Gloucester County, Virginia Genealogy

United States

Virginia

Gloucester County

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

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Gloucester Organized: 1651 Parent County(s): York Neighboring Counties James City • King andQueen • Mathews • Middlesex • York See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Gloucester County is located in the eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for Henry, Duke of Gloucester, third son of Charles I.

County Courthouse

Gloucester County Courthouse
7400 Justice Drive/P.O. Box 873
Gloucester, VA 23061-0873
Phone: 804-693-4860
Gloucester County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has birth records 1863-1890 and 1912-1916, death records from 1865-1890, marriage records from 1853, divorce, probate, court, and land records from 1865

Gloucester County, Virginia Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1863	1853	1865	1865	1865	1865	1810
* Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912. General compliance year is unknown.

Record Loss

All Gloucester County courthouse records were destroyed by fire in 1820; in 1865 most Gloucester County records were destroyed by fire on April 3, 1865. Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890 Weisiger, Benjamin B. Burned County Data 1809-1848 As Found in the Virginia Contested Election Files. Richmond, Va., 1986. FS Library Book 975.5 P2w. 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. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. List of counties in the United States with Record Loss

Boundary Changes

Parent County: Created from York County in 1651. County seat: Gloucester Virginia Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Virginia Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes

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:

Unincorporated communities
Achilles Adner Almondsville Ark Baileys Batt Bellamy Belroi Bena Beulah Brays Landing Broad Marsh Capahosic Carters Cove Clay Bank Clay Bank Acres Clopton Clopton Heights Concord Country Village Crab Creekwood Cove Estates Dutton Edgehill Elmington	Freeport Glen Roy Estates Glenns Gum Fork Harbor Hills Harcum Hayes Hermitage Hermitage Banks Hockley Hornets Nest James Store Lands End Marlfield Marshall Heights Maryus Mill Creek Millwood Money Naxera Neva Terrace New Upton Pinetta Point Lookout Powhatan Shores	Quiet Cove Roanes Robert Heights Rosemont Rosewell Rosewell Harbor Rowes Haven Sassafras Schley Selden Severn Severn Manor Signpine Tidemill Victory Hill Wan Ware Neck West End White Marsh Wicomico Woods Crossroads York River Farms York River Pines York View Zanoni
Census-designated places
Gloucester Gloucester Point
Ghost towns
Werowocomoco

History Timeline

Henry Stuart, 1st Duke of Gloucester (1640-1660)

The county is named after Henry Stuart, 1st Duke of Gloucester (1640-1660), third son of King Charles I of England.

Resources

Bible Records

For databases and indexes, see Virginia Bible Records.

• 1607-2007 Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (Together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. Available at FS Library. Includes a section on Abingdon silversmiths.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Gloucester County, Virginia online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find a Grave VAGenWeb USGenWeb Archives VA Tombstone Transcription Project Virginia Gravestones BillionGraves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find a Grave FamilySearch Places
See Virginia Cemeteries for more information.

• 1800-1986 Virginia, Jewish Cemetery Records Index, ca. 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Cemeteries of Lower Gloucester County, Virginia, by Harry R. Jordan. Available at FS Library.

Epitaphs of Gloucester and Mathews Counties in Tidewater Virginia through 1865, 1959, The Virginia State Library, Richmond, Virginia. FS Library US/CAN Book 975.53 V3e.

More Cemeteries of Gloucester County, Virginia, by Harry R. Jordan.

Tyler, Lyon G. "Old Tombstones in Gloucester County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Apr. 1894):219-229; Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jul. 1894):28-43; Vol. 3, No. 2 (Oct. 1894):115-120; Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jan. 1895):182-189; Vol. 3, No. 4 (Apr. 1895):253-255. Digitized by JSTOR - free. [Alternate title: "Inscriptions on Old Tombs in Gloucester Co., Virginia."]

Census Records

For databases, indexes, and information online, see Virginia Census.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	13,498	—
1800	8,181	−39.4%
1810	10,427	27.5%
1820	9,678	−7.2%
1830	10,608	9.6%
1840	10,715	1.0%
1850	10,527	−1.8%
1860	10,956	4.1%
1870	10,211	−6.8%
1880	11,876	16.3%
1890	11,653	−1.9%
1900	12,832	10.1%
1910	12,477	−2.8%
1920	11,894	−4.7%
1930	11,019	−7.4%
1940	9,548	−13.3%
1950	10,343	8.3%
1960	11,919	15.2%
1970	14,059	18.0%
1980	20,107	43.0%
1990	30,131	49.9%
2000	38,293	27.1%
2010	36,858	−3.7%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1782-1783 Enumeration

• James, Edward Wilson. "Census Gloucester County, 1782-83, Free and Slave, Gloucester County," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Jul. 1904):14-16; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Oct. 1904):185-187; Vol. 12, No. 3 (Jan. 1905):269-271; Vol. 12, No. 4 (Apr. 1905):414-416. Available at JSTOR ($).
• Gloucester County Heads of Families - 1783 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 53.

