Spotsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy

United States

Virginia

Spotsylvania County

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

Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Map
Location in the state of Virginia
Location of Virginia in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	1720
County Seat	Spotsylvania
Courthouse

County Information

Description

Spotsylvania County is located midway between the Nation’s capital of Washington, D.C. and the Commonwealth of Virginia's capital, Richmond. Spotsylvania was named for Alexander Spotswood, lieutenant governor of the Virginia colony from 1710 to 1720.

Spotsylvania County, Virginia Courthouse

Spotsylvania County Courthouse
P O Box 96
9115 Courthouse Road
Spotsylvania, VA 22553-0096

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage and probate records from 1722
birth records 1864-1895, death records 1911-1915, court records
from 1724, land records from 1856, military pension records 1898-1926 
and coroners request 1879-1912

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1864	1722	1911	1724	1856	1722	1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912. General compliance year is unknown.

Spotsylvania County, Virginia History

The county was named after Virginia Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood (c1676-1740), who was in office at the time of Spotsylvania County's organization.

Parent County

1720--Spotsylvania County was created 2 November 1720 from Essex, King and Queen and King William Counties.
County seat: Spotsylvania

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

• Spottsylvania

Record Loss

1839. In 1839 the courthouse was moved from Fredericksburg to Spotsylvania. Many loose papers prior to 1839 are missing. Volumes that record deeds, court orders, and wills exist.

District Court, Superior Court, and Circuit Court records 1813-1889 remain in Fredericksburg.

• Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

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.

Spotsylvania County, Virginia Places/Localities

Neighboring Counties

Caroline Culpeper

Hanover Louisa

Orange Stafford

Resources

Getting Started

If you are researching families who lived in Spotsylvania County, Virginia between the 1720s and 1740s, or Fredericksburg families between the 1780s and 1800s, the Sparacios' book indexes are a great time saver. Surname index of Antient Press publications

African American

• Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
• Douthat, James L. Early Spotsylvania County, Virginia Records. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2010. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. Includes 1783 slave owners list.
• Fitzgerald, Ruth Coder. A Different Story: A Black History of Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spotsylvania, Virginia. Fredericksburg, Va.: Unicorn, 1979. FHL.
• Haley, Alex. Roots. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1976. FHL. Includes author's descent from Kunta Kinte, born in the spring of 1750 at Juffure, Gambia, captured and brought to the United States in 1767, and sold into slavery in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
• Heinegg, Paul. "Spotsylvania County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1822," Free African Americans.com. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.

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

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

Historical populations
Census year	Population
1790	11252
1800	13002
1810	13296
1820	14254
1830	15134
1840	15161
1850	14911
1860	16076
1870	11728
1880	14828
1890	14233
1900	9,239
1910	9,935
1920	10,571
1930	10,056
1940	9,905
1950	11,920
1960	13,819
1970	16,424
1980	34,435
1990	57,403
2000	90,395
2005	114,960
2008	120,031

1806

• Fisher, Therese. "A List of Males in the Town of Fredericksburg from the Age of 18 to 45 Years Old; 1806," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 40, No. 4 (Oct./Nov. 1996):306-308. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). FHL Book 975.5 B2vg.

1890 Union Veterans

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

Church Records

Baptist

Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

1. County Line (1782)
2. Craigs (1767)
3. Fredericksburg (1804). A 1959 history is available: FHL Book 975.5366 K2d.
4. Guineas (1774)
5. Lower Spotsylvania (1768)
6. Massaponax (1788). A 1938 history is available: FHL Film 31278 Item 2.
7. Mine Road (1791)
8. Piney Branch (1789)
9. Upper Spotsylvania (1769). Edwards published a membership list dated 1768 in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 77-78.
10. Wallers (1769)
11. Wilderness (1778)
12. Zoar (1805)

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.

Spotsylvania County fell within the bounds of the Goshen Association.

• Ranck, George Washington. "The Travelling Church": An Account of the Baptist Exodus from Virginia to Kentucky in 1781 Under the Leadership of Rev. Lewis Craig and Capt. William Ellis; With Historical Notes. n.p., 1910. Digital version at Google Books.
• Baptist ministers from Spotsylvania County (1767) are discussed in the Virginia Baptist Register, Issue 4 (1965).

Church of England

See also Berkeley Parish.
See also St. George's Parish.
See also St. Mark's Parish.

