Orange County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Orange County Virginia ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.

Orange County, Virginia Courthouse


Orange County Courthouse 109-A W Main Street Orange, Virginia 22960 Phone: 540-672-4066

Clerk Circuit Court has birth records 1860-1895, marriage records from 1757 probate, court and land records from 1734

Orange County, Virginia History


The county was named after King William III of England (1650-1702). Before ruling England, he governed the Dutch Republic and was known as Stadtholder William III of Orange.

A large group of Germans settled in the area during the eighteenth century, while it was the frontier of European settlement.

Parent County
1734--Orange County was created 1 February 1734 from Spotsylvania County. County seat: Orange

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 censuses: 1790, 1800, 1810, 1890

Getting Started
Compiled genealogies are a good place to start research for this area, see Orange County, Virginia Genealogy.

If you are researching families who lived in Orange County, Virginia between the 1740s and 1840s, the Sparacios' book indexes are a great time saver. The indexes are available for free online.

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Orange County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1975):283-286. ; digital version at New England Ancestors($).
 * Cortada, James W. A Select Bibliography on Orange County, Virginia. Orange, Virginia: Green Publishers, 1975. 975.5 A1 no. 158
 * Miller, Ann L. A Guide to Historical Research in Orange County, Virginia. Orange, Virginia: Orange County Historical Society (Virginia), 1988. 975.5372 H2m

African American

 * Virginia Freedmen's Bureau

Cemeteries

 * Klein, Margaret C. Tombstone Inscriptions of Orange County, Virginia. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979. 975.5372 V3k; digital versions at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).

Census
1782 Enumeration


 * Orange County Heads of Families - 1782 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 39.

1785 Enumeration


 * Orange County Heads of Families - 1785 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 96.

1790 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1800 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1810 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1890 Union Veterans


 * "Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890." Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner.    Includes residents of this county.

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Blue Run (1769). Historical information was published in Orange County Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 19, No. 6 (Jun. 1988).
 * 2) Chestnut Grove (1773). A bicentennial history was published: Virginia Baptist Register, Issue 12 (1973).
 * 3) Mountain Run (1767).
 * 4) N. Fork, Pamunkey (1774)
 * 5) Rapid-Ann (1769) Edwards published a membership list dated 1769 in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 81-82.

Orange County fell within the bounds of the Culpeper Association and the Goshen Association.

Church of England
St. Mark's Parish was organized in 1730. St. Thomas' Parish was organized in 1740.

See also St. Mark's Parish See also St. Thomas Parish

Records


 * Davis, Rosalie Edith Rogers, St. Mark's Parish (Culpeper County, Virginia: Episcopal), Bromfield Parish (Rappahannock and Madison Counties, Virginia: Episcopal). Saint Mark Parish Vestry Book &amp; Levies, 1730-1785: Spotslyvania, Orange and Culpeper counties, Virginia. Manchester, Missouri: Heritage Trails, 1983.

History


 * Papageorgiou, Lizabeth Ward. The Colonial Churches of St. Thomas' Parish, Orange County, Virginia: With Notes on Sites in Orange, Greene, and Madison Counties. Baltimore, Maryland: Clearfield, 2008.

German Reformed

 * Braun, Johannes, Klaus Wust and Joseph H. Meyerhoeffer. Shenandoah Valley Family Data, 1799-1813: From the Memorandum Book of Pastor Johannes Braun. Edinburg, Va.: Shenandoah History Publishers, 1978. 975.5 K2bjo

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):


 * Douglas's Monthly Meeting (1748-1806)

Court
Chancery Court


 * Sparacio, Ruth Trickey and Sam Sparacio. Chancery Suits (Superior Court of Law &amp; Chancery), Orange County, Virginia, 1831-1845. McLean, Virginia: R. &amp; S. Sparacio, 1988.

District Court of Fredericksburg

The District Court of Fredericksburg and later the Superior Court of Chancery had jurisdiction over certain Orange 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: [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.]

Superior Court of Chancery

See District Court of Fredericksburg

Genealogy
More than 450 genealogies have been published about Orange County families. To view a list, visit Orange County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Historic Residences

 * Miller, Ann L. Antebellum Orange: The Pre-Civil War Homes, Public Buildings, and Historic Sites of Orange County, Virginia. Orange, Virginia: Orange County Historical Society, 1989. Reviewed by Calder Loth in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 98, No. 4 (Oct., 1990), pp. 671-672. Review available at JSTOR ($).
 * Taylor, Jaquelin P. "'Meadowfarm' Orange County, Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 46, No. 3 (Jul., 1938), pp. 231-233. Available at JSTOR ($).