1784 Enumeration

• Gloucester County Heads of Families - 1784 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 68.

1890 Union Veterans

• Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. By Ronald Ray Turner. FS Catalog book 975.5 X2t 1890; film 1425065, item 14. Includes residents of this county.
• 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census. Online at: Ancestry ($). Includes this county.

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

A Guide to Church Records in the Library of Virginia

Anglican
(Also known as Church of England and Episcopal Church)

• See also Abingdon Parish
• See also Kingston Parish
• See also Petsworth Parish
• See also Ware Parish

Axelson, Edith F. A Guide to Episcopal Church in Virginia. Iberian Publishing Company, Athens, Georgia, ISBN 0-935931-45-7.

Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of Gloucester County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Jul. 1939):325-346; Vol. 19, No. 4 (Oct. 1939). Available at JSTOR ($).

Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1945. Available at FamilySearch Digital Library; FS Library(Includes Gloucester County.)

Abingdon Parish

The Register of Abingdon Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia, 1677-1780, Compiled by Robert W. Robins, Honford House, Arlington, Virginia, (c)1981, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 80-85448

Abingdon Church: A Chronology of its History, 1650-1970. (c)1972, Gloucester County, Virginia.

Kingston Parish

Matheny, Emma R. and Helen K. Yates. Kingston Parish Register, Gloucester and Mathews Counties, Virginia, 1749-1827, Richmond [Virginia]: E.R. Matheny and H.K. Yates, c1963. Reprinted 2004. Original is available at FS Library; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of Kingston Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr. 1940):261-264. Available at JSTOR ($).

The Vestry Book of Kingston Parish, Mathews County, Virginia (until May 1, 1791, Gloucester County), 1679-1796. Transcribed, annotated, and indexed by C.G. Chamberlayne. Originally published Richmond, Virginia, 1929. ISBN 0-8063-4842-9; available at FamilySearch Digital Library; FS Library; digital versions at Ancestry ($)

Petsworth Parish

Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. The Vestry Book of Petsworth Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia, 1677-1793 Richmond [Virginia]: Library Board, Division of Purchase and Printing, 1933. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Ware Parish

The World of Ware Parish in Gloucester County, Virginia, by Spotswood Hunnicutt Jones, The Dietz Press, Richmond, Virginia, (1991). ISBN 0-87517-063-3. Library of Congress Number: 91-91176

Baptist Church

• Dover Association

The Baptists of Virginia, 1699-1926, by Garnett Ryland, The Virginia Baptist Board of Missions and Education, Richmond, Virginia, 1955

A Chronicle of Christian Heritage, Dover Baptist Association: 1783-1983. by William L. Lumpkin. Skipworth Press, Inc. Richmond, Virginia. (c) 1983, ISBN 0-931804-11-6

A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia, by Robert B. Simple. Revised and extended by Rev. G. W. Beale, Pitt and Dickinson, Publishers, Richmond, Virginia, 1894.

• 1776 Petition of Baptists (10,000 names!) and sympathizers from all over Virginia, dated 16 October 1776, asking for an end to persecution of Baptists by the established church. After locating your ancestor, view the digital copies.
  – Digital copies at Library of Congress; also at Library of Virginia
  – Hall, Jean Pickett. "Legislative Petitions: the 10,000 name petition" transcription in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vols. 35-38, with annotations in Vol. 39, (Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Genealogical Society, 1983-) online at Ancestry ($) and in book form at various libraries.
  

Methodist Church

Gloucester County, Virginia, Methodist Records, by Michael Pollock, New Papyrus Publishing, Athens, Georgia, (c)2007.

Court Records

Online Court Indexes and Records

Chancery Court
Indexed images of Gloucester County, Virginia Chancery Records 1866-1931 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Directories

• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Emigration and Immigration

For databases and immigrant groups, see Virginia 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 Abingdon Parish, Ware Parish, and Gloucester 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 Virginia are online at: Immigrant Servants Database.
  

