York County Project

York County / City of Poquoson Surnames

Check here to see if the surname(s) you're researching
have a Website listed at Rootsweb

York County Migration Project

About York County

York County was originally named Charles River, and was one of the eight original shires formed in 1634.   The present name was given in 1643, probably in honor of James, Duke of York, the second son of Charles I.  Its area is 123 square miles, and the county seat is Yorktown.

About City of Poquoson

Poquoson was established as a post office between 1885 and 1888.   The name is of Algonquian origin and means dismal or swamp.   Poquoson became a town in 1952 as a result of a referendum and became a city by court order in 1976.   Its area is 14.7 square miles.

Parishes of the Established Church 1607 - 1785

When the first English settlers came to Virginia in 1607, they followed the familiar patterns of the Church of England and established parishes that served as local units of ecclesiastical and community organization.  The General Assembly established parishes and fixed their boundaries, often at the same time that it created or altered county lines.  On January 16, 1786, the General Assembly passed Thomas Jefferson's Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, ending state-enforced support for the formerly established church and its parishes.

• Blisland, 1653 - 1654
• Bruton, by 1674 - 1785
• Charles, about 1692 - 1785
• Charles River, about 1634 - 1642 (name changed to York)
• Chiskiack, 1640 - 1643 (name changed to Hampton)
• Hampton, 1643 - 1707
• Marston, 1654 - 1674
• Middle Plantation, 1634 - 1658
• Middletowne, 1658 - 1674
• New Poquoson, about 1635 - 1692
• York, about 1638 - 1707
• Yorkhampton, 1707 - 1785

York County Resources

• County Locator map ~ New 8/2007
• County Statistical Profile
• Locate every nook, cranny and holler in York County or Poquoson ~ (via GNIS Online Database) ~ Fixed 8/2007
  So GNIS has wised up and no longer allows a direct link to the data. But here's how to make it work!
  After you click on the link above...
  • enter Virginia in the State box, pick Poquoson(city) or York from the county drop down box and click on "Send Query"
  • at the bottom left of the new screen, click on "View & Print all"
  • in the Feature Name column, click on the place you're looking for
  • on the next screen there is a box on the right. Click on the 2nd item "GNIS in Google Map"
  • really nice map, even if you can't save it!
  • there is a way to do it, but you will have to contact me with the name of the place you're looking for.
• Google Maps ~ looking for an address?  Print, email or save a map! ~ New 8/2007
• Welcome to Historic Yorktown Virginia ~ New 8/2007
• Tidewater Virginia Families ~ A Magazine of History & Genealogy
• Tidewater Genealogical Society
• Virginia Genealogical Society ~ New 8/2007
• Virginia Historical Society ~ New 8/2007
• 1909 Confederate Pension List
• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet ~ Over 250,000 links, categorized & cross-referenced, in over 180 categories
• York County Courthouse
  • P O Box 532
  • Yorktown, VA 23690-0532
  • Tele: (757) 890-3450
• York County Historical Society
  • P O Box 770
  • Yorktown, VA 23692
  • email: yorkcountyhistory@yahoo.com
• Census 2000 information for Poquoson and York County ~ New 8/2007
• Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc. ~ New 8/2007
• York County USGenWeb Archives ~ never know what you might find here!
• Microfilm available for York County at The Library of Virginia ~ New 8/2007
• York County and Poquoson related Bible Records on-line at the Library of Virginia ~ Fixed 8/2007
  The LVA has wised up and no longer allows a direct link to the data. But here's how to make it work!
  After you click on the link above...
  • enter Bible Records--Virginia--York [[OR]] Bible Records--Virginia--Poquoson in the second search box
  • from the drop-down box beneath it, choose "Subject begins with..."
  • click on GO
  • on the next screen, click on the 1st item in the list
  • you can also scroll backwards and forwards to check other localities!
• SSDI at RootsWeb ~ Search the Social Security Death Index
• Personal Property and Land Tax Records at the Library of Virginia ~ explanations ~ Fixed 8/2007
• 1790 & 1800 York County Tax Records ~ images on-line NOW!
• Virginia Vital Records Information ~ how to obtain
• 1850 Federal Census
  • Index
• Obituary Daily Times ~ a searchable index of 12.6 MILLION published obituaries
  • What you'll see....
  • Last name, First Middle (Maiden) [Other married] "Nickname"; Age at death; Birthplace > Place of death; Newspaper; Publication date; Contributor's tagname
• RootsWeb's Guide to Tracing Family Trees ~ A self-study course with helpful lessons for the beginner, intermediate and or even the advanced genealogist.

If you know of any others, please let me know!

Books of Interest

• Virginia Publick Claims; York County by Janice L. Abercrombie and Richard Slatten (Athens, GA: Iberian, 1991)
• York County, Virginia Tax Lists 1788-1789 by Don Simmons (no pub. data)
• York County, Virginia Records 1665-1672 by Benjamin B. Weisiger, III (Athens, GA: Iberian, 1987)
• York County, Virginia Records 1659-1662 by Benjamin B. Weisiger, III (Athens, GA: Iberian, 1987)
• York County, Virginia Records 1672-1676 by Benjamin B. Weisiger, III (Athens, GA: Iberian, 1987)

If you know of any others, please let me know!

Online Bookstores
Check out this site if you're having trouble finding that particular book.
Some of these BookSellers have searchable databases online.

Lookup Volunteers

If you have reference materials pertaining to York County and its people, I invite you to visit the York County Message Board often and help others by posting a response to their queries. By posting a RESPONSE, you could possibly be helping more than one person. If you send an email to the query poster, you're only helping that one person. I've received requests from many of you wanting to be listed as lookup volunteers and I feel this may be the best solution. You won't be bombarded with requests and you can better control the amount of time you spend helping others. Won't you lend a helping hand?
Guidelines for Lookup Volunteers Please Read This!

Researchers For Hire

These links are included for your convenience only. There is NO warranty, written or implied, as to their usefullness or reliability, and as far as I know, their services have NOT been endorsed by the VAGenWeb Project, the USGenWeb Project or the WorldGenWeb Project. Please contact the individual sites for information concerning their services and fees. You might also contact the county Historical / Genealogical Society or Court House for recommendations. Be careful! Know what you're buying BEFORE you send that check!

• Association of Professional Genealogists, National Capital Area Chapter
  A List of Professional Genealogists.
• Board for Certification of Genealogists
  Another List of Professional Genealogists.

If you would like to be listed here, write to jimw@mindless.com for my requirements.

Links to Surrounding Counties

Gloucester Co

James City Co - - - - - YORK CO - - - - - Hampton (City)

James City Co - - - - - Newport News (City)

Confederate Units Enlisted Here

• Peninsula Artillery, previously Co. I1, 32nd VA Inf., (Cosnahan's/Jones')
• Yorktown-Magruder Light Artillery (Page's)
• Co. F, 32nd VA Inf., Nelson Guards
• Co. K2, 32nd VA Inf., Lee Guards

Check out The Virginia Regimental Histories Series for more information on these units and the men who fought for the cause.

On A Lighter Note

Genealogy Taglines - The Collection - They're all here!

My thanks to the unknown author of this little bit of humor!

Found a YANKEE in my family tree...will trade for horse thief or other black sheep!

VAGenWeb Project USGenWeb Project WORLDGenWeb Project

Your comments or suggestions about this site are always welcome

You are my 134221 visitor since I moved to Rootsweb.

Last Updated Sunday, 26-Aug-2007 06:11:50 MDT
jimw@mindless.com
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