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This project is an umbrella project for all of the local jurisdictions within
the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The Commonwealth of Virginia was initially composed of only four shires. Each shire, and later each county was composed of one or more parishes because the Commonwealth was originally officially Anglican and tithes were collected via the central church of the parish. The original shires of the Commonwealth covered vast areas. Indeed, for a brief period of time Governor Spotswood's grant from King George III was actually for all lands from the Atlantic coast west to the Sierra Madres. Until Spotswood's famous Knights of The Golden Horseshoe went to survey his lands - it was believed that the Blue Ridge mountains were the other side of the Sierra Madres. Spotswood was under the impression that he would have issues with Spanish missionaries on his western boarder and King George III had intentionally worded the grant to irritate the Pope. A hundred cities and counties were divided from the original shires, as well as entire territories and states. In dealing with records from certain time periods, it can be confusing because a location for a birth for instance, might now be located in an entirely different modern jurisdiction. In most cases the parent jurisdiction retained the records - wills, deeds, court order books, etc - simply because they were all mixed together in the physical volume. The Commonwealth of Virginia is different from many other places, in that cities are independent from the counties in which they may be geographically contained. Towns can be incorporated separately, but are always part of the county in which they are physically located. In some cases, this means that a town which provides public utilities, such as sewer or water, may impose a local tax, in addition to the property taxes imposed by the county in which it is incorporated. Likewise, many towns have their own police force that is separate from the county. Certain highways in Virginia provide the wonderful possibility that you can actually receive a speeding citation from either a State Trooper, County Deputy, or town Policeman - or potentially all three simultaneously since the offence may have occurred in three separate jurisdictions concurrently and the citation provides a revenue stream for three separate layers of government. The local courthouse for a county will have the records for the county as a whole, as well as the towns within it. Cities have their own records at their courthouses. The only exceptions to this are situations where jurisdictions change over time. Towns with populations over 10,000 become cities, or - in some cases if the population declines - can revert back to towns or in one case, James City County - back to a county. On rare occasions, a city may annex portions of land from a surrounding county, thus changing lines of jurisdictions again to include citizens that may have lived for generations in the surrounding county. Additional confusion results from the counties which formed West Virginia and remained part of the United States when the rest of Virginia succeeded and joined the Confederacy during the unpleasant period of the Late War of Northern Aggression.

People who lived during the period of time when these changes in jurisdiction occurred may have actually been born, raised and died in the same exact household, only the historic records can reasonably refer to three different counties for their birth, marriage, and death locations and be entirely accurate. The people may have lived and died in the same place, the jurisdictions changed around them.

It is not necessary to add profiles to this project. Please add the profile to the appropriate locality associated with this project.

Counties

Over the past four centuries, Counties have come into existence, become extinct, and been formed from other counties. Because these boundaries change over time, it is useful to have the following list that shows how and when the counties were formed.

