A Virginia Guide

Submitted by GFA Beth@aol.com

 Virginia Genealogy Guide

(a very brief guide)

This is a very brief guide to Virginia's resources, and is intended only to get the researcher started. In-depth information can be obtained from the following guides:

Grundset, Eric G., Research in Virginia, Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 1998

McGinnis, Carol, Virginia Genealogy Sources & Resources, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. 1993

Virginia is one of the most unique states in which to research genealogy. As the first permanent colony in the New World, all of North America was in effect, Virginia. No other colony held as much territory for the length of time as Virginia. Unfortunately, Virginia's records are not as complete as its history. Through war, fire and natural disasters, Virginia has lost many records. One hundred years ago, one might have lamented the loss of records; thinking that what was current was all that the state possessed. Times have certainly changed in the 21st century.

The Commonwealth of Virginia has always possessed a rich history, albeit not easily accessible for many interested in genealogical research, especially from afar. With the dedication of professional genealogists, librarians, historians, archivists, and archeologists, Virginia's records are available to the beginning researcher. The key is understanding the state, its history, geography and its records.

Jamestown was settled in 1607 by the Virginia Company of London. The Company controlled the colony until 1624, at which time, Virginia became a Royal Colony. Recent archeological research has dispelled the myth that Jamestown was not a true settlement. See Jamestown Rediscovery for history and recent discoveries. (http://www.apva.org/jr.html).

In 1699 the capital was moved to Williamsburg, and remained there until 1780. During this period, the colony expanded westward. Germans, French Huguenots, and Scots-Irish arrived in the colony. See a brief Williamsburg history. http://www.americanparknetwork.com/parkinfo/cw/history/index.html

Richmond became the capital in 1780, with Virginia being the largest state in terms of size and population at the end of the Revolution. (Kentucky and West Virginia were still part of Virginia at this time)

The end of the Revolution was also a time for major westward migration. The new government compensated its soldiers with bounty land in under populated areas, and many of Virginia's residents migrated to Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.

By 1800, Virginia was, in relative terms, a mature state. The building of roads, the use of canals and rivers, and later the railroads allowed for migration within the state. As the ease of transportation increased, so did the population within the cities. During this time, the state established the Virginia State Library, (1823) (http://www.lva.lib.va.us/) and the Virginia Historical Society (1831) (http://www.vahistorical.org/index.htm) to preserve Virginia's history and records.

Virginia is divided into geographical regions. It is important to understand these regions for genealogical research. From north to south, there are four regions, Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula, The Peninsula, and Southside. Each region is separated by a river, the Rappahannock, the York, and the James. From east to west, the state is divided into the Eastern Shore, Tidewater, Piedmont, and The Valley.

The rivers of Virginia played an important part in Virginia's colonization. Different groups settled in different regions separated by the rivers. Much of the early transportation and commerce centered on the rivers.

In 1624, the General Assembly ordered ministers and churchwardens of the Church of England to record deaths, marriages and births. In Virginia, these early records are called Parish Registers. Similar information can also be found in Vestry Books. After 1780, the ministers were required to report all marriages to the county court clerk, who was responsible for entering them in special books. These records are called Marriage Records or Marriage Registers.

Births and Deaths were not required to be registered with the state until 1853. The Clerk of the County Court was to make two copies of all vital records, keeping one copy and forwarding the other to Richmond. Between 1896 and 1912 the law was not enforced.

For current information see http://vitalrec.com/va.html.

Marriage Records for the Colonial Period will generally be found in the Parish Registers or Ministers Returns. There are some instances where marriages are recorded in the court order books of the county.

During the middle of the 17th century, marriage bonds became popular. They cost about 1/4 the price of the marriage license and required the posting of banns. Very few of the banns exist today, and there was no record of the marriage in the order books. Although the ministers were required to enter marriages in the Minister Returns, they often ended up in other records, such as will and deed books.

Between the Revolution and 1853, many marriages were not recorded. With the disestablishment of the Church of England, marriages of other denominations were allowed, but they were not always recorded in the county order books.

Land records can be some of the most fruitful resources that exist in the state for the Colonial period and beyond. Virginia's land records are some of the most resourceful records for the purposes of genealogical research. They are among the earliest and most complete records in the state. There are several items that need to be completely understood regarding the land in Virginia: Headright - 50 acres of land were given to each new immigrant, or to the person that paid his passage. This land was often transferred or sold, and not necessarily at the time of the transportation. Patents and grants: Patent refers to lands awarded to or purchased from the Colonial Land Office. Grant refers to lands purchased or awarded after the Revolutionary War. In the Northern Neck, the term used was always "grant".

