Charles City County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Charles City County, Virginia ancestry, family history and genealogy ,irth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.

Description
Charles City County is located in the East-Central portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for the English King's son, Charles, who later became King Charles I.

Charles City County Virginia Courthouse
Charles City County Courthouse P O Box 128 Charles City, Virginia 23030 Phone: 804-829-9211

Clerk Circuit Court has birth, marriage, death and probate and land records

Charles City County Virginia History


The county was named after King Charles I of England (1600-1649).

Parent County
1634--Charles City County was created in 1634 and was an original shire or county. County seat: Charles City

Record Loss
Charles City County has suffered heavy record loss, especially during the American Civil War, 1861-1865. Only a few pre-Civil War deed books, will books, minute books, or order books still exist.
 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

Weisiger abstracted a valuable source that includes deed, will, and marriage information about residents:


 * Weisiger, Benjamin B. Burned County Data 1809-1848 As Found in the Virginia Contested Election Files. Richmond, Va., 1986..

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 Charles City County, see pp. 55-56]
 * Dorman, John Frederick. "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Charles City County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun.1963):75-77. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).

African American
Paul Heinegg has determined that in 1790, Charles City County, Virginia had the highest percentage of free African Americans in its population, per capita, where that statistic can be measured, of all Virginia counties (14.8% of the population or 363 free blacks).


 * Slave Ancestor File at Charles City County government website. Details of 700+ slaves.
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Charles City County Personal Property Tax List 1784-1814," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware [free online book]. [Heinegg identifies the following free African American surnames in Charles City County before 1820: Ampey, Anderson, Atkins, Barham (see introduction), Bates, Bowman, Bowser, Bradby, Brown, Bragby, Carsey, Carter, Cary, Charity, Chavis, Colley, Corney, Cumbo, Elliott, Evans, Fields, Gibson, Goeing, Gowen, Grantum, Green, Griffin, Hamlin, Harris, Hill, Homes, Hood, Humbles, Hunt, Jasper, Lewis, Kecatan, King, Lucie, Marshall, Miles, Morris, Moss, Redcross, Reed, Rosarran, Scott, Seldon, Smith, Stewart, Stringer, Sweat, Thomas, Toney, Valentine, Wallace, Willis, and Young.]
 * Free Negro and Mulatto Registrations, 1793-1864 at Charles City County government website.
 * Freedmen's

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 - at FamilySearch — index

For a detailed list, including addresses, phone numbers, and external links, see Charles City County, Virginia Cemeteries.

The following is a list of cemeteries in Charles City County:

References:


 * Tyler, Lyon G. "Old Tombstones in Charles City County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Oct. 1895):122-125; Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jan. 1896):143-150. Digitized by JSTOR - free.
 * Tyler, Sherry Brown and Charles City County Historical Society. 80% Heaven Bound: Deaths Burials in Charles City County, Virginia. Virginia: The Society, 2000.

Census
1890 Union Veterans


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

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Charles City (1776)

Charles City County fell within the bounds of the Dover Association.


 * History of Elam Baptist Church [1810-1910], Charles City Co., VA. Reformer Electric Print, 1910.
 * Downs, L. McCarthy. History of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Charles City County, Virginia. 1976.

Church of England
See also Bristol Parish See also Charles City Parish  See also Chickahominy Parish  See also Jordan's Journey Parish  See also Martin's Brandon Parish  See also Smith's Hundred Parish  See also Southampton Parish  See also Wallingford Parish  See also West and Shirley Parish  See also Westover Parish  See also Weyanoke Parish  See also Wilmington Parish

Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Charles City County is available online.


 * "The Colonial Churches of Charles City County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Apr. 1942):114-135. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1945. Available at ; digital version at . [Includes Charles City County.]

Methodist

 * Ledbetter, Judith F. In This Place I Delivered My Soul: The Methodists of Charles City, Virginia. Charles City, Virginia: Memorial United Methodist Church, 1995.

Presbyterian

 * Walls, Louise Adams, William Elmer Cropper, and Robert Lee Marston. A History of Bethany Presbyterian Church, Charles City County, Virginia. n.p.: Committee for the Preparation of a Church History, 1990.

