Powhatan County, VirginiaEdit This Page
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Virginia Powhatan County
Powhatan County, Virginia genealogy and family history research page. Guide to Powhatan County (established 1777) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.
| Powhatan County, Virginia | |
| Map | |
| |
 Location in the state of Virginia | |
 Location of Virginia in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | 1777 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Powhatan |
| Courthouse | |
County Courthouse
Powhatan County Courthouse
P.O. Box 37
3880 Old Buckingham Road
Suite C
Powhatan, Virginia 23139-0037
Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce,
probate, court and land records from 1777[1]
| | |||||
| Birth | Marriage | Death | Census | Land | Probate |
| 1853 | 1777 | 1853 | 1810 | 1777 | 1777 |
History
The county is named after Chief Powhatan (c1545-c1618).
Many descendants of early Virginia French Huguenot families lived in this area.
Parent County
1777--Powhatan County was created 5 May 1777 from Chesterfield and Cumberland Counties.
County seat: Powhatan [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
- Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890
Places/Localities
Populated Places
Neighboring Counties
Resources
African American
Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-18721
- Heinegg, Paul. "Powhatan County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1817," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
- Kegley, Mary B. Free People of Colour: Free Negroes, Indians, Portuguese and Freed Slaves. Wytheville, Virginia: Kegley Books, 2003. Available at FHL; digital version at FamilySearch Books Online.[Includes information from Powhatan County.]
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
- Tombstone Transcription Project Powhatan County - cemetery transcriptions - USGenWeb
Census
For tips on accessing Powhatan County, Virginia census records online, see: Virginia Census.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 6,822 | ||
| 1800 | 7,769 | 13.9% | |
| 1810 | 8,073 | 3.9% | |
| 1820 | 8,292 | 2.7% | |
| 1830 | 8,517 | 2.7% | |
| 1840 | 7,924 | −7.0% | |
| 1850 | 8,178 | 3.2% | |
| 1860 | 8,392 | 2.6% | |
| 1870 | 7,667 | −8.6% | |
| 1880 | 7,817 | 2.0% | |
| 1890 | 6,791 | −13.1% | |
| 1900 | 6,824 | 0.5% | |
| 1910 | 6,099 | −10.6% | |
| 1920 | 6,552 | 7.4% | |
| 1930 | 6,143 | −6.2% | |
| 1940 | 5,671 | −7.7% | |
| 1950 | 5,556 | −2.0% | |
| 1960 | 6,747 | 21.4% | |
| 1970 | 7,696 | 14.1% | |
| 1980 | 13,062 | 69.7% | |
| 1990 | 15,328 | 17.3% | |
| 2000 | 22,377 | 46.0% | |
1783 Enumeration
- Powhatan County Heads of Families - 1783 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 58.
1850
Census takers uncharacteristically recorded the birth town or county of residents this census year.[3]
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):
Powhatan County fell within the bounds of the Middle District Association.
Church of England
See also King William Parish See also St. James Southam Parish
Court
Chancery Court
- Indexes (1782-1938) and images (1782-1913) to Powhatan County, Virginia Chancery Records are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.
Genealogy
More than 50 genealogies have been published about Powhatan County families. To view a list, visit Powhatan County, Virginia Genealogy.
Immigration
- Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America, 1777-1811" The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200. [Overseas contacts of a resident of Powhattan Co. with the following surname: Mayo.]
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 5 British aliens, some of whom had families, living in Powhatan County.[5]
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 et al. 380 patents dated 1702-1751 in what is now Powhatan 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.]
Local Histories
Maps
Migration
- Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1976):269-274. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Powhatan County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on p. 271.]
Military
French and Indian War
- Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Powhatan County veterans; see place name index.]
Revolutionary War
Powhatan County, Virginia residents' participation in the Revolutionary War.[6]
- A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Powhatan County on page 132.]
- Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." FHL Book 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]
War of 1812
Powhatan County men served in the 102nd Regiment.[7]
- 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 Powhatan 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, Powhatan County, pp. 98-99. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]
Civil War
Regiments. Service men in Powhatan 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 Powhatan County, Virginia:
- Information about the Companies that served from Powhatan County can be found at:
(1) FHL book 975.5612 H2c titled Powhatan: A Bicentennial History, pages 240-268 and 504-507
(2) FHL book 975.5 M2vr v. 29 titled A Guide to Virginia Military Organizations 1861-1865
- - 1st Regiment, Virginia Reserves (Confederate) (Company I)
- - 4th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company E.
- - 20th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Powhatan Rifles).[8]
- - 59th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)
- - Powhatan Artillery (Confederate)
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 Powhatan 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
Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007
Probate Records
A free index to Powhatan County, Virginia wills and administrations (1777-1800) is available at the <a href="http://lva1.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/F/?func=file&file_name=find-b-clas08&local_base=CLAS08">Library of Virginia</a> website.
Digital Images of Powhatan County Wills 1777-1795; 1797-1806; 1806-1811. See names of testators. Pioneers
Research Guide
- "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Powhatan County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1976):210-212-214. Available at American Ancestors ($).
Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?
- [1782-1817] Heinegg, Paul. "Powhatan County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1817," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
- [1782, 1784] Powhatan County Tax List 1782 and 1784. Purchase at Simmons Historical Bookstore.
- [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Powhatan County is included in Vol. 2.]
- [1787] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1976):269-274. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Powhatan County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on p. 271.]
- [1787-1789] Powhatan County Tax List 1787-1789. Purchase at Simmons Historical Bookstore.
- [1790, 1801] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1801 Personal Property Tax Lists of Powhatan County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
- [1800] County Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist. Falmouth VA: Apr 2005. Vol. 49 Iss. 2.
- [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. Powhatan County is included in Vol. 1.]
- [1816, 1818] Insolvents and Removals, 1816, 1818, Southside Virginian. Richmond VA: Jul 1983. Vol. 1 Iss. 4.
Vital Records
Indexes to Powhatan County, Virginia births, marriages, and deaths are available online. These collections are incomplete, but are easy to search. Courtesy: FamilySearch - free.
Birth
- Fridley, Beth, comp. Powhatan County, Virginia Births, 1853-96 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Available at Ancestry ($).
Marriage
- 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
- 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
- 1777-1830 - Knorr, Catherine Lindsay. Marriage Bonds and Ministers' Returns of Powhatan County, Virginia, 1777-1830. Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 1957.
Vital Record Substitutes
 |
For birth, marriage, and death record substitutes, see Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records. |
Societies and Libraries
Websites
- Powhatan County, Virginia USGENWEB
- Family History Library Catalog
- Learning How to Edit our Wiki Sites
- Virginia Pioneers ($)
 |
Genealogy courses: Learn how to research from an expert in Fun Five Minute Genealogy Videos. |
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References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Powhatan County, Virginia. Page 719 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Alycon Trubey Pierce, "In Praise of Errors Made by Census Enumerators," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 81, No. 1 (March 1993):51-55. FHL Book 973 B2ng
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Robert Baylor Semple and George William Beale, A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia (Pitt and Dickinson, 1894), 254. Digital version at Google Books.
- ↑ Kenneth Scott, British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812 (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979), 320-333. FHL Book 973 W4s; digital version at Ancestry ($).
- ↑ J.T. McAllister, Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War: McAllister's Data (Hot Springs, Va.: McAllister Pub. Co., 1913), 39-40. Digitized by Internet Archive.
- ↑ Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 172. FHL Book 975.5 M2bs.
- ↑ 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.
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