Welcome
Welcome to the website of the Virginia Genealogical Society (VGS)! We hope this site will make it easier for you to find resources to tell the story of your family. Whether or not you are a Society member, we invite you to explore our site.
If you are a member of our Society, please take advantage of content, features, and special offers which are only offered to members. For example, the Surname Research feature gives you an opportunity to share information with other members who are researching a common surname. You may discover you share an ancestor with one (or more) of our over fifteen hundred members!
We encourage you to check back often as we add exciting new content. Let us know what you think.
New Publication from VGS
A Researcher’s Guide to Virginia’s Historical Records
by Barbara Vines Little
VGS is thrilled to share that Barbara Vines Little’s much-anticipated A Researcher’s Guide to Virginia’s Historical Records is now available in the VGS Store! At over 600 pages, this book delivers the depth of a two-week institute course between its covers. It explores Virginia’s local and state government records, probate and land laws, inheritance and women’s rights, military and ethnic sources, and substitutes for missing records—with helpful context that helps us truly understand what the records say (and what they don’t).
The book retails for $79.95, but VGS members pay only $63.96.* This new resource is the perfect way to sharpen your research skills and deepen your knowledge of Virginia genealogy.
*Members, please log in to the website before purchasing either a conference ticket or publications so you’ll receive the 20%-member discount.
Genealogical Publishing Company
Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790–1920
by William Dollarhide and William Thorndale
VGS members receive 15% off—log into the VGS website and get the discount code under Membership > Partner Discounts.
The county has always been used as the basic Federal census unit. Genealogical research in the census, therefore, begins with identifying the correct county jurisdictions. This work shows all U.S. County boundaries from 1790 to 1920. On each of the nearly 400 maps the old county lines are superimposed over the modern ones to highlight the boundary changes at ten-year intervals.
Also included are (1) a history of census growth; (2) the technical facts about each census; (3) a discussion of census accuracy; (4) an essay on available sources for each state’s old county lines; and (5) a statement with each map indicating which county census lines exist and which are lost. Then there is an index listing all present-day counties, plus nearly all defunct counties or counties later re-named.
Read the latest VGS Blog posts
- Working Towards Reasonably Exhaustive Research Using the Archival Resources of the Virginias (ARVAS) Website
- Why Both Novice and Experienced Genealogists Shouldn’t Overlook FamilySearch
- Step Up and Become a Citizen Archivist for the National Archives
- Giving Tuesday is November 28th.
- Research Opportunities in Richmond and Beyond
- Virginia Will Indexes
News and Announcements
- Use of the Website Search Feature
- A Researcher’s Guide to Virginia’s Historical Records is Here!
- Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 63, No. 2 (May 2025) Now Available
- Book Talk at Library of Virginia, 9 Sep 2025, with David M. Poole
- Update: A Researcher’s Guide to Virginia’s Historical Records [11 Aug 2025]
- Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 63, No. 1 (Feb 2025) Now Available
Upcoming VGS Events
All upcoming events.
VGS: Barbara’s Book Club – March Discussion [24 Mar 2026]
Join us for the second meeting of Barbara’s Book Club, a discussion series exploring Barbara Vines Little’s A Researcher’s Guide to Virginia’s Historical Records. This month’s session, led by Vic Dunn, CG®, will focus on Chapters 3 and 4, which examine Company, Colony, and Commonwealth Records and Local Government Records. Whether you are new to Virginia research … Read more
VGS: Barbara’s Book Club – May Discussion [19 May 2026]
Join us for the third meeting of Barbara’s Book Club, a discussion series exploring Barbara Vines Little’s A Researcher’s Guide to Virginia’s Historical Records. This month’s session, led by Mary O’Brien Vidlak, CG®, will focus on Chapters 5 and 6, which examine Court and Law. Whether you are new to Virginia research or looking to deepen your … Read more
VGS: Barbara’s Book Club – September Discussion [23 September 2026]
Join us for the fifth meeting of Barbara’s Book Club, a discussion series exploring Barbara Vines Little’s A Researcher’s Guide to Virginia’s Historical Records. This month’s session, led by Judy G. Russell, CG®, CGL®, FUGA will focus on Chapters 9 and 10, which examine the Colonial Land Office and The Northern Neck/Fairfax Proprietary. Whether you … Read more
VGS: Barbara’s Book Club – July Discussion [8 July 2026]
Join us for the fourth meeting of Barbara’s Book Club, a discussion series exploring Barbara Vines Little’s A Researcher’s Guide to Virginia’s Historical Records. This month’s session, led by Nicki Peak Birch, CG®, will focus on Chapters 7 and 8, which examine Vital Records and Probate. Whether you are new to Virginia research or looking … Read more
VGS: Barbara’s Book Club – November Discussion [17 November 2026]
Join us for the sixth meeting of Barbara’s Book Club, a discussion series exploring Barbara Vines Little’s A Researcher’s Guide to Virginia’s Historical Records. This month’s session, led by Deborah Harvey, CG® will focus on Chapters 12 and 13, which examine Tax and Census Records. Whether you are new to Virginia research or looking to … Read more
VGS Spring Virtual Conference – The Eve of Independence: Colonial Research in Virginia
Saturday, 25 April 2026 9:50 a.m.–10: a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. From Jamestowne to the Commonwealth, 1607-1776: Virginia’s Surviving Records and What They Can Tell Us – Barbara Vines Little, CG®, FNGS, FUGA, FVGS. Vandals, careless record keepers, and disasters have all taken their toll, but there are still numerous avenues to information … Read more