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):


 * Weyanoke Monthly Meeting (1699-1841) aka James Howard's aka Old Man's Neck


 * "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 42, No. 4 (Oct. 1934):341-344; Vol. 43, No. 2 (Apr. 1935):144-149; Vol. 43, No. 4 (Oct. 1935):347-354. Available at JSTOR.
 * Wright, F. Edward. Quaker Records of Henrico Monthly Meeting and Other Church Records of Henrico, New Kent and Charles City Counties, Virginia. Lewes, Delaware: Colonial Roots, 2002.
 * A religious petition (1793) from Quaker residents of Charles City County, Virginia is available online in Early Virginia Religious Petitions, courtesy: The Library of Congress: American Memory.

Court
General


 * Cope, Robert S. "The Court of Charles City County, Virginia, 1688-1695," Thesis/dissertation, Ohio State University, 1947.

County Court

Record Book
 * 1655-1658 - Fleet, Beverley. Charles City County Court Orders, 1655-1658. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1961. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1658-1661 - Fleet, Beverley. Charles City County Court Orders, 1658-1661. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1961. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1661-1664 - Fleet, Beverley. Charles City County Court Orders, 1661-1664. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1961. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1664-1665 - Fleet, Beverley. Charles City County Court Orders, 1664-1665: Fragments, 1650-1696. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1961. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1676-1679 - Ayres, Margaret McNeill. Charles City County, Virginia, Order Book 1676-1679. Memphis, Tennessee, 1968. Online at Internet Archive - free.
 * 1680, 1687-1695 - Weisiger, Benjamin B. Excerpts from Charles City County, Virginia, Court Orders, 1687-1695: With a Fragment of a Court Order Book for the Year 1680. Online at Earlham College Libraries website - free.
 * 1650; 1672-1673; 1677-1679; 1685; 1687-1695 - Orders Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1689-1690, 1737-1761 - Weisiger, Benjamin B. Charles City County, Virginia, Records, 1737-1774. 1986. Includes Court Order Books 1737-1761; 1689-1690 Online bookstore. Free surname index.
 * 1725-1731 - Weisiger, Benjamin B. Charles City County, Virginia, 1725-1731. 1984. Online bookstore. Free surname index.
 * 1762-1764 - Anderson, Russell H. "Charles City County Court Record, 1762-4, Wills, Deed and Bond," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1951):103-107. Available at JSTOR ($). [Copy of lost records found in the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.]
 * "Charles City County, Virginia, Miscellaneous Records," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):178-184. Available at American Ancestors ($). [Includes remnants of court, guardianship, land, and probate found in the Earl Gregg Swem Library of the College of William and Mary.]
 * 1784, 1799-1800 - Clay, Robert Y. "Charles City County, Virginia, Reports of the County Clerk to the Auditor, 1784, 1799-1800," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1977):83-88. Available at American Ancestors ($).
 * 1789-1808 - Inventories and Guardian Accounts


 * "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 43, No. 4 (Oct. 1935):347-354. Available at JSTOR ($).

Genealogy
More than 500 genealogies have been published about Charles City County families. To view a list, visit Charles City County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.


 * Virginia Cousins : A Study of the Ancestry and Posterity of John Goode of Whitby (A Virginia Colonist of the Seventeenth Century, with Notes upon Related Families, a Key to Southern Genealogy and a History of the English Surname Gode, Goad, Goode or Good from 1148 to 1887). 1887. By G. Brown Goode. Richmond, VA : J. W. Randolph & English. Online at: Hathitrust.

Historic Residences

 * Berkeley--1619, 1726: A James River Plantation, Ancestral Home of a Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Two United States Presidents, Charles City County, Virginia. 197-?.
 * "Charles City Houses," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan. 1937):90. Available at JSTOR.
 * Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Library. Shirley Plantation Collection, 1650-1888, Charles City County, Virginia, also Maryland. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1993.
 * Downing, Charles M., Donald W. Linebaugh, Dennis B. Blanton, Harrison Tyler, William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research. The Origins of Milton Plantation, Charles City County, Virginia. Williamsburg, Virginia: William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, 1994.
 * Downing, Charles M., Donald W. Linebaugh, Dennis B. Blanton, Harrison Tyler, William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research. The Origins of Sherwood Forest, Charles City County, Virginia. Williamsburg, Virginia: William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, 1992.
 * McClane, Patrick Wade, K Edward Lay, University of Virginia. School of Architecture. Berkeley Plantation, 1726, Charles City County, Virginia. Charlottesville, Va.: School of Architecture, University of Virginia, 1989.
 * O'Neill, Patrick L. "Kittiewan Plantation (44CC0404), Charles City County, Virginia," Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 63, No. 2 (June 2008):81-107.
 * "Old Houses in Charles City, New Kent, Warwick, and Elizabeth City Counties," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr. 1938). Available at JSTOR.
 * Street, Elwood. Historic Charles City County: Many of More Famous Homes Found Too, in this One of Eight Original Shrines. Richmond, Virginia: Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1942.
 * University of Virginia, Library. Berkeley Plantation Journal and Account Book, 1839-1877, Charles City County, Virginia, accession number 11260. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 2001.

