Westmoreland County, Virginia Genealogical Records Information

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Westmoreland County History and Information

Westmoreland County Facts

Westmoreland County was named for the English county. It was formed from Northumberland County in 1653, and part of King George County was added in 1777. Its area is 229 square miles, and the county seat is Montross. The population is 16,718 according to the 2000 census. An order book for the period 1764-1776 was lost to theft, and many loose papers were damaged during both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. See Extended History for More information.

The Official County Website is located at http://www.westmoreland-county.org/cc_gov.htm . Cities, Towns and Communities include Colonial Beach and Montross

Microfilm available for Westmoreland County at The Library of Virginia
Westmoreland County, Virginia History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

Westmoreland County Court Records

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

PLEASE READ!! 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.

   Westmoreland County Clerk of the Circuit Court has Marriage Records from 1772 , Land Records from 1653 , Probate Records from 1653 and Court Records from 1653 and is located at the County Courthouse on P. O. Box 307, Montross, VA 22520-0307; 804/493-0108, Fax: 804/493-0393 . An order book for the period 1764-1776 was lost to theft, and many loose papers were damaged during both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
   The Clerk of the Circuit Court is a constitutional official that is elected by the voters of Westmoreland 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

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.

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

Westmoreland 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.
Virginia County Records: Westmoreland County, Volume I
Westmoreland County, Virginia Wills, 1654-1800

Westmoreland County Vital 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 Westmoreland County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Westmoreland County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

Westmoreland County, Virginia Tax Books at Amazon.com

Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Westmoreland County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society Library, Westmoreland County Museum, Courthouse Square, P.O. Box 716, Montross, VA 22520, (804) 493-8440
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

Westmoreland County Church & Cemeteries

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.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Westmoreland County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Westmoreland County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Virginia Old Churches, Vol. 1
Virginia Old Churches, Vol. 2
Virginia Early Quaker Records
The Virginia Baptist Historical Society
L. T. Christian Funeral Home Records Database - indexes the client files contained in the forty-one cubic feet of records covering the period 1912-1986.
J. Henry Brown Monuments Inc., Order Book - a searchable database indexing tombstone inscriptions covering the period 1899-1907. Many of the individuals listed were born before Virginia began keeping vital statistics in 1853.
Westmoreland County, Virginia Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Westmoreland County, Virginia Church Books at Amazon.com

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

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.

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 Westmoreland County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Westmoreland County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Westmoreland County ] [ Virginia ] [ Main Page ]
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Virginia Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
Westmoreland County, Virginia Family Books at Amazon.com

Extended History

The earliest human inhabitants of the regions were Paleo-Indians between 13,000 and 8,000 BC. A few of their characteristic projectile points used for hunting game have been found in the county's uplands. In later years oysters and other shellfish began to provide a dependable and easily gathered food source. Evidence of prehistoric oyster gatherers has been found along many of Westmoreland County's estuaries. By 1300 BC, the native people had settled into more permanent villages and were growing maize, harvesting shellfish and manufacturing pottery.

By the time English colonists arrived in the 1600's, the native Algonquians had a well-defined lifestyle and had established villages along the coves and streams of the mighty Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers.

In the years that followed, European settlers drove out these people. Today, the Rappahannocks are the only surviving Northern Neck natives. Artifacts of Westmoreland County's earliest inhabitants can be seen at the Westmoreland County Museum and the Kinsale Museum.

At the beginning of the Colonial era, Westmoreland was part of Northumberland County, which was created in 1648. Five years later Northumberland was divided and Westmoreland County as we know it today was established.

Westmoreland is best known for its host of Revolutionary leaders. In 1766 Richard Henry Lee of Stratford Hall wrote the Leedstown Resolutions. Considered the forerunner of the Declaration of Independence, the resolutions were the first organized resistance to British tyranny. 115 patriots protesting the Stamp Act signed the document at Leedstown. Among the signers were six Lees, five Washingtons and Spence Monroe, father of President James Monroe.

When war eventually did break out ten years later, Richard Henry Lee and his brother, Francis Lightfoot Lee, joined other patriots in signing the Declaration of Independence.

At that same time another Westmoreland native, George Washington, took command of the Continental Army and was later elected the nation's first president. George Washington's Birthplace is now a 538-acre national park located on Pope's Creek between Montross and Oak Grove.

Westmoreland's battles with the British did not end with the Revolutionary War. During the War of 1812, British forces disrupted shipping and raided villages throughout the Chesapeake Bay area. In 1813 British forces attacked the USS Asp near Kinsale. Her commander, Midshipman James Butler Signourney, was killed in the battle. Today, a replica of a cannon stands guard over his grave. It is one of the landmarks that can be seen on a walking tour offered by the Kinsale Museum.

Westmorelander James Monroe served as the fifth US President from 1817-25. Under his leadership, many key elements of America's foreign and domestic policy were drafted, including the Monroe Doctrine. His birthplace can be seen on Route 205 between Oak Grove and Colonial Beach.

When the War Between the States broke out, Westmoreland found itself on the dividing line between the North and the South. Robert E. Lee turned down command of the Union armies, refusing to "take part in an invasion" of his homeland. Instead he returned to Virginia to take command of the Confederate forces. More information about Lee can be found at Stratford Hall Plantation, his birthplace and childhood home. Following the Civil War, life in Westmoreland County returned to its fishing, farming and forestry traditions.

The first regularly scheduled steamboat stops in the county began in 1855 at Kinsale. By the late 19th century, there were numerous steamboat stops along both the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers.

In 1893 the Colonial Beach Improvement Company was formed to build a steamboat wharf and summer resort. Soon people from Washington DC and other nearby cities were flocking to the white sandy beach. A. Melville Bell, inventor Alexander Graham Bell's father, owned one of the most impressive homes in Colonial Beach.

Today, visitors are still drawn to the county for its history, its water and relaxed, rural lifestyle. To learn more about the history of Westmoreland County, contact or visit the Westmoreland County Museum.

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