1. Accomack Original Shire formed in 1634 (County Seat: Accomac)
2. Albemarle formed from Goochland in 1744 (County Seat: )
3. Alleghany formed from Bath, Botetourt, Monroe, WV in 1822 (County Seat: )
4. Amelia formed from Prince George and Brunswick in 1735 (County Seat: )
5. Amherst formed from Albemarle in 1761 (County Seat: )
6. Appomattox from Buckingham, Prince Edward, Charlotte, Campbell in1845 (County Seat: )
7. Arlington County formed from Fairfax in 1847 (County Seat: )
8. Augusta formed from Orange in 1745 (County Seat: )
9. Bath formed from Augusta, Botetourt, Greenbrier, WV in 1791 (County Seat: )
10. Bedford formed from Lunenburg, Albemarle in 1754 (County Seat: )
11. Bland formed from Giles, Wythe, Tazewell in 1861 (County Seat: )
12. Botetourt formed from Augusta, Rockbridge in1770 (County Seat: )
13. Brunswick formed from Prince George, Surry, Isle Of Wight in 1732 (County Seat: )
14. Buchanan formed from Tazewell, Russell in 1858 (County Seat: )
15. Buckingham formed in 1761 from the southeastern portion of Albemarle County (County Seat: )
16. Campbell formed from Bedford in 1782 (County Seat: )
17. Caroline formed from Essex, King and Queen, King William in 1728 (County Seat: )
18. Carroll formed from Grayson in 1842 (County Seat: )
19. Charles City County Original Shire established in 1634 (County Seat: )
20. Charlotte formed from Lunenburg in 1765 (County Seat: )
21. Chesterfield formed from Henrico in 1749 (County Seat: )
22. Clarke formed from Frederick in 1836 (County Seat: )
23. Craig formed from Botetourt, Giles, Roanoke, Monroe WV in 1851 (County Seat: )
24. Culpeper formed from Orange in 1749 (County Seat: )
25. Cumberland formed from Goochland in 1749 (County Seat: )
26. Dickenson formed from Russell, Wise, Buchanan in 1880 (County Seat: )
27. Dinwiddie formed from Prince George in 1752 (County Seat: )
28. Essex formed from Rappahannock (old) in 1692 (County Seat: )
29. Fairfax formed from Prince William in 1742 (County Seat: )
30. Fauquier formed from Prince William in 1759 (County Seat: )
31. Floyd formed from Montgomery in 1831 (County Seat: )
32. Fluvanna formed from Albemarle in 1777 (County Seat: )
33. Franklin formed from Bedford, Henry in 1786 (County Seat: )
34. Frederick formed from Orange in 1743 (County Seat: )
35. Giles formed from Montgomery, Tazewell, Monroe (WV) in 1806 (County Seat: )
36. Gloucester formed from York in 1651 (County Seat: )
37. Goochland formed from Henrico in 1728 (County Seat: )
38. Grayson formed from Wythe in 1793 (County Seat: )
39. Greene formed from Orange in 1838 (County Seat: )
40. Greensville formed from Brunswick in 1781 (County Seat: )
41. Halifax formed from Lunenburg in 1752 (County Seat: )
42. Hanover formed from New Kent in 1721 (County Seat: )
43. Henrico Original Shire established in 1634 (County Seat: )
44. Henry formed from Pittsylvania in 1777 (County Seat: )
45. Highland formed from Bath, Pendleton WV in 1847 (County Seat: )
46. Isle Of Wight Original Shire - Warronsquyoake - established in 1634 (County Seat: )
47. James City Original Shire established in 1634 (County Seat: )
48. King And Queen formed from New Kent in 1691 (County Seat: )
49. King George formed from Richmond in 1721 (County Seat: )
50. King William formed from King And Queen in 1702 (County Seat: )
51. Lancaster formed from Northumberland, York in 1651 (County Seat: )
52. Lee formed from Russell in 1793 (County Seat: )
53. Loudon formed from Fairfax in 1757 (County Seat: )
54. Louisa formed from Hanover in 1742 (County Seat: )
55. Lunenburg formed from Brunswick in 1746 (County Seat: )
56. Down To: (Madison) from Culpeper in 1793 (County Seat: )
57. Mathews formed from Glouchester in 1791 (County Seat: )
58. Mechlenburg formed from Lunenburg in 1765 (County Seat: )
59. Middlesex formed from Lancaster in 1673 (County Seat: )
60. Montgomery formed from Fincastle (extinct) in 1777 (County Seat: )
61. Nasemond formed from Upper Norfolk (extinct) in 1642 (County Seat: )
62. Nelson formed from Amherst in 1808 (County Seat: )
63. New Kent formed from York in 1654 (County Seat: )
64. Norfolk formed from Lower Norfolk (extinct) in 1642 (County Seat: )
65. Northampton formed from Accawsaok (extinct) in 1642 (County Seat: )
66. Northumberland formed from Indian district Chickacoan in 1648 (County Seat: )
67. Nottoway formed from Amelia in 1789 (County Seat: )
68. Orange formed from Spotsylvania in 1734 (County Seat: )
69. Page formed from Rockingham, Shenandoah in 1831 (County Seat: )
70. Patrick formed from Henry in 1791 (County Seat: )
71. Pittsylvania formed from Halifax in 1767 (County Seat: )
72. Powhatan formed from Cumberland in 1777 (County Seat: )
73. Prince Edward formed from Amelia in 1754 (County Seat: )
74. Prince George formed from Charles City in 1703 (County Seat: )
75. Prince William formed from Stafford, King George in 1731 (County Seat: )
76. Princess Anne formed from Lower Norfolk (extinct) in 1691 (County Seat: )
77. Pulaski formed from Montgomery, Wythe in 1839 (County Seat: )
78. Rappahannock formed from Culpeper in 1833 (County Seat: )
79. Richmond formed from Rappahanock (old) in 1692 (County Seat: )
80. Roanoke formed from Botetourt in 1838 (County Seat: )
81. Rockbridge formed from Augusta, Botetourt in 1778 (County Seat: )
82. Rockingham formed from Augusta in 1778 (County Seat: )
83. Russell formed from Washington in 1786 (County Seat: )
84. Scott formed from Lee, Russell, Washington in 1814 (County Seat: )
85. Shenandoah formed from Frederick which was originally named Dunmore in 1772 (County Seat: )
86. Smyth formed from Washington, Wythe in 1832 (County Seat: )
87. Southhampton formed from Isle Of Wight in1749 (County Seat: )
88. Spotsylvania formed from Essex, King William, King And Queen in 1721 (County Seat: )
89. Stafford formed from Westmorland in 1664 (County Seat: )
90. Surry formed from James City in 1652 (County Seat: )
91. Sussex formed from Surry in 1754 (County Seat: )
92. Tazewell formed from Wythe, Russell in 1800 (County Seat: )
93. Warren fromed from Shenandoah, Frederick in1836 (County Seat: )
94. Washington formed from now extinct Fincastle in 1777 (County Seat: Abingdon )
95. Westmorland formed from Northumberland in 1653 (County Seat: Montross )
96. Wise formed from Lee, Scott, Russell in 1856 (County Seat: Wise )
97. Wythe formed from Montgomery in 1790 (County Seat: Wytheville )
98. York Original Shire named Charles River formed in 1634 (County Seat: Yorktown)

