Madison County, Virginia Genealogy
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Guide to Madison County, Virginia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Madison County is located in the north-central portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for the Madison family that owned a tract of land along the Rapidan River. This family produced one of our nation’s early presidents, James Madison.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Madison County Courthouse
1 Main Street
Madison, VA 22727-0220
Phone: 540-948-6888
Madison County Website
Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1793[3]
Madison County, Virginia Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1853 | 1793 | 1853 | 1793 | 1793 | 1793 | 1810 |
General compliance year is unknown. | ||||||
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
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Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[7]
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
The county is named after President James Madison (1751-1836).
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
For databases and indexes, see Virginia Bible Records.
- 1607-2007 Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
- 1800-1986 Virginia, Jewish Cemetery Records Index, ca. 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1949-1969 United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969
- Vol. 1
- page 146 - Fairview Cemetery, at Hood
- page 149 - Rose Park Cemetery, at Wolfton
Census Records[edit | edit source]
For databases, indexes, and information online, see Virginia Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1800 | 8,322 | — |
| 1810 | 8,381 | 0.7% |
| 1820 | 8,490 | 1.3% |
| 1830 | 9,236 | 8.8% |
| 1840 | 8,107 | −12.2% |
| 1850 | 9,331 | 15.1% |
| 1860 | 8,854 | −5.1% |
| 1870 | 8,670 | −2.1% |
| 1880 | 10,562 | 21.8% |
| 1890 | 10,225 | −3.2% |
| 1900 | 10,216 | −0.1% |
| 1910 | 10,055 | −1.6% |
| 1920 | 9,595 | −4.6% |
| 1930 | 8,952 | −6.7% |
| 1940 | 8,465 | −5.4% |
| 1950 | 8,273 | −2.3% |
| 1960 | 8,187 | −1.0% |
| 1970 | 8,638 | 5.5% |
| 1980 | 10,232 | 18.5% |
| 1990 | 11,949 | 16.8% |
| 2000 | 12,520 | 4.8% |
| 2010 | 13,308 | 6.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
1890 Union Veterans
- Turner, Ronald Ray. Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. Available online, courtesy: Prince William County Virginia website. [Includes residents of this county.]
Church Records[edit | edit source]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Baptist
Madison County fell within the bounds of the Culpeper Association. Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):
Church of England
Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Madison County is available online.[9]
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Online Court Indexes and Records
Chancery Court
- Indexes and images to Madison County, Virginia Chancery Records 1802-1881 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. Additional records are available at the Madison County Courthouse. These records, which were often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.
Superior Court of Chancery
The Superior Court of Chancery of Fredericksburg (1802-1831) had jurisdiction over certain Madison County court cases. An index has been compiled:
- Indexes of Court Records in the Clerk's Office, Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1782-1904. Original records, Fredericksburg City Courthouse, Fredericksburg, Va., microfilmed reproduction available at FHL. [Indexes the following records: District Court law book v. 8, 1782-1792; District Court law books 1790-1793, v. A-F 1789-1811; Superior Court of Law law order books v. G-H 1812-1831; Superior Court of Chancery chancery order books 1814-1831; Hustings Court orders v. A-O 1782-1871; Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery law order books v. A-E 1831-1875; Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery chancery order books v. A-D 1831-1872; Circuit Court chancery order books v. A2, B-C 1875-1904; Fredericksburg District Court (1789-1808) had jurisdiction over the following counties: Spotsylvania (including Fredericksburg), Caroline, King George, Stafford, Orange, and Culpeper; Superior Court of Chancery (1802-1831) had jurisdiction over the following localities: city of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fairfax, Lancaster, Northumberland, Madison, King George, Orange, Prince William, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Essex, and Westmoreland.]
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
For databases and immigrant groups, see Virginia Emigration and Immigration
- Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes will a of resident of Madison County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African American
- 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- Heinegg, Paul. "Madison County Personal Property Tax List, 1793-1818," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
- Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Madison County.
