Step-by-Step Virginia Research, 1850-1910

Virginia Step-by-Step Research, 1850--1910 Step-by-Step Research, 1880-present Step-by-Step Research, 1850--1910

Step 1: Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History


 * Creating Oral Histories

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2: Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Example of a census record.
 * A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
 * For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
 * Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
 * Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.





Look for ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Use the clues from each census for hints where to find families in both earlier and later census records.
- For more information, see Virginia Census and United States Census.

Step 3: Try to find additional details in death certificates, Social Security, obituary and cemetery records online.
When a person dies, several records will be created: death certificates, Social Security records, obituaries, and cemetery records.
 * Death certificates can give birth information for people born before actual birth registration began. Death certificates frequently give the birth date and place, parents' names, and birth places of parents.


 * The Social Security Death Index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled.


 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index provides information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names.


 * Cemetery records can be as simple as the information on the headstone or, in some FindAGrave records, they can report more thorough information about birth, parents, spouses, children, and siblings.

Example of a death index entry.



Death Indexes

 * Online Virginia Death Records &amp; Indexes links by county
 * Index only Incomplete.
 * Virginia, U.S., Death Registers, 1853-1911 index and images ($)
 * Virginia, Deaths and Burials Index, 1853-1917 ($)
 * Virginia, Death Records, 1912-2014 ($) Index/images
 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch - index and images; How to Use this Collection
 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch - index and images; How to Use this Collection

Writing for Full Death Certificates
The full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).
 * Where to Write for Virginia Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records

U.S. Social Security Records

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at
 * Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

Obituaries

 * Online Virginia Death Records &amp; Indexes links by county
 * Virginia Genealogy Obituaries
 * ObitsArchive.com - Virginia ($)
 * ObituariesHelp.org - Virginia Newspaper Obituaries Listings
 * Old Virginia Obituaries, 1790-1940
 * Obituary Links
 * USGenWeb Obituary Project Virginia
 * — index and images

Cemeteries

 * Online Virginia Death Records &amp; Indexes links by county
 * Virginia Cemetery Records at Interment.net
 * Findagrave.com Virginia Cemetery Records
 * Billiongraves.com Virginia Cemeteries
 * USGenWeb Virginia Tombstone Transcription Project
 * Linkpendium
 * Virginia Gravestones
 * Virginia Cemetery Records
 * Access Genealogy
 * Cemetery Census
 * Arlington National Cemetery
 * I Dream of Genealogy
 * I Dream of Genealogy

U.S. Social Security Death Index and Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at
 * Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

For more information, see Virginia Obituaries and Virginia Cemeteries.

Step 4: Search for county birth and marriage records online.
'''Vital records registration of births and marriages at the state level were recorded from 1853 to December 1896 and then since June 14, 1912. Prior to that the individual counties kept some records. The starting dates of those records vary from county to county, depending on when the county was formed.'''

Online Records
Births Marriages
 * Index only Incomplete.
 * Virginia, Birth Records, 1864-2014 ($) Index/images
 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch - index and images; How to Use this Collection
 * } at FamilySearch - index and images
 * Early Virginia Marriages, 1953, e-book
 * Virginia Vital Records ($)
 * Virginia County Records, Volume VII ($)
 * Virginia Marriages Before 1824 Abstracts ($)
 * Virginia, Marriages of the Northern Neck of Virginia, 1649-1800 ($)
 * Virginia, Marriages, 1660-1800 Abstracts ($)
 * Some Virginia marriages, 1700-1799, Vol. 1, e-book
 * Virginia, Marriage Records, 1700-1850 ($)
 * Virginia, Marriages, 1740-1850 Abstracts ($)
 * , index and images.
 * Index only. Incomplete. Also at Ancestry.com ($), Also at MyHeritage, ($), index
 * Some Virginia Marriages 1800-1825, e-book
 * U.S., Hochheimer Marriage Records for Virginia, 1850-1900($)
 * Virginia Marriages, 1851-1929 Abstracts Incomplete ($)
 * , index.
 * Virginia, U.S., Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 index & images ($)
 * Virginia, Marriage Records, 1936-2014 ($) Index/Images
 * Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850, ($) index/images
 * Virginia County Records, Volume VI, ($) index/images
 * Virginia County Records, Volume IX, ($) index/images
 * Virginia County Records, Volume X, ($) index/images
 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch - index and images; How to Use this Collection

Records at the County Courthouse.
These records were originally created by county clerks, and then copies were sent to the state. County clerks can be willing to help find all the birth records for one family or perform other searches that the state would not do. To contact county clerks by e-mail or telephone, go to the Wiki article for each county. Links to the county Wiki articles are found at the end of this page or by clicking here: Virginia Counties.

