717-1722. c1959. By John Frederick Dorman. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Library of Virginia's Chancery Records Index can be used to search for Essex County chancery records for the years 1728-1914. Records are located on microfilm and at the Clerk's Office.

County Court Most Essex County, Virginia County Court Order Books have survived (starting in 1692). They have been abstracted from 1692 to 1729.

Superior Court of Chancery The Superior Court of Chancery of Fredericksburg (1802-1831) had jurisdiction over certain Essex County court cases. An index has been compiled:


 * Indexes of Court Records in the Clerk's Office, Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1782-1904. Original records, Fredericksburg City Courthouse, Fredericksburg, Va., microfilmed reproduction available at . [Indexes the following records: District Court law book v. 8, 1782-1792; District Court law books 1790-1793, v. A-F 1789-1811; Superior Court of Law law order books v. G-H 1812-1831; Superior Court of Chancery chancery order books 1814-1831; Hustings Court orders v. A-O 1782-1871; Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery law order books v. A-E 1831-1875; Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery chancery order books v. A-D 1831-1872; Circuit Court chancery order books v. A2, B-C 1875-1904; Fredericksburg District Court (1789-1808) had jurisdiction over the following counties: Spotsylvania (including Fredericksburg), Caroline, King George, Stafford, Orange, and Culpeper; Superior Court of Chancery (1802-1831) had jurisdiction over the following localities: city of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fairfax, Lancaster, Northumberland, Madison, King George, Orange, Prince William, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Essex, and Westmoreland.]

Emigration and Immigration
Tappahannock, also known as Hobb's Hole, has been a port since colonial times. No official passenger lists survive for the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.
 * 1769 Passenger List of Charming Molly Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. 2007. By Coldham, Peter Wilson. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Includes wills of residents of Clydeside and Essex County proved in London. Land in Tappahannock is also mentioned. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American The original Register of Free Negroes, 1810-1861 for Essex County is kept at the County Courthouse. It has been microfilmed by the Library of Virginia 1929922 Item 6, 1929923 Item 1, and abstracted: Additional Essex County African American resources include:
 * 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Register of Free Blacks, 1810-1843, Essex County. By Virginia Lee Hutcheson Davis. Tidewater Virginia Families: A Magazine of History and Genealogy, Vol. 8, No. 3 (November/December 1999):179-187; Vol. 8, No. 4 (February/March 2000):247-251; Vol. 9, No. 1 (May/June 2000):50-55; Vol. 9, No. 2 (August/September 2000):118-121; Vol. 9, No. 3 (November/December 2000):188-191. 975.51 D25t.
 * Essex County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1819. By Paul Heinegg. Online at: Free African Americans. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
 * Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. c2005. By Paul Heinegg. Online at: Free African Americans; . Adams, Ailstock, Armfield, Atkins, Barton, Black, Bond, Bowden, Braxton, Breedlove (see introduction), Brooks, Bunday, Bush, Byrd, Cambridge (see introduction), Chandler, Clark, Cook, Day, Ellis, Fortune, Fry, Goings, Goldman, Gregory, Haithcock, Halestock, Hays, Hollinger, Jones, Kee, Lantor, Lawrence, Lawson, McCoy, McGuy, Mann, Mason, Meggs, Nickens, Rollins, Sampson, Simmons, Soleleather, Taylor, Twopence, Webb, Whistler, and Wilson families in pre-1820 Essex County, Virginia.
 * Uprooted and Transplanted From Africa to America Focus on African-Americans in Essex County, Virginia Oppressions, Achievements, Contributions, The 1600s-1900s. 1999. By Lillian H. McGuire. New York, NY : Vantage Press..
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized images of African Americans of Essex County.

Funeral Homes

 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

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

Compiled Genealogies for multiple Families
 * Atkins, William. Genealogical Chart Concerning the Ryland Family. Donated 1987. Available at Virginia Historical Society. "Also, concerns the Atkins, Corbin, Dudley, Ellis, Fergerson, Griffith, Grosvenor, Peachy, and Webb families."
 * Eastman, Hazel. Bywaters-Kuraner Family Tree, 1657-1955. Typescript, 1955. . A history of the families of Ashby, Atchinson, Hartley, Ives, Luttrell, McCormack, Smith, Stallard, Summersall and Verrinder of England, Ireland, Stafford, Essex and Culpepper counties in Virginia.
 * Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. 2005-present. - free online book. Adams, Ailstock, Armfield, Atkins, Barton, Black, Bond, Bowden, Braxton, Breedlove (see introduction), Brooks, Bunday, Bush, Byrd, Cambridge (see introduction), Chandler, Clark, Cook, Day, Ellis, Fortune, Fry, Goings, Goldman, Gregory, Haithcock, Halestock, Hays, Hollinger, Jones, Kee, Lantor, Lawrence, Lawson, McCoy, McGuy, Mann, Mason, Meggs, Nickens, Rollins, Sampson, Simmons, Soleleather, Taylor, Twopence, Webb, Whistler, and Wilson families in pre-1820 Essex County, Virginia.
 * 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 information about residents of Essex County, see discussion of cited sources.] CD-ROM no. 3887; purchase at Virginians.com.
 * Yurechko, John Otto. Virginians Along and Near the Lower Rapphahannock River, 1607-1799. 2 vols. Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1997-1998. . Contents: v. 1. Blake, Brooks (Brook), Churchill, Cook (Cock), Daniel, Dixon, Gore, Kidd, Lewis, Martin, Montague, Taylor and Wood -- v. 2. Brown, Clark, Elliott, Fox (Fowkes, Vaulx), Harrison, McTyre, Moore, Pate, Rawlins (Rollins), Rhodes, Sanders (Saunders) and Williams.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Deeds
 * Essex County Records, 1703-1706. 1961. By Beverley Fleet. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Pub. Co. ; online at: Ancestry ($).
 * Essex County Records, 1711-1714. 1961. By Beverley Fleet. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Pub. Co. ; online at: Ancestry ($).
 * Essex County Wills and Deeds, 1714-1717. 1961. By Beverley Fleet. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Pub. Co. ; online at: Ancestry ($).

