Mathews County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Mathews County Virginia ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, church records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

Description
Mathews County is located in the Eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for Brigadier General Thomas Mathews, then speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.

Mathews County, Virginia Courthouse
Mathews County Courthouse P.O. Box 463 10622 Buckley Hall Road Mathews, Virginia 23109 Phone: 804-725-2550

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1865

Mathews County, Virginia History
The county is named after Thomas Mathews (1742–1812), an American Revolutionary War general and Virginia politician, who represented Norfolk Borough in the Virginia House of Delegates, and served as that body's Speaker from 1782 until 1793.

Parent County
1790--Mathews County was created 16 December 1790 from Gloucester County. County seat: Mathews

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Variant Spellings

 * Matthews

Record Loss
1865 Most of the Mathews County Courthouse records were moved to Richmond for safekeeping during the American Civil War, but were destroyed there in the fire of 3 April 1865.


 * Lost censuses: 1800, 1890

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:

Neighboring Counties
Middlesex | Gloucester | York



Research Guides

 * 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 Mathews County, see p. 61]

African American

 * 1865-1872 Freedmen's Bureau
 * 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Mathews County Personal Property Tax List, 1791-1815," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Gwynn's Island Project. Website dedicated to African Americans whose ancestral home place is Gwynn's Island in Mathews County, Virginia.
 * Dixon, John W. The Black Americans of Gwynn's Island 1600s through 1900s. Mathews Memorial Library CREF 909.04 DIX.
 * Johnson, Martha C. Black Families of Elizabeth City Co., VA, 1800-1990: Research of Families of Callis, Davis, Simpson, Radcliff, Originating from Gloucester Co., Mathews Co., York and James Counties and Elizabeth Co., Hampton, Virginia. 1728886 Item 2.
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Mathews County.
 * Free African Americans of North Carolina and Virginia has Paul Heinegg's Free African Americans of North Carolina and Virginia is a collection of genealogies about African American families living in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
 * Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative. The Library of Virginia’s African American Narrative project aims to provide greater accessibility to pre-1865 African American history and genealogy found in the rich primary sources in its holdings.
 * Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves.  These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project (FWP) of the Works Progress Administration, later renamed Work Projects Administration (WPA).

Bible Records
Images of the Mathews Archives' family Bible collections at the Mathews Memorial Library have been digitized:

Family Bible records available online or in manuscript form at the Library of Virginia covering Mathews County, Virginia:
 * Bible Record Collections


 * Bible Record Collections

Cemeteries

 * Tyler, Lyon G. "Old Tombstones in Mathews County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Apr. 1895):255-256. Digital version at JSTOR - free
 * Tombstones of Mathews County, Virginia 1711-1986. Compilers: Christine L. Sheridan and Elsie W. Ernst. Mathews County Historical Society, Inc., 1988.

Census
1784 - First Census of the United States Heads of Families. Kingston Parish. 1790-1940 - United States Census Online Genealogy Records. There are several providers of census records both subscription and free of charge. Content varies, becoming more detailed over the years. The 1890 census was destroyed by fire. Search results can vary by site, due to variations in search engines and differences in interpretation of handwriting in censuses.

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
Kingston Parish


 * Matheny, Emma R. and Helen K. Yates. Kingston Parish Register, Gloucester and Mathews Counties, Virginia, 1749-1827. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1979. Original is available at FHLand digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * The Vestry Book of Kingston Parish, Mathews County, Virginia (until May 1, 1791, Gloucester County), 1679-1796. Transcribed, annotated, and indexed by C.G. Chamberlayne. Originally published Richmond, Virginia, 1929. Available at FamilySearch Digital Library; FHL; digital versions at Ancestry ($).
 * Brown, Robert L. Old Kingston Parish 1652-1976. Creative Arts Advertising, 1976. Available at the Mathews County Visitor and Information Center.
 * McCartney, Martha W. Kingston Parish Register: Mathews, Gloucester and Middlesex Counties, Virginia Slaves and Slaveholders, 1746-1827. Genealogical Publishing, 2014.

Church of England

Kingston Parish


 * Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of Kingston Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr. 1940):261-264. FHL Book 973 H25w; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * Meade, William. Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia. Originally published Philadelphia, 1857. Volume 1, Volume 2

Methodist


 * Butts, Daniel Gregory Claiborne. From Saddle to City by Buggy, Boat and Railway. Published 1922. D.G.C. Butts personal recollections of fifty years service in the Virginia Conference Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Rev. Butts was appointed to the Mathews County Circuit in 1890 and served a four year term.

