Nottoway County, Virginia Genealogy

Nottoway County
	Nottoway County, Virginia
	Map
	; Location in the state of Virginia
	; Location of Virginia in the U.S.
	Facts
Founded	1788
County Seat	Nottoway
	Courthouse

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

1 County Information
- 1.1 Description
- 1.2 Nottoway County, Virginia Courthouse
2 Nottoway County, Virginia History
3 Nottoway County, Virginia Places/Localities
- 3.1 Populated Places
- 3.2 Neighboring Counties
4 Resources
5 Nottoway County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries
- 5.1 Family History Centers
6 Nottoway County, Virginia Genealogy Websites
7 References

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Nottoway County is located in the Central portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for the Nadowa Indian tribe^[1].

Nottoway County, Virginia Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Nottaway County Courthouse
328 West Courthouse Road
Nottoway, VA 23955
Phone: 804-645-9043

Some records were destroyed during the civil war
Clerk Circuit Court has marriage divorce and court records from 1865,
land, probate and miliary records from 1789^[2]

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records^[3]
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1853	1784	1853	1865	1789	1789	1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912. General compliance year is unknown.

Nottoway County, Virginia History[edit | edit source]

Wikipedia has more about this subject: Nottoway County, Virginia

Parent County[edit | edit source]

22 December 1788: Nottoway County was created 22 December 1788 from Amelia County.

County seat: Nottoway ^[4]

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

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.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

1865 Most courthouse records were destroyed in 1865 during the Civil War. A few volumes of deeds, orders, and wills survived.^[5]

Lost censuses: 1790, 1800

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. Online at: Family History Circle.
When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle. Online at: Tennessee Genealogy Blog.
Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Nottoway County, Virginia Places/Localities[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]

Prince Edward

Resources[edit | edit source]

African American[edit | edit source]

Heinegg, Paul. Nottoway County Personal Property Tax List, 1789-1822, Free African Americans.com. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in this source.
Records of the field offices for the state of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands : NARA, RG105, M1913, 1865-1872 Freedmen's Bureau Marriages 1815-1869

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

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

Virginia Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007.

Featherston "Bible Record of William Featherston (Nottoway Co., Va. - Robertson Co., Tenn.)," Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 3 (July 1963):20.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Civil War

Cummins, A. B. Nottoway County, Virginia: Founding and Development with Biographical Sketches. Richmond, Va.: W.M. Brown and Son, Printers, 1970. FHL Collection

Business[edit | edit source]

Contract book of the Richmond Cooperative Milk Producers Association, 1930-1931 FHL Collection

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

For tips on accessing Nottoway County, Virginia Genealogy census records online, see: Virginia Census.

1850[edit | edit source]

1850 census of Nottoway County, Virginia FHL Collection

1860[edit | edit source]

The 1860 federal census for Nottoway County, Virginia FHL Collection

1890 Union Veterans[edit | edit source]

"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 Records[edit | edit source]

Baptist[edit | edit source]

Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

Nottoway (1765).^[6]^[7] Edwards published a membership list dated 1769 in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 68-69.^[8]

The 10,000 name petition (dated 16 October 1776) has been digitized at the Library of Congress website. It was signed by people from all over Virginia who wanted an end to persecution of Baptists by the Established Church. Baptists and Baptist sympathizers alike signed the petition. To find your ancestor in this record, first check Hall's transcription in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy (Vols. 35-38, with annotations in Vol. 39), which is available online at Ancestry ($). It is also available in book form at the Family History Library: FHL Book 975.5 B2vs v. 35-39. Then proceed to the Library of Congress website to see the original images.

Nottoway County fell within the bounds of the Middle District Association.

Church of England[edit | edit source]

Presbyterian[edit | edit source]

A brief history of the Blackstone Presbyterian Church 1823-1961. This church was formed in 1824 as a branch of the Nottoway Presbyterian Church. In 1911 it became a separate church. FHL Collection

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Chancery Court[edit | edit source]

Indexed images of Nottoway County, Virginia Chancery Records 1818-1968 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Correctional Institutions[edit | edit source]

A register of persons convicted of felony, etc., 1931-1966 FHL Collection

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

More than 75 genealogies have been published about Nottoway County families. To view a list, visit Nottoway County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Historic Residences[edit | edit source]

Turner, W. R. Old Homes and Families in Nottoway. Blackstone, Va.: Nottoway Pub. Co., 1950, c1932. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($). For the index compiled by Colonel R. Bolling Batte and the Projects Committee of the Virginia Genealogical Society available at FHL click here.

History[edit | edit source]

Biography
Civil War

Land and Property[edit | edit source]

Amelia County, Virginia deeds. Prince Edward County, Va. was not cut off of Amelia County until 1754, and Nottoway County was not cut off until 1789, so this book contains deeds for both of these present-day counties. -- Foreword, v. 1
v. 1. Deed book 1, 1735-1743, and bonds, 1735-1741
v. 2. Deed book 2, 1742-1747
v. 3. Deed books 3-4, 1747-1753
v. 4. Deed book 5-6, 1753-1759
v. 5. Deed books 7-8, 1759-1765
v. 6. Deed books 9-11, 1766-1773
v. 7. Deed books 12-14, 1773-1778
v. 8. Deed books 15-17, 1778-1786. FHL Collection
Deed records, 1789-1900; general indexes, 1866-1974. Some of the deed books may have been lost during the Civil War. After the war, the numbering of volumes started over with v. 1. FHL Collection
Returns of processioners, 1795-1824. Contains land processioning records recorded with the County Court which include the land description and who was present at the processioning. FHL Collection
Some early landowners in southern Nottoway and northern Lunenburg counties, Virginia and the Cocke (Coke) family who once lived there. Contains maps with tract codes and a list of landowners giving the names of grantor and grantee, tract code, year, number of acres, source, and other information. Includes a list of streams and other landmarks and the Cocke (Coke) family genealogy. FHL Collection

Grants and Patents[edit | edit source]

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.

