King William County, VirginiaEdit This Page

Parent County

1700--King William County was created 5 December 1700 from King and Queen County.
County seat: King William ^[2]

Boundary Changes

Record Loss

• Fire in 1885 burned most records^[2]; the Sparacios published abstracts of surviving eighteenth-century records: FHL Books 975.5355 P28s v. 1-v. 3.
  
• Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1810, 1890

Visit the Library of Virginia's website to determine exactly what records have been lost and their Lost Records Localities Database to find additional resources.

King William County, Virginia Places/Localities

Populated Places

Neighboring Counties

King William County, Virginia Genealogy Resources

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. FHL Collection 975.51 D25t [For King William County, see pp. 60-61]

African American

• Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872

• Heinegg, Paul. "King William County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1832," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

Bible Records

Images of the Virginia Historical Society's family Bible collection have been digitized:

• Virginia Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 - browse collection at FamilySearch; free.

Additional Bible records include:

Cemeteries

Census

For tips on accessing King William County, Virginia census records online, see: Virginia Census.

1790 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1800 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1810 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

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

Baptists

The 10,000 name petition (dated 16 October 1776) has been digitized at the Library of Congress website. It was signed by people from all over Virginia who wanted an end to persecution of Baptists by the Established Church. Baptists and Baptist sympathizers alike signed the petition. To find your ancestor in this record, first check Hall's transcription in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy (Vols. 35-38, with annotations in Vol. 39), which is available online at Ancestry ($). It is also available in book form at the Family History Library: FHL Book 975.5 B2vs v. 35-39. Then proceed to the Library of Congress website to see the original images.

Church of England

St. John's Parish
St. David's Parish

• Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of King and Queen and King William Counties, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 23, No. 4 (Oct. 1943):440-464. Available at JSTOR ($).
• Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1945. Available at FHL; digital version at FamilySearch Books Online . [Includes King William County.]

Court

• Ryland, Elizabeth Hawes. "King William County and Its Court House," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Jan. 1940):99-112. Available at JSTOR ($).

Genealogy

More than 100 genealogies have been published about King William County families. To view a list, visit King William County, Virginia Genealogy.

Historic Residences

• Clarke, Peyton Neale. Old King William Homes and Families: An Account of Some of the Homesteads and Families of King William County, Virginia, From its Earliest Settlement. Louisville: J.P. Morton and Company, 1897. Available at FHL (3 copies); digital versions atFamilySearch Books Online Ancestry ($),

, and Google Books; and World Vital Records ($).

• "Old Houses in King William County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct. 1938), unpaginated. Available at JSTOR ($).
• Ryland, Elizabeth Hawes. "Homes in King William County: Comments and Corrections," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Jan. 1939):120-121. Available at JSTOR ($).

Immigration

Headright grants identify many King William County, Virginia immigrants who arrived before 1720.^[3] The Virginia Immigration article provides tips about using this source.

Additional resources include:

• Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America, 1777-1811," The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200. [Overseas contacts of residents of King William County with the following surname: Frazer.]
• Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of St. John's Parish and King William 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 King William County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database. (also includes King George; King and Queen counties)

Land

Deeds

• "Extracts of King William County Records," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 25, No. 1 (Jan. 1917):65-70; Vol. 25, No. 2 (Apr. 1917):174-179; Vol. 25, No. 3 (Jul. 1917):290-296. Available at JSTOR ($). [Remnants of destroyed deeds.]

Grants and Patents

• Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants 1694-1742. Vol. I. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1987. Available at [1]. [Includes King William County.]

Local Histories

• Harris, Malcolm H. "'Delaware Town' and 'West Point' in King William County, Va.," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct. 1934):342-351. Available at JSTOR ($).

Maps

Military

French and Indian War

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

Revolutionary War

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

- 7th Virginia Regiment

- 15th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:

King William residents' participation in the Revolutionary War.^[4]

• Clerk, H. Randolph. "King William County Payments for Wives, Widows and Parents of Soldiers," [Revolutionary War] The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Apr. 1918):232-233. Available at JSTOR ($).
• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, King William County on page 131.]
• Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." FHL Book 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812

King William County men served in the 87th Regiment.^[5]

• 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, King William County, p. 87. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in King William County, Virginia 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 in King William County, Virginia:

- 9th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company H (Lee's Rangers).^[6]

Records and histories are available, including:

• Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865
• Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers 1861-1865

Naturalization

• Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929

Newspapers

The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local King William County, 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

Probate Records

London Courts

• Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of St. John's Parish and King William County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

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 FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FHL; digital version of VMHB at JSTOR ($). [King William County appears in 32:69-75.]
• [1782-1832] Heinegg, Paul. "King William County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1832," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
• [1782-1850] Lee, Ida J. "King William County Personal Tax List, 1782-1850," [some letter 'A' surnames] The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr. 1927):114-122. Available at FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).
• [1782-1820] Ward, Roger G. "Burned County Gleanings: King William County Land Tax Lists, 1782-1820," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 36, No. 4 (Fall 1998):262-270. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Some abstracts of taxpayers and "genealogical tidbits," such as relationships, land transfers, etc.]
• [1782] Lee, Ida J. "Land Taxed in King William County in 1782," [1782 Land Tax] The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Oct. 1926):326-328. Available at FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).
• [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 at FHL. [1782 personal property tax list of King William County.]
• [1783] County Land Tax Records, 1783, Tidewater Virginia Families, Vol. 12, No. 1 (May 2003). Available at FHL.
• [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 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & 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 FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. King William County is included in Vol. 2.]
• [1787, 1797] Indexed images of the 1787 and 1797 Personal Property Tax Lists of King William County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• [1787, 1797] Indexed images of the 1787 and 1797 Land Tax Lists of King William County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• [1800] Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Jul. 1990). Available at FHL.
• [1810] Schreiner-Yates, Netti. A Supplement to the 1810 Census of Virginia: Tax Lists of the Counties for which the Census is Missing. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1971. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax list. King William County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.]
• [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. King William County is included in Vol. 3.]

Vital Records

Indexes to King William County, Virginia births, marriages, and deaths are available online. These collections are incomplete, but are easy to search. Courtesy: FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

• 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
• 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).

Vital Record Substitutes

The Virginia Historical Society's Marriage and Obituary Index, 1736-1820 (newspaper abstracts) is available for free online. Images of the original index cards are browseable, arranged alphabetically by surname.

For birth, marriage, and death record substitutes, see Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records.

King William County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

• Tidewater Genealogical Society
• Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical & Historical Society

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

King William County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

• King William Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
• Family History Library Catalog
  

References

1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), King William County, Virginia. Page 716 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
3. ↑ John Frederick Dorman, "Review of Cavaliers and Pioneers," in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1980):221. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 24 (1980)
4. ↑ J.T. McAllister, Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War: McAllister's Data (Hot Springs, Va.: McAllister Pub. Co., 1913), 36. Digitized by Internet Archive.
5. ↑ Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 121. FHL Book 975.5 M2bs.
6. ↑ Robert K. Krick, 9th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1982). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 2.

• This page was last modified on 3 May 2013, at 20:17.
• This page has been accessed 5,094 times.
• Privacy policy
• About FamilySearch Wiki
• Disclaimers