Loudoun County, Virginia Church

United States   Virginia    Loudoun County    Church

Introduction
Marty Hiatt, CG, delivered a lecture titled "Early Church Records in Loudoun County, Virginia," to the Loudoun County Genealogy Club Spring Seminar on 29 April 1997. The text is available online, courtesy: USGenWeb. Hiatt also published very useful abstracts to many of the earliest church records in the county:


 * Hiatt, Marty. Early Church Records of Loudoun County. Westminster, Maryland: Family Line Publications, 1995. Available at . [Contains records from the Fairfax Monthly Meeting, Goose Creek Monthly Meeting, New Jerusalem Lutheran Church, Shelburne Parish (vestry minutes), Reformed Church of Loudoun County, Frying Pan Baptist Church (minutes), Ketoctin Baptist Church (minutes), and North Fork Primitive Baptist Church (minutes). Unless stated, the records contain births, marriages and deaths, ca. 1745-1800.] Free Lookups Available!

Scheel's identifies the locations of early churches in his map of Loudoun County. The Family History Library has a copy:.

Other resources include:


 * Church Files Index, Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, Va., available online.
 * Jewell, Aurelia M. et al. Miscellaneous Records from Loudoun and Prince William Counties. Typescript, 1953-1954. Microfilmed reproduction: [Includes Early ministers in Loudoun County, Va.; Inscriptions from Mt. Pleasant M.E. Church Cemetery, Taylorstown, Loudoun County, Va.; Inventory of Shelburne Parish, 1785; Early officers in Cameron and Shelburne parishes.]
 * Kincaid, Nan Lin. "The First Churches in Loudoun County," The Bulletin of the Historical Society of Loudoun County, Virginia, 1957-1976. Leesburg, Va.: Goose Creek Productions, 1998, pp. 3-14. Free Lookups Available!

Baptist
In 1810, Robert Baylor Semple published excellent histories of early Baptist churches in Loudoun County, Virginia. G.W. Beale revised and expanded Semple's work in an 1894 reprint, which is available for free online:

See chapters on the Ketoctin Association, which begin on page 386.
 * Semple, Robert Baylor and G.W. Beale. A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia. 1810; reprint, Richmond, Va.: Pitt and Dickinson, 1894. ; online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.

Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Ebenezer (1804) . A history has been published (see below).
 * 2) Goose Creek (1775)
 * 3) Frying Pan Baptist Church (by 1791) (see records below).
 * 4) Ketocton (1766) . Early minutes survive (see records below).
 * 5) Leesburg (1803)
 * 6) Little River (1767). Edwards published a membership list dated 1768 in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 35.
 * 7) New Valley (1767). Edwards published a membership list dated 1767 in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 37.
 * 8) North Fork (1787) . Early minutes survive, see Hiatt's guide.

Loudoun County fell within the bounds of the Ketocton Association.

Additional Baptist resources for Loudoun County include:


 * A Church Book of Ebenezer, 1804-1896: Wherein is Concisely Recorded the Progress and Proceedings of that Church from Its Constitution to the Present Time. Original records, Frederick County Courthouse, Winchester, Va.; also available on microfilm at and Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, Va.
 * Frying Pan Baptist 1791-1879. Original records, Frederick County Courthouse, Winchester, Va.; also available on microfilm at and Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, Va.
 * Ketoctin Baptist Church Minutes 1776-1890, microfilm, Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, Va.
 * "Second Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Brownsville, Virginia," Loudoun: The 1757 Legacy, Newsletter of the Loudoun Genealogy Club, Vol. 7, No. 4 (June 2000):3. Available at.
 * "Thomas Jefferson and the Ketocton Baptist Association," The Bulletin of the Historical Society of Loudoun County, Virginia, 1957-1976. Leesburg, Va.: Goose Creek Productions, 1998, pp. 93-96. Available at . [1998 edition includes revisions.] Free Lookups Available!

Catholic

 * O'Connor, David J. "Virginians in the Baptismal Records of Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Georgetown) Washington, D.C., 1795-1833," Northern Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Apr. 1997):161-164. Available at . [Includes persons born in Loudoun County.]
 * O'Connor, David J. "Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington: Register of Baptisms," [1830s] Loudoun: The 1757 Legacy, Newsletter of the Loudoun Genealogy Club, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Mar. 1998):3. Available at.
 * O'Connor, David J. "Virginians in the Baptismal Records of Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Georgetown) Washington, D.C. 1834 through 1840," Northern Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jul. 1997):113-124. Available at . [Includes persons born in Loudoun County.]
 * O'Connor, David J. "Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington: Register of Baptisms and Marriages," [1830s-1850s] Loudoun: The 1757 Legacy, Newsletter of the Loudoun Genealogy Club, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Mar. 1999):3. Available at.
 * O'Connor, David J. "Virginians in the Marriage Records of Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Georgetown) Washington, D.C. 1797 through 1871," Northern Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Apr. 1998):79-81. Available at . [Includes residents of Loudoun County.]