Court

 * Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index can be used to search Mathews County chancery records for the years 1842-1904, but this is an incomplete index. The majority of chancery records remain at the Mathews County Circuit Court Clerk's office.

Funeral Homes

 * 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
 * Foster-Faulkner Funeral Home
 * Knight Funeral Home Inc. · 656 Holly Point Rd. · Mathews, Virginia · (804) 725-3631

Genealogy
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
 * See Mathews County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for over 150 published books and articles.

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families


 * Yurechko, John Otto. Virginians Along and Near the Lower Rapphahannock 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.

Historic Sites & Properties

 * Historic Homes and Properties of Mathews County, Virginia, Vol. 1 by MCHS (2009). First in a series of five highlighting ten pre-Civil War home in Mathews County, Virginia: Carobian (Sibley Farm), Fountain Green, Magnolia, Milford II (William Penn Hudgins House), Old Pine (John Warner Borum House), Palace Green (Francis Armistead House), R-R Retreat Acres (Archibald Taylor Hudgins House), Seth Foster House, Whitfield Landing (Jesse Hudgins House) and Williamsdale (Riverlawn).
 * Historic Homes and Properties of Mathews County, Virginia, Vol. 2 by MCHS (2013). Second in a series of five highlighting ten pre-Civil War home in Mathews County, Virginia: Bellevue, Brunson’s Landing (Jesse Thomas House), Edwards Hall (Bohannon Place/Hurricane Hall II) Pleasant View (Tynant), Poplar Grove, Ransone House (Rebel Yell), Springdale, Sutherland (Shadecliff), Watcombe Manor and White Dog Bistro (Lane Hotel/Bailey Hudgins’ House/Bullfrogs & Butterflies/White Dog Inn).
 * Historic Homes and Properties of Mathews County, Virginia, Vol. 3 by MCHS (2018). Third in a series of five highlighting ten pre-Civil War home in Mathews County, Virginia: Alexander James House, Bayview (Batavia), Belmont, Eastover (Sandberg House/East End), Folly Farm, Miles-Gamble House, Milford (Billups House), Oakland, Tompkins Cottage and Willow Grove.
 * Historic Homes and Properties of Mathews County, Virginia, Vol. 4 by MCHS (2020). Fourth in a series of five highlighting ten pre-Civil War home in Mathews County, Virginia: Auburn, Augustine Diggs House (Pear Tree Hall), Augustine F. Hudgins House, Cedar Grove (Cedar Croft/Williams House), Gwynnville, Henry Sibley House, Hyco (Haiku House), Isleham, Lilly House and Seaford.
 * New Point Comfort Lighthouse, Its History and Preservation by Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candace Clifford (2013). ​A lone tower reinforced by riprap, surrounded by Chesapeake Bay waters and off the southern tip of Mathews County, Virginia, the lighthouse at New Point Comfort has weathered a constantly shifting shoreline as well as enemy troops in two wars. First lit in 1806 when it stood onshore beside a keeper's dwelling, the tower has survived intact. The book traces the station's history and present-day preservation efforts by the New Point Comfort Lighthouse Preservation Taskforce.
 * Poplar Grove and Tide Mill. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online. Frances Benjamin Johnston, photographer, date created 1935.
 * Auburn. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online. Frances Benjamin Johnston, photographer, date created 1935.

Land and Property
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 Land patents (pre-1779), land grants (after 1779) and surveys are available online at the Library of Virginia website. For step-by-step instructions on retrieving these records, read the Virginia Land and Property article.


 * Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1666. By Nell Marion Nugent. 1963. Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
 * Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1800. By Nell Marion Nugent. 1934. Richmond, Virginia : Press of the Dietz Printing Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).


 * 1782, 1784, 1787-E, 1788-E, 1789-E, 1790-E Land tax assessments, Kingston Parish
 * 1791-1800 Mathews County Virginia Land and Personal Tax Lists abstracted by Dr. Stephen E. Bradley, Jr., 1992. Available at the Mathews County Visitor and Information Center.
 * 1801-1814 Land tax records, Mathews County, Virginia

Local Histories

 * McCartney, Martha W. Mathews County Virginia: Lost Landscapes, Untold Stories. Dietz Press, 2015.
 * History and Progress Mathews County, Virginia, Mathews County Historical Society, 1982.
 * Mathews County Panorama, A Pictorial History of Mathews County, Virginia, 1791-1941, Mathews County Historical Society, 1983.
 * Clifford, Mary Louise. New Point Comfort Lighthouse: Its History and Preservation. Dietz Press, 2013.
 * Ryan, David D. Gwynn's Island Virginia: A History and Pictorial Essay. Whittet & Shepperson, printers, 1986. Mathews Memorial Library CREF 975.531 RYA.
 * Ryan, David D. Gwynn's Island Virginia: Stories of a New World Settlement from the first families to the present. Dietz Press, 2000. Mathews Memorial Library CREF 975.531 RYA.