Lutheran

• 1730-1779. Records of Rev. John Casper Stoever, Baptismal and Marriage, 1730-1779. Baptisms and marriages took place in Mercer County, Pennsylvania and in Spotsylvania, Virginia.  Digital version: Internet Archive and PAGenWeb.

Court

District Court of Fredericksburg

The District Court of Fredericksburg and later the Superior Court of Chancery had jurisdiction over certain Spotsylvania County court cases. An index has been compiled:

• Indexes of Court Records in the Clerk's Office, Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1782-1904. Original records, Fredericksburg City Courthouse, Fredericksburg, Va., microfilmed reproduction available at FHL. Indexes the following records: District Court law book v. 8, 1782-1792; District Court law books 1790-1793, v. A-F 1789-1811; Superior Court of Law law order books v. G-H 1812-1831; Superior Court of Chancery chancery order books 1814-1831; Hustings Court orders v. A-O 1782-1871; Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery law order books v. A-E 1831-1875; Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery chancery order books v. A-D 1831-1872; Circuit Court chancery order books v. A2, B-C 1875-1904; Fredericksburg District Court (1789-1808) had jurisdiction over the following counties: Spotsylvania (including Fredericksburg), Caroline, King George, Stafford, Orange, and Culpeper; Superior Court of Chancery (1802-1831) had jurisdiction over the following localities: city of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fairfax, Lancaster, Northumberland, Madison, King George, Orange, Prince William, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Essex, and Westmoreland.
• See also Historic Court Records for indexes of Apprentice Records, Clerk's Order Books, Court Records, Free Negro / Slave records, Inquests, Marriage Records, Mayor's Court, Military Records & Wills

Superior Court of Chancery

See District Court of Fredericksburg

Genealogy

More than 350 genealogies have been published about Spotsylvania County families. To view a list, visit Spotsylvania County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Historic Residences

• Fleming, Emily White. Historical Periods of Fredericksburg, 1608-1861. Richmond, Va.: W.C. Hill Printing Company, 1921. Digital version at Internet Archive.
• Goolrick, John T. Fredericksburg and the Cavalier Country: America's Most Historic Section, It's Homes: It's People and Romances. Richmond, Va.: Garrett & Massie, 1935. FHL.
• Goolrick, John T. Old Homes and History Around Fredericksburg: The Northern Neck and the Southside, Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties and Battle Sketches. Richmond, Va.: Garrett & Massie, 1929. FHL; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and FamilySearch Digital Library

Immigration

Fredericksburg, along the Rappahannock River, has been a port since colonial times. No official passenger lists survive for the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.

Headright grants identify many Spotsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy immigrants who arrived before 1720. The Virginia Immigration article provides tips about using this source.

Additional resources include:

• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. "Some Spotsylvania County, Virginia, Immigrants, 1769-1770," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 68, No. 1 (Mar. 1980):69. Digital version at National Genealogical Society website ($); FHL Book 973 B2ng v. 68 (1980).
• Cerny, Johni and Gary J. Zimmerman. Before Germanna. 12 vols. Bountiful, Utah: American Geneal. Lending Library Publishers, 1990. FHL. Discusses families of German immigrants who settled in Spotsylvania and Orange counties, Virginia.
• Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. Includes wills of residents of Spotsylvania 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 Brunswick County are online at: Immigrant Servants Database.

• Ljungstedt, Milnor. "Items from Southern Records" (Showing Family and Trade Connections with Northern Colonies and the Home Countries), The American Genealogist, Vol. 15 (1938):95-104. American Ancestors ($). Spotsylvania Co., VA residents: Byrne, Johnson, Lynn, White.
• Vann, Elizabeth Chapman Denny and Margaret Collins Denny Dixon. Virginia's First German Colony. Richmond, Va., 1961. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library - free.

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 8 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County.

Land and Property

Library of Congress includes maps from the 1860s of Spotsylvania County labelled with landowners.

Deeds

• Crozier, William Armstrong. Spotsylvania County Records, 1721-1800: Being Transcriptions, from the Original Files at the County Court House, of Wills, Deeds, Administrators' and Guardians' Bonds, Marriage Licenses, and Lists of Revolutionary Pensioners. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1965. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($); another digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes abstracts of Deed Books A-P (1722-1800).

