Local History & Genealogy
The Virginiana Room, housed in the Warrenton Library, has materials related to state and local history and genealogy, including census records, Fauquier County records and local newspapers on microfilm.
Get started with the Fauquier County Records Chart to determine what vital and court records are at the library or other locations.
Wondering what’s in our vertical files (a collection of loose documents, clippings, pamphlets, etc.)? Try our handy index.
Need help with your research? Email a librarian or call the Adult Reference Desk at (540) 422-8500 – option 2.
Databases/Premium eResources
- Ancestry for Virginians – Free remote access to select* Ancestry.com materials from the Library of Virginia collections is available to Virginia residents. Users are required to sign up for a free Ancestry.com account prior to accessing the Library of Virginia’s collections. *Note that these records do not include all of Ancestry.com’s Virginia-related content.
- Ancestry Library Edition (in-library use only) – Genealogy sources including censuses, vital, immigration, and military records, family histories, and legal documents
- Fold3 Library Edition – Provides convenient access to official US military records along with first-person content, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served
- Genealogy Connect – Features a wide range of comprehensive references covering the American Revolution, Atlantic States, Family Histories and more
- HeritageQuest – U.S. genealogical sources including census data, local and family histories, and finding aids
Note to Virginia residents: The Library of Virginia subscribes to a number of current and historical newspapers, magazines, and journals, as well as genealogical resources, historical maps, civil war records, encyclopedias and directories, and many other texts. If you sign up for a Library of Virginia library card using their online registration system (requires a valid state issued driver’s license or identification card), you can gain immediate remote access to the Library’s subscription databases and catalog features requiring a login.
Indexes
The following online indexes are provided as a courtesy for locating specific entries on microfilm (newspapers) and books in our collection. If you need a copy of a specific item (obituary for certain date, for example), e-mail a librarian or call the Adult Reference Desk at (540) 422-8500 – option 3.
- Vertical Files Index (loose papers, clippings, pamphlets, etc. related to people and places of Fauquier County)
- African Americans of Fauquier County (book) – View the index (PDF)
- An Old Timer: Warrenton Then and Now (photocopied articles, bound) –View the index (PDF)
- Black Horse Cavalry Defend Our Beloved Country Index (book) – View the index (PDF)
- Fauquier County Marriage Records, 1759-1906 (microfilm) – View the index – 1897-1906 only – (PDF)
- Fauquier County Marriage Returns (Not Bonds) : 1785-1848 (book) – View the index (PDF)
- Fauquier County Tombstone Inscriptions, Volumes 1 and 2 (books) – View the index (PDF)
- Fauquier Democrat/Times-Democrat/Times Newspaper – Search the Life Events online database | View the Headline Index 1930-1969 (PDF) | View/search digital through 1935 | View/search digital 2020+ (in-person only)
- Fauquier Magazine, 1987-1997 (magazine) – View the index (PDF)
- Freemasonry in Warrenton: 1802-2002 (book) – View the index (PDF)
- History of Bethel Military Academy, Warrenton, VA (book) – View the index (PDF)
- History of Marshall (Formerly Salem) Fauquier County, Virginia (book) – View the index (PDF)
- History of the Warrenton Baptist Church, 1849-1988 (book) – View the index (PDF)
- Miscellaneous Warrenton Virginia Newspapers (microfilm) – View the index (PDF)
- Piedmont Virginian Newspaper, 1971-1978 (microfilm) – Search the index
- Prominent Women of Fauquier County 1979-1981 (book) – View the index (PDF)
- Virginia Historic Landmark Survey & Homes of Fauquier County (files) – View the index (PDF)
- Works Progress Administration Records Fauquier County (files) – View the index (PDF)
Local History & Virginia Websites
- Digital Virginias (Digital Public Library of America)
- Find A Grave – Fauquier County Cemeteries
- Historic Maps of Fauquier County – View county maps from 1876 and 1914 and 1932
- Local Historical Organizations
- Piedmont Environmental Council: Fauquier County Maps
- Encyclopedia Virginia
- Library of Virginia
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: Warrenton, Fauquier County
- Virginia Genealogical Society
- Virginia Museum of History & Culture
- Virginia Vital Records
African-American Genealogy Websites
- African Americans (Library of Virginia)
- Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County
- Database of Virginia Slave Names (Virginia Museum of History & Culture)
- Fauquier’s Historic African American Communities
- Freedmen’s Bank Records, 1865-1874
- Freedman’s Bureau Field Office Records, including Virginia Marriages, 1865-1872
- Virginia African American Newspapers (Library of Virginia)
U.S. Genealogy Websites
- Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
- DAR Library
- FamilySearch.org
- National Archives
- USGenWeb Project