Immigration
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 1 British alien living in Charles City County.
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Charles City County, St. Martin Brandon [Martin's Brandon Parish], and West and Shirley Hundred proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * [http://www.pricegen.com/immigrantservants/search/advancedResults.php?surname=&givenName=&varientSurnameSpellings=&gender=&dateOfBirthDay=&dateOfBirthMonth=&dateOfBirthQuantifier=&dateOfBirthYear=&placeOfBirthParish=&placeOfBirthTown=&placeOfBirthCity=&placeOfBirthCounty=&placeOfBirthColony=&placeOfBirthNation=&occupations=&religions=&orphan=&familyPosition=&immigrationYearQualifier=&immigrationYear=&portOfDepartureTown=&portOfDepartureCity=&portOfDepartureCounty=&portOfDepartureNation=&placeOfArrivalTown=&placeOfArrivalCounty=&placeOfArrivalColony=&shipName=&convict=&yearOfIndentureQualifier=&yearOfIndenture=&lengthOfIndentureYears=&lengthOfIndentureMonths=&yearOfFreedomQualifier=&yearOfFreedom=&placeOfIndentureTown=&placeOfIndentureCity=&placeOfIndentureCounty=Charles+City&placeOfIndentureColony=Virginia&agentSurname=&agentGivenName=&agentTitle=&masterSurname=&masterGivenName=&masterTitle=&residenceParish=&residenceTown=&residenceCity=&residenceCounty=&residenceColony=&residenceNation=&landowner=&literate=&spouseSurname=&spouseGivenName=&spouseMarriageDateDay=&spouseMarriageDateMonth=&spouseMarriageDateQualifier=&spouseMarriageDateYear=&spouseMarriageLocationParish=&spouseMarriageLocationCounty=&spouseMarriageLocationColony=&spouseMarriageLocationNation=&deathDateDay=&deathDateMonth=&deathDateQualifier=&deathDateYear=&deathLocality=&deathCounty=&deathColony=&deathState=&testate=&proofServantStatus=&proofConvictStatus=&headright=&preServitudeSources=&postServitudeSources=&comments=&family=&sourceCitations=&interestedResearchers= List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe] who served labor terms in Colonial Charles City County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.
 * "Parkers of Browsholme, Yorkshire, England," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Apr. 1898):442-444. Available at JSTOR($). See also "Three Richard Parkers of Va. : Dr. Richard Parker of Charles City Co. & Henrico Co., Va., Aug. 1656 md. Mary Perkins, wid./Nicholas; Richard Parker of Nansemund Co., Va.; Richard Parker of Surry, md. Judith Hunt, wid./Wm. Hunt" — Link to digital version at.

Land and Property
Deeds


 * Anderson, Russell H. "Charles City County Court Record, 1762-4, Wills, Deed and Bond," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1951):103-107. Available at JSTOR ($). [Copy of lost records found in the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.]
 * Deeds, Wills and Bonds: From Charles City County (Va.), 1724/5-1731, 1762-1769, MSS., available at University of Virginia Library.
 * Articles of Agreement Between William Byrd, Esq. of Charles City and John Caldwell of Brunswick County, Virginia [17 Jan 1743], MSS., Carmen Finley Papers, available at Sonoma State University.
 * "Charles City County, Virginia, Miscellaneous Records," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):178-184. Available at American Ancestors ($). [Includes remnants of court, guardianship, land, and probate found in the Earl Gregg Swem Library of the College of William and Mary.]
 * 1763-1774 - Weisiger, Benjamin B. Charles City County, Virginia, Records, 1737-1774. 1986. Includes deeds 1763-1774 Online bookstore. Free surname index.

Grants and Patents


 * Nugent, Nell Marion. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1666. Vol. I (1934; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1991). Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Charles City County. N.B. If Ancestry's search engine fails, try checking the printed index at the end of the book.]
 * Land Grants - 1667 Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * Quit Rent Rolls - 1704 Virginia Pioneers ($)

Local Histories

 * An Historical Analysis of Charles City County, Va. 1979. By Mark A. Dreyer, Judith R. Ragsdale, Edward R. Walker, Elaine V. Walker, College of William and Mary. Dept. of Religion. Available at the College of William and Mary.