Grants and Patents

• Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants 1694-1742. Vol. I. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1987. FHL. Includes Spotsylvania County residents.
• Hudgins. 371 patents dated 1666-1803 in what is now Spotsylvania County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper. 2004. 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

• Coleman, Lee Richelieu and Frasia Davis Trice. An Economic and Social Survey of Spotsylvania County. Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia, 1934. FHL.
• Felder, Paula S. Forgotten Companions: The First Settlers of Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburgh Town (with Notes on Early Land Use). Fredericksburg, Va.: Historic Publications of Fredericksburg, 1982. FHL.
• Fitzgerald, Ruth Coder. A Different Story: A Black History of Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spotsylvania, Virginia. Fredericksburg, Va.: Unicorn, 1979. FHL.
• Goolrick, John T. Fredericksburg and the Cavalier Country: America's Most Historic Section, It's Homes: It's People and Romances. Richmond, Va.: Garrett & Massie, 1935. FHL.
• Goolrick, John T. Old Homes and History Around Fredericksburg: The Northern Neck and the Southside, Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties and Battle Sketches. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library
• Warner, Thomas Hoskins. History of Old Rappanhannock County, Virginia, 1656-1692: With Introduction, 1608-1656, Including the Present Counties of Essex and Richmond and Parts of Westmoreland, King George, Stafford, Caroline and Spotsylvania Counties. Tappahannock, Va.: P.P. Warner, 1965. FHL.

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

• Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1977):49-53. FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($). These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Spotsylvania County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on pp. 50-52.
• Ranck, George Washington. "The Travelling Church": An Account of the Baptist Exodus from Virginia to Kentucky in 1781 Under the Leadership of Rev. Lewis Craig and Capt. William Ellis; With Historical Notes. n.p., 1910. Digital version at Google Books.

Military

Colonial Militia

• Crozier, William Armstrong. Spotsylvania County Records, 1721-1800: Being Transcriptions, from the Original Files at the County Court House, of Wills, Deeds, Administrators' and Guardians' Bonds, Marriage Licenses, and Lists of Revolutionary Pensioners. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1965. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($); another digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes colonial militia.

French and Indian War

• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988.FHL. Identifies some Spotsylvania 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. 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 Spotsylvania County, see pp. 100-101, 112.
• Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). Identifies some Spotsylvania County militia officers, soldiers, and veterans; see place name index.
• Crozier, William Armstrong. Spotsylvania County Records, 1721-1800: Being Transcriptions, from the Original Files at the County Court House, of Wills, Deeds, Administrators' and Guardians' Bonds, Marriage Licenses, and Lists of Revolutionary Pensioners. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1965. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($); another digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes French and Indian War records.

Revolutionary War

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

- 5th Virginia Regiment

- 6th Virginia Regiment

- 10th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:

Spotsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy residents' participation in the Revolutionary War.

• Krick, Robert K., J. Roger Mansfield, and Merle C. Strickler. Spotsylvania County Patriots, 1774-1786. 1976?. FHL.
• Revolutionary Service Record of William Warren (b. 1745) of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, and Orange County, North Carolina, in Milton Rubincam, Miscellaneous Wills and Genealogical Notes. 1947. FHL.
• Crozier, William Armstrong. Spotsylvania County Records, 1721-1800: Being Transcriptions, from the Original Files at the County Court House, of Wills, Deeds, Administrators' and Guardians' Bonds, Marriage Licenses, and Lists of Revolutionary Pensioners. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1965. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($); another digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes Revolutionary records and pensioners.
• 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 versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Eastern District, Spotsylvania County on page 133.
• 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

Spotsylvania County men served in the 16th Regiment.

• 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, Spottsylvania County [sic], pp. 104-105. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Civil War

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

- 9th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company E (Mercer Cavalry).

- 30th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Washington Guards), Company B (Fredericksburg Grays), Company C (Gordon Rifles), and Company D (Mount Pleasant Rifles).

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)

• There are many accounts of the Civil War battle fought in Spotsylvania County available at the Family History Library. Keyword search for Spotsylvania Civil War.

Civil War Battles

The following Civil War battles were fought in Spotsylvania County.

