County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The City of Alexandria is located in the Northern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and is included in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Alexandria was named for John Alexander to whom it was sold shortly after 1669.
Courthouse[edit | edit source]
For additional records, see Fairfax County, Virginia Genealogy.
History[edit | edit source]
- First settlement established in 1695. Named for Capt. Philip Alexander. Alexandria was not incorporated until 1779.
- In 1755, General Edward Braddock organized his fatal expediation against Fort Duquesne (near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) at Carlyle House.
- April 1755, the governors of Virginia, and the Provinces of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York met to determine concerted action against the French in America.
- 1791, Alexandria was included in an area chosen by George Washington to become the District of Columbia. Alexandria along with Arlington County were retroceded back to Virginia in 1846.
- City of Alexandria was re-chartered in 1852.
- 1828-1836, Alexandria was home to the Franklin and Armfield slave market.
- During the Civil War, the slave pen owned by Price, Birch & Co. became a jail under Union occupation.
- Alexandria was occupied by the Federal troops at the start of the Civil War and remained occupied until the end of the war.
- 1863 (when West Virginia was divided from Virginia) until end of the Civil War, Alexandria was the seat of the Restored Government of Virginia.
- 1870, the City of Alexandria became independent of Alexandria County. The rest of Alexandria County became Arlington County in 1920, ending years of confusion.
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
- [Page] Rutherford, Dolores Crumrine. Page Family Records in Virginia Counties. 2 vols. Carmichael, Calif.: D.C. Rutherford, 1982-2006. FHL Book 929.273 P141rdc v. 2 [Alexandria appears in Vol. 2 Part 1]
- [Page] Rutherford, Dolores Crumrine. The Page Family in Virginia Personal Property Taxes (1782-1850). 2 vols. Carmichael, Calif.: D.C. Rutherford, 2002. FHL Book 929.273 P141rd v. 1-2 [Alexandria appears in Vol. 2]
Immigration[edit | edit source]
- Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America, 1777-1811" The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200. [Overseas contacts of the residents of Alexandria with the following surnames: Hamilton, Taylor.]
- Edwards, Conley L. "Abstracts of Reports of Aliens, Alexandria County, 1801-1832," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1979):112-116; Vol. 24, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1980):172-176. Available at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 1 British alien living in Alexandria.
Maps[edit | edit source]
Military[edit | edit source]
French and Indian War[edit | edit source]
- Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Alexandria militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]
War of 1812[edit | edit source]
- List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Governnment Printing Office, 1883. FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Alexandria County, pp. 59-60]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Since Alexandria was created in 1847, the Civil War records for that area will be in the city of Alexandria. During the Civil War men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their area.
- Alexandria (Virginia). Clerk of the Corporation Court. Muster roll of the Seventeenth Virginia Infantry, 1861-1865
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Indexes[edit | edit source]
Fairfax County Historical Newspaper Index (1785-2000 nonconsecutive) index only - Free; includes:
- Alexandria Gazette (1785-1788; July 25, 1854-December 31, 1855; and May 3, 1860-January 20, 1865)
- Arlington County Record (1932-1933)
- Fairfax City Times (1961-1968)
- Fairfax County Independent (1929-1932)
- Fairfax Herald (1886-1973)
- Fairfax News (1872-1875)
- Fairfax News - Herndon Observer (1925-1943)
- The Local News (1861-1862)
- The Rambler, Washington Star (1912-1928)
- Reston Times (1965-1973; 1975-January 6, 1977; 1978; 1980-1983; 1985; and 2000)
- 1784-1915 - Obituary Notices from the Alexandria Gazette, 1784-1915. Rev. ed. Willow Bend Books.
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette (1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburg website. In addition, Professor Tom Costa and The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia have created a database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in this source and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia. These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.
- 1792-1800 - Columbian Mirror (Alexandria, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
- 1797-1802 - Alexandria Times (Alexandria, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
- 1800-1808 - Alexandria Advertiser (Alexandria, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
- 1802 - Columbian Advertiser (Alexandria, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
- 1802-1807 - Alexandria Expositor (Alexandria, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
- 1808-1876 - Alexandria Gazette (Alexandria, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
- 1811-1825 - Alexandria Herald (Alexandria, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
- 1876 - People's Advocate (Alexandria, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
- 1916-1946 - Obituary Index to the Alexandria Gazette, 1916-1946 is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.
- 1927-1928 - Lane, Estelle. "News of Interest to Colored Readers", Alexandria Gazette. 1927-1928 is available online, courtesy: Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections.
- 2002-present - Springfield Connection (Springfield, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
- 2002-present - Reston Connection (Reston, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
Occupations[edit | edit source]
- Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (Together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. Available at FHL. [Includes a section on Alexandria silversmiths.]
Petitions[edit | edit source]
- Eckenrode, H.J. Virginia State Library: A Calendar of Legislative Petitions Arranged by Counties Accomac - Bedford. Richmond, Va.: Davis Bottom, Superintendent of Public Printing, 1908. Digital version at Google Books (full-view). [Alexandria petitions (1778-1861) are described on pp. 61-87.]
Probate[edit | edit source]
- [1800-1804; 1804-1807; 1807-1810] Indexes to Wills, Estates,, Inventories Virginia Pioneers ($)
- [Bk A 1800-1804; Bk B 1804-1807; Bk C 1807-1810; 1810-1815; 1815-1821; 1821-1823] Images of Wills, Inventories, Orphans, Affidavits, Guardianships Virginia Pioneers ($)
Taxation[edit | edit source]
-  Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Alexandria is included in Vol. 1.]
- [1787-1800] Alexandria Personal Property Tax Lists 1787-1800 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
- [1787-1800] Heinegg, Paul. "Alexandria City Personal Property Tax List, 1787-1800," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
- [1790, 1799] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1799 Personal Property Tax Lists of Alexandria, Virginia are available online at Binns Genealogy.
-  "Alexandria, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1960):17-26. Available at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
-  Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [This source is based on the 1815 land tax. Alexandria is included in Vol. 4.]
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
- Alexandria Black History Museum, Alexandria, Virginia
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
References[edit | edit source]
- The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- "Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index Availability," Library of Virginia (accessed 26 January 2010).
- Kenneth Scott. British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979, 320-333. FHL Collection 973 W4s; digital version at Ancestry ($).