Immigration

 * Andrea, Leonardo. Miscellaneous Court Records. Typescript. 954248 Item 16 [Includes "Importations from abroad to Orange Co., Va., 1735-1755."]
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes will of a resident of Orange County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Land and Property
Grants and Patents


 * [Map] Hildebrand, John R. The Beverley Patent, 1736: Including Original Grantees, 1738-1815 in Orange &amp; Augusta Counties, Va. 1954. Map Case 975.5 E7hjr
 * Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants 1694-1742. Vol. I. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1987. ; digital version at Ancestry. [Includes an Orange County resident.]
 * Grymes, J. Randolph. The Octonia Grant in Orange and Greene Counties. Ruckersville, Va.: Seminole Press, 1977. 975.537 R2g
 * Hildebrand, John R. The Beverley Patent, 1736: Including Original Grantees, 1738-1815 in Orange &amp; Augusta Counties, Va. 1954. Map Case 975.5 E7hjr
 * Hudgins, 390 patents dated 1713-1815 in what is now Orange 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.]
 * Joyner, Ulysses P. Orange County Land Patents. [Orange, Va.]: Orange County Historical Society (Virginia), 1985. 975.5372 R2j

Local Histories

 * Gwathmey, John Hastings. Twelve Virginia Counties, Where the Western Migration Began. Richmond: Dietz Press, 1937. 1320669 Item 13
 * Hurst, Patricia J. The History and People of Clark Mountain, Orange County, Virginia. Rapidan, Virginia: P.J. Hurst, 1989.
 * Joyner, Ulysses P. The First Settlers of Orange County, Virginia: A View of the Life and Times of the European Settlers of Orange County, Virginia, and Their Influence Upon the Young James Madison, 1700-1776. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1987.
 * Mansfield, James Roger. A History of Early Spotsylvania. Berryville, Virginia: Virginia Book Co., 1977.
 * Moffatt, L. G., J. M. Carrière and J. G. Moffatt. "A Frenchman Visits Norfolk, Fredericksburg and Orange County, 1816," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 53, No. 2 (Apr., 1945), pp. 101-123; Vol. 53, No. 3 (Jul., 1945), pp. 197-214. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Scott, W.W. A History of Orange County: From Its Formation in 1734 (O.S.) to the End of Reconstruction in 1870; Compiled Mainly from Original Records. Richmond, Virginia: Everett Waddey Co., 1907. Original edition: ; 1974 reprint: ; digital versions of original edition at Ancestry ($), Google Books, and World Vital Records ($). Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1962):181. Review: ; digital version of review at New England Ancestors($).
 * Thomas, William H.B. Orange, Virginia: Story of a Courthouse Town. Verona, Virginia: McClure Press, 1972. Reviewed by James T. Moore in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 81, No. 1 (Jan., 1973), pp. 116-117. Review available at JSTOR ($).

Maps



 * Hildebrand, John R. The Beverley Patent, 1736: Including Original Grantees, 1738-1815 in Orange &amp; Augusta Counties, Va. 1954. Available at

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. [Identifies some Orange County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]
 * Boogher, William F. Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. Washington: n.p., 1903. ; digital version 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 Orange County, see p. 112.]

Revolutionary War
Regiments. Service men in Orange County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Orange County supplied soldiers for the:


 * - 7th Virginia Regiment
 * - 10th Virginia Regiment
 * - Culpeper Minute Men (Revolutionary War)

Additional resources:


 * Thomas, William H.B. Patriots of the Upcountry: Orange County, Virginia in the Revolution. Orange, Virginia: Orange County Bicentennial Commission, 1976.
 * 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, Orange 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
Orange County men served in the 3rd Regiment.


 * 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, Orange County, p. 96. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

 * - 6th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company I (Orange Rangers).
 * - 13th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (The Montpelier Guard), Company C (The Gordonsville Grays), and Company F (The Barboursville Guards).

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 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)
 * Hurst, Patricia J. Soldiers, Stories, Sites and Fights, Orange County, Virginia 1861-1865 and the Aftermath. Rapidan, Virginia: P.J. Hurst, 1998.
 * Virginia. Office of Comptroller and Library of Virginia. Confederate Pension Applications, Virginia, Acts of 1888, 1900, 1902; Index, 1888-1934. 220 microfilms, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia; also available as [Includes Spotsylvania County veterans.]
 * Watkins, Raymond Wesley. Deaths of Confederate Soldiers in Orange County, Virginia Hospitals, 1861-1864. MSS., 1979,

Civil War Battles
The following Civil War battles were fought in Orange County.


 * November 27-December 2, 1863 = Mine Run, also known as Payne’s Farm or New Hope Church
 * February 6-7, 1864 = Morton's Ford, also known as Rapidan River
 * May 5-7, 1864 = Wilderness, also known as Combats at Parker’s Store, Craig’s Meeting House, Todd’s Tavern, Brock Road or the Furnaces


 * Maps of Civil War battles in Virginia: 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization

 * Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929

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

 * Buni, Andrew. "Reconstruction in Orange County, Virginia: A Letter from Hannah Garlick Rawlings to Her Sister, Clarissa Lawrence Rawlings, August 9, 1865," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 75, No. 4 (Oct., 1967), pp. 459-465. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Redwine, Lucy Leah, J.E. Hays, and Daughters of the American Revolution. Elijah Clarke Chapter (Athens, Georgia). Family Bible Records. MSS., Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia; microfilm: [Includes records from Orange County.]
 * Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007

Probate Records
Local Court


 * Wiggins, Mrs. Joseph P. "Will of Robert Terrill, of Orange County, Virginia," (and family notes) [1786] The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr., 1923), pp. 175-180. Available at JSTOR ($).

