Hanover County, Virginia Genealogy

United States Genealogy

Virginia

Hanover County

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

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

Hanover County, Virginia
Map
Location in the state of Virginia, United States Genealogy
Location of Virginia in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	1720
County Seat	Hanover
Courthouse

County Information

Description

Hanover County is located in the Central portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia just north of the state capital, Richmond. Hanover was named for King George I of England, who was Elector of Hannover in Germany when he came to the throne.

Hanover County Virginia Courthouse

Hanover County Courthouse
P O Box 470
7530 County Complex Road
Hanover, Virginia 23069
Phone: 804-365-6151

Clerk of the circuit court has marriage, divorce,
probate, land  and court records from 1865

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

Hanover County Virginia History

The county is named after the Electorate of Hanover in what is today Germany, as King George I of Great Britain (1660-1727) held the title Elector of Hanover at the time of the county's organization.

Parent County

1720--Hanover County was created 2 November 1720 from New Kent County.
County seat: Hanover

Boundary Changes

For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Variant Spellings

• Hannover

Record Loss

• Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

Most county court records, particularly deeds, wills, and marriage records, were destroyed by fire in Richmond on 3 April 1865. Circuit Court records are relatively unscathed leaving common law papers and chancery papers after 1831 generated by the Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery, and the later Circuit Court. The Hanover County, Virginia Record Loss page provides further details.

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.

Weisiger abstracted a valuable source that includes deed, will, and marriage information about Hanover County, Virginia Genealogy 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.

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.

Hanover County, Virginia Places/Localities

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:

Towns
Ashland
Unincorporated communities
Atlee Beaverdam Doswell	Elmont Montpelier Old Church	Rockville Studley
Census-designated places
Hanover	Mechanicsville

Hanover County, Virginia Genealogy Resources

Research Guides

• 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. FHL Collection 975.51 D25t [For Hanover County, see p. 58]

African American

In 1790, Hanover County had one of the largest enslaved populations in the state (8223 slaves).

• Hanover County, Virginia Genealogy cohabitation records are available online.

• 1865-1872 Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
• 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete

"Hanover County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1815," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized images related to African Americans of Hanover County.

Bible Records

Images of the Virginia Historical Society's family Bible collection have been digitized:

• Virginia Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007.

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com	Family History Library	Findagrave.com
VAGenWeb	WorldCat	Billion Graves
VAGenWeb Archives
Tombstone Project
Virginia Gravestones
Billion Graves
See Virginia Cemeteries for more information.

• 1800-1986 - Virginia, Jewish Cemetery Records Index, ca. 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — index

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	14,754	—
1800	14,403	−2.4%
1810	15,082	4.7%
1820	15,267	1.2%
1830	16,253	6.5%
1840	14,968	−7.9%
1850	15,153	1.2%
1860	17,222	13.7%
1870	16,455	−4.5%
1880	18,588	13.0%
1890	17,402	−6.4%
1900	17,618	1.2%
1910	17,200	−2.4%
1920	18,088	5.2%
1930	17,009	−6.0%
1940	18,500	8.8%
1950	21,985	18.8%
1960	27,550	25.3%
1970	37,479	36.0%
1980	50,398	34.5%
1990	63,306	25.6%
2000	86,320	36.4%
2010	99,863	15.7%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1782 Enumeration

• Hanover County Heads of Families - 1782 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 27.

1890 Union Veterans

• "Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890." Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner. FHL Collection. Includes residents of this county.

Church

Baptist

Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

1. Black Creek (1777)
2. Chickahominy aka Chickahoming (1776). Lists of male members (1812-1826) have been published: Hanover County Historical Society Bulletin, Issue 39 (Nov. 1988).
3. Hopeful (1807)

10,000 name petition (dated: 16 October 1776) signed by Baptists and Baptist sympathizers from all over Virginia, asking for an end to persecution of Baptists by the established church. A digitzed copy can be viewed at the Library of Congress website. Hall's transcription of the petition can be read in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vols. 35-38, with annotations in Vol. 39, (Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Genealogical Society, 1983-) available at Ancestry ($); or at the Family History Library: FHL Book 975.5 B2vs v. 35-39. After locatiing your ancestor in the transcription, proceed to the Library of Congress website to see the original images.

Hanover County fell within the bounds of the Dover Association.

Church of England

See also St. Martin's Parish
See also St. Paul's Parish

Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Hanover County is available online.

• Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of New Kent and Hanover Counties, Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 53, No. 4 (Oct., 1945):243-264. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).

Presbyterian

• Rachael, William M.E. "Early Minutes of Hanover Presbytery," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 63, No. 1 (Jan., 1955):53-75; Vol. 63, No. 2 (Apr. 1955):161-185. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($). [The Hanover Presbytery covered Virginia.]