Land began to be granted to individuals around 1616. Virginia also had the headright system, which allowed 50 acres for each person that was brought to the colony. Land records are available through the Library of Virginia. (http://www.lva.lib.va.us/). It is important to note that the Northern Neck (the area between the Rappahannock and the Potomac rivers) was a proprietorship. The Northern Neck Land office kept separate records for its grants. More information is available from the Library of Virginia. (http://www.lva.lib.va.us/)

In 1779, Virginia created a Land Office. The records of the Land Office can be found at the Library of Virginia. (http://www.lva.lib.va.us/). The library has been digitizing many of its records, and some of this information might be available online.

Records of land transactions can also be found in the deed books, as well as surveys plat books and tax records. Much of this information is available in the specific locality. There is no consistency in the state as to where one might find these records. It varies greatly from one county to another. Before researching on this level, consult the various county pages from the Virginia GenWeb project. (http://www.rootsweb.com/~vagenweb/quicklnk.htm)

Probate records include wills, inventories, estate records, and anything to do with the distribution of property after death. Records prior to 1865 are available through Family History Centers, and the Library of Virginia.

Virginia's court system presents many challenges to the beginning researcher. A good source for the system and what records are available can be found in A Preliminary Guide to Pre-1904 County Records in the Virginia State Library and Archives, compiled by Ray, Hart and Kolbe, published by the Virginia State Library and Archives, Richmond, 1994. This book provides the necessary glossary, available records, and an explanation of the Virginia court system. This book is available from the Library of Virginia publications.

(http://www.lva.lib.va.us/sb/pubs/genealogy/genie.htm)

Virginia's counties began in 1634 with the formation of the original eight shires. It is important to trace the formation of the county that is being researched, its parent counties, and the surrounding counties, especially where "burned" counties are involved. This information can be found online at the VAGenWeb page. (http://www.rootsweb.com/~vagenweb/)

Many county records are available at the Library of Virginia. More information can be found on their Local Records page. (http://www.lva.lib.va.us/collect/archman/local.htm).

Court Order Books are the records of "Court Week". Virginians lived in the country, court was held for one week every month, when legal business would be conducted during the week. The county clerk recorded all of the proceedings in order books. Two copies were supposed to have been made for these records, one that was held in the county, and the other that was sent to the capital. Some of these books survive, others do not. They often include land ownership, places of residence, occupations, and military information. Many of these books have been microfilmed. See LVA's web site (http://www.lva.lib.va.us/).

There is no one source for Virginia Military records. Most original sources are available in the LVA and the National Archives. Other sources include specific books for each war. Booksellers like Willow Bend, (http://www.willowbendbooks.com/), Big Tree books, (http://bigtreebooks.com/virginia.html), Iberian, (http://www.iberian.com/), and Genealogical Publishing (http://www.genealogical.com/) have an extensive inventory of these books. More book sites can be found on the VaGenWeb page (http://www.rootsweb.com/~vagenweb/books.htm).

Although Virginia had vast numbers of immigrants, there are no great passenger lists that exist for the state beyond the Colonial period. In the 18th century, many people who ended up in Virginia did not arrive from Europe. Instead, they arrived in the Northern ports and made their way south. In the 17th century, passengers arrived at various ports of entry. Although the ships' captains were to keep records of the passengers, they were not considered aliens, since Virginia was a Royal Colony, therefore there are few naturalization records.

There were several naturalization laws that were passed in Virginia prior to the Revolution. These records are not conclusive, as many non-British citizens never petitioned the colony or the governor to become citizens. In 1783, aliens were required to declare their intention to live in the state, and take an oath of allegiance.

After the Revolution, naturalization became a Federal process.

Virginia is unlike any other state. In order to effectively research Virginia records, it is necessary to understand its differences. Grundset and McGinnis offer extensive explanations of the research opportunities in the state. It is important to understand that much of Virginia's history is a history of land and its ownership, which is very different from the New England colonies. Therefore, the Virginia researcher needs to approach research from its land. Tracing an ancestor often means tracing the land, the roads, and rivers.

GFA Beth

1/17/02

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