Iberian Publishing Company's On-Line Catalog: Orange County Virginia
Orange County was formed on 1 Jan. 1734/35 from the western part of Spotsylvania County. It was named for William IV, Prince of Orange-Nassau, who married Anne, daughter of George II in 1734--the same year the county was created. At the time of its establishment, Orange County's jurisdiction included all Virginia lands west of the Blue Ridge as far as the Mississippi River, and some early records of settlers in the Shenandoah Valley can be found in the court records in Orange. In 1738 Orange's western and northern portions were taken to create Augusta and Frederick counties, respectively. However, lack of sufficient population to support the county tithe resulted in neither of these new counties being able to function as political units until the mid-1740s. Culpeper County was cut off from Orange in 1749. The final subdivision of Orange came in 1838 with the creation of Greene County. Since that time Orange has preserved its current boundaries.
The first permanent settlement of the region occurred in 1714, while Orange was still part of Spotsylvania. Governor Alexander Spotswood imported thirteen German families of iron workers from Westphalia to work his iron ore mines at Germanna. Subsequent groups of German workers brought over in 1717 and 1726 swelled this group, and many of these families later moved to nearby counties and eventually spread throughout the state and country.
Orange's records are complete and most records are available on microfilm. However, few early marriage records (pre-1750), early church records, and birth and death records exist. Almost all of the county's records are available at the Historical Society and the Library of Virginia. the Historical Society possesses large vertical file holdings which are invaluable to genealogical researchers.
Orange County was formed on 1 Jan. 1734/35 from the western part of Spotsylvania County. It was named for William IV, Prince of Orange-Nassau, who married Anne, daughter of George II in 1734--the same year the county was created. At the time of its establishment, Orange County's jurisdiction included all Virginia lands west of the Blue Ridge as far as the Mississippi River, and some early records of settlers in the Shenandoah Valley can be found in the court records in Orange. In 1738 Orange's western and northern portions were taken to create Augusta and Frederick counties, respectively. However, lack of sufficient population to support the county tithe resulted in neither of these new counties being able to function as political units until the mid-1740s. Culpeper County was cut off from Orange in 1749. The final subdivision of Orange came in 1838 with the creation of Greene County. Since that time Orange has preserved its current boundaries.
The first permanent settlement of the region occurred in 1714, while Orange was still part of Spotsylvania. Governor Alexander Spotswood imported thirteen German families of iron workers from Westphalia to work his iron ore mines at Germanna. Subsequent groups of German workers brought over in 1717 and 1726 swelled this group, and many of these families later moved to nearby counties and eventually spread throughout the state and country.
Orange's records are complete and most records are available on microfilm. However, few early marriage records (pre-1750), early church records, and birth and death records exist. Almost all of the county's records are available at the Historical Society and the Library of Virginia. the Historical Society possesses large vertical file holdings which are invaluable to genealogical researchers.
ORANGE COUNTY, VA 1810 SUBSTITUTE CENSUS [Abstracts from the 1810 Personal Property Tax List]
by John Vogt, 2011, 5 1/2"x8 1/2" format, viii, 21 pages, map.
MASSANUTTEN: SETTLED BY THE PENNSYLVANIA PILGRIM (1726) by Harry M. Strickler.
2024 (facsimile reprint of the 1924 edition, 182 pp.
NORTHERN NECK (LAND) WARRANTS & SURVEYS, 1730-1754: ORANGE & AUGUSTA COUNTIES, WITH TITHABLES, DELINQUENTS AND PETITIONERS by Peggy Shomo Joyner.
1985, xxv, 73 pp. Published as the first volume in a series of Northern Neck Warrants & Surveys, this collection has become a standard reference work for researchers in the period of colonial Augusta County history and that of its parent county, Orange.
Orange Co. 1815 Directory of Landowners
by Roger G. Ward. 2005. 28 pages, map, 5 1/2X8 1/2.
Orange Co. Revolutionary Public Claims
transcribed by Janice L. Abercrombie and Richard Slatten.. 2005. 68 pages, 5 1/2X8 1/2.