Quaker

Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):

• Beaver Dam Monthly Meeting (1755-1783)

• Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting (1721-1860). Attended by "Friends living in the counties of Albemarle, Amelia, Bedford, Campbell, Caroline, Charles City (part), Goochland, Halifax, Hanover, Henrico, Louisa and Orange counties and Richmond City."

In 1905, Bell published the early minutes, which are now available online for free at {FamilySearch Digital Library and Google Books - free. Hinshaw also published these records: FHL Book 973 D2he v. 6. Brewer also published records from 1739 to 1793: FHL Book 975.5462 K2b.

Meyer's history, available on JSTOR ($), was published in 1956 (for a hard copy, see: FHL Book 975.5 BD27M v. 64 (1956)). The old building burned in 1904. Meyer includes a drawing of the church building and a map pinpointing the location where it stood.

• Pisquinoqy Swamp Monthly Meeting (1719-1775) aka Grassy Swamp aka Swamp

Court

Chancery Court

• Indexes and images to Hanover County, Virginia Chancery Records 1831-1913 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.
• Cocke, William Ronald. Hanover County Chancery Wills and Notes. A Compendium of Genealogical, Biographical and Historical Material as Contained in Cases of the Chancery Suits of Hanover County, Virginia. Columbia, Va.: W.R. Cocke, 1940. Available at FHL; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Reviewed by John M. Jennings in The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Oct., 1940):575-576. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($). Reviewed by R.A. Stewart in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 48, No. 3 (Jul., 1940):284. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).

County Court

• "Records of Hanover County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jul., 1912):47-63; Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jan., 1913):143-162; Vol. 22, No. 2 (Oct. 1913):114-130; Vol. 22, No. 3 (Jan. 1914):169-174; Vol. 23, No. 1 (Jul. 1914):21-30; Vol. 23, No. 2 (Oct. 1914):117-126. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($). ["There are only two old books in the Clerk's Office of Hanover county, Va. The oldest, designated the 'Small Book' in these notes, covers the years 1734 and 1735, and contains orders, wills, deeds, etc. The other, 'The Larger Book' of these notes, is a deed book for 1780-1790." (21:47)]

Funeral Homes

• 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete

Genealogy

Compiled Genealogies by Surnme

• See Hanover County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of 250+ 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

• Blankenship, Gayle King. Virginia Families of Louisa, Hanover and Monroe Counties. Poquoson, Va.: G.K. Blankenship, 1991. FHL Book 975.5 D2bg
• Cocke, William Ronald. Hanover County Chancery Wills and Notes: A Compendium of Genealogical, Biographical and Historical Material as Contained in Cases of the Chancery Suits of Hanover County, Virginia. Columbia, Va.: W.R. Cocke, 1940. FHL Film 1421575 Item 4; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Evans, June Banks. Men of Matadequin, Three Hundred Years from New Kent County: Sourcebook for Related Lines, Banks, Blackwell, Burnett, Durvin, Gaulding, Goodman, Lipscomb, McGhee, Parsley, Slaughter, Weisiger, Wood, Zall. New Orleans, La.: Bryn Ffyliaid Publications, 1984. FHL Book 975.54 D2e

Immigration

• Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of York River and Hanover 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 Hanover County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.

Land and Property

Deeds

• "Records of Hanover County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jul., 1912):47-63; Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jan., 1913):143-162; Vol. 22, No. 2 (Oct. 1913):114-130; Vol. 22, No. 3 (Jan. 1914):169-174; Vol. 23, No. 1 (Jul. 1914):21-30; Vol. 23, No. 2 (Oct. 1914):117-126. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($). ["There are only two old books in the Clerk's Office of Hanover county, Va. The oldest, designated the 'Small Book' in these notes, covers the years 1734 and 1735, and contains orders, wills, deeds, etc. The other, 'The Larger Book' of these notes, is a deed book for 1780-1790." (21:47)]

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.

• Sullivan and Hudgins. 451 patents dated 1653-1819 in what is now Hanover County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2008. [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

• Lancaster, Robert Bolling. A Sketch of the Early History of Hanover County, Virginia, and Its Large and Important Contributions to the American Revolution. Richmond, Va.: Whittet and Shepperson for the Bicentennial Committee for Hanover County, 1976. Reviewed by W. Alexander Mabry in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 85, No. 1 (Jan., 1977):110-111. Review available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

• Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1977):287-292. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors New England Ancestors] ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Hanover County's 1788-1789 Delinquent Lists appear on pp. 290-291.]
• Glazebrook, Eugenia G. and Preston G. Glazebrook. Virginia Migrations. Hanover Co. Vol. I. 1723-1850. Wills, Deeds, Depositions, Invoices, Letters and other Documents. Richmond, Va. Reviewed by Beverley Fleet in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 52, No. 2 (Apr., 1944):161-162. Review available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).