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Virginia, see How to Find Virginia Birth Records, How to Find Virginia Marriage Records, and How to Find Virginia Death Records.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. Example of a World War I draft card. Example of a World War II draft card.



'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see Virginia Military Records.
 * , index and images.
 * , index and images.

Step 6: Look for church records.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration in 1912.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



Indexes

 * , index/images - How to Use this Collection
 * Virginia Vital Records, 1660-1923 ($) index and images
 * Index only. Incomplete. Coverage Table - How to Use this Collection Also at Ancestry.com ($),  Also at MyHeritage, ($), index
 * Index only Incomplete. Coverage Table - How to Use this Collection
 * Index only Incomplete. - How to Use this Collection
 * Virginia, Deaths and Burials Index, 1853-1917 ($)
 * Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia With Index and Genealogical Guide, Vol. Ii, index ($)

Baptists

 * Materials towards a history of the Baptists in the provinces of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia (1772) Morgan Edwards. Include several lists of founding members of Baptist churches in Virginia and biographies of ministers.
 * Early Virginia Religious Petitions, digitized by the Library of Congress, include many petitions from Virginia congregations that identify inhabitants who belonged to their faiths.

Protestant Episcopal (Anglican Church or Church of England)

 * Index to Marriage Notices in The Southern Churchman (Newspaper), 1835-1941. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company, 1996. The "Southern Churchman'' was a newspaper published by the Episcopal faith.

Lutheran

 * 1781-1969 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969, index and images, incomplete.($)

Quaker (Society of Friends)

 * U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935, index & images ($).
 * Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Vol. VI: (Virginia), index and transcripts.($)

-
 * For help with church records kept in Virginia, see Virginia Church Records.
 * To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.
Example of a will.
 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.

Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * Library of Virginia Wills/Administration
 * Virginia wills before 1799 : a complete abstract register...., ($), index/images
 * Library of Virginia Chancery Records Index
 * Virginia Will Records, ($) index/images
 * Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850, ($) index/images
 * Virginia County Records, Volume VI, ($) index/images
 * Virginia County Records, Volume IX, ($) index/images
 * Virginia County Records, Volume X, ($) index/images

Probate Information in County Articles
Each Virginia county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Virginia Counties

For more information, see Virginia Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



Virginia Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records
 * Virginia, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1904-1963, ($), index

Virginia Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records
 * Virginia, Federal Naturalization Records, 1901-1938, index & images ($).
 * Images only.
 * Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - U.S. District Court - Original Documents for Virginia, 1910-1929 - Western District (Charlottesville) ($)
 * Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - U.S. District Court - Original Documents for Virginia, 1909-1920 - Eastern District(Alexandria) ($)
 * U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, (World Archives Project) for Virginia, 1914-1929 - Western District (Abingdon), U.S. District Court ($)
 * U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, (World Archives Project) for Virginia, 1910-1929 - Western District (Charlottesville), U.S. District Court ($)
 * U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, (World Archives Project) for Virginia, 1906-1929- Eastern District (Richmond), U.S. Circuit and District Courts ($)
 * U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, (World Archives Project) for Virginia, 1909-1920 - Eastern District (Alexandria), U.S. District Court ($)

Step 9: Search land records online.
These records will give the They can contain clues to
 * names of the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor),
 * previous or new residence of the parties to the deed
 * the date they obtained the land,
 * the description of exact location of the land, sometimes mentioning neighbors.
 * family members who shared ownership of the land,
 * sold or gave land to a child, or
 * officially witnessed the sale.

Search for any ancestor's land records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: Virginia
 * 1623-1666 Cavaliers and Pioneers. Vol. I at Ancestry - index/images ($), Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1666; Also as: HathiTrust
 * 1623-1774 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog
 * 1639-1850 Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850 at Ancestry - index/images ($)
 * 1690-1862 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - Index, Northern Neck Grants, 1690-1874
 * 1694-1742 Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1694-1742, Volume I at Ancestry - Abstracts ($)
 * 1704 The Quit Rents of Virginia, 1704 at Ancestry - index/images ($)
 * 1742-1775 Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1742-1775, Volume II at Ancestry - Abstracts ($)
 * 1775-1800 Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1775-1800, Volume III at Ancestry - Abstracts ($)
 * 1800-1862 Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1800-1862, Volume IV at Ancestry - Abstracts ($)
 * 1779-1860 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - The warrants are in alphabetical order. These are bounty land claim papers and may include affidavits giving service information, assignment of warrant to another person, enlistment date and place, discharge or death information, petitions from heirs, and the dates when bounty land was allowed or rejected.
 * 1779-1921 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - Includes patents from 1775-1776, 1779-1781. Includes Land grants 1779-1921.
 * 1779-1924 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog
 * 1783-1787 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog
 * 1786-1854 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - Each volume is indexed.
 * 1808-1870 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Virginia Gleanings in England, English probate records with Virginia estates, ($), index/images
 * Virginia County Records, Volume VI at Ancestry - index/images ($)
 * Virginia County Records, Volume IX at Ancestry - index/images ($)
 * Virginia County Records, Volume X at Ancestry - index/images ($)
 * Virginia Land Records at Ancestry - index/images ($)
 * Revolutionary War Records: Virginia Army and Navy Forces with Bounty Land Warrants for Virginia Military District of Ohio, and Virginia Military Scrip.... Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).

For more information, see Virginia Land and Property and United States Land and Property.

Local histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states usually contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories:
 * Hathi Trust Digital Library. Don't use the keywords Virginia; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
 * Google Books. Use keywords "Virginia" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * Internet Archive.Use keywords "Virginia" and the county name.
 * Genealogy Book Links, Virginia. Browse list; county histories are interspersed.
 * Ancestry.com, ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Virginia and the name of the county.

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
 * If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
 * A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections
These collections of biographies can be searched online. Most have a table of contents and an index. Or use the "Find" function on a computer.
 * Tyler, Lyon Gardiner. Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Five Volumes. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publication, 1915. Includes multi-generation family histories.
 * Vols. I-V online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust.

Also at:
 * Vol. I: Internet Archive
 * Vol. I-II: Ancestry ($), index/images. Although same as the Encyclopedia, Ancestry has named this collection Virginia Biography, Volume I-II
 * Vol. II: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($), index/images.
 * Vol. III: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($), index/images.
 * Vol. IV: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($), index/images.
 * Vol. V: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($), index/images.


 * Virginia Biographical Encyclopedia, ($), index/images
 * Virginia Apprentices, 1623-1800, ($), index/images
 * Virginia Biography, Volume I-II, ($), index/images
 * Men of Mark in Virginia: Ideals of American Life; a collection of biographies of the leading men in the state Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4, Vol. 5
 * Virginia and Virginians, Vol. I, Vol. II, ($), index/images.
 * Virginia, Colonial Planters, ($), index/images
 * Some emigrants to Virginia : memoranda in regard to several hundred emigrants to Virginia during the colonial period whose parentage is shown or former residence indicated by authentic records, e-book

Step 11: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.
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 * Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.


 * Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the list to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society.

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * Virginia, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * Virginia, United States Historical Images, Old Version

Virginia Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in Virginia Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Virginia Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * Virginia Online Genealogy Records

Step 13: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Virginia.
This article focused more on Virginia state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Virginia. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records. Counties:  Accomack Albemarle Alleghany Amelia Amherst Appomattox</li> Arlington</li> Augusta</li> Bath</li> Bedford</li> Bland</li> Botetourt</li> Brunswick</li> Buchanan</li> Buckingham</li> Campbell</li> Caroline</li> Carroll</li> Charles City</li> Charlotte</li> Chesterfield</li> Clarke</li> <li>Craig</li> <li>Culpeper</li> <li>Cumberland</li> <li>Dickenson</li> <li>Dinwiddie</li> <li>Essex</li> <li>Fairfax</li> <li>Fauquier</li> <li>Floyd</li> <li>Fluvanna</li> <li>Franklin</li> <li>Frederick</li> <li>Giles</li> <li>Gloucester</li> <li>Goochland</li> <li>Grayson</li> <li>Greene</li> <li>Greensville</li> <li>Halifax</li> <li>Hanover</li> <li>Henrico</li> <li>Henry</li> <li>Highland</li> <li>Isle of Wight</li> <li>James City</li> <li>King and Queen</li> <li>King George</li> <li>King William</li> <li>Lancaster</li> <li>Lee</li> <li>Loudoun</li> <li>Louisa</li> <li>Lunenburg</li> <li>Madison</li> <li>Mathews</li> <li>Mecklenburg</li> <li>Middlesex</li> <li>Montgomery</li> <li>Nelson</li> <li>New Kent</li> <li>Northampton</li> <li>Northumberland</li> <li>Nottoway</li> <li>Orange</li> <li>Page</li> <li>Patrick</li> <li>Pittsylvania</li> <li>Powhatan</li> <li>Prince Edward</li> <li>Prince George</li> <li>Prince William</li> <li>Pulaski</li> <li>Rappahannock</li> <li>Richmond</li> <li>Roanoke</li> <li>Rockbridge</li> <li>Rockingham</li> <li>Russell</li> <li>Scott</li> <li>Shenandoah</li> <li>Smyth</li> <li>Southampton</li> <li>Spotsylvania</li> <li>Stafford</li> <li>Surry</li> <li>Sussex</li> <li>Tazewell</li> <li>Warren</li> <li>Washington</li> <li>Westmoreland</li> <li>Wise</li> <li>Wythe</li> <li>York</li> </ul>
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