London Courts


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes will of a resident of Orange County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

'Online Probate Links
 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
 * 1735 - 1744 Images of Wills and Estates Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1744 - 1748 Images of Wills and Estates Virginia Pioneers ($)

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1730-1754] Joyner, Peggy Shomo. Abstracts of Virginia's Northern Neck Warrants and Surveys. Vol. 1 [Orange &amp; Augusta counties, with tithables, delinquents, petitioners, 1730-1754]. Portsmouth, Virginia: P.S. Joyner, 1985.
 * [1734, 1738-1739] Hoppin, Charles Arthur. "Orange County Tithe Lists," [1734, 1738 Delinquents, 1739] The William and Mary Quarterly, 1st Series, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Jul., 1918):19-27. ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available as ; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [1734-1782] Little, Barbara Vines. Orange County, Virginia, Tithables 1734-1782. 2 vols. [Orange, Virginia?]: Dominion Market Research Corp., 1988.
 * [1736-1782] Orange County, Virginia Tithables, 1736-1782. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia; microfilm: ; Online at FamilySearch - free.
 * [1739] German Tithables, 1739, Beyond Germanna, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Jul. 1990).
 * [1756, 1782] Sparacio, Ruth Trickey and Sam Sparacio. Deed Abstracts of Orange County, Virginia. [1743-1802] 9 vols. McLean, Virginia: R.L. and S. Sparacio, 1985-1995. [Volume 2. Deed abstracts 1759-1778 (Deed books 13-16; tithable list of Benjamin Cave's precinct, 1756; and land tax book, 1782).]
 * [1785] Tithables, 1785, Orange County Historical Society Newsletter. Vol. 19, No. 4 (Apr. 1988).
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Orange County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1790] Indexed images of the 1790 Personal Property Tax List of Orange County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1800] Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 47, No. 3 (2003); Vol. 47, No. 4 (Oct. 2003); Vol. 48, No. 1 (Jan. 2004). Digital version at American Ancestors ($);.
 * [1800] Images of the 1800 Personal Property Tax List of Orange County, Virginia are available to browse online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1810] Schreiner-Yates, Netti. A Supplement to the 1810 Census of Virginia: Tax Lists of the Counties for which the Census is Missing. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1971. [The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax list. Orange County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.]
 * [1810] Personal Property Tax 1810, Genealogical Forum of Portland Oregon Bulletin, Vol. 15, No. 8 (Apr. 1966).
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. [The source for this publication is 1815 land tax. Orange County is included in Vol. 4.]

Birth

 * 1750s-1770s - King, George H.S. "Some Orange County Virginia Birth Records," [1750s-1770s] The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Jul., 1942), p. 317. Available at JSTOR ($). [Found at the back of Orange County, Virginia Deed Book 17; King may have omitted births of black children.]
 * 1751-1766 - Births Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1866-1895 - Orange County Birth Index 1866-1895. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1722-1850 - Fisher, Therese A. Marriage Records of the City of Fredericksburg, and of Orange, Spotsylvania, and Stafford Counties, Virginia 1722-1850. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1990.
 * 1740-1850 - Marriages (Watson to Waugh) Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1747-1810 - Knorr, Catherine L. Marriages of Orange County, Virginia, 1747-1810. Pine Bluff, Arkansas: C.L. Knorr, 1959.
 * 1753-1776 - Grinnan, A.G. "Some of the Early Marriage Licenses of Orange County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jul., 1895), pp. 59-61. Digital version at JSTOR - free.
 * 1757-1912 - Orange County Marriage Index 1757-1912. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1770-1800 - Boogher, William F. Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. Washington: n.p., 1903. ; digital version at Google Books. [Includes a chapter titled "Early Marriages, Orange County, Virginia, 1770-1800," see p. 383.]
 * 1770s-1810 - Scott, W.W. "A List of Marriages Recorded in the Back Part of Deed-Book No. 17, Orange County," [1770s-1810] The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 26, No. 2 (Apr., 1918), pp. 190-200; Vol. 26, No. 3 (Jul., 1918), pp. 297-302; Vol. 26, No. 4 (Oct., 1918), pp. 401-404; Vol. 27, No. 1 (Jan., 1919), p. 68; Vol. 27, No. 3/4 (Jul. - Oct., 1919), pp. 345-348; Vol. 28, No. 2 (Apr., 1920), pp. 152-160; Vol. 28, No. 3 (Jul., 1920), pp. 256-265; Vol. 28, No. 4 (Oct., 1920), p. 360. Available at JSTOR ($). Alternative titles: "A List of Marriages in Orange County," "List of Marriages in Orange County," and "Orange County Marriages."
 * 1775-1786 - Bonds Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1787-1791 - Bonds Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1802-1938 - Orange County Marriage Index 1802-1938. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Orange County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * The Orange County Historical Society 130 Caroline Street Orange, Virginia 22960-1533 Phone: (540) 672-5366


 * Central Virginia Genealogical Association

Orange County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Orange County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * Orange County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: GERMANNA_COLONIES-L
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: GERMANNA_COLONIES-L