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Virginia Census Record Links

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

Statewide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Virginia are the 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1910, 1920 and 1940. The 1810 census is the earliest enumeration of Virginia's population to have survived, making it necessary to substitute other lists for the missing censuses. Federal census records for the State of Virginia are lost for 1790, 1800, and 1890.

Virginia Tax lists from 1782 through 1785  were used as a substitute for the 1790 census, reportedly lost when the British burned the city of Washington during the War of 1812. The 1790 census listed only heads-of-household but enumerated their families, including women. In contrast, tax commissioners in 1787 were required to list all free males subject to taxation, not just heads-of-household; women were only included if they owned personal property subject to taxation or were widows with sons aged sixteen to twenty-one. Beginning in 1820 and continuing every ten years through 1910 (except for the 1890 census, which was also destroyed by fire).

The Virginia State census lists taken in 1782-1785 recorded either the number of white souls, number of dwellings and number of other buildings (1782-1783) or number of blacks and number of whites (1784-1785). A list for Greenbrier County was compiled from the 1783--6 personal property tax lists; a list for Richmond was compiled from a 1782 tax lists. Not all of the state census records survive for a given year and none survive for some counties.

Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in the State of Virginia are Industry and Agriculture Schedules which are 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.