Mecklenburg County, Virginia Genealogy

United States Genealogy

Virginia

Mecklenburg County

Guide to Mecklenburg 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

Mecklenburg County, Virginia
Map
Location in the state of Virginia, United States Genealogy
Location of Virginia in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	1764
County Seat	Boydton
Courthouse

County Information

Description

Mecklenburg County is located in the South-Central portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and shares a border with North Carolina. Mecklenburg County was named after Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King George III.

Mecklenburg County, Virginia Courthouse

Mecklenburg County Courthouse
P.O. Box 530
Boydton, VA 23917-0530
Phone: 804-738-6191

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, probate, land and court records

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1853	1765	1853	1764	1765	1764	1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912. General compliance year is unknown.

Mecklenburg County, Virginia History

Parent County

1764--Mecklenburg County was created 26 May 1764 from Lunenburg County.
County seat: Boydton

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

• Mecklenburgh

Record Loss

Loose papers before 1793 are missing. Bound volumes of deeds, orders, and wills still exist.

• Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1810, 1890

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.

Mecklenburg 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
Boydton Brodnax	Chase City Clarksville	La Crosse South Hill
Unincorporated communities
Buffalo Nelson	Palmer Springs Shiny Rock	Skipwith
Census-designated places
Baskerville Bracey	Fairview Thynedale	Union

Neighboring Counties

Brunswick Charlotte Granville County, North Carolina Genealogy

Halifax Lunenburg

Vance County, North Carolina Genealogy Warren County, North Carolina Genealogy

Resources

African American

In 1860, Mecklenburg County had one of the largest enslaved populations in the state (12,420 individuals). Ten years later in 1870, it had one of the largest African American populations in Virginia (14,156).

• 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
• Heinegg, Paul. "Mecklenburg County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1820," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
• List of Colored Voters Registered at Pearsons Store Precinct in Palmers Springs Magisterial District, Mecklenburg Co., Va. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.; available on microfilm at FHL. [No registration years are identified on the FamilySearch Catalog.]
• Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Mecklenburg County.

Bible Records

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

• Virginia Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007.

• Free Bible Index with over 200,000 entries.

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	14,733	—
1800	17,008	15.4%
1810	18,453	8.5%
1820	19,786	7.2%
1830	20,477	3.5%
1840	20,724	1.2%
1850	20,630	−0.5%
1860	20,096	−2.6%
1870	21,318	6.1%
1880	24,610	15.4%
1890	25,359	3.0%
1900	26,551	4.7%
1910	28,956	9.1%
1920	31,208	7.8%
1930	32,622	4.5%
1940	31,933	−2.1%
1950	33,497	4.9%
1960	31,428	−6.2%
1970	29,426	−6.4%
1980	29,444	0.1%
1990	29,241	−0.7%
2000	32,280	10.4%
2010	32,727	1.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1782 Enumeration

• Mecklenburg County Heads of Families - 1782 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 32.

1790 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1800 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1810 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1890 Union Veterans

• Turner, Ronald Ray. Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. Available online, courtesy: Prince William County Virginia website. [Includes residents of this county.]

Church Records

Baptist

Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

1. Allen's Creek (1791)
2. Blue Stone (1772)
3. Buffaloe (1778)
4. Maloane's or Geneto (1773)
5. Wilson's (1799)

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.

Mecklenburg County fell within the bounds of the Meherrin Association and the Roanoke Association.

Church of England

See also St. James Parish

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

Quaker

Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):

• Durham's Monthly Meeting (1790-?)
• Ladd's Monthly Meeting (1790-1808) aka Taylor's Creek

Court

Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index can be used to search Mecklenburg County chancery records for the years 1783-1941. Originals located at the Library of Virginia.

Genealogy

Compiled Genealogies by Surname

• See Mecklenburg County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of 150+ published books and artilcles, or jump to 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

• Pritchett, John W. Southside Virginia Genealogies. CD-ROM. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. Free online index, courtesy: Virginians - The Family History of John W. Pritchett. [Includes a great deal of information about residents of Mecklenburg County, see discussion of cited sources.] FHL CD-ROM no. 3887. Purchase at Virginians.com.

Immigration

• List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe who served labor terms in Colonial Brunswick County are online at: Immigrant Servants Database.

Land and Property

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.

• Hudgins. 779 patents dated 1722-1819 in what is now Mecklenburg County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2002. [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

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• 1870 Map of Mecklenburg County, Virginia. Includes creeks, roads, churches, landowners, and landmarks.

Migration

• Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1976):199-208; Vol. 22, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1978):43-50. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($). ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Mecklenburg County's 1787-1788 Delinquent Lists appear on 20:204-207; 1788-1789 Delinquent Lists appear on 22:46-50.]
• Elliott, Katherine B. Emigration to Other States from Southside Virginia. 2 vols. South Hill, Virginia: K.B. Elliott, 1966. Vol. 1 of original edition available at FHL; 1983 reprints (both volumes) available at FHL; 1990-1992 reprints (both volumes) also available at FHL. [Includes individuals who migrated out of Mecklenburg County to other parts of the country.]

