Culpeper County, Virginia Genealogy

United States

Virginia

Culpeper County

Guide to Culpeper 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

Culpeper County, Virginia
Map
Location in the state of Virginia, United States Genealogy
Location of Virginia in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	1748
County Seat	Culpeper
Courthouse

County Information

Description

Culpeper County is located in the Northern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named after Thomas Culpeper, second baron Culpeper of Thoresway, a governor of Virginia 1677–1683.

Culpeper County Virginia Courthouse

Culpeper County Courthouse
101 South West Street
Culpeper, Virginia 22701
Phone: 540-727-3435

Clerk Circuit Court has birth records 1864-1896, 1912-1917, death records 1864-1896, marriage records from 1781, land and probate records from 1749, and court records from 1831. Town Clerks have burial records.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1864	1781	1864	1831	1749	1749	1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912. General compliance year is unknown.

Culpeper County Virginia History

The county was named after Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper (1635-1689), Colonial Governor of Virginia from 1677 to 1683. The family name was also spelled "Culpeper."

Parent County

1748 Culpeper County was created 23 March 1748 from Orange County.
County seat: Culpeper

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

• Culpepper

Record Loss

Culpeper was the site of several battles during the American Civil War, and many courthouse papers were damaged or pillaged. Missing records include minute books for 1749-1762, 1765-1797, 1812-1813, and 1817.

Bound volumes of deeds and wills since the county's formation still exist.

• Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 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.

Visit the Library of Virginia's website to determine exactly what records have been lost and their Lost Records Localities Database to find additional resources.

Culpeper 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
Culpeper
Unincorporated communities
Alanthus Boston Brandy Station Eggbornsville Elkwood	Jeffersonton Kellys Ford Lagrange Lignum Mitchells	Rapidan Reva Richardsville Rixeyville Stevensburg

Culpeper County Virginia Genealogy Resources

Getting Started

Compiled genealogies are a good place to start research for this area, see Culpeper County, Virginia Genealogy.

If you are researching families who lived in Culpeper County, Virginia between the 1760s and 1790s, the Sparacios' books are a great time saver. They comprehensively index several publications covering that period:

• Surname Index of Antient Press Publications. 1993. By Ruth Trickey Sparacio, and Sam Sparacio. 14+ vols. McLean, VA : R.S. Sparacio, Antient Press. FHL Collection 975.5 P22s v. 1-2; publisher's website: Antient Press.

A website with many online resources: Culpeper County, Virginia US GenWeb Project

African Americans

In 1790, Culpeper County had one of the largest enslaved populations in the state (8226 slaves).

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

}* Culpeper County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1802, 1803-1823. By Paul Heinegg. Free African Americans.

• Family Lore and Effects of Slavery on the Black Psyche: Rosa Grammar's Choice. By Ruth Randall. National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 97, No. 2 (June 2009):85-96. FHL 973 B2ng v. 97
• Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
• Some Pre-1871 Vital Statistics on Colored Persons of Culpeper County, Virginia. 1978. By Robert A. Hodge. Fredericksburg, Virginia : R.A. Hodge. FHL Collection
• Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized images of African Americans of Culpeper County.

Bible Records

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

• Virginia Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007.
• Copy of Some Family Bible Records Found in Culpepper County, Culpepper, Virginia. By Daughters of the American Revolution. Culpeper Minute Men Chapter (Culpepper, Virginia). MSS., 1945-1946, available at FHL. Family Bibles of: Daingerfield, Farish, Ellis B. Long, David Wright Kelly, R.T. Kelly, Richard Payne, Rust, Tutt, George Williams, and Wood.

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
• Culpeper County, Virginia, Will Books B and C, Court Suits, Loose Papers, Inscriptions. 1965. By Dorothy Ford Wulfeck. Naugatuck, CT : D.F. Wulfeck. Available at FHL. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1966):35-36. Review available at FHL; online at American Ancestors ($).
• Mitchells Presbyterian Church Graveyard. By Charles F. Speight. Richmond, Virginia : Virginia State Library. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  
  

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	22,105	—
1800	18,100	−18.1%
1810	18,967	4.8%
1820	20,944	10.4%
1830	24,027	14.7%
1840	11,393	−52.6%
1850	12,282	7.8%
1860	12,063	−1.8%
1870	12,227	1.4%
1880	13,408	9.7%
1890	13,233	−1.3%
1900	14,123	6.7%
1910	13,472	−4.6%
1920	13,292	−1.3%
1930	13,306	0.1%
1940	13,365	0.4%
1950	13,242	−0.9%
1960	15,088	13.9%
1970	18,218	20.7%
1980	22,620	24.2%
1990	27,791	22.9%
2000	34,262	23.3%
2010	46,689	36.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1890 Union Veterans

• Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. c1994. By Ronald Ray Turner. Online at: Prince William County Virginia, FHL Collection; At various libraries (WorldCat).