Grants and Patents
 * Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants 1694-1742. 1987. By Gertrude E. Gray. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Vol. I. Available at.

Local Histories

 * History of Old Rappanhannock County, Virginia, 1656-1692: With Introduction, 1608-1656, Including the Present Counties of Essex and Richmond and Parts of Westmoreland, King George, Stafford, Caroline and Spotsylvania Counties. 1965. By Thomas Hoskins Warner. Tappahannock, Virginia : P.P. Warner. Available at.
 * Settlers, Southerners, Americans: The History of Essex County, Virginia, 1608-1984. c1985 (1998). By James B. Slaughter. n.p.: Essex County Board of Supervisors. Available at.
 * Some Emigrants to Virginia. 1915. Compiled by W.G. Stanard. Richmond, VA : The Bell Book and Stationery Co. Online at: Hathitrust.
 * The Colonial Virginia Register. A list of governors, councillors and other higher officials, and also of members of the House of Burgesses, and the revolutionary conventions of the Colony of Virginia. 1902. By William G. and Mary Newton Stanard. Albany, NY : J. Munsell's Sons. Online at: Hathitrust.
 * Virginia Colonial Abstracts. 1937. By Beverley Fleet. Richmond, VA : n.p. Vols 7-34. Online at: Hathitrust.
 * Virginia Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Historic Residences
 * Old Homes of Essex County. c1940, 1957. By Woman's Club of Essex County (Virginia). n.p.: Woman's Club of Essex County Virginia. Available at.

Migration

 * Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790. By Robert Y. Clay. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):167-171. Available at ; online at: American Ancestors ($) These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Essex County's 1788-1789 Delinquent Lists appear on pp. 169-170.

Military Records
Colonial Militia French and Indian War Revolutionary War Regiments. Service men in Essex County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Essex County supplied soldiers for the:
 * Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. By Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck. 1988. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co..
 * 1651-1776 Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; digital book at Ancestry ($). Identifies some County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.
 * Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. By William F. Boogher. 2007. Baltimore : Genealogical Pub. Co. Online at: Google Books; . Includes a chapter titled "Legislative Enactments connecting the preceding historic sketch (French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War) with the adjudication of the resulting accounts that follow; with the list of officers, soldiers and civilians entitled to compensation for military and other services rendered." For Essex County, see p. 75.
 * 1651-1776 Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; digital book at Ancestry ($). Identifies some County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.
 * Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. By Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck. 1988. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co..
 * 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, Essex County on page 130.
 * Essex Militia [1781]. The Researcher: A Magazine of History and Genealogical Exchange. By Robert Armistead Stewart. Vol. 1, No. 4;(Jul. 1927):237. . Taken from Auditor's Public Claim Papers, Virginia State Archives.
 * - 7th Virginia Regiment

War of 1812 Regiments. Essex County men served in the 6th Regiment. Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men in Essex County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Essex 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... 1883. Washington, D.C : Government Printing Office. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Essex County, pp. 77-78.
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 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)
 * - 9th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company F (Essex Light Dragoons).
 * - 9th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (Essex Light Dragoons).
 * - 47th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company H (1st) (Essex Sharpshooters) and Company I (1st) (Essex Grays).
 * - 55th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies A (Essex Artillery), D (Essex Davis Rifles), F (Essex Sharpshooters), G (Essex Grays).

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1906-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

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.

Private Papers

 * 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1633-1800 Wills and Estate Records Index at Library of Virginia.
 * 1639-1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry — index, incomplete ($)
 * 1692-1799;1717-2171;1722-30;1775-1792 Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories etc. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1692-1695 Images of Orders. Deeds, Wills (with index). Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1695-1699 Wills and Estates. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1717-1720 Wills and Estates. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1722-1730 Wills and Estates. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * Various years Virginia Pioneers ($) - Images of Wills, Estates, Orders 1692-95; Images of Wills & Estates 1695-99; 1717-20; 1722-1730; 1775-1785; 1786-1792.

