Buckingham County, Virginia

The origin of the county's name is disputed. Some argue it was named after the Duke of Buckingham, others point to the English city or county of Buckingham, while others point out that Archibald Cary's estate was named Buckingham.^[2]

Parent County

1758--Buckingham County was created 14 September 1758 from Albemarle County. 
County seat: Buckingham ^[3]

Boundary Changes

Record Loss

County court records were destroyed by fire in 1869. Only one plat book survived the fire and some lost wills and deeds were rerecorded later.^[4]

• Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 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.

• “Anderson of Buckingham: A Case Study in Family Reconstruction within a ‘Burned County,’ Part 2: Parental Family of William Anderson (1788–1852),” The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 30 (July–September 1986): 174–87, and (October–December 1986): 263–73. Digital image. Elizabeth Shown Mills, Historic Pathways - free. Accessed 29 December 2011.

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

• Weisiger, Benjamin B. Burned County Data 1809-1848 As Found in the Virginia Contested Election Files. Richmond, Va., 1986. FHL Book 975.5 P2w.^[5]

Places/Localities

Populated Places

Neighboring Counties

Resources

Research Guides

• Dorman, John Frederick. "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Buckingham County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1962):121-124. Available at American Ancestors ($).

• Peebles, Anne Bradbury. "Buckingham County, Virginia, and the Southern Parts of Early Albemarle," Special Aids to Genealogical Research on Southern Families. National Genealogical Society Special Publications, No. 15, Washington, D.C., 1962.

• Whitley, Edythe Rucker. Genealogical Records of Buckingham County, Virginia. Dayton, Ohio, 1984.

African American

Buckingham County, Virginia cohabitation records are available online.

Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872

Heinegg, Paul. "Buckingham County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1826," Free African Americans.com, available online. [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:

• Moore, Caroline Tiedeman. "Payne Family Bible, Buckingham County, Virginia, and Micapony, Florida," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1974):304. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).
• Stinson, Hubert M. "Harris-Stinson-Carter-Wood-Branch Bible Record, Buckingham County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1980):41-43. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).

Cemeteries

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

The following is a list of cemeteries in Buckingham County: ^[6]

• Tombstone Transcription Project Buckingham County - cemetery photos and transcriptions - USGenWeb

Census

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

1850 Census

In 1850, census enumerators uncharacteristically recorded both the state and county of birth of residents of half of Buckingham County's population.^[7]

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

Baptist

Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

1. Buckingham (1771).^[8] Records were published in 1993: FHL Book 975.5 A1 no. 306.^[9] Edwards published a membership list dated 1772 in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 83.
2. Providence (1774)^[8]
3. State River (1805)^[8]
4. Union (1786)^[8]
5. Wreck Island (1784)^[8]

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.

Buckingham County fell within the bounds of the Appomattox Association.

Church of England

See also Tillotson Parish

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Early LDS converts with Buckingham County connections:

• Kitchen

Court

Genealogy 

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

Land and Property

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.

• Bannister. 778 patents dated 1723-1842 in what is now Buckingham County, Virginia Patents 1723-1842 placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2002. [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.]

Local Histories

• Whitley, Edythe Johns Rucker. Genealogical Records of Buckingham County, Virginia. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1984. Available at FHL; and World Vital Records ($).

Maps

Migration

• Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1977):113-118. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Buckingham County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on p. 115.]

Military

French and Indian War

• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Buckingham County veterans; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War

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

- 6th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:

Buckingham residents recommended for military commissions during the Revolutionary War.^[10]

• 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, Buckingham County on page 129.]
• 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

Buckingham County men served in the 24th and 100th Regiments.^[11]

• Douthat, James L. Roster of War of 1812, Southside, Virginia. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2007. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. FHL Collection 975.5 M2djL. [Includes Buckingham County.]
• 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, Buckingham County, p. 65.]

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Buckingham 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 Buckingham County, Virginia:

- 4th Regiment Virginia Cavalry, Company K.

- 20th Regiment Virginia Infantry, Col. E "Lee Guards," and Co. F "Buckingham Institute Guard."^[12]

- 21st Regiment Virginia Infantry, Co. E "Buckingham Leaches."^[13]

- 44th Regiment Virginia Infantry, Co. C "Travis Rifles."^[14]

- 56th Regiment Virginia Infantry, Co. D "Buckingham Yancey Guard."

