Genealogical Research
A Bibliography of Materials from the Rockefeller Library
Genealogists researching Virginia ancestors may find the Rockefeller Library's collections helpful. Our materials focus on 18th-century Tidewater Virginia, and most specifically, the immediate Williamsburg area (Williamsburg City, James City County, and York County). Note that the Library is not focused on genealogy, and our genealogical collections, particularly those pertaining to locations outside the Williamsburg area, are not comprehensive.
Research Guides
These research guides list important resources, many of which are widely available in large academic libraries throughout the United States:
- African Americans in Colonial and Revolutionary Virginia
- Seventeenth-century Virginians
- Williamsburg Area Residents
- Revolutionary War Virginians
- Genealogical Research Guide from William & Mary Libraries
Materials from the Rockefeller Library
Genealogical information can be found in many of the Library's online and onsite resources:
- Digital Library — Estate inventories, manuscripts, and other digitized documents.
- Family Bibles
- York County Records Project — An index of the York County Records, 1633–1815.
- Materials in Special Collections — Manuscripts and other items.
- Online Catalog — Search by author, title, family name, county name, or other subject.
Primary Sources
The Library of Viginia's Virginia Memory Project includes many primary source documents:
More Virginia records are available from the following websites:
- American Ancestors — Index to the Virginia Genealogist (subscription required)
- Ancestry.com — Census records and indexes (subscription required)
- U.S. National Archives — Military records from the American Revolution
- U.S. National Archives — Ordering veterans service records
- VaGenWeb's James City County Project
The Rockefeller Library has limited staff and does not offer research services (paid research). The Library of Virginia (PDF) and the Virginia Genealogical Society (PDF) keep lists of researchers available for hire.
Updated 12/2015.