Church Records

• Early Churches of Culpeper County, Virginia: Colonial and Ante-bellum Congregations. 1987. By Arthur Dicken Thomas, Angus McDonald Green and Culpeper Historical Society. Culpeper, Virginia: Culpeper Historical Society. Available at FHL.

Scheel's map of Culpeper County, Virginia identifies the locations of early churches and meetinghouses circa 1776. The Family History Library has a copy: FHL Map 975.5392 E7s.

Baptist

Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

1. Battle Run (1773). Meeting minutes and membership lists (1827-1852) have been filmed: FHL Film 30928.
2. Bethel (1803)
3. Crooked Run (1772). The DAR prepared a history: FHL Film 849494 Item 9. A history was also published in Culpeper Connections, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Aug. 2005)
4. Culpeper (1771). Also known as The north water of Rapidanne.
5. F.T. (1778)
6. Fiery Run (1771)
7. Goose Creek (1799)
8. Gourdvine (1791)
9. Hedgeman's River (1791)
10. Jeffersonton (1773). A history has been published: Culpeper Connections, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Aug. 2005).
11. Mill Creek (1772)
12. Mountponey aka Mount Poney (1774). A history was published in 1973: Virginia Baptist Register.
13. Thompson's Gap (1787)

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.

Culpeper County fell mainly within the bounds of the Culpeper Association. Hedgeman's River belonged to the Ketocton Association.

• Finnell, Woolsey. Reverend Daniel Brown of Culpepper County, Virginia and Allied Families, Webster, Finnell, McCain, Pemberton. [Tuscaloosa?] Ala.: W. Finnell, 1954. Available at FHL. [Baptist preacher.]

Church of England

See also Bromfield Parish
See also St. Mark's Parish
See also St. Thomas Parish

• A History of St. Mark's Parish : Culpeper County, Virginia, with Notes of Old Churches and Old Families, and Illustrations of the Manners and Customs of the Olden Time. 1877. By Philip Slaughter. Baltimore, MD : Innes & Co. Printers. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Lutheran

Hebron Church was the first German church in Virginia.

• "Hebron" Baptismal Register of the German Lutheran Church in Culpeper/Madison Counties, Virginia 1750 to 1849: Transcribed, Translated and Indexed from the Church Records with a Commentary on the Relationships of the Sponsors to the Parents. 2004. By John Blankenbaker. Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania : J. Blankenbaker. Available at FHL.

Quaker

Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):

• Southland Monthly Meeting, near Stevensburg, Va. (1772-1805) aka Mount Pony

Court

• Abstracts from the County Court Minute Book of Culpeper County, Virginia, 1763-1764. 1930. By A.M. Prichard. Dayton, Virginia : Joseph K. Ruebush Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Chancery Court

The county's chancery causes from 1829 to 1913 — 164,000 images in all — are now available to view online at the Library of Virginia web site, one of 36 counties with chancery court records on-line as part of the Virginia Memory Collection.

• Culpeper County, Virginia, Will Books B and C, Court Suits, Loose Papers, Inscriptions. 1965. By Dorothy Ford Wulfeck. Naugatuck, CT : D.F. Wulfeck. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1966):35-36. Review available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

District Court of Fredericksburg

The District Court of Fredericksburg and later the Superior Court of Chancery had jurisdiction over certain Culpeper 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.]

Loose Papers

• Culpeper County, Virginia, Will Books B and C, Court Suits, Loose Papers, Inscriptions. 1965. By Dorothy Ford Wulfeck. Naugatuck, CT : D.F. Wulfeck. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1966):35-36. Review available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

Superior Court of Chancery

See District Court of Fredericksburg

Funeral Homes

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

Genealogy

Compiled Genealogies by Surname

• See Culpeper County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of 250+ published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Compiled Genealogies for multiple Families

• Harper of Virginia. 1919. Genealogy : A Monthly Magazine of American Ancestry. Hackensack, NJ : William M. Clemens Publisher. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

• Holtzclaw, B.C. Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia, 1714-1750. Germanna Record No. 5. Harrisonburg, Va.: The Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, 1964. Includes Back, Brumback, Coons, Crim, Fishback, Haeger, Hanback, Hitt, Holtzclaw, Kemper, Martin, Miller, Nay, Rector, Spilman, Utterback, Wayman, Weaver, Young, Whitescarver, and Huffman (2) families.