Records and histories are available, see:

• Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865
• Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers 1861-1865
• Maloney, Eugene A. A History of Buckingham County. Berryville, Virginia: Virginia Book Co., 1976. FHL book 975.5623 H2m Lists regiments, companies and muster rolls on pages 107-112. Author states that the original muster rolls are kept in the county clerk's office.
• FHL book 975.5 M2vr v. 29 titled A Guide to Virginia Military Organizations 1861-1865

Naturalization and Citizenship

• Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929

Newspapers

The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Buckingham 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.

Probate Records

• 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 FHL. [Includes Buckingham County.]
• King, George Harrison Sanford. "Will of Joseph Cabell, Buckingham County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1971):298-302. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).

Taxation

How can Virginia tax lists help me?

• [1764] Warren, Mary Bondurant and Eve Bondurant Warren Weeks. Virginia's District Courts, 1789-1809: Records of the Prince Edward District: Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Halifax, and Prince Edward Counties: (Wills to 1829, Deeds to 1816). Danielsville, Georgia: Heritage Papers, 1991. Available at FHL. [Buckingham County tithables list, 1764 (found in the loose case papers).]
• [1764] Warren, Mary Bondurant et al. Buckingham County, Virginia, Church and Marriage Records, 1764-1822. Athens, Ga.: Heritage Papers, 1993. FHL Book 975.5 A1 no. 306.
  
• [1773-1774] Buckingham County, Virginia Tithables, 1773-1774. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia; also available on microfilm at FHL.
• [1773-1774] Woodson, Robert F. and Isobel B. Woodson. Virginia Tithables from Burned Record Counties: Buckingham, 1773-1774; Gloucester, 1770-1771, 1774-1775; Hanover, 1763 and 1770; James City, 1768-1769; Stafford, 1768 and 1773. Richmond, Virginia: I.B. Woodson, 1970. Available at FHL.
• [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 Buckingham County.]
• [1782-1826] Heinegg, Paul. "Buckingham County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1826," 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 & 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. Buckingham County is included in Vol. 1.]
• [1787] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1977):113-118. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Buckingham County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on p. 115.]
• [1788, 1800] Indexed images of the 1788 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Buckingham County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• [1800] "Buckingham County, Virginia 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1968):114-118; Vol. 12, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1968):162-168; Vol. 13, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1969):23-27. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
• [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. Buckingham County is included in Vol. 1.]

Vital Records

Indexes to Buckingham 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) ($).
• 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
• 1784-1794 - Lindsay, Mrs. James R. "Buckingham County Virginia Marriage Bonds, 1784-1794" (Only known marriage records during this period), Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 2 (April 1963):13-14.

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.

Societies and Libraries

• Central Virginia Genealogical Association

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
• Buckingham Virginia Family History Center

Websites

• Buckingham County, Virginia USGENWEB 
• Cyndi's List
• Learning How to Edit our Wiki Sites

	Genealogy courses: Learn how to research from an expert in Fun Five Minute Genealogy Videos.

References

1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Buckingham County, Virginia. Page 711 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
2. ↑ Wikipedia Contributors, "Buckingham County, Virginia," in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckingham_County,_Virginia, accessed 12 January 2012.
3. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
4. ↑ Burned Record Counties (VA-NOTES). (n.d.). Library of Virginia. Retrieved October 1, 2009, from http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/guides/va22_burnedco.htm.
5. ↑ John Frederick Dorman, "Review of Burned County Data 1809-1848," in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1987):60-61.
6. ↑ USGS Map, Topozone.com
7. ↑ John Frederick Dorman, "Review of Buckingham County, Virginia, 1850 United States Census," in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1985):64. FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 29 (1985); digital version at American Ancestors ($).
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4} Robert Baylor Semple and George William Beale, A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia (Pitt and Dickinson, 1894), 272. Digital version at Google Books.
9. ↑ Mary Bondurant Warren, Buckingham County, Virginia, Church and Marriage Records, 1764-1822 (Athens, Ga.: Heritage Papers, 1993). FHL Book 975.5 A1 no. 306.
10. ↑ J.T. McAllister, Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War: McAllister's Data (Hot Springs, Va.: McAllister Pub. Co., 1913), 26. Digitized by Internet Archive.
11. ↑ Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 59. FHL Book 975.5 M2bs.
12. ↑ G.L. Sherwood and Jeffrey C. Weaver, 20th and 39th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1994). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 105.
13. ↑ Susan A. Riggs, 21st Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1991). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 72.
14. ↑ Kevin C. Ruffner, 44th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1987). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 39.

• Privacy policy
• About FamilySearch Wiki
• Disclaimers