 * Virginiana in the Printed Book Collections of the Virginia State Library. 1975. Edited by Donald Haynes. Richmond, VA : Virginia State Library. Vol 2. Online at: Hathitrust

Colonial Militia

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Charles City County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; collection with index and images at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Charles City County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.]

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Charles City County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War
Regiments. Service men in Charles City County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Charles City County supplied soldiers for the:


 * - 6th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:


 * Tyler, D. Gardner and Charles City County Historical Bicentennial Committee. Charles City County, Virginia During the Period of the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. 1976.
 * Revolutionary War Roster at Charles City County government website. 250+ soldiers, sailors, and patriots.

War of 1812
Charles City County men served in the 52nd 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, Charles City County, p. 67.]

Civil War

 * - 3rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company D (Charles City Troop or Light Dragoons).

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service
 * 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry ($)
 * Addresses Delivered at the Unveiling of the Monument to Confederate Soldiers of Charles City County, Virginia, at Charles City Courthouse, November 21, 1900. 1901. Richmond, Virginia : Whittet and Shepperson, Printers.
 * Confederate History of Charles City County, Virginia. 1957. By Mary Ruffin Copland. Richmond, VA : n.p. United Daughters of the Confederacy. Virginia Division. Harrison-Harwood Chapter, Charles City.
 * The Virginia Campaign of '64 and '65 : The Army of the Potomac and the Army of the James. 1883. By Andrew A. Humphreys. New York, NY : Charles Scribner's Sons. Online at: Hathitrust.

Civil War Battles
The following Civil War battles were fought in Charles City County.


 * May 24, 1864 = Wilson's Wharf, also known as Fort Pocahontas
 * June 24, 1864 = Saint Mary's Church, also known as Nance's Shop


 * Maps of Civil War battles in Virginia: 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

World War I

 * World War I Database at Charles City County government website. 966 registrations.

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Native Americans
The Men Heyricks Tribe, Nottoways Tribe, and Appamattox Tribe lived in the area in the late 1600s.


 * "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 43, No. 4 (Oct. 1935):347-354. Available at JSTOR($).

Naturalization

 * Virginia

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.

Private Papers

 * University of Virginia, Library. Berkeley Plantation Journal and Account Book, 1839-1877, Charles City County, Virginia, accession number 11260. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 2001.
 * Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Library. Shirley Plantation Collection, 1650-1888, Charles City County, Virginia, also Maryland. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1993.
 * Byrd - Virginia Historical Society. MSS1B9963b, Byrd Family Papers, 1757-1860, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.
 * Byrd - Virginia Historical Society. MSS1B9963c, Byrd Family Papers, 1791-1867, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.
 * Douthat - Virginia Historical Society. MSS1D7495a, Douthat Family Papers, 1795-1922, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.
 * Jerdone - College of William and Mary, Swem Library. Jerdone Family Papers, 1623-1957, Charles City, Hanover, Louisa, New Kent, and York Counties, Virginia, also Great Britain. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1994.
 * Selden - Selden Family, John Armistead Selden. Papers, 1811-1868, of the Selden Family of Charles City County, Va., MSS., available at the Virginia Historical Society Library.
 * Selden - Virginia Historical Society. Mss1Se487a, Selden Family Papers, 1811-1868, Charles City and Charlotte Counties, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.
 * Willcox - Willcox, James M. and Duke University. Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library. James M. Willcox Papers, 1831-1871, Buckland, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 2001.
 * Wills - Wills, Henry, Virginia Historical Society. Mss5:3W6857, Henry Wills Account Book, 1782-1795, Charles City County, Virginia. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1995.

Petitions
Petitions are valuable to genealogical research because they were often signed by residents of the locality and provide researchers with a glimpse of who lived in the area at the time. Some lists include hundreds of names.


 * "Charles City County Grievances 1676," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Oct. 1895):132-160. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Grundset, Eric. "Petition of Inhabitants of Charles City County 16 November 1710," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol.47, No.3 (Aug. 2009):213-214.
 * A religious petition (1793) from Quaker residents of Charles City County, Virginia is available online in Early Virginia Religious Petitions, courtesy: The Library of Congress: American Memory.

