Rappahannock County, 1656-1696, Virginia Genealogy

(Old) Rappahannock County, Virginia genealogy and family history research page. Guide to (Old) Rappahannock County (established 1656) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, wills, deeds and land records, family histories, cemeteries, and churches. ''This article is about a Virginia county abolished in 1692. For other uses, see Rappahannock''.

County Courthouse
Old Rappahannock County's records are now held at the Essex County, Virginia Courthouse in Tappahannock, Va.

History


The county is named after the Rappahannock River. The Algonquian word lapihanne (also noted as toppehannock), from which the English word Rappahannock is derived, means "river of quick, rising water" or "where the tide ebbs and flows."

Parent County
Formed in 1656 from Lancaster County.

Boundary Changes
Old Rappahannock County became extinct in 1692 and was divided into Essex and Richmond counties.

Record Loss
The court order books covering the years 1656 to 1682 are lost.

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

If you are researching families who lived in (Old) Rappahannock County, Virginia between the 1650s and 1690s, the Sparacios' book indexes are a great time saver. The indexes are available for free online.

A variety of records are abstracted in:


 * Ricks, Joel and William G. Stanard. W. G. Standard's Extracts from Virginia Records (in Three Parts). Typescript, 1942-1943. . [Contents: pt. 1. Extracts from records of Rappahannock, Essex, Middlesex, King George and Richmond counties, 1654 to 1804 -- pt. 2. Extracts from records of the counties of old Rappahanock [sic], Essex, Middlesex, King George, and Richmond -- pt. 3. Genealogical and biographical notes of Surry, Southampton, Isle of Wight, Nansemond, and Sussex counties, Virginia.]

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

Registers of North Farnham Parish, which begin in the second-half of the seventeenth century, survive for the section of Old Rappahannock County that split to become Richmond County. The original parish registers are held at the Library of Virginia and/or the Richmond County, Virginia Courthouse in Warsaw, Va. They were microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah in 1947 and 1950. These records have also been abstracted and published by an expert:


 * King, George Harrison Sanford. The Registers of North Farnham Parish, 1663-1814 and Lunenburg Parish, 1783-1800, Richmond County, Virginia. Fredericksburg, Va.: G.H.S. King, 1966..

Court
County Court

The original Old Rappahannock County Court Orders are held at Essex County, Virginia Courthouse in Tappahannock, Va. The Sparacios abstracted, indexed, and published these records:


 * Sparacio, Ruth Trickey and Sam Sparacio. Order Book Abstracts of (Old) Rappahannock County, Virginia. [1683-1692] 4 vols. McLean, Va.: R.&amp;S. Sparacio, 1990..

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Old Rappahannock County, Virginia residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.


 * [Bourne] Descendant of John Bourne II, b. 1672 Old Rappahannock County, Virginia. Y-DNA 67 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 44656). Genetic signature available online (labelled "Haplogroup R1b - Lineage I," B-3), courtesy: The Bowen DNA Project, World Families Network.
 * [Cooke] Descendant of Abraham Cooke, resident of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia in 1670s. Y-DNA 67 Marker Test, FTDNA (Kit 7221). Genetic signature available online (labelled "Haplogroup R1b - Lineage 2"), courtesy: The Cook DNA Project, World Families Network. [Multiple DNA matches have been found among Southern United States Cook families.]
 * [Goodrich] Descendant of Thomas Goodrich, b. c1614, resident of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia, d. c1679. Y-DNA 67 Market Test, FTDNA. Genetic signature available online (labelled "Goodrich Lineage I," G-23), courtesy: The Goodrich Surname DNA Project, World Families Network; and the Goodrich Family Association. [This southerner's DNA matches the Goodrich families of New England, who came to the colonies from the County of Suffolk, England.]
 * [Merritt] Multiple descendants of James Merritt, b. bef 1629, resident of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia, d. bef Feb 1695 Essex County, Virginia. Y-DNA 37 Market Tests, FTDNA (Kits 48621, 66240). Genetic signatures available online (labelled "Merritt Lineage I"), courtesy: The Merritt DNA Project, World Families Network.
 * [Morris] Descendant of Edward Morris, b. 1665 Old Rappahannock County, Virginia, d. 1718 North Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia. Y-DNA 67 Marker Test, FTDNA. Genetic signature available online (labelled "Dunbar Lineage 1 - Haplotype," D-75), courtesy: The Dunbar DNA Project, World Families Network. [The Morris family's DNA matches the Dunbar Clan of Scotland.]
 * [Payne] Multiple descendants of John Payne, b. c1615 England, d. 1690 Old Rappahannock County, Virginia. Y-DNA 25 and 67 Marker Tests, FTDNA (48173, 108916). Genetic signatures available online, courtesy: Payne FamilyTreeDNA Project, Family Tree DNA.
 * [Pritchard] Multiple descendants of Christopher Pritchard, b. circa 1660 Westmoreland County, Virginia, resident of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia, d. about June 1730 King George County, Virginia. Y-DNA 37 and 67 Market Tests, FTDNA (Kits 102106, 171332). Genetic signatures available online (labelled "Family Group 8"), courtesy: The Pritchard / Pritchett / Prickett DNA Project, World Families Network.
 * [Rutherford] Descendant of Robert Rutherford, b. 1640 Scotland, resident of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia. Y-DNA 37 Market Test, FTDNA (Kit 90943). Genetic signature available (labelled "Toone/Tune Lineage," R-3), courtesy: The Rutherford DNA Project, World Families Network.
 * [Short] Multiple descendants of Thomas Short, b. c1642, d. bef Jul 1685 Old Rappahannock County, Virginia. Y-DNA 25 and 37 Market Tests, FTDNA. Genetic signatures available online (labelled "Short Lineage I," S-15, S-16), courtesy: The Short DNA Project, World Families Network.
 * [Thompson] Multiple descendants of George Thompson, b. c1670 of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia. Y-DNA 37 Market Tests, FTDNA. Genetic signatures available online (labelled T-19, T-21, T-22, T-26, T-77, T-78, T-96), courtesy: The Thompson DNA Project, World Families Network.
 * [Toone] Descendant of James Toone/Town, b. c1620 England, d. c1676 Old Rappahannock County, Virginia. Y-DNA 67 Market Test, FTDNA. Genetic signature available online (labelled "Toone/Tune Lineage," T-1), courtesy: The Towne DNA Project, World Families Network.
 * [Warren] Multiple descendants of John Warren, b. c1635, resident of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia. Y-DNA 12, 37, and 67 Market Tests, FTDNA (20903, 25408, 37574, 36592, 37041, 37573, 41711, 52604, 55410. Genetic signatures available online (labelled "Rappahannock Warrens"), courtesy: Warren Family Surname DNA Project, Family Tree DNA.