• December 11-15, 1862 = Fredericksburg I, also known as Marye's Heights
• April 30-May 6, 1863 = Chancellorsville
• May 3-4, 1863 = Salem Church, also known as Banks' Ford
• May 5-7, 1864 = Wilderness, also known as Combats at Parker’s Store, Craig’s Meeting House, Todd’s Tavern, Brock Road or the Furnaces
• May 8-21, 1864 = Spotsylvania Court House, also known as: Combats at Laurel Hill and Corbin’s Bridge (May 8); Ni River (May 9); Laurel Hill, Po River, and Bloody Angle (May 10); Salient or Bloody Angle (May 12-13); Piney Branch Church (May 15); Harrison House (May 18); Harris Farm (May 19)

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

World War II

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

Miscellaneous Records

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

Naturalization

Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929

Newspapers

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

Indexes

Fredericksburg Newspapers Index (1736-1928 nonconsecutive) index only; scroll down to Newspapers - Free; includes:

• Christian Banner (1850 and 1862)
  
• Democratic Recorder (1842-1861)
  
• Fredericksburg Ledger (1865-1874)
  
• Fredericksburg New Era (1865-1866)
  
• Fredericksburg News (1847-1884)
  
• The Free Lance (1885-1900)
  
• The Free Lance Star (1926-1928)
  
• Impartial Observer and the Rights of Man (1811)
  
• Political Arena (1827-1841)
  
• Virginia Gazette (1736-1780)
  
• Virginia Herald (1787-1876)
  
• Virginia Star, Fredericksburg Star, and Daily Star (1877-1926)
  
• Weekly Advertiser (1853-1860)
  
• Weekly Recorder (1844-1847)
  

Scanned 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.

• 1787-1829 - Virginia Herald (Fredericksburg, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).

Occupations

• Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. FHL. Includes a section on Fredericksburg silversmiths.

Officials

• Crozier, William Armstrong. Spotsylvania County Records, 1721-1800: Being Transcriptions, from the Original Files at the County Court House, of Wills, Deeds, Administrators' and Guardians' Bonds, Marriage Licenses, and Lists of Revolutionary Pensioners. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1965. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($); another digital version at Ancestry ($). Identifies Spotsylvania's sheriffs.
• Fisher, Therese. Skeletons in the Closet: 200 Years of Murders in Old Virginia; a Genealogical and Historical Resource. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 2001. FHL. Identifies Spotsylvania's acting justices and sheriffs 1722-1846.

Petitions

• Virginia. General Assembly. Legislative Petitions, 1776-1833. Library of Virginia. FHL. Includes Spotsylvania County Petitions 1776-1820.

Private Papers

• Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007
• Redwine, Lucy Leah and J.E. Hays. Family Bible Records. MSS., Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, Georgia. FHL.
• [Crafton] Crafton Bible [Records, ca. 1780-1944]. MSS., Genealogical Records / Newport News Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1950. FHL.
• [Dangerfield] King, George Harrison Sanford. "Bible Record of Colonel William Daingerfield of 'Coventry,' Spotsylvania County, Virginia," The Virginia Gazette, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1975):243-247. FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
• [Davis] Moore, Robert P. Ancestors and Nelson Co., Ky., Associates of the Kincheloe, Wickliffe, and Davis Families of Prince William County, Virginia. Lexington, Kentucky: R.P. Moore, 1996. FHL. Includes chapter titled "Transcript from the Davis Bible, Spottsylvania Co., Virginia, 1741-1811, with Revolutionary War Record of Thomas Davis," see pp. 326-327.
• [Durrett] Harter, Mrs. Bert. "Bible of Jonathan Durrett, Spotsylvania County, Virginia," The Virginia Gazette, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1961):28-30. FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
• [Keaton] Family Bible Record [1746-1928] of Leven G. and Nancy Keaton Pritchard. FHL.
• [Lewis] Papers of the Lewis Family, Essex Co., 1768-1824. Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia, Alderman Library, 1945. FHL.

Probate Records

A free index to Spotsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy wills and administrations (1722-1800) is available at the Library of Virginia.

Local Court

• Crozier, William Armstrong. Spotsylvania County Records, 1721-1800: Being Transcriptions, from the Original Files at the County Court House, of Wills, Deeds, Administrators' and Guardians' Bonds, Marriage Licenses, and Lists of Revolutionary Pensioners. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1965. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($); another digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes abstracts of Will Books A-F (1722-1800), Administration Bonds, and Guardian Bonds.
• Will of Thomas Warren of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, 1749, in Milton Rubincam, Miscellaneous Wills and Genealogical Notes. 1947. FHL.
• Will and Codicil of John Waller of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, 1753, MSS., Library of Virginia; Copy: FHL.
• "Wills from Spotsylvania County, Virginia" (Edward Carter, John Gilbert, Edward Herndon) in The Pennsylvania Traveler-Post, Vol. 9 (1972). FHL.

