Prince George County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Prince George County is located in the central portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia just south of the state capital, Richmond, and was named for Prince George of Denmark, husband of England's Queen Anne.

County Courthouse
Prince George County Courthouse 6601 Courts Drive PO Box 187 Prince George, VA 23875-0187 Phone: 804-733-2781 Prince George County Website Clerk Circuit Court has incomplete birth records 1865-1896, marriage, divorce and probate record from 1865, court record from 1945 and land records

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:

History Timeline


This county is named after Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland (1653-1708), the husband of Queen Anne of Great Britain.

Bible Records

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

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * "Epitaphs at Brandon, Prince George County, Va.," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Jan. 1899):233-236. Available at JSTOR ($).

Census Records
1890 Union Veterans
 * "Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890."  Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner.    Includes residents of this county.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Baptist Early Baptist churches (with years constituted): Prince George County fell within the bounds of the Portsmouth Association.
 * 1) Davenport's.
 * Urner, Clarence H. "Early Baptist Records in Prince George County, Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 41, No. 2 (Apr. 1933):97-101. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

Church of England See also Bath Parish See also Bristol Parish  See also Martin's Brandon Parish  See also Westover Parish  See also Weyanoke Parish Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Prince George County is available online.
 * Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. Births from the Bristol Parish Register of Henrico, Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia, 1720-1798. Richmond, Virginia: C.G. Chamberlayne, 1898. Two published transcripts available at FHL and ; digital book at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).
 * Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. The Vestry Book and Register of Bristol Parish, Virginia, 1720 - 1789. Richmond, VA: [s.n.] 1898. Available at . Digital versions at Google Books (full view); and World Vital Records ($).
 * Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jul. 1943):249-271. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1945. Available at ; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. [Includes Prince George County.]

Quaker Early monthly meetings (with years of existence): Friends from Prince George County, Virginia also attended the Blackwater Monthly Meeting in Surry County, Virginia.
 * Binford's Monthly Meeting (1699-1721 and 1820-1826) aka Merchant's Hope
 * Burleigh Monthly Meeting (1696-1832) or Burley. Hinshaw published the early records:.
 * Hunnicutt's Monthly Meeting (1718-1762)

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * "Prince George County Records," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jan. 1897):272-292. Available at JSTOR ($). [Discusses record loss in the county.]
 * Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory: Chancery Record Index can be used to search Prince George County chancery records for the years 1809-1956 (majority of collection 1869-1916). Digital images available for 1809-1917. For suits marked "original" in the index, see online catalog or contact Archives Research Services for availability.
 * Post-1917 Prince George County chancery records may be available at the Circuit Court Clerk's Office.

Emigration and Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Bristol Parish, Merchant's Hope, Persey's Hundred (Flowerdew [Peirsey's] Hundred), and Prince George County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe who served labor terms in Colonial Prince Edward, Prince George, and Prince William Counties, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Pricegen Immigrant Servants Database.

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. "Prince George County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1834," 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 Prince George County.

Funeral Homes

 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

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 Prince George 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
 * Boddie, John Bennett. Southside Virginia Families. 2 vols. 1955-1956; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1976..
 * Foley, Louise Pledge Heath. Early Virginia Families Along the James River, Their Deep Roots and Tangled Branches. 3 vols. Richmond, Va.: L.P.H. Foley, 1974-1990. . Volume 2 includes Prince George County families.
 * Lawrence-Dow, Elizabeth. Autographs of 65 Gentlemen Justices, Militia Officers and Members of the Grand Jury from Charles City/Prince George and Surry counties Who Signed an Oath of Loyalty to Protestant King William III of England in March 1701/2. Richmond, Va.: Dietz Press, 1976. . [Includes biographies of Prince George County men.]
 * Pritchett, John W. Southside Virginia Genealogies. CD-ROM. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. Free online index, courtesy: Virginians - The Family History of John W. Pritchett. [Includes a great deal of information about residents of Prince George County, see discussion of cited sources.].
 * Slaughter, Philip. A History of Bristol Parish, Va.: With Genealogies of Families Connected Therewith, and Historical Illustrations. Richmond, Va.: J.W. Randolph &amp; English, c1879. Digital versions at Google Books; Internet Archive. . (Covers the Atkinson, Bolling, Bland, Claiborne, Eppes, Feild, Gilliam, Grammer, Haxall, Kennon, May, Munford, Murray, Peterson, Pegram, Poythress, Ramsay, Randolph, Robertson, Skipwith, Walker, Withers, and Worsham families.)

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Grants and Patents
 * Duvall, Lindsay O. Prince George County ... Land Patents, 1666-1719. Irvington, Virginia, 1962. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec.1962):182. Review available at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * Hudgins. 382 patents dated 1642-1802 in what is now Prince George County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper. Names of those who received land patents, dates, land descriptions, and references may be viewed free of charge (click "Index" next to the county listing); however, in order to view the maps, it is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product.

Record Book
 * Stewart, Robert Armistead. "Abstracts of Prince George [Record] Book, 1759-60," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan. 1931):42-49. Available at JSTOR ($).

