Start your family tree. We'll start searching. It's FREE. - Enter a few simple facts about recent generations of your family. We'll use what you enter to try and find more about your family in the world's largest online collection of historical records and family trees.

Warren County History and Information

County History | Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records | Church & Cemetery |
Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites |
????? County Virginia Map

  Warren County was named for Joseph Warren, the revolutionary patriot who sent Paul Revere and William Dawes on their famous rides and who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The county was formed from Shenandoah and Frederick counties in 1836. Its area is 214 square miles, and the county seat is Front Royal. The population is 31,584 according to the 2000 census. See Extended History for More information.

The Official County Website is located at http://www.warrencountyva.net/ . Cities, Towns and Communities include Front Royal, Bentonville, Bethel, Browntown, Buckton, Cedarville, Howellsville, Karo, Limeton, Linden, Milldale, Nineveh, Overall, Reliance, Riverton, Rockland and Waterlick

Back to top

Click Here to Search Virginia Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records!
Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Warren County Court Records

See Also Virginia Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

Warren County Clerk of the Circuit Court has Marriage Records from 1836, Land Records from 1836, Probate Records from 1836 and Court Records from 1836 and is located at the County Courthouse on 1 East Main Street, Front Royal, VA 22630; 540/635-2435, Fax: 540/636-3274 .

Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court is a constitutional official that is elected by the voters of Warren County. The Clerk is charged with responsibilities that include judicial and non-judicial duties.

The Clerk provides administrative support for Circuit Court by preparing, recording, and maintaining court orders, subpoenas, and pleadings. The Clerk's Office also manages juries, disposal of evidence, collection of criminal fines and costs. Inquiries concerning the Court's procedures and policies and the records should be directed to the Clerk's Office, which serves as a repository for the Court's records.

Non-judicial duties include the authority to probate wills, grant administration of estates, appoint guardians, issue marriage licenses. The Clerk acts as the Register of Deeds by recording all deeds, deeds of trust, real estate liens, releases and powers of attorney.

The Clerk acts as the county archivist by maintaining records of the Court, real estate, probate and numerous other county records. Records management is an immense and critical responsibility of the Clerk's Office due to the volume and types of records.

There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include: Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850, Virginia County Records, Volume VI, Volume VII and Volume IX

Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Warren County Court Records by clicking the link below:

  • Warren County, Virginia Court Books at Amazon.com
  • Virginia Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
Back to top

Click Here to Search Virginia Birth, Marriage & Death Records!
Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Warren County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Virginia

  Vital Statistics include the official recordation of marriages, births, and deaths. Bible records, cemetery records, and church records are private sources that may supplement the official records.

A law requiring the systematic statewide recording of births and deaths was passed by the General Assembly on April 11 1853. Every commissioner of revenue registered births and deaths in his district annually and forwarded the information to the clerk of court, who then supplied the information to the state Auditor of Public Accounts. This law continued in effect until 1896. The Auditor turned the lists over to the Bureau of Vital Statistics in 1918 and the registers were later transferred to the state archives. The Library of Virginia has copies of surviving birth and death records for the period 1853 to 1896 and marriage records prior to 1936.

Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records is located at The Shops at Willow Lawn, 1601 Willow Lawn Drive, Suite 275, Richmond, VA 23220; Ph: (804) 662-6200. The mailing address is VDH, Office of Vital Records, and Health Statistics, P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, Virginia, 23218-1000. They have the following records:

  • Births and Deaths: 1853-1896 and June 1912 to present. Birth cards are no longer available. Only the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk and Richmond have records between 1896 and June 14, 1912.
  • Marriage Records: 1853 to the present. If the records are not available from the State office, they should be available from the Clerk of Court in county where the marriage license was issued.
  • Divorce Records: 1918 to the present. If the records are not available from the State office, they should be available from the Clerk of Court in county where the marriage license was issued.
  • Ordering Vital Records Online- You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.

Birth records are public information 100 years after the date of the event; death, marriage, and divorce records, 50 years after the event. Due to limited resources they are unable to conduct geneology searches. Contact the Library of Virginia for assistance at http://www.lva.lib.va.us/.

