Middlesex County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Middlesex County, Virginia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
Middlesex County is located in the eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was more than likely named for the English county.

County Courthouse
Middlesex County Courthouse 73 Bowden Street/PO Box 158 Saluda, VA 23149 Phone: 804-758-5317 Middlesex County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has birth and death records 1853-1871, marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1773

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Bible Records

 * 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Business, Commerce, and 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 Middlesex County.

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Census Records
1668-1704
 * Rutman, Darrett B. and Anita H. Rutman. "'More True and Perfect Lists': The Reconstruction of Censuses for Middlesex County, Virginia, 1668-1704," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 88 (1980):37-74. Available at JSTOR ($).

1783 Enumeration
 * Middlesex County Heads of Families - 1783 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. See page 56.

1890 Union Veterans
 * Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890.   Online at: Ancestry ($). Includes residents of this county.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Baptist

Church of England See also Christ Church Parish

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records

Chancery Court
 * Indexed images of Middlesex County, Virginia Chancery Records 1754-1912 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Emigration and Immigration
Urbanna has been a port since colonial times. No official passenger lists survive for the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. Includes wills of residents of Middlesex County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.
 * 1674-1702 Immigrants to Middlesex County Virginia Pioneers ($).


 * Ljungstedt, Milnor. "Items from Southern Records" [Showing Family and Trade Connections with Northern Colonies and the Home Countries], The American Genealogist, Vol. 15 (1938):95-104. Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). Middlesex Co., VA possible residents: Hudson, Musgrove, Pickwerth, Steevens, Whiteacre.
 * O'Brien, Michael J. "Virginia, Middlesex County. - Extracts from the Parish Register of Christ Church," The Journal of the American Irish Historical Society, Vol. 12 (1913):149-155. Available at ; digital version at Google Books (full-view). O'Brien attempts to identify Irish surnames in this Church of England parish register.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. 2005-present. - free online book. Bond, Bowles, Burwell, Cassidy, Chapman, Chavis, Day, Driver, Dungee, Gillett, Gilmore, Goings, Goldman, Grimes, Haynes, Hearn, Howard, Key, Lawhan (see introduction), Lawrence, Lighty, Meggs, Month, Morris, Nickens, Ormes (see introduction), Peters, Pinn, Robinson, Sampson, Simms, Smith, Snelling, Syphax, Toyer, Twopence, Tyre, West, Whistler, Williams, Young families of pre-1820 Middlesex County, Virginia.
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Middlesex County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1819," Free African Americans.com. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
 * Bogger, Tommy; Black Church Cultural Affairs Committee. A History of African-Americans in Middlesex County, 1646-1992. White Stone, VA: Nohill, 1994.
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Middlesex County.

Genealogies
Compiled Genealogies by Surname A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 * See Middlesex County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families
 * DeBusk, Jessie M. Family Histories of Middlesex County, Virginia. Urbanna, Va.: Ralph Wormeley Branch APVA, 1982. Available at Virginia Historical Society;
 * Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. 2005-present. - free online book. Bond, Bowles, Burwell, Cassidy, Chapman, Chavis, Day, Driver, Dungee, Gillett, Gilmore, Goings, Goldman, Grimes, Haynes, Hearn, Howard, Key, Lawhan (see introduction), Lawrence, Lighty, Meggs, Month, Morris, Nickens, Ormes (see introduction), Peters, Pinn, Robinson, Sampson, Simms, Smith, Snelling, Syphax, Toyer, Twopence, Tyre, West, Whistler, Williams, Young families of pre-1820 Middlesex County, Virginia.
 * Yurechko, John Otto. Virginians Along and Near the Lower Rappahannock River, 1607-1799. 2 vols. Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1997-1998. . Contents: v. 1. Blake, Brooks (Brook), Churchill, Cook (Cock), Daniel, Dixon, Gore, Kidd, Lewis, Martin, Montague, Taylor and Wood -- v. 2. Brown, Clark, Elliott, Fox (Fowkes, Vaulx), Harrison, McTyre, Moore, Pate, Rawlins (Rollins), Rhodes, Sanders (Saunders) and Williams.
 * Darrett B. Rutman and Anita H. Rutman reconstructed families that lived in seventeenth- and early-eighteenth century Middlesex County, Virginia in order to complete a history book, but they have not yet published the genealogies they compiled.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records


 * 1704 Quit Rents Virginia Pioneers ($).
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories
Urbanna has been a port since colonial times. No official passenger lists survive for the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1978):43-50. Available at ; online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Middlesex County's 1789 Delinquent List appears on 22:50.

Military Records
French and Indian War Revolutionary War
 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . Online at: Ancestry ($). Identifies some Middlesex County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.
 * Boogher, William F. Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. Washington: n.p., 1903. Available at ; online at Internet Archive. Includes a chapter titled "Legislative Enactments connecting the preceding historic sketch (French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War) with the adjudication of the resulting accounts that follow; with the list of officers, soldiers and civilians entitled to compensation for military and other services rendered." For Middlesex County, see p. 95.
 * 1651-1776 Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; digital book at Ancestry ($). Identifies some County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Eastern District, Middlesex County on page 132.
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." ; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans. Virginia section begins on page 238.