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African American

• 1865-1872 Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Heinegg, Paul. "Gloucester County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1815," Free African Americans.com, available online. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
• Johnson, Martha C. Black Families of Elizabeth City Co., VA, 1800-1990: Research of Families of Callis, Davis, Simpson, Radcliff, Originating from Gloucester Co., Mathews Co., York and James Counties and Elizabeth Co., Hampton, Virginia. FS Catalog Collection 1728886 Item 2.
• Smith, Gloria L. Solemn Ceremonies: Index of Civil War Marriages, Virginia: Marriage Records of African-American Families of Gloucester County, Virginia Area: From Record Group 105 Received at Camp Hamilton, Virginia. Tucson, Arizona: G.L. Smith, 1990. FS Catalog Collection
• Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized images of African Americans of Gloucester County.

Native American
The Chickoyackes Tribe lived in the area in the late 1600s.

Funeral Homes

• 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Andrews Funeral Home in Gloucester Hogg Funeral Home and Crematory in Gloucester Point Hogg Funeral Home and Crematory in Hayes

Genealogies

Compiled Genealogies by Surname

• See Gloucester County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

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

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families

• Boddie, John Bennett. Southside Virginia Families. 2 vols. 1955-1956; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1976. FS Library Book 975.5 D2bs 1976-1996 v. 1-v. 2.
• Robins, Sally Nelson. History of Gloucester County, Virginia, and Its Families. Richmond, Virginia: West, Johnston & Co., 1893. Reviewed in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Apr. 1894):477-481. Review available at JSTOR ($). Also reviewed in The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jan. 1894):216. Review available at JSTOR ($).
• Yurechko, John Otto. Virginians Along and Near the Lower Rapphahannock River, 1607-1799. 2 vols. Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1997-1998. FS Library Book 975.5 D2yj v. 1-v. 2. Contents: v. 1. Blake, Brooks (Brook), Churchill, Cook (Cock), Daniel, Dixon, Gore, Kidd, Lewis, Martin, Montague, Taylor and Wood -- v. 2. Brown, Clark, Elliott, Fox (Fowkes, Vaulx), Harrison, McTyre, Moore, Pate, Rawlins (Rollins), Rhodes, Sanders (Saunders) and Williams.

Land and Property Records

For land indexes, records, and databases, see Virginia Land and Property, including Colonial and State Land Grants.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

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.

• Mason, Polly Cary. Records of Colonial Gloucester County Virginia. 2 vols. 1946-1948; reprint, Baltimore: Clearfield, 2003. Original edition and 1965 reprint available at FS Library; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($), MyHeritage ($). Includes land patent abstracts, 1704/05 rent roll, Gloucester County tax lists 1770-1782, Mathews County tax lists 1774-1791, burgesses, council, and court, county officials, etc.
• 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 FS Library; online at: Hathitrust, Ancestry ($).

Local Histories

• A Guide to Gloucester County, Virginia Historical Manuscripts, 1651-1865. Compiled by Charles A, Bodie and William H. Steriner. Archives Divisionn, Virginia State Library, Richmond, Virginia, September 1976. Available at FS Library.
• Mason, Polly Cary. "The Story of Elmington: Gloucester County, Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 55, No. 3 (Jul. 1947):247-258. Available at JSTOR ($).
• "...past is prologue", Gloucester County, Virginia, A publication of Gloucester County and The Gloucester Historical and Bicentennial Committee, (c)1973, Library of Congress Card Catalog Number 73-87-914. Reviewed by William M.E. Rachal in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 83, No. 2 (Apr. 1975):214. Review available at JSTOR ($).
• Sinclair, Caroline Baytop. Gloucester's Past in Pictures. Reviewed by David C. Holly in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 100, No. 3, The Home Front and Beyond: Virginians in the World War 2 Era (Jul. 1992):462-463. Review available at JSTOR ($).
• Six Periods in the History of Gloucester County. DeHardit Press.
• Swem, E.G. "Views of Yorktown and Gloucester Town, 1755," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Apr. 1946):99-105. Available at JSTOR ($).
• With Reverence for the Past: Gloucester County, Virginia. by Martha W. McCarthney, The Dietz Press, Richmond, Virginia.(c)2001.ISBN 0-9710690-0-X. Reviewed by Emily Salmon in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 109, No. 4 (2001):419-420. Review available at JSTOR ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

County and state maps, historical and more current, are valuable research tools. For map collections, online and in libraries, see Virginia Maps.