Maps

 * 1917 Edition Mathews, Virginia Historical Topographic Map; surveyed 1916.
 * David Rumsey Historical Map Collection includes 18th and 19th century historical North and South American atlases, globes, school geographies, maritime charts, etc.
 * Library of Congress has a searchable collection of digitized maps in the public domain from North America, 1544-1996.
 * Alan M. Voorhees Map Collection. The Alan M. Voorhees Map Collection extends from the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle through the U.S. Civil War period with the bulk of the collection consisting of pre–20th century maps. Included are maps made by Schedel, Ptolemy, deBry, Mercator, and Smith among many others. In a variety of map formats, such as nautical charts and views, the collection focuses primarily on the Chesapeake Bay area and the development of Virginia within the larger geographical and historical contexts of Europe and America.

Revolutionary War

 * Revolutionary War Records (1775-1783), Rosters, Pensions and Bounty Land Warrants. This list is for men from Kingston Parish/Mathews County who fought for the colonies in the American 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 versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Matthews County on pages 131-132.]

War of 1812
Mathews County men served in the 61st Regiment.


 * 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; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Matthews County [sic], p. 90. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).


 * - 26th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D.

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 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)
 * The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System is a database containing information about the men who served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Other information on the site includes histories of Union and Confederate regiments, links to descriptions of significant battles, and selected lists of prisoner-of-war records and cemetery records, which will be amended over time. The CWSS is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and several public and private partners whose goal is to increase Americans' understanding of this decisive era in American history by making information about it widely accessible.
 * Confederate Disability Applications. This collection consists of certificates submitted by injured veterans to the Virginia Board of Commissioners on Artificial Limbs. Injured soldiers submitted certificates from their county court stating that they were Virginia citizens, that they had been disabled in the war, and what assistance they required. Veterans listed the command in which they served, included information on when, where, and how they were wounded, and provided details about their medical history. Entries also contain the year of the Virginia General Assembly act under which the application was filed and a link to the digitized images of the applications, including supporting affidavits and receipts for payments issued.
 * Confederate Pension Applications. This collection consists of pension applications and amended applications filed by resident Virginians who served in the Confederate military and their widows, as well as more than 500 enslaved and free Blacks who labored as cooks, herdsmen, laborers, servants, or teamsters. The applications contain statements pertaining to the service record of the applicants and may include medical evaluations, information about income and property, and, in the case of widows, the dates and places of marriages.

World War I

 * United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. FamilySearch — index and images. Ancestry ($) — index and images.
 * World War I Questionnaires transcribed, Mathews County, Virginia. On 7 January 1919, Governor Davis created the Virginia War History Commission whose goal was “to complete an accurate and complete history of Virginia’s military, economic and political participation in the World War.” The Commission conducted a survey of World War I veterans in Virginia through the use of a printed questionnaire. Local branches tried a variety of methods and techniques to get soldiers to complete the questionnaire with mixed results. Many soldiers refused to submit a completed questionnaire, fearing that doing so would subject them to future military service.

World War I & II

 * Profiles of Honor. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I and the 75th anniversary of its entry into World War II, the Library of Virginia and the Virginia World War I and World War II Commemoration Commission partnered to create Profiles of Honor, a statewide online collection of original photographs and manuscripts that remain in private hands and were previously unavailable. Highlights scanned at Profiles of Honor event at Mathews Memorial Library (Mathews, VA) on August 4-5, 2018.

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1705-1857 - Richard Billups Papers: Business, military and legal papers, chiefly 1774-1822, of Richard Billups of Mathews and Gloucester Counties, Virginia. Papers include accounts, land records, and correspondence and some concern shipbuilding. Includes minutes, 1842, of a temperance meeting and Methodist church records.