Genealogy
More than 250 genealogies have been published about (Old) Rappahannock County families. To view a list, visit (Old) Rappahannock County, Virginia Genealogy.

Immigration

 * [http://www.pricegen.com/immigrantservants/search/simple.php/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=Rappahannock&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 indentured servants and transported convicts from Europe] who served labor terms in Colonial (Old) Rappahannock County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.

Land
Deeds

The original Old Rappahannock County Deed Books are held at Essex County, Virginia Courthouse in Tappahannock, Va. The Sparacios abstracted, indexed, and published these records:


 * Sparacio, Ruth Trickey and Sam Sparacio. Deed Abstracts of Old Rappahannock County, Virginia. [1656-1692] 10 vols. McLean, Virginia: R. &amp; S. Sparacio, 1989-1990..
 * Sparacio, Ruth Trickey and Sam Sparacio. Deed &amp; Will Abstracts of (Old) Rappahannock County, Virginia. [1665-1682] 3 vols. McLean, Virginia: R. &amp; S. Sparacio, 1989-1990..

Grants and Patents

Search for pre-1673 land grants and patents among Virginia Land Office records. After that year, be sure to check Virginia Northern Neck land grants.


 * Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants 1694-1742. Vol. I. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1987. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes (Old) Rappahannock County.]
 * Nugent, Nell Marion. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1666. Vol. I (1934; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1991). Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes (Old) Rappahannock County. N.B. If Ancestry's search engine fails, try checking the printed index at the end of the book.]

Local Histories

 * Warner, Thomas Hoskins. 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. Tappahannock, Va.: P.P. Warner, 1965..

Military
Colonial Militia


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

Native American
The Portobaccoes Tribe, Nanzcattico Tribe, and Mattehatique Tribe lived in the area in the late 1600s.

Occupations
Philip Alexander Bruce's book Economic History of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century (Vol. II, 1896, p. 334 footnote 1) includes a list of early English merchants in (Old) Rappahannock County.

Probate
The original Old Rappahannock County Will Books are held at Essex County, Virginia Courthouse in Tappahannock, Va. These records have been abstracted, indexed, and published several times:


 * McGhan, Judith. Virginia Will Records: From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, the William and Mary College Quarterly, and Tyler's Quarterly. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1982. . [Includes Old Rappahannock County wills.]
 * Sparacio, Ruth Trickey and Sam Sparacio. Deed &amp; Will Abstracts of (Old) Rappahannock County, Virginia. [1665-1682] 3 vols. McLean, Virginia: R. &amp; S. Sparacio, 1989-1990..
 * Sparacio, Ruth Trickey and Sam Sparacio. Will Abstracts of (Old) Rappahannock County, Virginia [1682-1687]. McLean, Va.: R.&amp;S. Sparacio, 1990..
 * Sweeny, William Montgomery. Wills of Rappahannock County, Virginia 1656 - 1692. [Lynchburg, Virginia?]: Mrs. W.M. Sweeny, 1947. Available and . Digital version World Vital Records ($).

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: (Old) Rappahannock County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):219. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * Browning, Joyce. "Research in 'Old' Rappahannock and Her Descendants," The Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 11, No. 3 (May-Jun. 1985):1. Available at ; digital version at Virginia Genealogical Society website.

Vital Records
Marriage


 * Headley, Robert K. Married Well and Often: Marriages of the Northern Neck of Virginia 1649-1800: Marriages and Marriage References for the Counties of Lancaster, Northumberland, Old Rappahannock, Richmond, and Westmoreland. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2003..
 * Wilkerson, Eva Eubank. Index to Marriages of Old Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia, 1655-1900. Richmond, VA, USA: Clearfield Co., 1953. ; 1983 reprint available at ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); - free; World Vital Records ($).

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Websites

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