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

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

Military Records

French and Indian War

• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FS Library. Online at: Ancestry ($). Identifies some Gloucester County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.
• Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FS Library US/CAN Book 975.5 M2c; digital book at Ancestry ($). Identifies some Gloucester County militia officers; 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 FS Library; digital version at Internet Archive. 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 Gloucester County, see p. 82.

Revolutionary War

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. Digital versions at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: FS Catalog Collection 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Eastern District, Gloucester County on page 130.
• Clayton, Jasper. "Officers Appointed by the Gloucester Co. (Va.) Committee of Safety in 1775," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Oct. 1906):123-124. Available at JSTOR ($).
• Hatch, Charles E. "Gloucester Point in the Siege of Yorktown 1781," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr. 1940):265-284. Available at JSTOR ($).
• The Governors' Island, Gwynn's Island, Virginia, During the Revolution. By Peter Jennings Wrike.(c) 1993, The Gwynn's Island Museum, Gwynn, Virginia. ISBN 1-883911-00-1 (pbk.). ISBN 1-883911-01-X (cloth).

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

- 7th Virginia Regiment

Revolutionary War - Gloucester District Battalion

• A Guide to Virginia Military Organizations in the American Revolution, 1774-1787, Compiled by E. M. Sanchez-Saavedra, Willow Bend Books, Westminster, Maryland, ISBN 1-58549-652-9.

War of 1812

• 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. FS Catalog Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, Virginia, Gloucester County, p. 81. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Regiments. Gloucester County men served in the 21st Regiment.

Civil War

• 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 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)
• Andrews, Andrew Jackson. A Sketch of the Boyhood Days of Andrew J. Andrews of Gloucester County, Virginia, and His Experience as a Soldier in the Late War Between the States. Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, 1990. Available at FS Library.
• Gloucester County In The Civil War, by Ludwell Lee Montague, The DeHardit Press, Gloucester, Virginia. Reviewed by Ludwell H. Johnson III in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 74, No. 4 (Oct. 1966):497-498. Review available at JSTOR ($).
• Reminiscences, Confederate Soldiers of Gloucester County, Virginia and Other matter pertaining to local history during the War between the States, 1861-1865, written by notable Richmond and Gloucester women of the Confederacy. Collected and compiled by Nellie Shackleford Smith.
• 26th Virginia Infantry, by Alex L. Wiatt, (c)1984, H. E. Howard, Inc.

Regiments. Civil War service men in Gloucester 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:

- 1st Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).

- 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).

- 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12 months, 1861-62) (Mullins') (Confederate). Company A (Gloucester Light Dragoons).

- 24th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company C (Chesapeake Rangers).

- 26th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (The Gloucester Invincibles) and Company K (The Gloucester Grays).

- 34th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Gloucester Artillery).

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1906-1929 Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers

For online newspaper resources, see the Virginia Newspapers page.

• 1800s-Current Virginia, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

• 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

• "Family Account of Mrs. Lucy Ann Page, Dec'd, Late of Gloucester County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 4 (Apr. 1903):251-260. Available at JSTOR ($).

Officials

• Mason, Polly Cary. Records of Colonial Gloucester County Virginia. 2 vols. 1946-1948; reprint, Baltimore: Clearfield, 2003. Original edition and 1965 reprint available at FS Library; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($), MyHeritage ($). Includes land patent abstracts, 1704/05 rent roll, Gloucester County tax lists 1770-1782, Mathews County tax lists 1774-1791, burgesses, council, and court, county officials, etc.

Periodicals

The Gloucester Genealogical Society of Virginia publishes a journal called The Family Tree Searcher. Most volumes are available for free in PDF format on their Gloucester County, Virginia Genealogy website. Some volumes are in FamilySearch Digital Library: FamilySearch Digital Library Vol 11 & FamilySearch Digital Library Vol 12

Probate Records

For statewide probate records, indexes, and databases, see Virginia Probate Records.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1639-1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records Ancestry — index, incomplete ($)
• 1652-1900 Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1862-1896 Images of Wills. Virginia Pioneers ($)

Local Court

• 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 FS Library. [Includes Gloucester County.]
• King, George H.S. "Will of Robert Singleton of Gloucester County," [1725] The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 64, No. 1 (Jan. 1956):103-104. Available at JSTOR ($).
  

x*Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

London Courts

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

School Records

Online School Indexes and Records

• Bagby, George F. "William G. Price and the Gloucester Agricultural and Industrial School," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 108, No. 1 (2000):45-84. Available at JSTOR ($).