Bell published records of Mecklenburg County residents who migrated to South Carolina:

• Bell, Mary McCampbell. "Some Migrations from Virginia to South Carolina," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 10, No. 3 (Summer 1982):136-143. FHL Book 975.7 B2sc v. 10

Military

French and Indian War

• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. FHL Collection. [Identifies some Mecklenburg County militia officers and veterans; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War

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

- 6th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:

Mecklenburg residents' participation in the Revolutionary War.

• Elliott, Katherine B. Revolutionary War Records, Mecklenburg County, Virginia. Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1983. Available at FHL.
• 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, Mecklenburg County on page 132.]
• 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 Collection 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812

Mecklenburg County men served in the 22nd and 98th Regiments.

• 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 Mecklenburg 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, Mecklenburgh County [sic], p. 90. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

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

- 3rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company A (Boydton Cavalry or Mecklenburg Dragoons).

- 14th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company E (Clarksville Blues) and Company F (Chambliss Grays).

- 21st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C (Oliver Grays).

- 34th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B (Mecklenburg Heavy Artillery).

- 38th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Pittsylvania Regiment) (Confederate). Company G (Mecklenburg Rifles) and 1st Company I (Confederate Guards).

- 56th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies A (Mecklenburg Guards) and B (Mecklenburg Spartans).

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)

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 Mecklenburg 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.

• 1893 - Midland Express (Boydton, 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. Available at FHL. [Includes a section on Mecklenburg County silversmiths.]

Probate Records

• Bolten, Joseph S. Will of William Davis, Lunenburg County, Va. 1964. Available at FHL. [Davis's will was proved in Mecklenburg County.]
• 1765-1948 - Index to Wills Index Transcription Project 1765-1948 (VAGenWeb) - free.
• 1765-1782 - Digital Images of Mecklenburg County Wills 1765-1782. See names of testators. Virginia Pioneers
• 1765-1782;1782-1788;1788-1798 - Images of Wills & Estates Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1777-1778 - Index to Deed Bk 5 Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1779-1786 - Index to Deed Bk 6 Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1782-1798 - Digital Images of Mecklenburg County Wills 1782-1788; 1788-1798. See names of testators. Virginia Pioneers
• 1786-1791 - Index to Deed Bk 7 Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1792-1795 - Index to Deed Bk 8 Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1795-1797 - Index to Deed Bk 9 Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1798-1801 - Index to Deed Bk 10 Virginia Pioneers ($)

'Online Probate Links

• 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
• Images of Guardian Accounts 1766-1793; 1802-1812; 1812-1825 Virginia Pioneers ($)

Taxation

How can Virginia tax lists help me? 

• [1782] 1782 Land Tax Records online at Genealogy Trails - free.
• [1782-1800] Mecklenburg County Land Tax Lists 1782-1800 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
• [1782-1805] Mecklenburg County Personal Property Tax Lists 1782-1805 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
• [1782-1820] Heinegg, Paul. "Mecklenburg County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1820," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
• [1782-1783] Mecklenburg County 1782 & 1783 Tax List. Purchase at Binns Genealogy.
• [1784] Sheriff's Tax Land Sales, 1784, Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 33, No. 4 (Oct. 1989). Available at FHL.
• [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. Mecklenburg County is included in Vol. 1.]
• [1787-1789] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1976):199-208; Vol. 22, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1978):43-50. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Mecklenburg County's 1787-1788 Delinquent Lists appear on 20:204-207; 1788-1789 Delinquent Lists appear on 22:46-50.]
• [1790, 1799] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Mecklenburg County, Virginia are indexed online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• [1789, 1799] Indexed images of the 1789 and 1799 Land Tax Lists of Mecklenburg County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• [1800] Tax List, 1800, Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 40, No. 1 (Jan. 1996); Vol. 40, No. 2 (Apr. 1996); Vol. 40, No. 3 (Jul. 1996); Vol. 40, No. 4 (Oct. 1996); Vol. 41, No. 1 (Jan. 1997); Vol. 41, No. 2 (Apr. 1997). Available at FHL.
• [1810] Schreiner-Yates, Netti. A Supplement to the 1810 Census of Virginia: Tax Lists of the Counties for which the Census is Missing. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1971. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax list. Mecklenburg County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.]
• [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Mecklenburg County is included in Vol. 2.]

Vital Records

Indexes to Mecklenburg 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

• Fridley, Beth. Mecklenburg County Virginia Birth Records, 1866-85 [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) ($).
• 1765-1810 Nottingham, Stratton. Marriage License Bonds of Mecklenburg County, Virginia from 1765 to 1810. Onancock, VA, USA: Stratton Nottingham, 1928. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).
• 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
• 1853-1935 Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1854-1929 Mecklenburg County Marriage Index 1854-1929. Batch M868783 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.

Voter Records

• 1902-1970 Virginia Voter Registration, 1902-1970 at FamilySearch, index

Mecklenburg County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

• Library of Virginia (Virginia State Archives)
  

• Virginia Memory Collection, part of Library of Virginia's website. It contains digitized collections of chanceries, newspapers, photo collections etc.
  

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 Affiliate Libraries

Mecklenburg County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

• Mecklenburg Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
• Mecklenburg County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Virginia Pioneers ($)
• https://mecklenburgvagenealogy.com/ Cemeteries, history, pictures, resources

References

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