Virginia Bible Records

Online Records

 * The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) has an index of over 40,000 digitized family Bible records and each day more records are digitized and added to the Index.
 * Index to Early Bible Records provides a free index to over 17,000 online and offline pre-1830 Bible records.


 * Family Bible Records at Library of Virginia


 * Start with the free Index to Early Bible Records (pre-1830; 17,000 entries).

Large collections of Virginia family Bible records are housed at the following archives:


 * Library of Virginia. Family Bibles are identified in Lyndon H. Hart, A Guide to Bible Records in the Library of Virginia, Two Volumes. (Richmond, Va.: Library of Virginia, 1999); ). Some Family Bibles from this facility have been microfilmed, see: ).
 * Guide to Family Bible Records at the Library of Virginia
 * Family Bible search in LoV Archive &amp; Manuscripts


 * Virginia Historical Society. Family Bibles are identified in Virginia Historical Society (Richmond, Virginia), Index of Bible Records on File in the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia, June 1987 (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1987; on seven films ). See also.
 * Family Bible search in Virginia Historical Society Catalog
 * Scanned images of many of these Bible records are available for free online in.


 * Alderman Library of the University of Virginia. For copies of some Family Bibles housed here, see: ).
 * Guide to Virginia--Manuscript Sources (including Family Bibles) at the Alderman Library


 * The Daughters of the American Revolution Library (DAR) has copied many Bible records from Virginia. Some of these are listed separately in the FamilySearch Catalog: and ), and others are part of the collection described under Virginia Compiled Genealogies. They are partially indexed in:
 * Family Bible search in DAR Library Catalog
 * Kirkham, Kay E. An Index to Some of the Family Records of the Southern States. Logan, Utah: Everton Publishers, 1979. (Family History Library .)


 * Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah includes microfilm copies and published abstracts of many Virginia family Bibles.
 * Family Bible search in FamilySearch Catalog Catalog (try searching for surnames or keyword search for a surname + Bible; also subject search for Virginia Bible Records)

PERSI will assist you in finding Family Bibles published in genealogical periodicals.

Virginia Bible Records
A Bible was often given by relatives to a bride as a wedding gift, where she recorded information about her immediate family and close relatives. Relationships were seldom stated but were often implied. Names of parents, children, and their spouses, including maiden names, were frequently given along with dates of birth, marriage, and death. Sometimes the age of a person was given at the time of death. Many families kept Bible records from the 1700s (and sometimes earlier) to more recent times, although few have survived. Some have been donated to local libraries or societies.

Copies, or abstracts of old family Bibles that are no longer known to exist, may survive in Revolutionary War Pension application files at NARA, Washington, D.C., which are available online at three commercial websites: Ancestry, Fold3, and Heritage Quest Online.

Austin published data from 487 family Bibles:


 * Austin, Jeanette Holland. Virginia Bible Records. Heritage Books, 2008..

Online Resources

 * VirginiaGenWeb contains abstracts of hundreds of Virginia family Bibles. Check the county where your ancestor lived.
 * USGenWeb Archives like VirginiaGenWeb, contains archived abstracts of hundreds of Virginia family Bibles. Check the county where your ancestor lived.
 * Virginia Bible Records on Virginia Pioneers.net: Contains an index list of Bible records in their collection. You must be a member to see the contents of the Bible record.