| Sorted by Virginia census & voter lists | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 | 171,563 |
| U.S., Census Records and Cherokee Muster Rolls, 1835-1838 | 56 |
| Smocks in the censuses, 1790-1840 | 32 |
| 1810 census of Giles County, Virginia | 7 |
| View other census & voter lists collections related to Virginia (48) |
| Sorted by Virginia birth, marriage & death | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Virginia, U.S., Marriage Records, 1936-2014 | 19,425,590 |
| Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014 | 11,182,318 |
| Virginia, U.S., Birth Records, 1912-2015, Delayed Birth Records, 1721-1920 | 9,576,418 |
| U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 | 7,632,413 |
| Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940 | 6,102,359 |
| View all Virginia birth, marriage & death (82) |
| Sorted by Virginia military | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 | 54,144,553 |
| U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 | 14,501,913 |
| U.S., Army Transport Service Arriving and Departing Passenger Lists, 1910-1939 | 12,889,430 |
| U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 | 2,049,383 |
| U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 | 837,569 |
| View all Virginia military (37) |
| Sorted by Virginia immigration & emigration | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Virginia, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1904-1963 | 78,985 |
| Virginia, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1901-1938 | 58,553 |
| Emigrants in Bondage, 1614-1775Free | 50,955 |
| Virginia Immigrants, 1623-1666 | 17,450 |
| More Emigrants in Bondage, 1614-1775 | 228 |
| View all Virginia immigration & emigration (7) |
| Sorted by Virginia pictures | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| There are no pictures collections unique to Virginia | |
| View other pictures collections related to Virginia (15) |
| Sorted by Virginia directories & member lists | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 | 7,632,413 |
| Hopewell, Virginia, Friends Memberships, 1759-1776 | 4,211 |
| Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Vol. VI: (Virginia) | 1,039 |
| Old churches, ministers and families of Virginia | 503 |
| Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia. With Digested Index and Genealogical Guide, Vol. I | 490 |
| View all Virginia directories & member lists (12) |
| Sorted by Virginia court, land, wills & financial | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900 | 1,380,961 |
| U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 | 171,563 |
| Virginia, U.S., Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850 | 134,392 |
| Virginia Will Records | 997 |
| Virginia Land Records | 894 |
| View all Virginia court, land, wills & financial (23) |
| Sorted by Virginia dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| U.S., Select Family History and Bible Records Index | 14,871 |
| Virginia, Colonial Abstracts, 1632-1810 | 813 |
| Virginia Colonial Abstracts, Vol. III | 642 |
| Virginia Colonial Abstracts, Vol. II | 588 |
| Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Vol. V | 587 |
| View all Virginia dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference (19) |
| Sorted by Virginia maps, atlases & gazetteers | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| There are no maps, atlases & gazetteers collections unique to Virginia | |
| View other maps, atlases & gazetteers collections related to Virginia (7) |
| Sorted by Virginia stories, memories & histories | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Colonial Families of the USA, 1607-1775Free | 119,305 |
| Virginia, U.S., Colonial Records, 1607-1853 | 112,119 |
| Virginia, U.S., Marriages of the Northern Neck of Virginia, U.S., 1649-1800 | 14,680 |
| Virginia, Biographical Encyclopedia | 4,733 |
| Virginia, Apprentice Index, 1640-1800 | 2,765 |
| View all Virginia stories, memories & histories (314) |
A genealogical history
Statehood: June 26, 1788
Capital: Richmond
Largest City: Virginia Beach
Counties: 95 Counties, and 39 Independent Cities
State motto: Sic Semper Tyrannis (Thus Always to Tyrants)
State nickname: Old Dominion, Mother of Presidents, Mother of States
Neighboring states: West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky
The Home of Washington, Mount Vernon, Virginia, (Currier & Ives lithograph, c. 1856-72)
Interesting facts
- In 1607, under the charter of the Virginia Company of London, the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery arrived in Virginia, settling at Jamestown. The group was ill-prepared for the hardships of famine, disease, and attacks by nearby Algonquians and few from those first ships survived.