Independent Cities

1. City of Alexandria From Alexandria County before 1870
2. City of Bristol From Washington County in 1890
3. City of Buena Vista From Rockbridge County in 1892
4. City of Charlottesville From Albemarle County in 1888
5. City of Chesapeake Formed out of consolidation of Norfolk County (extinct) and City of South Norfolk (extinct)
6. City of Colonial Heights From Chesterfield County
7. City of Covington From Alleghany County
8. City of Danville From Pittsylvania County before 1870
9. City of Emporia From Greensville County
10. City of Falls Church From Fairfax County
11. City of Fairfax From Fairfax County
12. City Of Franklin
13. City Of Fredericksburg From Spotsylvania County before 1870
14. City of Galax From Grayson County and Carroll County
15. City of Hampton Founded 1610. Current city formed by consolidation of Elizabeth City County and City of Hampton in 1952
16. City of Harrisonburg From Rockingham County in 1916
17. City of Hopewell From Prince George County in 1916
18. City of Lexington From Rockbridge County
19. City of Lynchburg From Campbell County before 1870
20. City of Manassas From Prince William County
21. City of Manassas Park From Prince William County
22. City of Martinsville From Henry County
23. City of Newport News From Warwick County in 1896
24. City of Norfolk Founded 1682. Incorporated as City in 1845 from Lower Norfolk County (extinct)
25. City of Norton From Wise County
26. City of Petersburg From Prince George County before 1870
27. City of Poquoson From York County
28. City of Portsmouth Founded 1752. Incorporated as City in 1858 from Norfolk County (extinct)
29. City of Radford From Montgomery County in 1892
30. City of Richmond From Henrico County before 1870
31. City of Roanoke From Roanoke County in 1884
32. City of Salem From Roanoke County
33. City of Staunton From Augusta County before 1870
34. City of Suffolk Founded 1742.[12] Incorporated as City in 1910 from Nansemond County (extinct)
35. City of Virginia Beach Founded 1906 around existing community of Seatack. Incorporated as City in 1963 from Princess Anne County (extinct)
36. City of Waynesboro From Augusta County
37. City of Williamsburg From James City County
38. City of Winchester From Frederick County in 1874

Other Jurisdictions

1. (Arlington Station)

• (Front Royal)