Museums

 * Gwynn's Island Museum originally established as a Community Project in 1991, the Gwynn’s Island Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of Gwynn’s Island and Mathews County, Virginia.
 * Mathews Historical Museum will have a permanent museum in Mathews County within five years, that will collect, preserve and exhibit cultural artifacts that represent the history of the county.
 * Mathews Maritime Foundation Museum & Boat Shop is owned and operated by the Mathews Maritime Foundation. Established in 1998, the Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Mathews County’s maritime and cultural heritage through research, conservation, documentation and education.
 * Thomas James Store, owned by the Mathews County Historical Society, is a rare and excellent example of an early nineteenth-century rural commercial building. Although it has undergone some alterations and was almost certainly moved from its original location, the store retains much of its original fabric and is remarkably well preserved for its age. It dates to c. 1820, and appears to be one of the oldest buildings in the downtown commercial district of Mathews County. It is a registered National Historic Building.
 * Tompkins Cottage Museum, which is headquarters for the Mathews County Historical Society, is named for Christopher Tompkins, a local sea captain, planter, local merchant and member of the state legislature. He bought the cottage property in 1837 and is the first known owner. Exhibits include a room dedicated to the history of Mathews County and serves as a gift shop, two rooms representing a home from the 1840s to the 1920s, and a room dedicated to Sally Louisa Tompkins who was the first woman commissioned in an American military unit. It is a registered National Historic Building.

Naturalization

 * Virginia

Newspapers

 * Virginia Chronicle: Digital Newspaper Archive. A historical archive of Virginia newspapers, providing free access to full text searching and digitized images of over a million newspaper pages.
 * Gloucester and Mathews Newspaper Articles 1770 to 1922, over 800 articles in print from 127 newspapers from 30 States. Compiled by Joan Charles. Hampton, Virginia. August 2008.
 * 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.
 * Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal The Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal is a weekly newspaper independently owned by Tidewater Newspapers Inc. A member of the Virginia Press Association, it covers the people and events of Gloucester and Mathews counties in Tidewater Virginia. The complete paper is published in print and online each Wednesday afternoon with a Thursday dateline.
 * Virginia Gazette. The Virginia Gazette was the official newspaper of Virginia, printed in Williamsburg from 1736 until 1780. When the capital of Virginia moved to Richmond in 1780, printers transferred their businesses to the new seat of government. Both Dixon & Nicolson and Clarkson & Davis resumed their papers in Richmond. The papers are digitized and are searchable by date or topic.

Papers Private

 * Virginia,

Probate Records

 * Lustenberger, Anita A., Heirs and Estates: Mathews County, Virginia Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery Process Book 1831-1861. 2012. Mathews Memorial Library CREF 975.531 LUS
 * Hopkins, William Lindsay. Some Wills from the Burned Counties of Virginia and Other Wills Not Listed in Virginia Wills and Administrations 1632-1800. Richmond, Virginia: W.L. Hopkins, 1987. [Includes Mathews County.]

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1774-1775] Billups, John R. Tithables, 1774-1775, of Kingston Parish, also Billups' Accounts, 1787-1842. MSS., Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia; also available at . [Kingston Parish was located in Gloucester County at the time, but later fell within the bounds of Mathews County.]
 * [1774-1791] Mason, Polly Cary. Records of Colonial Gloucester County Virginia. 2 vols. 1946-1948; reprint, Baltimore: Clearfield, 2003. and available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($). [Includes land patent abstracts, 1704/05 rent roll, Gloucester County tax lists 1770-1782, Mathews County tax lists 1774-1791, burgesses, council, and court, county officials, etc.]
 * [1791] 1791 Mathews County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List; index online at New River Notes - free.
 * [1791-1820] Ward, Roger G. "Burned County Gleanings: Mathews County Land Tax Lists, 1791-1820," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 35, No. 4 (Fall 1997):317-323. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Abstracts of some taxpayers that include "genealogical tidbits," such as relationships, land transfers, etc.]
 * [1791-1815] Heinegg, Paul. "Mathews County Personal Property Tax List, 1791-1815," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1803] Indexed images of the 1803 Personal Property Tax List of Mathews County, Virginia are available online, courtesy:Binns Genealogy.
 * [1803] Indexed images of the 1803 Land Tax List of Mathews County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1809-1816, 1822-1831] Mathews County Personal Property Tax Lists 1809-1816, 1822-1831 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).

Birth

 * 1853-1866 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1785-1940 - Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
 * 1853-1935 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1854-1858 - Mathews County, Virginia marriage records — transcriptions
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Markie, Carolyn Winn. Marriages in Mathews County, Virginia: 1861-1900. Infinity Publishing, 2006.

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * Mathews County Virginia Death Register 1853-1896. Compiled by Jane B. Goodsell. Iberian Publishing Co., 2001.
 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Voter Records

 * 1902-1970 at FamilySearch, index

Mathews County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * Mathews County Historical Society, Inc.
 * Mathews Memorial Library
 * Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical &amp; Historical Society

Family History Centers
To locate the closest family history center or affiliate library, use the link listed above.

Mathews County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Mathews Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.