As John Frederick Dorman, Editor of The Virginia Genealogist, notes below, the Virginia 1800 U.S. population census does not exist (with the exception of Accomack, King George, and Louisa Counties). However, the 1800 Virginia personal property tax lists exist for nearly every county and city that was a part of Virginia in 1800 and are the most useful substitute. Mr. Dorman began publishing the existing 1800 personal property tax lists in volume 3 (1959) of The Virginia Genealogist. He began with Albemarle County and ended with Princess Anne County. VGS picked up where The Virginia Genealogist left off and published the remaining lists in its quarterly, The Magazine of Virginia Genealogy.
In 1959, John Frederick Dorman wrote the following introduction to this series:
One of the most useful compilations for locating the place of residence of Virginia families is the so-called 1790 census, The Heads of Families at the First Census…State Enumerations: 1782 to 1785, published by the U.S. Census Bureau (Washington: 1908) and its companion, Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, by Augusta B. Fothergill and John Mark Naugle (Richmond: 1940). The First complete extant census of Virginia is that of 1820. Although some seventy-seven counties remain of the 1810 census, there are twenty which are missing. Of the entire 1800 census of Virginia, only the recently discovered enumeration of Accomac County is known to exist today. The Editor has thought that it would be beneficial to make available the personal tax book entries for each of the other counties in 1800. This year bridges the gap between the published tax lists of the 1780’s and the first extant census records and will serve as a guide in locating the place of origin of many persons who moved to the South and West in the early years of the nineteenth century, just as the “1790 census” assists in establishing the Virginia residence of those who were a part of the immediate post-Revolutionary migrations. The tax books for 1800 are available for almost all of the Virginia counties. There are a few, however, which are missing and the best substitute possible will be secured to take their place…. The property listed for taxation in these books consists of slaves, horses, stud horses and carriages. The number of white males paying poll tax is always indicated, as are the persons paying for tavern licenses.
A digital copy of the Accomack County 1800 census is available on FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHK-Q3RK-73B5). An abstract was published in The Virginia Genealogist, volume 1 (1957).
The census taker for King George County, Theodosius Hansford, made a duplicate for his own records which is held by the Virginia Museum of History and Culture (call number Mss4 K5895 a 1). An abstract was published by William L. Deyo in 1998.
For information about the Louisa County 1800 census, please see Ransom B. True, “The Manuscript Return of the Census of 1800,” Louisa County Historical Magazine 4 (June 1972): 21–49. A printed copy of the census is available at the Louisa County Historical Society.
What’s in the 1800 Virginia Personal Property Tax Index?
VGS built the index from the tax list abstracts published in The Virginia Genealogist and The Magazine of Virginia Genealogy. The index contains the first and last name of the taxpayer, the name of the district, and the county or city. The published lists were abstracted by a variety of people and are subject to each author’s interpretation of the handwritten lists.
The index is meant to be a finding aid, not a substitute, for the original records.
Note: VGS owns the copyright in this material which is subject to all copyright laws, and which may not be further reproduced without appropriate permission from VGS.
What information is in the original 1800 Virginia Personal Property Tax lists?
The 1800 tax lists generally include the names of the person responsible for the tax, the number of white males tithable, taxable slaves, horses, stud horses, and carriages although information may vary slightly between the counties and cities.
For a more detailed explanation of personal property tax lists, their history, and their importance in genealogical research, see the Library of Virginia’s publication, Using Personal Property Tax Records in the Archives at the Library of Virginia.
Why should I seek out the original 1800 Virginia Personal Property Tax lists?
The index is a finding aid and does not contain all the information in the original records. By only using the index, important information and clues will be missed.
Tax lists assist in distinguishing between two persons of the same name; determining a person’s geographical location and movements over time; creating a picture of a person’s social and economic position within a community; substituting for county records that no longer exist; and much more.
Where can I find the Virginia Personal Property Tax lists?
Published Abstracts
Published abstracts of the 1800 lists are in The Virginia Genealogist, The Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, and for Mathews County, in Mathews County, Virginia Land and Personal Tax Lists 1791-1800, abstracted by Stephen E. Bradley, Jr.
Tax lists for other years have been published privately and by genealogical book publishers. Use WorldCat to determine what has been published for your areas of interest.
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia (LVA) maintains a list of available county and city personal property tax lists on microfilm.
Note: Links frequently change. If the link doesn’t work, visit https://www.lva.virginia.gov/ and search the site using the keywords “personal property tax.”
LVA personal property tax microfilm is available through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Check with your local library to determine if they provide this service to their patrons.
FamilySearch.org
FamilySearch.org has digitized the LVA microfilm for many of the pre-1850 personal property tax lists for Virginia and the Virginia counties that became part of West Virginia. FamilySearch is free, but you must have an account. To find available lists for each county or city, click on “Catalog” and enter “United States, Virginia, [county or city name]” in the Place search box. Use West Virginia for counties now located in that state. Then click on “Taxation.” Or, search the catalog by author and enter “Virginia. Commissioner of the Revenue.” The results list will include any West Virginia counties that were part of Virginia in 1800.
Virginia 1800 Personal Property Tax List Index Availability
This is an ongoing project. Approximately 77% of the counties and cities are currently in the index.
MVG = The Magazine of Virginia Genealogy
TVG = The Virginia Genealogist
If the 1800 list doesn’t exist, the next closest year was used. If a year appears after a county or city name, it is the year of the tax list used.
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