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
- See Madison 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
- Holtzclaw, B.C. Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia, 1714-1750. Germanna Record No. 5. Harrisonburg, Va.: The Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, 1964. Includes Back, Brumback, Coons, Crim, Fishback, Haeger, Hanback, Hitt, Holtzclaw, Kemper, Martin, Miller, Nay, Rector, Spilman, Utterback, Wayman, Weaver, Young, Whitescarver, and Huffman (2) families. Available at FHL.
- Holtzclaw, B.C. and Charles Herbert Huffman. Second Germanna Colony of 1717. Harrisonburg, Va.: Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, 1965. FHL Book 975.5 D2gd no. 6.
- Holtzclaw, B.C. Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia, 1714-1750. Germanna Record No. 5. Harrisonburg, Va.: The Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, 1964. Includes Back, Brumback, Coons, Crim, Fishback, Haeger, Hanback, Hitt, Holtzclaw, Kemper, Martin, Miller, Nay, Rector, Spilman, Utterback, Wayman, Weaver, Young, Whitescarver, and Huffman (2) families. Available at FHL.
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
For land indexes, records, and databases, see Virginia Land and Property, including Colonial and State Land Grants.
Online Land Indexes and Records
Grants and Patents
- Blankenbaker. 204 patents dated 1722-1739 in what is now Madison County, Virginia (Placed on a Map). DeedMapper, 2004. [In order to view this map, it is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product.]
- Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1775-1800. Vol. III. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993. FHL Collection; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Madison County.]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- Yowell, Claude Lindsay. A History of Madison County, Virginia. Strasburg, Va.: Shenandoah Publishing House, c1926. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
County and state maps, historical and more current, are valuable research tools. For map collections, online and in libraries, see Virginia Maps.
Click a neighboring county
for more resources
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Revolutionary War
- A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital version at Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Madison County on page 131.]
- Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." FHL Book 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans. Virginia section begins on page 238.
War of 1812
- 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. FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Madison County, p. 89. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]
- Humes, Joseph, Muster roll of Captain Joseph Humes' company, War of 1812 82nd (Madison County). FHL film 32596 Item 6
Regiments. Madison County men served in the 82nd Regiment.[10]
Civil War
- 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 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. Madison County men most often served in regiments (and companies) from their home county. At times, however, individuals and small groups can be found serving in regiment from neighboring counties. Later in the war, Confederate units often reorganized. Men from Madison County can be found in the following regiments: Infantry:
- - 2nd Virginia Militia
- - 7th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate) - Company A (The Richardson Guards) and Company K (The Madison Grays) had many men from Madison County while Companies A, C, E, F, G only had eight or fewer men from Madison County. See also 7th Battalion, Virginia Infantry, Local Defense (1st Nitre Battalion) (Confederate)
- - 10th Regiment Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company L (Jeff Davis Guards).[11]
- - 13th Regiment Virginia Infantry (Confederate)
- - 34th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company L (Fray's Artillery) (Madison Artillery).[12]
- - 38th Regiment Virginia Infantry (Confederate)
- - 49th Regiment Virginia Infantry (Confederate)
- - 82nd Regiment Virginia Militia
- - 108th Virginia Militia
- - 135th Virginia Militia
- - Quartermaster Department
Cavalry:
- - 1st Regiment Virginia Cavalry (Confederate), Co. I mustered one trooper from Madison County
- - 2nd Regiment Virginia Cavalry (Confederate), Co. K mustered one trooper from Madison County
- - 4th Regiment Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company C (The Madison Invincibles)
- - 5th Regiment Virginia Cavalry (Confederate), Co. H mustered one trooper from Madison County
- - 6th Regiment Virginia Cavalry (Confederate), Co. F mustered one trooper from Madison County
- - 7th Regiment Virginia Cavalry (Confederate), Co. B mustered one trooper from Madison County
- - 11th Regiment Virginia Cavalry (Confederate), Co. A mustered one trooper from Madison County
- - 12th Regiment Virginia Cavalry (Confederate), Co. G mustered eleven troopers from Madison County
- - 35th Battalion Virginia Cavalry (Confederate), Co. F mustered one trooper from Madison County
- - 39th Battalion Virginia Cavalry (Confederate), Co. D mustered one trooper from Madison County
- - 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry (Confederate), this battalion, known as Mosby's Rangers, mustered four troopers from Madison County
Artillery:
- - 1st Battalion, Virginia Light Artillery (Hardaway's) (Moseley's) (Confederate)
- - 1st Regiment Virginia Artillery (Richmond Howitzers)
- - 4th Battalion Virginia Heavy Artillery (Confederate)