Military

French and Indian War

• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Hanover County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; 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 FHL; digital version at Google Books. [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 Hanover County, see pp. 86-87, 111.]
• Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 M2c; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Hanover County militia officers; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War

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

- 5th Virginia Regiment

- 14th Virginia Regiment (1st Company, possibly 6th Company)

Additional resources:

• 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 version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Hanover County on page 131.]
• 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

Hanover County men served in the 74th Regiment.

• 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 Hanover 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, Hanover County, p. 83. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Hanover County, Virginia Genealogy 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 Hanover County, Virginia Genealogy:

- 4th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate)

- 15th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C (Patrick Henry Rifles), Company E (Ashland Grays), and Company I (Hanover Grays).

- 44th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Ambler Grays).

- 56th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (Harrison's Guards).

Records and histories are available, including:

• 1861-1865 - Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 1861-1865 - Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 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)

Civil War Battles

The following Civil War battles were fought in Hanover County.

• May 27, 1862 = Hanover Court House, also known as Slash Church
• June 26, 1862 = Beaver Dam Creek, also known as Mechanicsville and Ellerson’s Mill
• June 27, 1862 = Gaines’ Mill, also known as First Cold Harbor
• May 23-26, 1864 = North Anna, also known as Telegraph Road Bridge, Jericho Mill (May 23), Ox Ford, Quarles Mill, or Hanover Junction (May 24)
• May 28-30, 1864 = Totopotomoy Creek, also known as Bethesda Church, Crumps Creek, Matadequin Creek, Shady Grove Road or Hanovertown
• May 28, 1864 = Haw’s Shop, also known as Enon Church
• May 30, 1864 = Old Church, also known as Matadequin Creek
• May 31-June 12, 1864 = Cold Harbor, also known as Second Cold Harbor

Maps of Civil War battles in Virginia: 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

Miscellaneous Records

• 1607-2007 - Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Hanover County, Virginia Genealogy 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.

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 FHL. [Includes a section on Hanover silversmiths.]

Private Papers

• Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007

Probate Records

Local Court

• "Records of Hanover County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jul., 1912):47-63; Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jan., 1913):143-162; Vol. 22, No. 2 (Oct. 1913):114-130; Vol. 22, No. 3 (Jan. 1914):169-174; Vol. 23, No. 1 (Jul. 1914):21-30; Vol. 23, No. 2 (Oct. 1914):117-126. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($). ["There are only two old books in the Clerk's Office of Hanover county, Va. The oldest, designated the 'Small Book' in these notes, covers the years 1734 and 1735, and contains orders, wills, deeds, etc. The other, 'The Larger Book' of these notes, is a deed book for 1780-1790." (21:47)]

London Courts

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

Original Wills

• Bazile, Leon M. "The Wills of the Reverend Patrick Henry [dated and proved in 1777] and Walter Coles [dated and proved in 1815] of Hanover County, Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 58, No. 1 (Jan., 1950):120-130. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($). [Source: certified copies of original wills.]
• Cocke, William Ronald. Hanover County Chancery Wills and Notes. A Compendium of Genealogical, Biographical and Historical Material as Contained in Cases of the Chancery Suits of Hanover County, Virginia. Columbia, Va.: W.R. Cocke, 1940. Available at FHL; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library and World Vital Records ($). Reviewed by John M. Jennings in The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Oct., 1940):575-576. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($). Reviewed by R.A. Stewart in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 48, No. 3 (Jul., 1940):284. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).
• Cole, Robert F. and Marguerite S. Parrish. "Will of William Fleming Sheriff of Hanover County, Virginia, 1727-1728," [dated 1742, proved 1744] The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct., 1935):424-427. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($). [Found in Louisa Co., Va. Chancery Suit "McAllister versus Bibb, May, 1770," found in loose papers at the Louisa County Courthouse.]
• Hopkins, William Lindsay. Some Wills from the Burned Counties of Virginia and Other Wills Not Listed in Virginia Wills and Administrations 1632-1800. Richmond, Virginia: W.L. Hopkins, 1987. Available at FHL. [Includes Hanover County.]
• King, George H.S. "Will of George Hudson of Hanover County, Virginia," [dated 1770, proved 1773] The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 66, No. 1 (Jan., 1958):85-87. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($). [King found this will among the Henry Clay Papers at the Library of Congress. Clay was Hudson's grandson.]
• "Will of Robert Jennings, 1750," Typescript, Library of Virginia. Genealogical Notes [Collection] Box 6, Jen. Microfilmed. FHL Film 29885 Item 1

Probate

A free index to Hanover County, Virginia Genealogy wills and administrations (1724-1898) is available at the Library of Virginia.