For all birth records, please allow 10 business days. All marriage records, death records, divorce records, non-automated birth records and documents requiring amendments, please allow a delivery time of 4 to 6 weeks. Marriage and divorce records are available at the Circuit Court in which the event took place. Recent death records are available at the local health department where the death certificate was filed. You can also Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering HERE

The fee to search for a birth, Marriage or Death certificate is $12.00, which includes one certified copy of the certificate or a "Certificate of Failure to Find." Make checks and money orders should be made payable to "State Health Department ". Please do not send cash. Credit Cards may be uses by using VitalChek services. Fees are non refundable. Additional fees are required for expedited service. Mail all Applications to:Vital Records, VDH, Office of Vital Records, and Health Statistics, P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, Virginia, 23218-1000 . You can download an application online for Birth, Death, Marriage or Divorce Certificates. You can also Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering HERE

There are a few online databases for Marriage Records which include: Virginia Marriages, 1740-1850, Virginia Marriages to 1800, Virginia Marriages before 1824 and Virginia Marriages, 1851-1929

Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Warren County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

Back to top

Click Here to Search Virginia Voter Lists & Census Records!
Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

Warren County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for Virginia

  Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Warren County, Virginia are 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Warren County, Virginia are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.

Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Warren County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • Warren County, Virginia Census Books at Amazon.com
Back to top

Warren County Maps & Atlases

 

Virginia Antique Maps & Atlases has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Virginia and other states.

You can view rotating animated maps for Virginia showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps

You can view rotating animated maps for Virginia showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps.

Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Maps. Email us with websites containing Warren County Maps by clicking the link below:

Back to top

Click Here to Search Virginia Military Records!
Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

Warren County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Virginia

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design. A list of Wars fought on American. Read more detailed information on Virginia Military Records and the various wars.

Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Warren County Military Records by clicking the link below:

Back to top

Warren County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Virginia's tax records are a rich—and largely untapped—resource. During the Colonial period, there were three basic forms of taxation: the quitrent, the parish levy, and the poll tax.

The quitrent was a land tax that had its roots in English manorial society where “the land obligations due the manor, such as plowing and haying the lord's land, were computed to an annual money payment. Upon payment, the obligations were `quit' for the year.” Those living south of the Rappahannock River paid a quitrent to the Crown. An original, incomplete list of land owners for the region in 1704 is in the Public Record Office in London and has been published several times, not always reliably.

Residents of the Northern Neck, between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers, paid quitrents to the agents of Lord Fairfax. Many original rent rolls of the Fairfax proprietary are housed at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Extant original rent rolls and facsimiles for Virginia are available at The Library of Virginia.

The parish levy was an annual tax paid by all tithables for support of their ministers, maintenance of the parishes' glebe lands (the parsonage and lands producing income for the parish), and support of the poor of the parish.

The poll tax, except for a brief period from 1645 to 1648, was the main source of revenue for the colony of Virginia. The annual poll tax was computed by dividing the total expenses of the colony and individual counties by the total number of tithables. The result was levied on each tithable.

Tithables were variously defined during the colonial period. The first definition, in 1624, was “every male head above sixteen years of age.” All agricultural workers were added in 1629. In 1643 all males and black females aged sixteen or over were tithables. Imported male servants of any age were added in 1649.

The definition of “tithable” was rewritten in 1658. Tithables included free males aged sixteen or over, imported blacks of either sex, imported white male servants, and Indian servants of either sex; white women employed in agriculture were added in 1662. Complaints from planters with increasing numbers of indentured servants and slaves led to a revision in 1680 that declared Virginia-born male slaves taxable at age twelve and imported male servants taxable at age fourteen; nonwhite women and free males remained taxable at age sixteen.

The laws of Virginia were revised in 1705. From then until 1782, all males and nonwhite females aged sixteen or over were tithables. Wives of free nonwhite males were added in 1723.

Virginia's tax system changed after the Revolutionary War to include taxing land and personal property in 1782, with further revision in 1787. The bulk of those tax lists prior to 1850 survive and are available on microfilm at The Library of Virginia.

Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Warren County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Warren County, Virginia Tax Books at Amazon.com
Back to top

Warren County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Virginia Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Warren County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Laura Virginia Hale Archives, Warren Heritage Society, 101 Chester Street, Front Royal, VA 22630, (703) 636-1446
  • Local Virginia Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
  • The Library of Virginia, 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000; 804-692-3500
  • Virginia Genealogical Society, 5001 West Broad Street, Suite 115, Richmond, Virginia 23230-3023; Telephone (804) 285-8954
    Please note that because of our close proximity to the Library of Virginia and the Virginia Historical Society, the Virginia Genealogical Society does not maintain a research facility or surname material.
  • Virginia Historical Society, 428 North Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia 23220, Phone: 804.358.4901
    Mail: P.O.Box 7311, 23221-0311;Hours: Monday-Saturday 10-5 / Sunday 1-5 (galleries only)
  • Virginia Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
  • Virginia Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
Back to top

Click Here to Search Virginia Obituary Records!
This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

Warren County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Virginia

There are many churches and cemeteries in Warren County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Warren County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Unlike New England, colonial Virginia left few early church records. The first Virginians were members of the Church of England, or Anglican church, which became the Episcopal Church in 1786. Early parish registers are incomplete and challenging to use. Parish boundaries changed rapidly and are hard to pinpoint.