Immigration

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

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 6 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Culpeper County.

Land and Property

Grants and Patents

• Virginia Land Office Patents and Grants/Northern Neck Grants and Surveys – Images for land patents issued prior to 1779, Land Office grants issued by the Virginia Land Office after 1779, Northern Neck grants from 1692-1862, and recorded Northern Neck surveys (1786-1874) are available online at the Library of Virginia.
• Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1742-1775. Vol. II. c1987. By Gertrude E. Gray. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co. Available at FHL, online at: Ancestry ($).
• Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1775-1800. Vol. III. c1987. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co. Available at FHL, online at: Ancestry ($).

Local Histories

• A History of St. Mark's Parish: Culpeper County, Virginia, with Notes of Old Churches and Old Families, and Illustrations of the Manners and Customs of the Olden Time. 1877. By Philip Slaughter. Baltimore, MD : Innes & Co., Printers. Available at FHL. Digital versions available at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).
• An 18th Century Perspective, Culpeper County. 1976. By Mary Stevens Jones. Culpeper, Virginia: Culpeper Historical Society. Available at FHL.
• Culpeper and Orange County, Va., Families. By George W. Glass. n.p. : n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Genealogical and Historical Notes on Culpeper County, Virginia. Embracing a Revised and Enlarged Edition of Dr. Philip Slaughter's History of St. Mark's Parish. 1900. By Raleigh Travers Green. Culpeper, VA : Regional Publishing Company. Digital versions at Archive.org;($); Google Books (full-view); and World Vital Records ($). 1964 reprint available at FHL; 1958 reprint reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1959):137-138. Reprint available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
• Historical Collections of Virginia : Containing a Collection of the Most Interesting Facts, Tradition, Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes, etc. relating to its History and Antiquities, Together with Geographical and Statistical Description, to which is Appended an Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the District of Columbia. 1845. By Henry Howe. Charleston, South Carolina : Babcock & Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Culpeper, a Virginia County's History Through 1920. 1982. By Eugene M. Scheel. Culpeper, VA : Culpeper Historical Society. Available at FHL. Features include "old roads, mills, stores, plantations, churches, ruins, cemeteries, battles, historic sites, early stream names and boundaries."]
• Online interactive map with historical quad outlines and topography: OnlineGIS.

Migration

• Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790. By Robert Y. Clay. The Virginia Genealogist. Vol. 20, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1976):29-34. Online at: FHL, American Ancestors ($). These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Culpeper County's 1788-1789 Delinquent Lists appear on p. 29-31.

Military

French and Indian War

• Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. By William F. Boogher. 2007. Baltimore : Genealogical Pub. Co. Online at: Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat). 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 Culpeper County, see pp. 70, 74, 108.
• Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. By William Armstrong Crozier. 1954. Baltimore : Southern Book Co. Online at: Internet Archive, Hathitrust, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat). Identifies some Culpeper County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.
• Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. By Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck. 1988. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 M2bL. Identifies some Culpeper County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.

Dunmore's War

• Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Culpeper and Fincastle Payrolls and Public Service Claims, 1775: Also Known as Dunmore's War: Enlarged and Photocopied. Fort Wayne, Indiana: Allen County Public Library, 2004. Available at FHL.

Revolutionary War

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

- 3rd Virginia Regiment

- 8th Virginia Regiment

- 10th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. Washington : Blair and Rives. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).

See Virginia, Eastern District, Culpeper County on page 129.

• A List of Classes in Culpeper County for January 1781 for Recruiting the States Quota of Troops to Serve in the Continental Army. 1936.By Jeannette Godby. n.p. : n.p. FHL Collection
• A List of Classes in Culpeper County for January 1781, for Recruiting This Year's Quota of Troops to Serve in the Continental Army. 1971. By Tennie Selby Burk. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• List of Militia Classes and Index for Culpeper County, Virginia, for 1781. Richmond, Virginia : Library of Virginia. FHL Collection
• Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. 1852. Washington, D.C. : Clearfield. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Collection with index and images at Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat). Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.
• The Culpeper Classes. 1999. By John Blankenbaker. Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania : J. Blankenbaker. FHL Collection. In 1780 and 1781 the Virginia Legislature passed an act requiring the counties to supply a specific number of men for the Continental Army. These men would be divided into classes or divisions within the militia, each under an officer. Culpeper County had 106 classes with a total of 3,000 men. This is a unique source for Culpeper County that does not survive for other Virginia counties.
• Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War: McAllister's Data. By J. T. McAllister. c1913. Hot Springs, Virginia : McAllister Pub. Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).
• Your Affectionate Cousin: The Rosses of Culpeper County, Virginia, and San Jacinto County, Texas. 1994. By Edward Ross. Houston, Texas : Thornhouse Press. FHL Collection. This is the story of the descendants of Daniel Ross -- a veteran on the British side of the American Revolution -- through two of his sons, William (in Virginia) and Wesley (in Texas).

War of 1812

Culpeper County men served in the 5th and 34th Regiments.

• 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... 1883. Washington, D.C : Government Printing Office. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Culpeper County, p. 68.

Civil War

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

- 1st Regiment, Virginia Light Artillery (Pendleton's) (Confederate). Company C (Newtown Artillery)

- 4th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate)

- 7th Battalion, Virginia Infantry, Local Defense (1st Nitre Battalion) (Confederate). Company C (Hazelwood Volunteers) and Company E (Hazelwood Volunteers).

- 11th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate).

- 13th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B (The Culpeper Minute Men) and Company E (The Culpeper Riflemen).

Records and histories are available, including:

• 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War, Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865
• 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War, Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865
• 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)
• Battles in Culpeper County, Virginia, 1861-1865: And Other Articles. 1900. By Daniel A. Grimsley. Culpeper, VA : Raleigh Travers Green. Online at: Google Books, FHL Collection.
• Confederate History of Culpeper County : Culpeper County in the War Between the States, Together with a Complete Roster of the Confederate Soldiers from this County. 1958. By Berkeley G. Calfee. Berryville, Virginia : Chesapeake Book Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Civil War Battles

The following Civil War battles were fought in Culpeper County.

• August 9, 1862 Cedar Mountain, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run
• August 22-25, 1862 Rappahannock Station I, also known as Waterloo Bridge, White Sulphur Springs, Lee Springs or Freeman’s Ford
• March 17, 1863 Kelly's Ford, also known as Kellysville
• June 9, 1863 Brandy Station, also known as Fleetwood Hill
• November 7, 1863 Rappahannock Station II
• February 6-7, 1864 Morton's Ford, also known as Rapidan River

• Maps of Civil War battles in Virginia: 1861 and 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 Culpeper 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 advertisements for runaway 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.

The book An Index for Bell and Howell Microfilm Miscellaneous Titles and Dates, Culpeper, Va. Fredericksburg, Virginia: R.A. Hodge, 198-? is available on microfiche at through the FHL. The book indexes the Culpeper Observer, the Culpeper Times, the Piedmont Advance, and the Culpeper Enterprise from June 24, 1859 through September 21, 1899, and The Exponent, the Culpeper Times, and the Culpeper Exponent from June 9, 1882 through February 8, 1889.]

Private Papers

Collection of Papers from Culpeper Co., VA: Dealing with the Payne, Tull, Stewart, Ficklin and Related Families, 1848-1859. Available at FHL.

Probate Records

A free index to Culpeper County, Virginia Genealogy wills and administrations (1749-1800) is available at the Library of Virginia.

Wills

• 1749-1770; 1770-1783 Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories etc. Virginia Pioneers ($)
• Culpeper County, Virginia Will Abstracts. By George W. Glass. n.p. : n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Culpeper County, Virginia: Will Book A, 1749 - 1770. 1956. By John Frederick Dorman. Washington, District of Columbia : J.F. Dorman. Available at FHL; digital verstion at World Vital Records ($).
• Culpeper County, Virginia, Will Books B and C, Court Suits, Loose Papers, Inscriptions. 1965. By Dorothy Ford Wulfeck. Naugatuck, CT : D.F. Wulfeck. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1966):35-36. Review available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
• Digital Images of Culpeper County Wills 1749-1770. See names of testators. Virginia Pioneers ($)
• The Will of Robert Green of Culpeper County, Va. 1895. By Susanna Thornton Green and James W. Green. Reprint with supplements, 1957. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1958):91-92. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1639-1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 Ancestry ($)
• 1749-1770; 1770-1783 Images of Wills Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1826-1845; 1845-1852 Images of Wills Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1845-1852 Indexes to Wills and Inventories Virginia Pioneers ($)

Research Guides

• A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Culpeper County. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1964):63-66. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

Taxation

How can Virginia tax lists help me? 