- In 1619, the colony of Virginia established the House of Burgesses which was the first representative assembly.
- In need of settlers, the London Company encouraged emigration with the promise of land ownership. The English law of primogeniture meant that lands were passed intact to the eldest son, and lands in Virginia were an attractive option for younger sons.
- Richmond, Virginia was the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War. The burning of Richmond and that of many courthouses during that war resulted in a significant loss of records.
Featured Virginia collections
Famous people
Help and advice
- Virginia Family History Research
- Counties of Virginia
- Cumberland and Atlantic States Research
- The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
- Why Southern Research Is Different, Part I and Part II
Resources
Virginia Census Research
Censuses began in Virginia in 1790; however, the 1790 and 1800 censuses were destroyed or lost, except for the 1800 enumerations of Accomack and Louisa counties. Tax lists from 1787 offer a substitute for the missing 1790 census.
Federal census records for Virginia exist from 1810, and were taken every ten years. 1810 census is incomplete for many counties in the state, but has been reconstructed from tax lists.
Two early censuses of Virginia have survived intact; only statistical abstracts remain of other censuses conducted. The first census is dated 16 February 1624 and is a list of the names of persons living in Virginia and the names of those who died since April 1623. The colony conducted a second census in January and February 1625. The best transcription of the 1625 Musters is in Virginia F. Meyer and John Frederick Dorman, Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607–1625, 3d ed. (Richmond: Order of First Families of Virginia, 1987). Another census was conducted in 1634, but is apparently lost.
Virginia Vital Records
Virginia registration of births, deaths, and marriages began on a county level in 1853 and continued until 1896. Many counties abandoned registration during the Civil War, or recorded only a small percentage of events. Marriage bonds and licensing were in place from the 1600s in Virginia, though are sporadic and fragmented. They are usually found among the county levels of records, and are often published.
Except in some independent cities, records were not kept between 1896 and 14 June 1912, when statewide registration of vital statistics began. Early records between the years 1853–1896 have been microfilmed and are available at The Library of Virginia and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
- Virginia Office of Vital Records: Holds births and deaths records from 1853-1896 and June 1912 to the present; marriages from 1936 to the present; and divorce records from 1918 to the present. For earlier marriage records, write to the clerk of the county where the event occurred. See the Genealogy page for more information on sources of available records.
- Library of Virginia – Archives Division: holds surviving Virginia birth and death records for the years 1853 to 1896, and marriage records before 1936.
Virginia Research Resources
The organizations listed below provide information about Virginia history and genealogy. In addition to these state-level resources, many counties and towns maintain important genealogical collections in local libraries, genealogical societies, or historical societies, so check for a local resource when researching.
Statewide Research Resources
- Library of Virginia: Guides to the Library’s extensive collections can be found on the “Using the Collections” page. Be sure to check the Catalog Search, which offers searches of books and journals; archives and manuscripts, including 6,000 family bible images; and images and indexes to materials in the Library’s collection.
The Library’s online collections are available through Virginia Memory, the Digital Library of Virginia. The digital collections contain a vast range of genealogy information. Some highlights include indexes to chancery records dating from the 18th century; Confederate disability applications, receipts, and pension rolls; Revolutionary War bounty warrants, state pension records, and rejected claims; land patents and grants in the Great Northern Neck; and extensive collections of photographs and newspapers.
- Virginia Historical Society
- Virginia Genealogical Society
- Virginia GenWeb: Lists links to county-level genealogy pages, local genealogical societies, maps, special projects, and more.
- National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) at Philadelphia: This facility maintains records from Federal agencies and courts in Virginia, including census, military, court, naturalization, and immigration records.
Specialty and Regional Research
- Chronicling America: Online newspapers: Provides searchable online versions of selected Virginia newspapers.
- Colonial Williamsburg research: In addition to the John D. Rockefeller Library collections on local history and genealogical information about early Williamsburg residents, the Digital Library offers web-based access to York County probate inventories; images of The Virginia Gazette newspaper, 1736-1780; manuscript collections; and more.