Since colonial times, many religious groups have established congregations in Virginia, including Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Quaker or Friends, to name a few. Except for the Quakers, few of these groups kept records containing such genealogical information as birth, marriage, and death dates. A number of church vestry books and registers have been published and are available at The Library of Virginia and the FHL.

The list of published tombstone inscriptions for Virginia, if a comprehensive list existed, would be lengthy. The DAR has compiled an extensive collection of Virginia tombstone inscriptions. The collection, along with other cemetery record publications, can be found at the DAR Library in Washington, D.C., The Library of Virginia, the Virginia Historical Society, and the FHL.

Cemetery interment registers and gravestone inscriptions may often be sources of useful information for Virginia researchers. The state government does not have a long, uninterrupted, centralized file of birth and death records that are readily accessible to researchers. Wars, floods, and fires have destroyed the vital record of many of Virginia's counties. Oftentimes, information found in cemetery records and on gravestones cannot be found anywhere else. When looking for a specific cemetery in Virginia, you may wish to start with the following comprehensive resource.

Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Warren County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Back to top

Click Here to Search Virginia Family Tree Records!
The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Warren County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

Back to top

Extended History

 

The history of Warren County begins with the American Indians between 11,000 and 12,000 years ago.  The site of the oldest known permanent habitations in the eastern United States is located in the County along the South Fork of the Shenandoah River.  

White men first appeared in the Shenandoah Valley in the mid-1600's.  Warren County was first settled around 1730.  Many of the County's early settlers were Scots-Irish and English Quakers.
Warren County was situated at the intersection of land and water trade routes.  Supplies and manufactured goods came through the Blue Ridge Mountains through Chester and Manassas Gaps.  At the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Shenandoah River, much of the early agricultural produce of the Valley was loaded onto barges for shipment to the coastal ports.  The Town of Front Royal was eventually established at that river port in 1788.

Leadership and military manpower were the major resources supplied by Warren County and other Shenandoah Valley communities during the Revolutionary War.  Pig iron, grain, leather, flour meat, fruit vegetables, and lumber were other valuable resources furnished to the Colonial cause.
Warren County began to boom in the early 1800's.  The wars in Europe created a need for breadstuffs and brought a quick change from a tobacco-oriented economy to the raising of wheat.
The County was officially founded in 1836.  It was formed from parts of Frederick and Shenandoah Counties.  Front Royal has been the county seat from the beginning.  In 1840, Warren County had a population of 5,627, one-fourth of which were slaves.

The first railroad made its way into the Shenandoah Valley in 1854 by way of the Manassas Gap and Front Royal.

Warren County was of strategic importance during the Civil War because of its agricultural productivity, its transportation links with Winchester to the north, and its links with eastern Virginia by way of the roads through Chester and Manassas Gaps and the vital Manassas Gap Railroad.

The Battle of Front Royal, on May 23, 1862, was one of the Battles in General Stonewall Jackson's famous Valley Campaign.  In that battle, Confederate forces defeated 1,000 Union soldiers to capture a military supply depot, the Manassas Gap Railroad, and the strategic bridges over the two forks of the Shenandoah River at Riverton.

The Civil War destroyed most of the buildings in Warren County, but the soil could still be farmed and the County soon began to attract investors to develop local natural resources.  By the 1890's, the County had again erupted in a flurry of activity.  An enormous vineyard had been started near Front Royal, and iron, copper, and manganese were discovered within the County.  Lime works had been founded in Riverton in 1869.  Manufacturing also soon expanded, with sumac, tanning, and leather industries regaining the importance they had previously known.  Other industries included tinning and cigar production.  By 1900, Warren County's population had reached 8,837.

The two most important changes in Warren County during the 20th century have been the construction of two large manufacturing plants and the growth of tourism.

Back to top
Virginia Site Map | | Site Hosted by HostMonster.COM. | Copyright © 2009 Genealogy Inc,