Church of England
See also Cameron Parish See also Shelburne Parish  See also Truro Parish


 * Hopkins, Margaret Lail and Nancy Hopkins Phillips. The Anglican Parishes of Loudoun County, Virginia, Truro, Cameron, and Shelburne, 1736-1805. Lovettsville, Virginia: Willow Bend Books, 1997. Available at . Free Lookups Available!
 * Hopkins, Margaret Lail. Cameron Parish in Colonial Virginia. n.p.: M.L. Hopkins &amp; N.H. Phillips, c1988. Available at.
 * Moore, J. Staunton. The Annals and History of Henrico Parish, Diocese of Virginia: and St. John's P.E. Church. 1904, pp. 165-169. Digital version at Heritage Quest Online ($). [Biography of Rev. Dr. David Griffith, minister of Shelbourne Parish in 1770s.]
 * Shelburne Parish Vestry Book 1771-1805, microfilm, Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, Va.
 * Slaughter, Philip and Edward Lewis Goodwin. History of Truro Parish in Virginia. Philadelphia, PA: George W. Jacobs, 1907. Available at . Digital versions available at FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Latter-day Saints trace their family trees. There were a few early Church converts from the Loudoun County area. The information they recorded on their ancestors out in Utah in the nineteenth century can also assist other relatives whose ancestors remained in Virginia. The following early Church converts, who were in Utah Territory by 1850, had connections with Loudoun County:

Episcopal

 * Frain, Elizabeth R. "St. James Episcopal Church, Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia Burial Records 1830-1855," Northern Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jul. 1998):119-127; Vol. 4, No. 1 (Winter 1999):228-242; Vol. 4, No. 2 (Spring 1999):260. Available at.

German Reformed

 * 1764-1859 - German Reformed Church Christening Index 1764-1859. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * Church Records of the German Reformed Church, Loudoun County, Virginia, 1764-1859. Original records, Evangelical and Reformed Archives, Lancaster, Penn.; also available on microfilm at . [Later became St. James United Church of Christ, Lovettsville, Va.]
 * German Bible Subscribers, 1819. Report: Journal of German-American History, Vol. 35 (1972).
 * Mower, Jerry et al. St. James United Church of Christ, Church Register (Reformed Church), Loudoun County, Virginia, ca. Sept. 17, 1789-August 23, 1823. Apollo, Pennsylvania: Closson Press, c1993. Available at . Free Lookups Available!

Lutheran
Free Lookups Available! for Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths and Burials of New Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church from April 1899 (to October 1927).

Other Loudoun County Lutheran resources include:


 * New Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lovettsville, Va. Christening Index 1784-1836. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * New Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lovettsville, Va. Marriage Index 1784-1836. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * Church Records of the New Jerusalem Lutheran Church, Loudoun County, Virginia, 1784-1836. Original records, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, Penn.; also available on microfilm at.
 * "Saint Paul Lutheran Church Records Baptisms," Loudoun: The 1757 Legacy, Newsletter of the Loudoun Genealogy Club, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Dec. 1997):1; Vol. 6, No. 1 (Mar. 1998):4; Vol. 6, No. 2/3 (Sep. 1998):2; Vol. 6, No. 4 (Dec. 1998):4. Available at.
 * Hiatt, Marty. "Burials, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Neersville, Virginia," Northern Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Summer 1999):317-328. Available at.
 * Weiser, Frederick S. et al. New Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lovettsville, Loudoun County, Virginia, Parish Registers, 1784-1836. 1970. Available at.

Methodist
The first Methodist-owned property in America was situated in Leesburg. It was purchased in 1766 and the building constructed thereon is today known as the Old Stone Church.

Presbyterian

 * Leesburg Presbyterian Church Records (Session Records and Church Register, various dates), microfilm, Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, Va.
 * Paul, Joseph B. et al. Extracts from Minutes of the Sessions, Leesburg Presbyterian Church, Loudoun County, Virginia, 1804-1900. Typescript, 1971?; microfilm reproduction:

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):


 * Fairfax Monthly Meeting, Waterford, Va. (1733-1929). Hinshaw published the early records:.
 * Gap Monthly Meeting, Hillsboro, Va. (1756-1810)
 * Goose Creek Monthly Meeting, Lincoln, Va. (begun 1744). Hinshaw published the early records:.
 * Leesburg Monthly Meeting, Leesburg, Va. (1787-1807)
 * Lincoln Monthly Meeting (1837-1948)
 * Silcott Springs Monthly Meeting, near Purcellville (1889-1924)
 * South Fork Monthly Meeting, Unison, Va. (1750-1890)


 * Brown, Jane Douglas Summers and Jones Memorial Library. Jane Douglas Summers Brown (1903-) Quaker Records: Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Virginia); MS 1515. MSS, Jones Memorial Library, Lynchburg, Va. Available on 26 microfilms: [Includes records of Loudoun County Quakers; Brown assisted "William Wade Hinshaw in the writing of the Virginia volume of the Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy."]
 * Fairfax Monthly Meeting Minutes and Other Records, 1745-1939. Original records at the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, Maryland; microfilm reproduction: and at the Thomas Balch Library.
 * Janney, Asa Moore. "A History of the Society of Friends in Loudoun," The Bulletin of the Historical Society of Loudoun County, Virginia, 1957-1976. Leesburg, Va.: Goose Creek Productions, 1998, pp. 15-28. Free Lookups Available!
 * Janney, Asa Moore and Werner Janney. Ye Meetg Hous Smal: A Short Account of Friends in Loudoun County, Virginia, 1732-1980. Lincoln, Virginia: n.p., 1980.
 * Janney, Samuel M. Memoirs of Samuel M. Janney, Late of Lincoln, Loudoun County, Va., A Minister in the Religious Society of Friends. Philadelphia: Friends' Book Association, 1881. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Society of Friends. Fairfax Monthly Meeting (Waterford, Loudoun County, Virginia). Extracts from the Book of Marriage Certificates of Fairfax Monthly Meeting, 1760 to 1892; handwritten copy made in 1924. Original records, Loudoun County Courthouse, Leesburg, Va.; microfilm reproduction: