Southampton County, Virginia Genealogy

United States

Virginia

Southampton County

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

Southampton County, Virginia
Map
Location in the state of Virginia
Location of Virginia in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	1749
County Seat	Courtland
Courthouse

County Information

Description

Southampton County is in the Southeastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Southampton County may have been named for Southampton, a major city in England, or for Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, one of the founders of the Virginia Company and a supporter of colonization in North America.

Southampton County, Virginia Courthouse

Southampton County Courthouse
P.O. Box 190
22350 Main Street
Courtland, VA 23837
Phone: 757-653-2200

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

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1853	1750	1853	1749	1749	1749	1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912. General compliance year is unknown.

Southampton County, Virginia History

Southampton County, Virginia probably takes its name from the English port city of Southampton.

The county is probably named after the English port of Southampton.

Parent County

1749--Southampton County was created 30 April 1749 from Isle of Wight and Nansemond Counties.   Nansemond County merged with Suffolk City 1 Jan 1974.
County seat: Courtland

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.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

• Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

Southampton County, Virginia Places/Localities

Neighboring Counties

Gates County, North Carolina Greensville Hertford County, North Carolina

Isle of Wight Northampton County, North Carolina Suffolk City

Surry Sussex

Resources

Research Guides

The Library of Virginia's website includes the following research guide:

• "Southampton County," A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm. 

Additional guides include:

• "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Southampton County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1978):287-290. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
• Historical Records Survey (Virginia). Inventory of the County Archives of Virginia, No. 88, Southhampton County (Courtland). Richmond, Va.: Virginia Historical Records Survey Project, 1940. Available at FHL.

African American

From 1790 through 1860, Southampton County had one of the largest free colored populations in the state (559 in 1790; 1794 in 1860).

• Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-18721
• Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. 2005-present. - free online book. Allen, Anderson, Archer, Artis, Ash, Banks, Bartlett, Bartley, Bazden, Bell, Berry, Boon, Bowers, Bowser, Branch, Brooks, Byrd, Cannady, Charity, Chavis, Clark, Coleman, Davis, Day, Demery, Duncan, Fagan, Freeman, Garner, Gillett, Going, Haithcock, Hanson, Hathcock, Heathcock, Hicks, Hilliard, Hines, Hunt, Hurst, Jeffries, Keemer, Kersey, Lawrence, Locust, Munday, Newsom, Pompey, Portis, Powell, Rann, Reed, Roberts, Rogers, Ruff, Ruffin, Skipper, Smith, Stewart, Sweat, Taborn, Tann, Taylor, Turner (see introduction), Vickory, Walden, Wilkins, Williams, Wood, Worrell, Young families in pre-1820 Southampton County, Virginia.
• Heinegg, Paul. "Southampton County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1821," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
• Heinegg, Paul. "Southampton County Register of Free Negroes, 1794-1832," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
• Heinegg, Paul. "Southampton County Loose Papers (Tax List), 1801-1826," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks, mainly by the surname "Artis," but also the complete 1822 list for St. Luke's Parish.]
• Watkins, Raymond W. Watkins - Doyle - Bailey - Osborne Collection. Manuscript collection, donated by Raymond W. Watkins, Falls Church, Va. Available on microfilm at FHL. [Includes list of blacks charged with 1831 Nat Turner insurrection in Southampton Co., Va., their sentences, and owner's names.]

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 Southampton County, Virginia Genealogy census records online, see: Virginia Census.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	12,864		—
1800	13,925		8.2%
1810	13,497		−3.1%
1820	14,170		5.0%
1830	16,074		13.4%
1840	14,525		−9.6%
1850	13,521		−6.9%
1860	12,915		−4.5%
1870	12,285		−4.9%
1880	18,012		46.6%
1890	20,078		11.5%
1900	22,848		13.8%
1910	26,302		15.1%
1920	27,555		4.8%
1930	26,870		−2.5%
1940	26,442		−1.6%
1950	26,522		0.3%
1960	27,195		2.5%
1970	18,582		−31.7%
1980	18,731		0.8%
1990	17,550		−6.3%
2000	17,482		−0.4%

1808 Nottoway Indian

• Heinegg, Paul. "1808 Nottoway Indian Census," Free African Americans.com.

1820 - Exists, but the National Archives microfilm copy of Southampton County, Virginia omits pages 111a and 112. The missing names have been published in The Virginia Genealogist:

• Petty, Gerald M. "Virginia 1820 Federal Census: Names Not on the Microfilm Copy," The Virginia Genealogist 18, no 2 (April-June 1974):136-139.

The list is also available online at the Shenandoah County GenWeb Project.

1850 Mortality Schedule

• Almasy, Sandra L. Mortality Census 1850-1880: Isle of Wight, Nansemond & Southampton Counties, Virginia. Rome, New York: Kensington Glen Pub., 1988. Available at FHL.

1860 Mortality Schedule

• Almasy, Sandra L. Mortality Census 1850-1880: Isle of Wight, Nansemond & Southampton Counties, Virginia. Rome, New York: Kensington Glen Pub., 1988. Available at FHL.

1870 Agricultural Schedule

• Productions of Agriculture, Virginia, 1870. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. Available on microfilm at FHL. [Southampton County is included on FHL US/CAN Film 29742.]

1870 Mortality Schedule

• Almasy, Sandra L. Mortality Census 1850-1880: Isle of Wight, Nansemond & Southampton Counties, Virginia. Rome, New York: Kensington Glen Pub., 1988. Available at FHL.

1880 Mortality Schedule

• Almasy, Sandra L. Mortality Census 1850-1880: Isle of Wight, Nansemond & Southampton Counties, Virginia. Rome, New York: Kensington Glen Pub., 1988. Available at FHL.

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. Black Creek (1786). Original records online; Birth records (1759-1818) were published in the Southside Virginian, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Oct. 1982). FHL Book 975.5 D25s v. 1-2 (1982-1983); online at Internet Archive - free.. A register (dated 1776-1804) was published in Virginia Tidewater Genealogy, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Mar. 1976). FHL Film 1955382.
2. Meherrin (1788).
3. South Quay (1785).
4. Tucker's Swamp (1807).

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.

Southampton County fell within the bounds of the Portsmouth Association.

Church of England

See also Nottoway Parish
See also St. Luke's Parish

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

• Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1945. Available at FHL; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. [Includes Southampton County.]

Quaker

Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):

• Black Creek Monthly Meeting, Sedley, Va. (1691-1705)
• Corinth Monthly Meeting (begun 1880)
• Johnson's Monthly Meeting (1761-1845)
• Seacock Monthly Meeting (1788-1817)
• Vick's Monthly Meeting (1768-1825)

Friends from Southampton County, Virginia also attended the Blackwater Monthly Meeting in Surry County, Virginia.

• Bell, James Pinkney Pleasant. Our Quaker Friends of Ye Olden Time: Being in Part a Transcript of the Minute Books of Cedar Creek Meeting, Hanover County, and the South River Meeting, Campbell County, Va. Lynchburg, Va.: J.P. Bell Company, 1905. Available at FHL; digital version at Google Books (full-view). [Includes Quakers from Southampton County.]

Court

County Court Minute Books

The original Southampton County Court Minute Books are held at the County Courthouse in Courtland, Va. These records have been reproduced multiple times. The Virginia State Library (now Library of Virginia) microfilmed these records. They were also microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah (now FamilySearch) in 1949 and again in 1985.

The Southampton Project

In 2009 and 2010, in cooperation with Circuit Court Clerk, the Honorable Richard Francis, volunteers of the Brantley Association of America digitized the entire court book collection from 1749 through the early 1880s and recruited volunteers across the nation to index some 57,000 pages involving approximately one million names. It has been named "The Southampton Project" (SoH). All the images and indexes shown below, are fruits from the SoH project and have made been made available online, for free. See how it developed at www.brantleyassociation.com. Acquired files are outlined in the following table:

Records	Southampton Project Images	Southampton Project Indexes	LVA Reels	FHL Films	FHL Film Duplicates
General Index to Minute Books (Vols. 6-28)	.	.	.	2025566	.
Court Minute Book 1763-1765	.	.	467	.	.
Court Minute Book 1771-1772	.	.	90	.	.
Court Minute Book 1775-1778 Includes proceedings of Committee of Safety, 1775-1776	View	View	32	34025	.
Court Minute Book 2, 1776-1810	.	.	175	.	.
Court Minute Book 1786-1790	View	View	175, 32	34025	2025562
Court Minute Book 1790-1793	View	View	176	2025563	.
Court Minute Book 1793-1799	View	View	32, 176	34025	2025563
Court Minute Book 1799-1803	View	View	32, 176	34025	2025563
Court Minute Book 1804-1806	View	View	32	34025	.
Court Minute Book 1809-1813	View	View	32	34025	.
Court Minute Book 1809-1813 (Addendum)	View	View	32	34025	.
Court Minute Book 1813-1816	View	View	33	34026	.
Court Minute Book 1819-1824	View	View	33	34026	2025459
Court Minute Book 1824-1830	.	.	33	34026	2025460- 2025461
Court Minute Book 1830-1835	View	View	34	34027	.
Court Minute Book 1835-1842	View	View	34	34027	.
Court Minute Book 1842-1848	View	View	35	34028	.
Court Minute Book 1848-1855	View	View	35	34028	2025566
Court Minute Book 1855-1861	View	View	35	34029	.
Court Minute Book 1861-1870	View	View	36	.	.

County Court Order Books

The original Southampton County Court Order Books are held at the County Courthouse in Courtland, Va. These records have been reproduced multiple times. The Virginia State Library (now Library of Virginia) microfilmed these records. They were microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah (now FamilySearch) in 1949 and again in the mid-1980s.

The Southampton Project

In 2009 and 2010, in cooperation with Circuit Court Clerk, the Honorable Richard Francis, volunteers of the Brantley Association of America digitized the entire court book collection from 1749 through the early 1880s and recruited volunteers across the nation, to index some 57,000 pages, involving approximately one million names. The Court Order books were part of the collection. All the images and indexes shown below, are fruits from the SoH project and have made been made available online, for free. Acquired files are outlined in the following table:

Records	Southampton Project Images	Southampton Project Indexes	LVA Reels	FHL Films	FHL Film Duplicates
Court Order Book 1749-1754	View	View	25	34018	.
Court Order Book 1754-1759	View	View	25	34018	.
Court Order Book 1759-1763	View	View	26	34019	.
Court Order Book 1768-1772 (A&B)	A B	View	26	34019	.
Court Order Book 1772-1777 (A&B)	View	View	26	34019	2025455
Court Order Book 1778-1784	View	View	27	34020	2025456
Court Order Book 1784-1788	View	View	27	34020	2025455
Court Order Book 1802-1803	View	View	28	34021	2025456
Court Order Book 1803-1805	View	View	28	34021	2025457
Court Order Book 1805-1807	View	View	29	34022	.
Court Order Book 1807-1808	View	View	29	.	.
Court Order Book 1811-1812	View	View	29	34022	2025457
Court Order Book 1814-1816	View	View	29	34022	2025457
Court Order Book 1816-1819	View	View	29	34022	2025458
Court Order Book 1819-1822	View	View	30, 178	34023	2025458
Court Order Book 1822-1824	View	View	30, 179	34023	2025460
Court Order Book 1824	View	View	30, 178	34023	2025459
Court Order Book 1824-1830	View	View	179-180	.	.
Court Order Book 1835-1839	View	View	180, 30	34023	2025461
Court Order Book 1839-1843	View	View	180, 31, 83	34024	2025461- 2025462
Court Order Book 1843-1849	View	View	31, 181-182	34024	2025468- 2025469
Court Order Book 1870-1875	View	View	183	2025463	.
Court Order Book 1875-1881	View	View	184-185	2025466- 2025467	.
Court Order Book 1881-1885	.	.	183, 186	2025463- 2025464	.
Court Order Book 1885-1890	.	.	185, 181	2025467- 2025468	.
Court Order Book 1890-1896	.	.	186-187	2025464- 2025465	.
Court Order Book 1896-1904	.	.	187, 184	2025465- 2025466	.

Chancery Court

Records	Southampton Project Images	Southampton Project Indexes	LVA Reels	FHL Films	FHL Film Duplicates
Chancery Records 1832-1858	View	View	.	.	.
Chancery Records 1859-1882	View	View	.	.	.

Genealogy

More than 200 genealogies have been published about Southampton County families. To view a list, visit Southampton County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Immigration

Blackwater River

South Quay was a port during the colonial period. No official passenger lists survive for the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.

• 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

Deeds

The original Southampton County Deed Books are held at the County Courthouse in Courtland, Va. They have been reproduced multiple times. The Genealogical Society of Utah (now FamilySearch) microfilmed Deed Books 1-46 and Grantee/Grantor Indexes in 1949. The Virginia State Library (now Library of Virginia) has also collected microfilms of these records. In 2001, local expert John Anderson Brayton abstracted Deed Book 1 and annotated the records. 

The Southampton Project

In 2009 and 2010, in cooperation with Circuit Court Clerk, the Honorable Richard Francis, volunteers of the Brantley Association of America digitized all of the first 35 deed books through 1881. Volunteers indexed the entire collection. All the images and indexes shown below, are fruits from the Southampton Project (SoH) and have made been made available online, for free. See how it developed at www.brantleyassociation.com. Acquired files are outlined in the following table:

Deed Books	Southampton Project Images	Southampton Project Indexes	LVA Reels	FHL Films
Deed Book 1 1749 - 1753	View	View	1	34005
Deed Book 2 1753 - 1760	View	View	1	34005
Deed Book 3 1763 - 1767	View	View	1	34005
Deed Book 4 1767 - 1773	View	View	2	34006
Deed Book 5 1773 - 1775	View	View	2	34006
Deed Book 6 1775 - 1787	View	View	3	34007
Deed Book 7 1787 - 1793	View	View	3	34007
Deed Book 8 1793 - 1798	View	View	4	34008
Deed Book 9 1798 - 1802	View	View	4	34008
Deed Book 10 1802 - 1805	View	View	5	34009
Deed Book 11 1805 - 1809	View	View	5	34009
Deed Book 12 1809 - 1812	View	View	6	34010
Deed Book 13 1812 - 1814	View	View	6	34010
Deed Book 14 1814 - 1816	View	View	6	34010
Deed Book 15 1816 - 1818	View	View	7	34011
Deed Book 16 1818 - 1819	View	View	7	34011
Deed Book 17 1819 - 1820	View	View	7	34011
Deed Book 18 1821 - 1822	View	View	8	34012
Deed Book 19 1822 - 1826	View	View	8	34012
Deed Book 20 1826 - 1828	View	View	9	34013
Deed Book 21 1828 - 1831	View	View	9	34013
Deed Book 22 1831 - 1833	View	View	9	34013
Deed Book 23 1833 - 1836	View	View	10	34014
Deed Book 24 1836 - 1840	View	View	10	34014
Deed Book 25 1840 - 1843	View	View	11, 334	34015, 2025679
Deed Book 26 1843 - 1846	View	View	11	34015
Deed Book 27 1846 - 1850	View	View	12	34016
Deed Book 28 1850 - 1851	View	View	12	34016
Deed Book 29 1851 - 1860	View	View	13	34017
Deed Book 30 1860 - 1870	View	View	13	34017
Deed Book 31 1870 - 1874	View	View	334	2025679
Deed Book 32 1874 - 1877	View	View	335	2025680
Deed Book 33 1877 - 1879	View	View	336	2025681
Deed Book 34 1879 - 1880	View	View	337	2025682
Deed Book 35 1880 - 1881	View	View	338	2025683
Deed Book 36 1881-1883	.	.	339	2025684
Deed Book 37 1883-1884	.	.	340	2025685
Deed Book 38 1884-1886	.	.	341	2025686
Deed Book 39 1885-1887	.	.	342	2025687
Deed Book 40 1887-1889	.	.	343	2025688
Deed Book 41 1889-1891	.	.	344	2025689
Deed Book 42 1891-1893	.	.	345	2025690
Deed Book 43 1893-1896	.	.	346	2025691
Deed Book 44 1896-1897	.	.	347	2025692
Deed Book 45 1897-1899	.	.	348	2025693
Deed Book 46 1899-1901	.	.	349	2025694

• Brayton, John Anderson. Annotated Abstracts of Southampton County, VA, Deed Book 1, 1749-1753. Memphis, Tenn.: J.A. Brayton, 2001. Available at FHL.

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. 891 patents dated 1701-1836 in what is now Southampton 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.]

Procession Map Book

The Brantley Association of America digitized and indexed Southampton County Procession Map Book 1826-1836.

Local Histories

• Parramore, Thomas C. Southampton County, Virginia. Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1978. Available at FHL.

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

• Removals from delinquent list, 1797, Southside Virginian. Richmond VA: Oct 1982. Vol. 1 Iss. 1.

Early migration routes to and from Southampton County for European settlers included:

• Atlantic Ocean
• King's Highway about 1704
• Secondary Coast Road late 1730s

Military

French and Indian War

• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Southampton 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 Southampton County, see p. 100.]
• Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Southampton County militia officers; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War

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

- 4th Virginia Regiment

- 15th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:

• Proceedings of the Committees of Safety of Caroline and Southampton Counties, Virginia, 1774-1776. Richmond, Virginia: Division of Purchase and Printing, 1929. Available at FHL. Reproductions of the original records are also available for free online and on microfilm, see Court Records.
• 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, Southampton 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

Southampton County men served in the 86th 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, Southampton County, p. 104. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

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

- 3rd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Southampton Greys) and Company G (Rough and Ready Guards).

- 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12 months, 1861-62) (Mullins') (Confederate).

- 13th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12th Months, 1861-62) (Confederate). Company A (The Southampton Cavalry).

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

Native Americans

• Heinegg, Paul. "1808 Nottoway Indian Census," Free African Americans.com.

Naturalization

Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929

Newspapers

The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Southampton 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

• Livingston, Virginia Pope. "Southampton County, Virginia, Apprenticeship Indentures, 1827-1894," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1968):99-105. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

Private Papers

• Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007
• [Barrow] Barrow, David and James V. Clark. 1795 Diary of Reverend David Barrow: Pioneer Minister - Anti-slavery Spokesman - Founder of South Quay Baptist Church, Southampton, Va. 1776: Wilderness Travels from Virginia through North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Miami and Scioto Valleys in Northwest Territory from May to September, 1795: Index of Names, Places. Knightstown, Indiana: Bookmark, 1980. Available at FHL.
• [Edwards] Newspaper Clippings Found in the Prior Family Bible, in possession of Mrs. Edwin F. Prior, Apalachee, Ga.; available on microfilm at FHL.
• [Wade] Ray, Gloria E. Wade Family Bible Records. Original manuscripts, Smithfield Branch of the Isle of Wight Library, Smithfield, Va. Available on microfilm at FHL.

Probate Record

Wills

The original Will Books of Southampton County are held at the County Courthouse in Courtland, Va. They have been reproduced multiple times. Between 1947 and 1958, Blanche Adams Chapman published abstracts of the Will Books covering the years 1749 to 1800, which Ancestry subsequently utilized to create a digital book on their website. In 1949, the Genealogical Society of Utah (now FamilySearch) microfilmed the original Will Books 1-22 (1749-1916) and an Index (1749-1937). The Library of Virginia has also acquired microfilm copies.

The Southampton Project

In 2009 and 2010, in cooperation with Circuit Court Clerk, the Honorable Richard Francis, volunteers of the Brantley Association of America digitized the entire will book collection from 1749 through the early 1880s and recruited volunteers across the nation, to index some 57,000 pages involving approximately one million names. All the images and indexes shown below, are fruits from the SoH project and have made been made available online, for free. Acquired files are outlined in the following table:

Will Books	Southampton Project Images	Southampton Project Indexes	LVA Reels	FHL Films
Index to Wills 1749-1937	.	.	24	33994
Will Book 1 1747 - 1762	View	View	16	33995
Will Book 2 1762 - 1772	View	View	16	33995
Will Book 3 1772 - 1783	View	View	16	33995
Will Book 3 Guardianship	View	View	16	33995
Will Book 4 1783 - 1797	View	View	17	33996
Will Book 5 1797 - 1804	View	View	17, 477	33996
Will Book 6 1804 - 1810	View	View	18	33997
Will Book 7 1810 - 1815	View	View	18	33997
Will Book 7a	View	View	18	33997
Will Book 8 1815 - 1818	View	View	19	33998
Will Book 9 1812 - 1828	View	View	19	33998
Will Book 10 1825 -1832	View	View	19	33998
Will Book 11 1832 - 1837	View	View	20	33999
Will Book 11A 1833 - 1897	View	View	20	33999
Will Book 12 1837 - 1842	View	View	20	33999
Will Book 13 1842 - 1847	View	View	21	34000
Will Book 14 1847- 1852	View	View	21	34000
Will Book 15 1852 - 1857	View	View	22	34001
Will Book 16 1857 - 1860	View	View	22	34001
Will Book 17 1860 - 1863	View	View	23	34002
Will Book 18 1863 - 1867	View	View	23	34002
Will Book 19 1867-1874	View	View	378	2025575
Will Book 20 1874-1881	View	View	379	2025576
Will Book 21 1881-1898	.	.	380	2025577
Will Book 22 1899-1916	.	.	381	2025578

• Will Book No. 1, 1749-1762 (digital images online). See names of testators. Virginia Pioneers
• Will Book No. 2, 1762-1772 (digital images online).  See names of testators. Virginia Pioneers
• Will Book No. 3, 1772-1782 (digital images online). See names of testators. Virginia Pioneers

• Chapman, Blanche Adams. Wills and Administrations of Southampton County, Virginia, 1749-1800. 2 vols. 1947, 1958; reprint, Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980. Available at FHL; 1980 reprint at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Guardianships

Records	Southampton Project Images	Southampton Project Indexes	LVA Reels	FHL Films	FHL Film Duplicates
Guardianships 1751-1772	View	View	.	.	.
Guardianships 1798-1836	View	View	.	.	.
Guardianships 1776-1810	View	View	.	.	.
Guardianships 1848-1857	View	View	.	.	.

• Livingston, Virginia Pope. "Southampton County, Virginia, Guardians' Bonds," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1981):125-134; Vol. 25, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1981):171-178; Vol. 25, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1981):265-274; Vol. 26, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1982):13-20; Vol. 26, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1982):118-124; Vol. 26, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1982):177-182; Vol. 26, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1982):273-282. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [Loose court papers; often include additional information not found in the condensed Guardians' Account books.]

Online Probate Links

• 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
• 1749 - 1762 Images of Wills, Bk 1 Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1762 - 1772 Images of Wills, Bk 2 Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1772 - 1782 Images of Wills, Bk 3 Virginia Pioneers ($)