- - 13th Virginia Artillery
- - Charlottesville Light Artillery (Confederate)
- - King William Artillery (Confederate)
- - Rockbridge Artillery, No. 2 (Confederate)
- - Letcher's Battery Light Artillery
- - Capt. Rice's Company Virginia Light Artillery
- - 1st Battalion Virginia Reserves (Madison Reserves)
- Information about the history of the companies in these regiments can be found in:
- - FHL book 975.538 H2w For Home and Honor
- - FHL book 975.5 M2vr v. 29 titled A Guide to Virginia Military Organizations 1861-1865
Asterisk indicates regiments with fifteen or fewer men from Madison.
World War II
- 1940-1945 Virginia, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
For online newspaper resources, see the Virginia Newspapers page.
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 the Virginia Gazette and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Private Papers
- Mallory, James. Journal of James Mallory, Son of Uriel Mallory, Jr. and Melinda Welch; Grandson of Capt. Uriel Mallry, Sr. and Hannah Cave, and of Major Nathaniel Welch and Elizabeth Terrell, of Virginia, Begins April 20, 1834, Madison County, Virginia, Ends November 12, 1877, Talladega County, Alabama. MSS., microfilmed 1962. FHL 328801
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
For probate records, indexes, and databases, see Virginia Probate Records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1633-1800 Wills and Estate Records Index at Library of Virginia.London Courts
- Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes will a of resident of Madison County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index 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
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
For additional online collections and the value and use of Virginia's tax lists in your research, see Virginia Taxation.
Online Tax Indexes and Records
- 1797-1817- Madison County Land Tax Lists 1797-1817 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
- 1793-1818- Heinegg, Paul. "Madison County Personal Property Tax List, 1793-1818," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
- 1799- Images of the 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Madison County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
- 1800- Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 39, No. 3 (Jul. 1995); Vol. 39, No. 4 (Oct. 1995). FHL Collection
- 1815 - Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. FHL Collection [The source for this publication is 1815 land tax. Madison County is included in Vol. 4.]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
For additional indexes, databases, and details, see Virginia Vital Records.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1853-1866 Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1912-1913 Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1584-1917 Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1660-1800 Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at at Findmypast — index, ($) — index $
- 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1785-1940 Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1853-1935 Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1936-1988 Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1912-1987 Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1853-1912 Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1918-1988 Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index & images
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Madison County. For state-wide facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Charlottesville Virginia Family History Center
- Culpeper Virginia Family History Center
- Harrisonburg Virginia Family History Center
- Rocktown History - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Madison County. For state-wide library facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Madison County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Virginia Societies.
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Madison County, Virginia GenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
- FamilySearch Catalog – 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[edit | edit source]
- "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Madison County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1973):50-52. FHL Collection; online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Newberry
- ↑ https://madisonva.com/history-of-madison-county/
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Newberry
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Madison_ County,_Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_County,_Virginia#Communities accessed 16 February 2020.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Robert Baylor Semple and George William Beale, A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia (Pitt and Dickinson, 1894), 229-230. Digital version at Google Books.
- ↑ William Meade, Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia, 2 vols. (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott and Co., 1861). Digital versions at Internet Archive: Vol. I and Vol. II.
- ↑ Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 133. FHL Book 975.5 M2bs.
- ↑ Terrence V. Murphy, 10th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1989). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 55.
- ↑ Johnny L. Scott, 34th Virginia Infantry (Appomattox, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1999). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 135.