Online Probate Records

• 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
• 1785 - 1893; 1852 - 1865; 1852 - 1883 - Virginia Pioneers ($) Indexes to Wills & Estates in Circuit Court
• 1781 - 1806; 1805 - 1816 Virginia Pioneers ($) Images of Wills, Estates in Circuit Court
• 1785 - 1893 Images of Wills.Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1852 - 1865 Images of Wills in the Circuit Court 1852-1865.Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1862 - 1868 Images of Wills Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1733 - 1735 Online Images of Wills, Estates, Accounts Virginia Pioneers ($)

Taxation

How can Virginia tax lists help me? 

• • Hanover County, VirVirginia Tax Records 1790, 1800
    

Original versions

Original Hanover County land tax lists are held at the Library of Virginia. Microfilm reproductions (years: 1782-1863): FHL Films 29931-29938. Original Hanover County personal property tax lists are also held at the Library of Virginia. Microfilm reproductions (years: 1782-1863): FHL Films 31946-31953; (years: 1792-1828): FHL Films 29297-29298

Published versions

• [1753-1763] Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Rent Roll of Hanover County, Virginia, 1753-1763," The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Spring 2000):71-80. FHL Book 929.105 G286n v. 14 (2000) [Discovered at The National Archives, Kew, England, Reference AO 13/30/110-129.]
• [1763, 1770] 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, Va.: I.B. Woodson, 1970. FHL Book 975.5 R4w
• [1782-1815] Heinegg, Paul. "Hanover County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1815," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
• [1782-1815] Cocke, William Ronald, III. Hanover County Taxpayers Saint Paul's Parish 1782-1815: A Register of Taxpayers, with Legends, Together with Individual Lists and Descriptions of Their Assessable Personal Property. 1956; reprint, Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000. Original edition: FHL Book 975.5462 R4c; digital version at Ancestry ($).
  • Reviewed by Malcolm H. Harris in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 65, No. 1 (Jan., 1957):117-118. Review available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).
• [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. FHL Book 975.5 R4sn v. 2 [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Hanover County appears in Vol. 2.]
• [1788-1789] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1977):287-292. FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 21 (1977); digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Hanover County's 1788-1789 Delinquent Lists appear on pp. 290-291.]
• [1789, 1799] Indexed images of the 1789 and 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Hanover County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• [1789, 1800] Indexed images of the 1789 and 1800 Land Tax Lists of Hanover County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• [1799] 1799 Personal Property Tax List online at Genealogy Trails - free.
• [1800] Tax List, 1800, Saint Martin's Parish, The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Jul. 1962). FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 6 (1962); digital version at American Ancestors ($).
• [1800] Tax List, 1800, The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Jan. 1985); Vol. 29, No. 2 (Apr. 1985). FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 29.
• [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. FHL Book 975 E4w v. 1. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Hanover County is included in Vol. 1.]

Vital Records

Indexes to Hanover County, Virginia Genealogy births, marriages, and deaths are available online. These collections are incomplete, but are easy to search. Most records can also be ordered electronically online as well. Courtesy: FamilySearch. See also How to order Virginia Vital Records

Birth

• 1853-1896 - Fridley, Beth, comp. Hanover County Virginia Birth Records, 1853-1896 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001. Available at Ancestry ($).
• 1853-1866 - Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1912-1913 - Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

• 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
• 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
• 1785-1940 - Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
• 1853-1935 - Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1863-1897 - Hanover County Marriage Index 1863-1897. Batch M868764 at FamilySearch - free.
• 1936-1988 - Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images

Ljundstedt discovered a few early marriage licenses:

• 1780-1781 - Ljundstedt, Milnor. "Hanover County, Virginia Marriage Licenses," [1780-1781] The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan. 1926):78. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).

Divorce

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

Death

• 1912-1987 - Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — index and images

Vital Record Substitutes

The Virginia Historical Society's Marriage and Obituary Index, 1736-1820 (newspaper abstracts) is available at FamilySearch. Images of the original index cards are browseable, arranged alphabetically by surname.

Early marriage registers have been lost. Yates, a professional genealogist, collected marriage data on residents of Hanover County, Virginia from a variety of substitute sources:

• Yates, Helen Kay. Some Early Marriages of Hanover County, Virginia. Mechanicsville, Va., 2004.

Hanover County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

• Central Virginia Genealogical Association
• Tidewater Genealogical Society

Family History Centers

Family History 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 family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

Hanover County Virginia Genealogy Websites

• Hanover County, Virginia USGENWEB
• Hanover County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
• Fold3 may have wills contributed by subscribers.  For e xample see: Found proof that Pettus is the father of Burwell Chick
• FamilySearch Catalog

Hanover County Virginia Genealogy References

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.