Regiments. Service men in Middlesex County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Middlesex County supplied soldiers for the:
 * - 7th Virginia Regiment

War of 1812 Middlesex County men served in the 109th Regiment. Civil War
 * 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; online at Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, Virginia, Middlesex County, p. 90. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 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)

Regiments. Civil War service men in Middlesex County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed here:
 * - 24th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company D (Clopton's Partisan Rangers).
 * - 47th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company G (1st) (Middlesex Rifles) and Company K (1st) (Middlesex Artillery).
 * - 55th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies B (Middlesex Artillery), C (Middlesex Southerners), and H (Middlesex Rifles).

World War II
 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1906-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette (1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburg website. 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.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records London Courts
 * 1633-1800 Wills and Estate Records Index at Library of Virginia.
 * 1652-1900 Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Middlesex County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * 1639-1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry — index, incomplete ($)
 * 1698-1713; 1713-1734; 1740-1748 Images of Wills & Estates Virginia Pioneers ($).
 * 1713-1727 Abstracts of wills and inventories Virginia Pioneers ($).
 * 1760-1825 Images of Orphans recordsVirginia Pioneers ($).
 * 1767-1810; 1821-1825 Images of Administrator Bonds Virginia Pioneers ($).
 * 1675-1800; 1800-1950 Indexes to Wills Virginia Pioneers($).
 * Images of Wills, Estates Bonds, Book D, 1748-1760; Book E, 1760-1772; Book F, 1772-1787; Book G, 1787-1793; Book H, 1794-1795; Book I, 1795-1798' Virginia Pioneers ($).
 * 1675-1935 Index to Heirs and Devises Virginia Pioneers($).
 * 1758-1767 Orders Virginia Pioneers.


 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records The original volumes of Middlesex County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists are held at the Library of Virginia in Richmond, Va. The Genealogical Society of Utah microfilmed these records for the years 1782 to 1799 in 1947:. In 1992, the Genealogical Society of Utah microfilmed these records for the years 1782 to1850:.
 * 1704 "Virginia Quit Rent Rolls, 1704," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 28 (1920):207-218, 328-339; Vol. 29 (1921):18-28, 337-343, 402-412; Vol. 30 (1922):21-30, 280-285, 341-347; Vol. 31 (1923):70-75, 153-163, 215-231, 314-318; Vol. 32 (1924):69-75, 144-158, 281-287, 338-343; Vol. 33 (1925):47-50, 359-370; Vol. 34 (1926):113-119, 252-258, 313, 321. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version of VMHB at JSTOR ($). Middlesex County appears in 33:47-50.
 * 1782-1819 Heinegg, Paul. "Middlesex County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1819," Free African Americans.com.  Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
 * 1782-1850 Middlesex County, Virginia Personal property tax lists, 1782-1850.  Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.; microfilmed reproduction available at  - images.
 * 1783  Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783; index online at Revolutionary War Service website - free.
 * 1787 Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at . The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Middlesex County is included in Vol. 2.
 * 1789 Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1978):43-50. Available at ; online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Middlesex County's 1789 Delinquent List appears on 22:50.
 * 1800 Tax List, 1800, The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 41, No. 3 (Jul. 1997). Available at . Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * 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. Available at . The sources for this publication are the 1810 Personal Property Tax List and the 1810 U.S. Federal Census. The names listed in these two sources are compared for Middlesex County.
 * 1815 Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at . The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Middlesex County is included in Vol. 3.
 * 1820-1821 Sheriffs Receipt Book, 1820-21, Tidewater Virginia Families, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Nov. 1995); Vol. 4, No. 4 (Feb. 1996); Vol. 5, No. 2 (Aug. 1996). Available at.

Birth

 * 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at at Findmypast — index($) — index $
 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1740s-1760s "Marriage Bonds in Middlesex County Clerk's Office," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Oct. 1895):118-122. Digital version at JSTOR - free.
 * 1740s-1790s Crozier, William Armstrong. Early Virginia Marriages. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1953. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Includes Middlesex County marriages 1740s-1790s.
 * 1759-1803 Marriage Bonds Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1853-1911 Virginia, U.S., Death Registers, 1853-1911 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection;  index & images
 * 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index & images

FamilySearch Centers

 * Gloucester Virginia FamilySearch Center
 * Newport News Virginia FamilySearch Center
 * Williamsburg Virginia FamilySearch Center


 * Mathews Memorial Library - an affiliate library
 * Williamsburg Regional Libraries - James City County Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical &amp; Historical SocietyWebsite
 * Tidewater Genealogical Society

Websites

 * USGENWEB Middlesex County, Virginia


 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides
Compiled genealogies are a good place to start research for this area, see Middlesex County, Virginia Genealogy. If you are researching families who lived in Middlesex County, Virginia between the 1670s and 1720s, the Sparacios' book indexes are a great time saver. Surname index of Antient Press publications


 * Davis, Virginia Lee Hutcheson. "Records of Tidewater Virginia Counties," Tidewater Virginia Families: A Magazine of History and Genealogy, Vol. 1, No. 2 (May-June 1992):53-66. 975.51 D25t [For Middlesex County, see p. 62]