• 1782-1791 Tax Digests Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1782-1802 Culpeper County Personal Property Tax Lists 1782-1802 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
• 1782-1823 Culpeper County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1802, 1803-1823. By Paul Heinegg. Online at:Free African Americans.
• 1783 Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783. Online at: Revolutionary War Service.
• 1783 Property Tax List of Culpeper County, Virginia: And Names of Slaves, 1783. 1936. By Mary Boldridge Norris. Raleigh, NC : n.p. Online at: Ancestry ($); [ https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/468259-property-tax-list-of-culpeper-county-virginia-and-names-of-slaves-1783?offset=1 FamilySearch Digital Library].
• 1783 Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940. By Augusta B. Fothergill and John Mark Naugle. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, FHL 975.5 R4f 1978. 1783 personal property tax list of Culpeper County.
• 1787 The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. By Netti Schreiner-Yantis and Florene Speakman Love. c1987. Springfield, Virginia : Genealogical Books in Print. At various libraries (WorldCat). Culpeper County is included in Vol. 1.
• 1788-1789 Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790. By Robert Y. Clay. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1975):190-194. FHL 975.5 B2vg; CD available at: New England Ancestors ($). These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Culpeper County's 1788-1789 Delinquent Lists appear on p. 29-31.
• 1791 Indexed images of the 1791 Personal Property Tax List of Culpeper County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• 1800 Culpeper County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1972):185-190; Vol. 16, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1972):277-280; Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1973):29-32; Vol. 17, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1973):93-100. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
• 1801 Images of the 1801 Personal Property Tax List of Culpeper County, Virginia Binns Genealogy.
• 1815 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). By Roger D. Ward. c1997. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co. FHL 975 E4w. At various libraries (WorldCat). Culpeper County is included in Vol. 4.

Vital Records

Indexes to Culpeper 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
• 1864-1917 Culpeper County Birth Index 1864-1917. Batch C868611 at FamilySearch.
• 1912-1913 Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 at FamilySearch

Marriage

• 1660-1800 Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 Ancestry ($).
• 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
• 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 Ancestry ($).
• 1751-1754 Some Culpeper County Marriages. By George H.S. King. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1961):176. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($). Identifies marriage license fees some men paid in 1751 and 1754. These entries were found in the Chancery Suit Clayton v. Gray, File #49, Fredericksburg District Court.
• 1781-1853 Culpeper County Marriage Index 1781-1853. Batch M868744 at FamilySearch.
• 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
• 1936-1988 Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch - index and images
• Culpeper County, Virginia marriage bonds, 1780-1850. 1939. By Joel Ricks. Salt Lake City, UT : Genealogical Society of UT. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Marriages of Culpeper County, Virginia, 1781-1815. c1954. By Katherine Lindsay Knorr. Pine Bluff, Arkansas : C.L. Knorr. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Divorce

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

Death

• 1864-1896 Culpeper County Death Index 1864-1896. Batch B868611 at FamilySearch.
• 1912-1987 Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — index and images

Beth Fridley has published abstracts of Culpeper County death records online at Ancestry:

• Culpeper County, Virginia Deaths, 1854-1879 Online at: Ancestry ($).
• Culpeper County, Virginia Deaths, 1880-96 Online at: Ancestry ($).

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.

Culpeper County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

• Culpeper Genealogical Society
• Central Virginia Genealogical Association
• Culpeper Minute Men Chapter SAR  11201 Springfield Fredericksburg, Virginia22408 540-710-6764
• Culpeper Town and County Library; Main & Mason Streets; Culpeper, Virginia 22701

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

• Culpeper Virginia Family History Center

Culpeper County Virginia Genealogy Websites

• Culpeper County, Virginia USGENWEB
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Culpeper County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
• Cyndi's List
• Virginia Pioneers ($)

Culpeper County Virginia Genealogy References

Family History Library

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.