Virginia Research Guide Digital Download

You'll love this if…

• You're getting started tracing your ancestors in Virginia
• You want new ideas and resources to get past a Virginia brick wall
• Your genealogy search is focused mainly on Virginia

Trace your Virginia ancestors with the advice and resources in our State Research Guide! This four-page download includes:

• a how-to article detailing Virginia’s history and records, with helpful advice on tracking your family there
• the best websites, books and other resources for Virginia research, handpicked by our editors and experts
• listings of key libraries, archives and organizations that hold the records you need
• timeline of key events in the state's history

Here's a sampling of the helpful tips you'll get in the Virginia guide:

• In 1624, Virginia became the first royal colony, with claimed territory extending west into modern Kentucky.
• Virginia counties and cities registered few births and deaths before 1853. The state experimented with vital registration from 1853 to 1896; the Library of Virginia has these records and a microfilm index to the births.
• Tax rolls can serve as substitutes for missing federal census records—as in 1790, 1800 and 1890. Virginia’s surviving Colonial tax records are transcribed in books such as The 1787 Census of Virginia (Genealogical Books in Print).

Plus, each guide contains active web links for one-click access to every recommended online resource. You can view this PDF on your computer and print pages for reference.