Hudgins and Sullivan. 901 patents dated 1717-1779 in what is now Amelia and Nottoway Counties, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2003. 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.

Maps[edit | edit source]

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Nottoway County, Virginia land ownership map, 1864 FHL Collection

Migration[edit | edit source]

Elliott, Katherine B. Emigration to Other States from Southside Virginia. 2 vols. South Hill, Virginia: K. B. Elliott, 1966. Includes individuals who migrated out of Nottoway County to other parts of the country. FHL Collections

Military[edit | edit source]

Revolutionary War[edit | edit source]

Nottoway County, Virginia Genealogy residents' participation in the Revolutionary War.^[10]

War of 1812[edit | edit source]

Nottoway County men served in the 49th Regiment.^[11]

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 Nottoway 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, Nottoway County, p. 96. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War[edit | edit source]

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

- 3rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company E (Nottoway Troop).^[12]

- 18th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C (Nottoway Rifle Guards) and Company G (Nottoway Grays).^[13]

- 21st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (Meherrin Grays).^[14]

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)
The Nottoway Artillery and Barr's Battery, Virginia Light Artillery FHL Collection
Southside Virginia in the Civil War : Amelia, Brunswick, Charlotte, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, & Prince Edward counties FHL Collection
Minute book for the Pension Board 1902-1917. The Pension Board handled the approval process and dispersion of pensions for the Confederate veterans of the Civil War. FHL Collection
The Captain remembers: the papers of Captain Richard Irby. Historical sketch of the Nottaway Grays, afterwards Company G, Eighteenth Virginia Regiment, Army of Northern Virginia. FHL Collection

Civil War Battle[edit | edit source]

The following Civil War battle was fought in Nottoway County.

April 6, 1865 = Sailor's Creek, also known as Hillsman Farm or Lockett Farm^[15]

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

World War II[edit | edit source]

1940-1945 - Virginia, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images

Miscellaneous Records[edit | edit source]

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

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Nottoway County, Virginia Genealogy newspapers.

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 the Virginia Gazette and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia.

Occupations[edit | edit source]

Medical register, 1917-1975. Contains copies of medical licenses for physical therapists, surgeons, dentists, optometrists, general practioners ("regular doctors"), and "allopathic" doctors. FHL Collection
Register of physicians, surgeons and dentists, 1894-1950 FHL Collection

Officials[edit | edit source]

Probate Records

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

A free index to Nottoway County, Virginia Genealogy wills and administrations (1789-1800) is available at the Library of Virginia.

SAMPUBCO free online index resource that serves as a good starting place to search for Nottoway County wills.
Will records, 1789-1964; general indexes, 1865-1975 FHL Collection
Accounts current records, 1867-1915; general index to fiduciary settlements, 1867-1915 FHL Collection
Fiduciary order books, 1942-1972 FHL Collection
Record of fiduciaries, 1901-1902 FHL Collection
Bond and guarantee companies books, 1923-1974. A bond is a legal document wherein a person commits himself, his heirs, executors and administrators to pay a required amount of money to another if certain duties are not performed. These were paid by people elected or appointed to public offices or to act as guardians, executors or administrators of a person's estate. FHL Collection
Bond books, 1852-1865, 1891-1917; general index to bond books, 1866-1917 FHL Collection
Bond books, 1899-1914, 1972-1975 FHL Collection
Images of Wills and Estates 1788-1802 Virginia Pioneers ($)
Images of Wills and Estates 1803-1809 Virginia Pioneers ($)

Public Records[edit | edit source]

Minute book for the Board of Blendon Township 1871-1875 and the Pension Board 1902-1917. FHL Collection
Minute book for the Finance Board, 1932-1940 FHL Collection

Taxation[edit | edit source]

How can Virginia tax lists help me?

[1747] "Amelia Tithables, 1747," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy. Richmond VA: Nov 2004. Vol. 42 Iss. 4.
[1782-1822] Heinegg, Paul. "Nottoway County Personal Property Tax List, 1789-1822," Free African Americans.com. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in this source.
[1791, 1801] Indexed images of the 1791 and 1801 Personal Property Tax Lists of Nottoway County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
[1800] Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist. Falmouth VA: Oct 2002. Vol. 46 Iss. 4
[1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL Collection. The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Nottoway County is included in Vol. 1.

Minute book, 1915-1916 FHL Collection
Personal property tax lists, 1789-1850 FHL Collection

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Indexes to Nottoway 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*The Farmville Herald: index to births, deaths and marriages. Contents: v. 1. 1893-1912, also includes 1873-1876 of The Farmville Mercury and The Farmville Commonwealth. FHL Collection

Birth[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
1936-1988 - Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images

On microfilm:

1865-1975 - Marriage register, 1865-1942; general indexes, 1866-1958, 1969-1975 FHL Collection

Divorce[edit | edit source]

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

Death[edit | edit source]

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

Vital Record Substitutes[edit | edit source]

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.