Rappahannock County, Virginia Genealogy


Guide to Rappahannock County Virginia ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records. This article is about a Virginia county formed in 1833. For other uses, see Rappahannock.

County Facts
County seat: Washington
Organized: 18 Feb 1833[1]
Parent County(s): Culpeper
Neighboring Counties
CulpeperFauquierMadisonPageWarren
See County Maps
Courthouse
VirginiaRappahannockCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Location of Rappahannock County, Virginia.png

County Information

Description

Rappahannock County is located in the Piedmont Region of the Commonwealth of Virginia and named for the Rappahannock River.[2]

County Courthouse

Rappahannock County Courthouse
238 Gay Street
PO Box 517
Washington, VA 22747-0517
Phone: 540-675-5350
Rappahannock County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1833, land records from 1838 and some personal property records from 1834[3]

Rappahannock 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[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1853 1833 1853 1833 1838 1833 1810
* Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912.
General compliance year is unknown.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

  • Lost census: 1890

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

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:[7]

Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

For databases and indexes, see Virginia Bible Records.

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Rappahannock County, Virginia online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Virginia Cemeteries for more information.

 

Census Records

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

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1840 9,257
1850 9,782 5.7%
1860 8,850 −9.5%
1870 8,261 −6.7%
1880 9,291 12.5%
1890 8,678 −6.6%
1900 8,843 1.9%
1910 8,044 −9.0%
1920 8,070 0.3%
1930 7,717 −4.4%
1940 7,208 −6.6%
1950 6,112 −15.2%
1960 5,368 −12.2%
1970 5,199 −3.1%
1980 6,093 17.2%
1990 6,622 8.7%
2000 6,983 5.5%
2010 7,373 5.6%
Source: "Wikipedia.org"

1890 Union Veterans

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Baptist

Church of England

  • Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Rappahannock County is available online.[8]

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):

  • Culpeper Monthly Meeting (1777-1797)[9]

Court Records

Online Court Indexes and Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

For databases and immigrant groups, see Virginia Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African American

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Compiled Genealogies by Surname

Guardianship

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


Deeds

Local Histories

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.

Page CountyWarren CountyFauquier CountyCulpeper CountyMadison CountyVA RAPPAHANNOCK.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

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. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: FS Catalog Collection 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Eastern District, Rappahannock County on page 133.


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; online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, Virginia, Rappahannock County, p. 100. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.


Civil War

Regiments. Civil War service men in Rappahannock 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:

- 6th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company B (Rappahannock Cavalry) and Company C (Rockingham Cavalry, River Rangers).[10]
- 7th Battalion, Virginia Infantry, Local Defense (1st Nitre Battalion) (Confederate). Company B (Rappahannock Guard) and Company G (Sperryville Sharpshooters).[11]
- 12th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company G.[12]
- 49th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Sperryville Sharpshooters) and Company I (Rappahannock Rifles).[13]


World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

For online newspaper resources, see the Virginia Newspapers page.

Obituaries

Other Records

Private Papers

Periodicals

Probate Records

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

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

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

Vital Records

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

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Rappahannock 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

Libraries

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

Museums

Societies

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

Rappahannock Historical Society
P.O. Box 261
328 Gay Street
Washington, VA 22747
Phone: 540-675-1163
Email: rapphistsoc@comcast.net
Website

Websites

  • 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 the Counties of Virginia: Rappahannock County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):220-222. Available at FS Library; digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).

References

  1. Newberry
  2. https://www.rappahannock.com/about-rappahannock-county
  3. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. Newberry
  6. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. Wikipedia contributors, "Rappahannock County,_Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rappahannock_County,_Virginia#Communities accessed 25 February 2020.
  8. William Meade, Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia, 2 vols. (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott and Co., 1861). Digital versions at Internet Archive: Vol. I and Vol. II.
  9. Jay Worrall, The Friendly Virginians: America's First Quakers (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Publishing Company, 1994), 537-539. FS Library Book 975.5 K2wj.
  10. Michael P. Musick, 6th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1990). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 66.
  11. David F. Riggs, 7th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1982). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 3.
  12. Dennis E. Frye, 12th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1988). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 42.
  13. Richard B. Kleese, 49th Virginia Infantry (Appomattox, Va.: H.E. Howard, 2002). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 138.