Quit Rents
 * 1704 Quit Rent Rolls Virginia Pioneers ($)

Local Histories
Historic Residences
 * Cooke, John Esten. Henry St. John, Gentleman, of "Flower of Hundreds," in the County of Prince George, Virginia: A Tale of 1774-'75. New York: Harper &amp; Brothers, 1860. Available at Google Books. [Fiction]
 * Shands, William et al. Proceedings of Citizens of Prince George County, Virginia: On the Subject of Re-annexing Texas to the United States, May 17, 1844. Blair &amp; Rives, Printers, 1844.
 * Wyatt, Edward Avery. Plantation Houses around Petersburg, in the Counties of Prince George, Chesterfield, and Dinwiddie, Virginia. 1955.

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Prince George County for European settlers included:
 * Elliott, Katherine B. Emigration to Other States from Southside Virginia. 2 vols. South Hill, Virginia: K.B. Elliott, 1966. Vol. 1 of original edition available at ; 1983 reprints (both volumes) available at ; 1990-1992 reprints (both volumes) also available at . Includes individuals who migrated out of Prince George County to other parts of the country.
 * Atlantic Ocean
 * King's Highway about 1704
 * Secondary Coast Road late 1730s

Military Records
French and Indian War Revolutionary War
 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . Identifies some Prince George 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 ; digital version at Google Books. 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 Prince George County, see p. 97.
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; digital book at Ancestry ($). Identifies some Prince George County militia officers; see place name index.
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital version at Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Eastern District, Prince George County on page 133.
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." ; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans. Virginia section begins on page 238.

Regiments. Service men in Prince George County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Prince George County supplied soldiers for the:
 * - 6th Virginia Regiment
 * - 14th Virginia Regiment

War of 1812 Prince George County men served in the 62nd 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; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Prince George County, p. 99. 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 Prince George 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:
 * - 5th Battalion, Virginia Infantry (Wilson's)(Archer's)(Confederate).
 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12 months, 1861-62) (Mullins') (Confederate).
 * - 13th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12th Months, 1861-62) (Confederate). Company F (Prince George Cavalry).

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.

Other Records
Private Papers
 * 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * [Bland] Campbell, Charles. The Bland Papers: Being a Selection from the Manuscripts of Colonel Theodorick Bland, Jr. of Prince George County, Virginia. 2 vols. Petersburg, Virginia: Edmund &amp; Julian C. Ruffin, 1840. Volume 1 is available at Google Books.
 * [Bolling] Warfield, J. Ogle. "Bolling Family Bible, Prince George County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1968):33-34. Available at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * [Jordan] "Bible Record of Joshua M. Jordan, of Prince George County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jul. 1905):32-33. Available at JSTOR ($).

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records Original Wills
 * 1633-1800 Wills and Estate Records Index at Library of Virginia.
 * 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. Available at . Includes Prince George County.

Remnants of Prince George County Court SamPubCo has created a free online resource for locating extant Prince George County wills: Other Prince George County probate resources include:
 * Prince George County, Virginia Will Books 1-5 (1713-1792)
 * "Prince George County Records," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jan. 1897):272-292. Available at JSTOR ($). Discusses record loss in the county.
 * Stewart, Robert Armistead. "Abstracts of Prince George [Record] Book, 1759-60," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan. 1931):42-49. Available at JSTOR.

London Courts
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. Includes wills of residents of Bristol Parish, Merchant's Hope, Persey's Hundred (Flowerdew [Peirsey's] Hundred), and Prince George 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 ($)
 * 1713-1728 Images of Wills and Estates at Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1759-1760 Images of Wills and Estates at Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1787-1792Images of Wills, Bonds, Inventories Virginia Pioneers.net ($)

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

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 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 ($). Prince George County appears in 28:328-339.
 * 1782 Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Available through the FamilySearch Catalog. 1782 personal property tax list of Prince George County.
 * 1782-1834 Heinegg, Paul. "Prince George County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1834," Free African Americans.com. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
 * 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. Petersburg (the portion in Prince George County) is included in Vol. 1; Prince George County is included in Vol. 2.
 * 1790, 1800 Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Prince George County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * 1790, 1799 Indexed images of the 1790 and 1799 Land Tax Lists of Prince George County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * 1800 Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist. Falmouth VA: Jan 2006. Vol. 50 Iss. 1.
 * 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. Prince George County is included in Vol. 1.

Birth

 * 1720-1798 Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. Births from the Bristol Parish Register of Henrico, Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia, 1720-1798. Richmond, Virginia: C.G. Chamberlayne, 1898. Two published transcripts available at FHL and ; digital book at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).
 * 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1584-1917 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 $
 * 1715-1728 St. Paul's Register Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 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
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection;  index & images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index & images

Family History Centers

 * Newport News Virginia Family History Center
 * Richmond Virginia Midlothian Family History Center
 * Williamsburg Virginia Family History Center


 * Heritage Public Library - Charles City - an affiliate library

Websites

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


 * – 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

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Prince George County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1976):294-296. Available at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * "Prince George County Records," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jan. 1897):272-292. Available at JSTOR ($). [Discusses record loss in the county.]