Local Courts
 * Essex County Records, 1703-1706. 1961. By Beverley Fleet. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Pub. Co. ; online at: Ancestry ($).
 * Essex County Records, 1711-1714. 1961. By Beverley Fleet. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Pub. Co. ; online at: Ancestry ($).
 * Essex County Wills and Deeds, 1714-1717. 1961. By Beverley Fleet. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Pub. Co. ; online at: Ancestry ($).
 * Wills of Rappahannock County, Virginia 1656-1692. 1947. By William Montgomery Sweeny. Lynchburg, Virginia : Mrs. W.M. Sweeny.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

London Courts
 * North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. 2007. By Coldham, Peter Wilson. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Includes wills of residents of Clydeside and Essex County proved in London. Land in Tappahannock is also mentioned. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records The original Essex County Personal Property Tax Lists are kept at the Library of Virginia. Microfilm copies for the years 1782 to 1852 are available at the Family History Library:. Published abstracts:
 * 1704 Virginia Quit Rent Rolls, 1704. Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 28 (1920):207-218, 328-339; Vol. 29 (1921):18-28, 337-343, 402-412; Vol. 30 (1922):21-30, 280-285, 341-347; Vol. 31 (1923):70-75, 153-163, 215-231, 314-318; Vol. 32 (1924):69-75, 144-158, 281-287, 338-343; Vol. 33 (1925):47-50, 359-370; Vol. 34 (1926):113-119, 252-258, 313, 321. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version of VMHB at JSTOR($). Essex County appears in 33:359-370. "Thomas Leftwitch in Essex" appears on the King and Queen County list, see 32:151.
 * 1704 Essex County: An Annotated Copy of the Rent Roll of 1704. By John Bailey Calvert Nicklin. William and Mary College Quarterly, 2nd Series, Vol. 21(1941):397-405. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version of W&MQ at JSTOR ($).
 * 1715 Quit Rent Roll of 1715 - Essex County, Va. By John Bailey Calver Nicklin. William and Mary College Quarterly, 2nd Series, Vol. 18 (1938):203-206. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * 1715 Quit Rents Rolls online at Genealogy Trails.
 * 1741 True and Exact Poll of the Election of Burgesses, Essex County, Va., November 20, 1741. 1983. By William Montgomery Sweeny. William and Mary College Quarterly, 2nd Series, Vol. 22(1942):54-60. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Available at ; online at JSTOR ($).
 * 1782-1819 Essex County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1819. By Paul Heinegg. Online at: Free African Americans, Binns Genealogy ($).
 * 1783 Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783. Online at: Revolutionary War Service.
 * 1787 The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. By Netti Schreiner-Yantis and Florene Speakman Love. c1987. Springfield, Virginia : Genealogical Books in Print. . Essex County is included in Vol. 2.
 * 1788-1789 Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790. By Robert Y. Clay. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):167-171. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Essex County's 1788-1789 Delinquent Lists appear on pp. 169-170.
 * 1790, 1800 Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Essex County, Virginia are available online at: Binns Genealogy ($).
 * 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). By Roger D. Ward. c1997. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co. Online at: FHL. . The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Essex County is included in Vol. 3.

Birth

 * 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

 * 1655-1900 Index to Marriages of Old Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia, 1655-1900. 1953. By Eva Eubank Wilkerson. Richmond, VA : Clearfield Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($); 1983 reprint available at.
 * 1660-1800 Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($).
 * 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)* 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index ; Also at: MyHeritage ($)


 * 1851-1900 Virginia Marriages 1851-1900 Ancestry ($).
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * Deaths are online in the Library of Virginia's Death Index of Virginia, 1853-1896, sponsored by The Virginia Genealogical Society.
 * 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection;  index & images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index & images

Family History Centers

 * Fredericksburg Virginia Family History Center
 * Richmond Virginia Family History Center
 * Tappahannock Virginia Family History Center


 * Hardin County Genealogy Society - Robert Reed Library - an affiliate library
 * Northumberland Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical &amp; Historical SocietyWebsite
 * Tidewater Genealogical Society

Websites

 * Essex County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * Cyndi's List


 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides
Compiled genealogies are a good place to start research for this area, see Essex County, Virginia Genealogy. If you are researching families who lived in Essex County, Virginia between the 1690s and 1750s, the Sparacios' books are a great time saver. They comprehensively index several publications covering that period:
 * Surname Index of Antient Press Publications. 1993. By Ruth Trickey Sparacio and Sam Sparacio. 14+ vols. McLean, VA : R. S. Sparacio, Antient Press. 975.5 P22s v. 1-2.


 * Records of Tidewater Virginia Counties. By Virginia Lee Hutcheson Davis. Tidewater Virginia Families: A Magazine of History and Genealogy, Vol. 1, No. 2 (May-June 1992):53-66. 975.51 D25t. For Essex County, see p. 57