Taxation

Online Southampton County, Virginia Tax Lists
Type	Index			Images
	Free	FHC	Fee	Free	FHC	Fee
Tithes		-	1770	-	-	-
Tithes	1778	-	-	-	-	-
Personal Property	1782	-	-	1782	-	1782
Personal Property	1783	-	-	1783	-	1783
Personal Property	-	-	-	1784	-	1784
Personal Property	-	-	-	1785	-	1785
Personal Property	-	-	-	1786	-	1786
Land	1786	-	-	-	-	-
Personal Property	-	-	-	1787	-	1787
Personal Property	-	-	-	1788	-	1788
Personal Property	-	-	-	1789	-	1789
Personal Property	1790	-	-	1790, 1790	-	1790
Personal Property	-	-	-	1791	-	1791
Personal Property	-	-	-	1792	-	1792
Personal Property	-	-	-	1793	-	1793
Personal Property	-	-	-	1794	-	1794
Delinquents	1794	-	-	-	-	-
Personal Property	-	-	-	1795	-	1795
Personal Property	-	-	-	1796	-	1796
Personal Property	-	-	-	1797	-	1797
Personal Property	1798	-	1798	1798	-	1798
Personal Property	-	-	-	1799	-	1799
Personal Property	-	-	-	1800	-	1800
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1801-1850	1801-1806

How can Virginia tax lists help me?

Bibliography

The original personal property tax lists of Southampton County, Virginia are held at the Library of Virginia in Richmond, Va. FHL has microfilmed these records for the years 1782 to 1850. Several of these records are also available in print or online:

• [1752] Worrel, Stephen W., "Some Southampton County Tithables, 1752," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, v.50, #4
• [1770] Williams, Gary M. "Southampton County, Virginia, Tithables, 1770," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1978):243-246. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
• [1778] Tithable Persons, Parish of Nottoway, 1778, Southside Virginian. Richmond VA: Jul 1988. Vol. 6 Iss. 3. Available at FHL; online at Internet Archive - free.
• [1782-1806] Southampton County Personal Property Tax Lists 1782-1806 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
• [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. Online at FamilySearch - free; FHL. [1782 personal property tax list of Southampton County.]
• [1782] Land tax list, 1782, Magazine of Virginia Genealogy. Richmond VA: Feb 2003. Vol. 41 Iss. 1.
• [1783] - Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783; index online at Revolutionary War Service website - free.
• [1786] Land tax, 1786, of Nansemond co. residents, Southside Virginian. Richmond VA: Jan 1984. Vol. 2 Iss. 2. Available at FHL; online at Internet Archive - 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. Available at FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Southampton County is included in Vol. 2.]
• [1790, 1798] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1798 Personal Property Tax Lists of Southampton County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• [1782-1820] Heinegg, Paul. "Southampton County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1821," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
• [1794] Removals from delinquent list, 1794, Southside Virginian. Richmond VA: Oct 1982. Vol. 1 Iss. 1. Available at FHL; online at Internet Archive - free.
• [1800] Liles, Frankie. "1800 Personal Property Tax List, Southampton County," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. ?, No. 2 (May 2012):153-166.
• [1801-1826] Heinegg, Paul. "Southampton County Loose Papers (Tax List), 1801-1826," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks, mainly by the surname "Artis," but also the complete 1822 list for St. Luke's Parish.]
• [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. Southampton County is included in Vol. 2.]

Vital Records

Indexes to Southampton 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

The original Birth Register of Southampton County, covering the years 1853 to 1870, is held at the County Courthouse in Courtland, Va. The Library of Virginia has a microfilm copy. In 2009-2010, the Brantley Family Association of America, as part of their Southampton Project, digitally reproduced the Birth Register, created an index, and made the images and index available for free online, as seen here and outlined in the following table:

• 1853-1870 - Birth Register 1853-1870, Index, Images
• 1912-1913 - Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

Southampton County's original marriage bonds, licenses, and loose ministers' returns are held at the County Courthouse in Courtland, Va. They have been reproduced multiple times. Between 1929 and 1931, a "Register of Marriages," covering the years 1750 to 1853, was compiled as an "abstract of all original Southampton County marriage bonds and connecting papers borrowed by the Virginia State Library from Southampton County Court House," by the Virginia State Library (now Library of Virginia). This compilation was microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah (now Family Search) in 1947. The records were next abstracted by Joel Ricks in 1936, then by Blanche Adams Chapman and Catherine Lindsay Knorr in 1948, and by Catherine Lindsay Knorr in 1955. In 1965, Virginia Pope Livingston published abstracts of loose marriage records that were missed by the previously mentioned compilers. In 2009-2010, the Brantley Family Association of America, as part of their Southampton Project, digitally reproduced the compiled Marriage Register 1750-1853, as well as Marriage Books 1 to 6, indexed them, and made the images and indexes available for free online, as outlined in the following:

Published Abstracts

• 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
• 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
• 1750-1853 - Southampton County Marriage Index. Batch M868674 at FamilySearch - free.
• 1750-1800 - Chapman, Blanche Adams and Catherine Lindsay Knorr. Marriage Bonds of Southampton County, Virginia, 1750-1800. Richmond, Va.: B.A. Chapman & C.L. Knorr, 1948. Available on microfilm at FHL.
• 1750-1810 - Knorr, Catherine Lindsay. Marriage Bonds and Ministers' Returns of Southampton County, Virginia, 1750-1810. Pine Bluff, Ark.: C.L. Knorr, 1955. Available at FHL.
• 1759-1825, 1841 - Livingston, Virginia Pope. "Some Unrecorded Marriages of Southampton County, Virginia," [1759-1825, 1841] The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 9, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1965):168-170. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [Livingston states these miscellaneous marriage records were found in loose court papers and were not included in published abstracts of Southampton's marriages.]
• 1751-1853 - Ricks, Joel. Southampton County, Virginia, Marriage Bonds, 1751-1853. 1936. FHL.
• 1751-1810s - Crozier, William Armstrong. Early Virginia Marriages. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1953. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library - free. Includes Southampton County marriages 1751-1810s.
• 1872-1879 - Southampton County Marriage Index 1872-1879. Batch M868677 at FamilySearch - free.</ref>
• 1879-1886 - Southampton County Marriage Index 1879-1886. Batch M868678 at FamilySearch - free.</ref>
• 1893-1899 - Southampton County Marriage Index 1893-1899. Batch M868681 at FamilySearch - free.
• 1936-1988 - Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images

Reproductions of Original Records

• Index of Marriage Records 1750-1853, FHL Collection
• Compiled Marriage Records 1750-1853, Images, Index - Brantley Association
• Marriage Register 1853-1872, Images, Index - Brantley Association
• Marriage Book 1 1850-1861, Images, Index - Brantley Association
• Marriage Book 1A 1861-1872, Images, Index - Brantley Association
• Marriage Book 2 1872-1876, Images, Index - Brantley Association
• Marriage Book 3 1876-1879, Images, Index - Brantley Association
• Marriage Book 4 1879-1882, Images, Index - Brantley Association
• Marriage Book 5 1882-1886, Images, Index - Brantley Association
• Marriage Book 6 1886-1890, Images, Index - Brantley Association
• Marriage Book 7 1890-1893, FHL Collection
• Marriage Book 8 1893-1896, FHL Collection
• Marriage Book 9 1896-1899, FHL Collection

Divorce

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

Death

• Death Records 1853-1890, Images - Brantley Association

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

The original records of the second-half of the nineteenth century were microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah in 1949. The original records were also microfilmed by the Virginia State Library in 1975 and 1985. Copies of VSL microfilms are also available at the Family History Library.

Southampton County, Virginia Genealogy deaths are online in the Library of Virginia's Death Index of Virginia, 1853-1896, sponsored by The Virginia Genealogical Society.

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.

Voting Records

The Brantley Association of America digitized and indexed Voter Registration Book 1902.

Southampton 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

• Franklin Virginia Family History Center

Southampton County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

• USGenWeb Project: Southampton County, Virginia. Includes maps, name indexes, history and other information.
• FamilySearch Catalog: Southampton County, Virginia
• Southampton County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
• Southampton Project, The Brantley Family Association of America. Digitized images of original court, land, probate, and other miscellaneous record books, with indexes. Note that Southampton county records include a voluminous collection of loose papers in addition to the record books digitized by the Brantley Family Association, invaluable as the latter are. An idea of their scope and coverage may be found in the Library of Virginia microfilm list in "Research Guides" (above).
• Cyndi's List
• Virginia Pioneers ($)

Family History Library