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index 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 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

For additional online collections and the value and use of Virginia's tax lists in your research, see Virginia Taxation.

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 FS Library; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FS Library; digital version of VMHB at JSTOR ($). Gloucester County appears in 32:281-287, 338-343.
• 1704 Hansford, Thelma. Tax Lists York County 1782, 1783, 1784; Rent Roll York County 1704, Gloucester 1704, Warwick 1704; James City County Taxes 1768. Virginia?: T.I. Hansford?, 1950. Available at FS Library.
• 1704/05, 1770-1782 Mason, Polly Cary. Records of Colonial Gloucester County Virginia. 2 vols. 1946-1948; reprint, Baltimore: Clearfield, 2003. Original edition and 1965 reprint available at FS Library; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($), MyHeritage ($). Includes land patent abstracts, 1704/05 rent roll, Gloucester County tax lists 1770-1782, Mathews County tax lists 1774-1791, burgesses, council, and court, county officials, etc.
• 1770-1771, 1774-1775 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 FS Library.
• 1774-1775 Billups, John R. Tithables, 1774-1775, of Kingston Parish, also Billups' Accounts, 1787-1842. MSS., Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia; also available at FS Library. Kingston Parish was located in Gloucester County at the time, but later fell within the bounds of Mathews County.
• 1782 Land Tax Records, 1782, Tidewater Virginia Families, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Feb. 1993); Vol. 2, No. 1 (May 1993).
• 1782 1782 Land Tax Records online at Genealogy Trails - free.
• 1782-1815 Heinegg, Paul. "Gloucester County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1815," Free African Americans.com, available online. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
• 1782-1820 Land Tax Lists, 1782-1820, Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 35, No. 2 (Spring 1997).
• 1782-1861 Personal property tax lists, 1782-1861. FS films 31644-31649 - images.
• 1782-1861 Land tax records, 1782-1861. FS films 29927-29930 - images.
• 1783 Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783; index online at Revolutionary War Service website - free.
• 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 FS Library. The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Gloucester County is included in Vol. 2.
• 1794 James, Edward Wilson. "Carriage Owners, Gloucester County, 1784," [or 1794] The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Jan. 1906):313-314. Available at JSTOR ($). Abstracted from 1794 Personal Property Tax Lists.
• 1800 Tax List, 1800, The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Jul. 1980); Vol. 24, No. 4 (Oct. 1980). Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
• 1815 Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FS Library. The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Gloucester County is included in Vol. 3.

Vital Records

For additional indexes, databases, and details, see Virginia Vital Records.

Birth

• 1584-1917 Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1715-1901 Virginia, Vital Records, 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1853-1866 Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1853-1896 Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Birth Records, 1853-1896 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images, coverage may vary
• 1912-1913 Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 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 $
• 1715-1901 Virginia, Vital Records, 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1771-1989 Virginia, County Marriage Records, 1771-1989 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1785-1940 Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index ; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
• 1853-1935 Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
• 1936-1988 Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

• 1715-1901 Virginia, Vital Records, 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1853-1911 Virginia, U.S., Death Registers, 1853-1911 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1853-1912 Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1865-1890 Hunt, L. Roane and Gloucester Genealogical Society of Virginia. Death Records of Gloucester County, Virginia, 1865-1890: Special Project of the Gloucester Genealogical Society of Virginia. Gloucester, Virginia: Gloucester Genealogical Society of Virginia, 2000. Available at FS Library.
• 1912-1987 Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Divorce

• 1918-1988 Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index & images

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Gloucester County. For state-wide facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Gloucester Virginia FamilySearch Center
• Newport News Virginia FamilySearch Center
• Williamsburg Virginia FamilySearch Center

• Heritage Public Library - Charles City - an affiliate library
• Heritage Public Library - New Kent - an affiliate library
• Williamsburg Regional Libraries - James City County Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Gloucester County. For state-wide library facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

• Tidewater Genealogical Society

Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical & Historical SocietyWebsite

Societies

Listed below are societies in Gloucester County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Virginia Societies.

Websites

• Gloucester County, Virginia USGENWEB
• Cyndi's List
  

• FamilySearch Catalog – 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 Gloucester County, Virginia Historical Manuscripts, 1651-1865, Archives Division, Virginia State Library, Richmond, September 1976. FS Library US/CAN Book 975.532 A3b.
• 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. FS Catalog Collection 975.51 D25t [For Gloucester County, see pp. 57-58]