Private Papers
Virginia,

Probate Records
Remnants of Charles City County, Virginia Court


 * 1665-1666 - "Excerpts from the Charles City County Records (1665-1666)," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Apr. 1935):144-149. Available at JSTOR ($). [Probate Inventory of Captain Richard Tye, Deceased, 1663.]
 * 1762-1764 - Anderson, Russell H. "Charles City County Court Record, 1762-4, Wills, Deed and Bond," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1951):103-107. Available at JSTOR ($). [Copy of lost records found in the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.]
 * 1724-1731, 1762-1769 - Deeds, Wills and Bonds: From Charles City County (Va.), 1724/5-1731, 1762-1769, MSS., available at University of Virginia Library.
 * 1763-1774 - Weisiger, Benjamin B. Charles City County, Virginia, Records, 1737-1774. 1986. Includes deeds 1763-1774 Online bookstore. Free surname index.
 * "Charles City County, Virginia, Miscellaneous Records," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):178-184. Available at American Ancestors ($). [Includes remnants of court, guardianship, land, and probate found in the Earl Gregg Swem Library of the College of William and Mary.]

Original Wills


 * Charles City County, Virginia Will: 1772 December 12 [Will of Ellyson Crew], MSS., available at Library of Virginia.
 * Berkeley, Charles City County, Virginia, Will: 1780 January 3 [Will of Benjamin Harrison], MSS., available 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 Charles City County.]
 * 1655-56; 1689-1690; 1724-1731; 1765-1791; 1766-1774; 1789-1808; 1791-1805;1808-1824 - Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories etc. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1655-1656 - Images of Wills and Deeds Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1789-1808 - Index to Charles City County Inventories and Guardians Accounts Virginia Pioneers
 * 1789-1808 - Digital Images of Charles City County Will Book Virginia Pioneers
 * 1808-1824 - Index to Charles City County Wills and Inventories Virginia Pioneers
 * 1808-1824 - Digital Images of Charles City County Will Book Virginia Pioneers

London Courts


 * 1611-1857 - Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Charles City County, St. Martin Brandon [Martins Brandon Parish], and West and Shirley Hundred proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.

Online Probate Records


 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * 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 ($). Charles City County appears in 31:314-318.
 * 1782-1822 Charles City County Personal Property Tax Lists 1782-1822 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
 * 1782-1824 Charles City County Land Tax Lists 1782-1824 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
 * 1783 - Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Online at FamilySearch - free; . 1783 personal property tax list of Charles City County.
 * 1784-1814 - Heinegg, Paul. "Charles City County Personal Property Tax List 1784-1814," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * 1787 - Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at . The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Charles City County is included in Vol. 2.
 * 1790, 1800 - Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Charles City County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * 1790, 1800 - Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Land Tax Lists of Charles City County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * 1800 - "Charles City County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar.1971):42-47. Available at American Ancestors ($).
 * 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. Charles City County is included in Vol. 1.

Birth

 * 1865-1896 - Charles City County Marriage Index 1865-1896. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage
Though the records of Charles City County, Virginia were largely destroyed, Mr. James A. Leachy found a number of marriage bonds in loose papers in the Charles City Clerk's Office covering a range of years (1762-1849). They are abstracted in "Marriage Bonds in Charles City County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jan. 1900):193-196. Available at JSTOR - free. Republished by Crozier and online:


 * 1) 1762-1954 - Charles City County Marriages Database - free.
 * 2) 1660, 1760s-1840s - Crozier, William Armstrong. Early Virginia Marriages. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1953. Digital version at - free. Includes Charles City County marriages 1660, 1760s-1840s.

Additional online resources:


 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1762-1931 - Charles City County Marriage Index 1762-1931. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * "Charles City County, VA: Marriages and Deaths," Virginia Tidewater Genealogy, Vol.39, No.2 (June 2008):34-38.

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1865-1896 - Charles City County Death Index 1865-1896. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Tyler, Sherry Brown and Charles City County Historical Society. 80% Heaven Bound: Deaths &amp; Burials in Charles City County, Virginia. Virginia: The Society, 2000.
 * "Charles City County, VA: Marriages &amp; Deaths," Virginia Tidewater Genealogy, Vol.39, No.2 (June 2008):34-38.

Charles City County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * Tidewater Genealogical Society

Charles City County Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Charles City County Virginia USGENWEB
 * Cyndi's List
 * Virginia Pioneers Virginia Pioneers
 * Virginia Pioneers Virginia Pioneers