London Courts

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

Online Probate Links

• 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
• 1722 - 1749 Images of Wills at Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1722 - 1749 Indexes to Wills, Indentures, Bonds at Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1749 - 1760 Images of Wills at Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1749 - 1760 Indexes to Wills, Indentures, Bonds at Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1761 - 1772 Images of Wills at Virginia Pioneers ($)
• Online Images of Wills, Inventories, Accounts 1772-1798; 1798-1804; 2804-1810. Virginia Pioneers ($)

Research Guides

• "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Spotsylvania County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1978):290-292. FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

Taxation

How can Virginia tax lists help me?

• [1782] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. FHL. 1782 personal property tax list of Spotsylvania County.
• [1782-1822] Spotsylvania County Personal Property Tax Lists 1787-1832 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
• [1782-1822] Heinegg, Paul. "Spotsylvania County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1822," Free African Americans.com. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
• [1782] Douthat, James L. Early Spotsylvania County, Virginia Records. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2010. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press. Includes 1782 tax list.
• [1783] - Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783; index online at Revolutionary War Service website - free.
• [1783] James, Edward Wilson. "Slave Owners in 'Spotsylvania' County, 1783," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 4 (1896/1897):104-106, 292-299. FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).
• [1787-1832] Fredericksburg Personal Property Tax Lists 1787-1832 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
• [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. FHL. The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Spotsylvania County is included in Vol. 2.
• [1787] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1977):49-53. FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($). These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Spotsylvania County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on pp. 50-52.
• [1787] Douthat, James L. Early Spotsylvania County, Virginia Records. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2010. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. Includes 1787 tax list.
• [1790, 1800] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Spotsylvania County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• [1798] Direct tax of 1798, Magazine of Virginia Genealogy. Richmond VA: Feb 1999. Vol. 37 Iss. 1.
• [1798] U.S. 1798 Direct Tax, Berkeley Parish, Spotsylvania County, Virginia, available online, courtesy: Spotsylvania County Genealogy.
• [1798] City of Fredericksburg Personal Property Tax List for 1798 online - free.
• [1813] City of Fredericksburg Personal Property Tax List for 1813 online - free.
• [1815] City of Fredericksburg Personal Property Tax List for 1815 online - free.
• [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. FHL. This publication is based on the 1815 land tax. Spotsylvania County is included in Vol. 4.

Vital Records

Indexes to Spotsylvania 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

• 1853-1866 - 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 $
• 1722-1750 - "Early Spotsylvania Marriage Licenses," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Oct. 1896):197-199. Digital version at JSTOR - free.

• 1722-1750, 1795-1800 - Crozier, William Armstrong. Spotsylvania County Records, 1721-1800: Being Transcriptions, from the Original Files at the County Court House, of Wills, Deeds, Administrators' and Guardians' Bonds, Marriage Licenses, and Lists of Revolutionary Pensioners. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1965. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($); another digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes Marriage Licenses (1722-1750) and the Spotsylvania County Court Marriage Register (1795-1800).

• 1722-1755 - Douthat, James L. Early Spotsylvania County, Virginia Records. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2010. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press. Includes early marriage licenses 1722-1755.

• 1726-1744 - Stanard, W.G. "Spotsylvania County. Marriage License 1726-1744," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Jan. 1893):139-140. Digital version at JSTOR - free.

• 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).

• 1795-1853 - Ricks, Joel. Spotsylvania County, Virginia Marriage Bonds 1795-1853. 1939. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library - free.

• 1795-1853 - Spotsylvania County Marriage Index 1795-1853. Batch M868679 at FamilySearch - free.

• 1853-1935 - Spotsylvania County Marriage Index 1853-1935. Batch M868682 at FamilySearch - free.

• 1936-1988 - Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images

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.

Spotsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

• Fredericksburg Virginia Family History Center

Spotsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

• Spotsylvania County, Virginia
• Spotsylvania County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Cyndi's List

Family History Library