Winchester (Independent City), Virginia Genealogy

United States

Virginia

Winchester (Independent City)

Guide to Winchester (Independent City), Virginia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

Facts Seat: Winchester (Indepe. City) Organized: 10 Jul 1902 Parent County(s): Frederick Neighboring Counties Frederick See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

Independent City Information

Description

The city of Winchester is located in the northern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and is included in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The City of Winchester was named for Winchester, England.

Courthouse

Winchester (Independent City) Courthouse
5 N Kent St
Winchester, VA 22601
Phone: 540-667-5770
Winchester (Independent City) Courthouse

For additional records, see Frederick County, Virginia.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this Independent City.

Boundary Changes

Parent County(s): Created from Frederick County on July 10, 1902. County Seat: Winchester Independent City Virginia Historical Boundary Changes- list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library Interactive Map of Virginia County Formation History (1790-1897) - animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes

Resources

Bible Records

For databases and indexes, see Virginia Bible Records.

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 Winchester silversmiths.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Winchester (Independent City), Virginia online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find A Grave VA USGenWeb Tombstone project None listed Virginia Gravestones.org Billion Graves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Catalog WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the City	Find A Grave
See Virginia Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

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

Court Records

Online Court Indexes and Records

Chancery Court

• Indexed images of Winchester, Virginia Chancery Records 1787-1936 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Emigration and Immigration

For databases and immigrant groups, see Virginia Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans
Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of the City of Winchester.

Genealogies

• [Page] Rutherford, Dolores Crumrine. The Page Family in Virginia Personal Property Taxes (1782-1850). 2 vols. Carmichael, Calif.: D.C. Rutherford, 2002. FS Library Book 929.273 P141rd v. 1-2 [Winchester appears in Vol. 2]

Land and Property Records

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

Local Histories

• Morton, Oren Frederic. The Story of Winchester in Virginia, the Oldest Town in the Shenandoah Valley. Strasburg, Va.: Shenandoah Publishing House, 1925. Available at FS Library; digital version at Ancestry ($).

• Morton, Oren Frederic. The Story of Winchester in Virginia, the Oldest Town in the Shenandoah Valley. Strasburg, Va.: Shenandoah Publishing House, 1925. Available at FS Library; digital version at Ancestry ($) - includes information about French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, and World War 1.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

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

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 Winchester militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.

Civil War
Since Winchester became an independent city in 1874 from Frederick County, go to the Frederick County page for information about the Civil War military units of that area. During the Civil War men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their area.

Civil War Battles
The following Civil War battles were fought in Winchester.

• March 23, 1862 - Kernstown I.
• May 25, 1862 - Winchester I, also known as Bowers Hill.
• June 13-15, 1863 - Winchester II.
• July 20, 1864 - Rutherford's Farm.
• July 24, 1864 - Kernstown II.
• Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.

Newspapers

For online newspaper resources, see the Virginia Newspapers page.

• 1798-1820 Winchester Gazette (Winchester, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
• 1806-1809 Philanthropist (Winchester, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
• 1828-1836 Winchester Virginian (Winchester, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
• 1855-1873 Winchester Virginian at Google News - free.
• 2009-present Winchester Star (Winchester, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).

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.

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:
Virginia, Winchester, Evening Star Obituaries - FamilySearch Historical Records

Probate Records

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

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1652-1900 Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900 at Ancestry ($) — index & images

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
• 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

• 1782 Morton, Oren Frederic. The Story of Winchester in Virginia, the Oldest Town in the Shenandoah Valley. Strasburg, Va.: Shenandoah Publishing House, 1925. Available at FS Library; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes 1782 list of inhabitants and 1782 list of lot owners.
• 1787-1850 Winchester (Independent City), Virginia Personal property tax lists, 1787-1850. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.; microfilmed reproduction available at FS films 1905764-1905765 - images.
• 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 1815 land tax. Winchester is included in Vol. 4.

Vital Records

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

Marriage

• 1785-1940 Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
• 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry ($) — index
• 1853-1935 Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)

Death

• 1853-1911 Virginia, U.S., Death Registers, 1853-1911 at Ancestry ($) — index & images

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Winchester (Independent City). For state-wide facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

Family History 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

• Winchester Virginia FamilySearch Center

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Winchester (Independent City). For state-wide library facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

Societies

Listed below are societies in Winchester (Independent City). For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Virginia Societies.

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.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.