Virginia

Virginia is known as the "Mother of Presidents" and the "Old Dominion." The name "Mother of Presidents" originates from the fact that eight U.S. Presidents were born in Virginia, including four of the first five Presidents. These Presidents include notable figures such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. This significant contribution to the leadership of the country is a point of pride for the state and its citizens. Hence, Virginia is often referred to as the “Mother of Presidents” in recognition of its role in shaping the leadership of the United States.^[1] The nickname “Old Dominion” for Virginia has historical roots. It probably derives from the fact that Virginia was the first, and therefore the oldest, of the overseas dominions of the kings and queens of England. During the English Civil War and the English Commonwealth, Virginia showed loyalty to the Royalist cause. After the Restoration, King Charles II acknowledged this loyalty by referring to Virginia as his "Old Dominion". The term “Old Dominion” has been used in various contexts since then. For example, it appeared on the seal of the colony in use from 1607 until the beginning of the American Revolution. Today, it continues to be a well-known nickname for the state.^[1]

Virginia became the 10th state to join the union on June 25, 1788.^[2] Virginia is the 35th in land area of the 50 states of the United States^[2] and as of 2024, the estimated population of Virginia is approximately 8.75 million.^[3] Virginia’s economy is well balanced with diverse sources of income. Its economy ranks 13th in size among states and Washington, DC.^[4] The state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was $728,1 billion in goods and services in 2023.^[4] Virginia has the second highest concentration of tech workers of any state in the U.S.^[5] The state’s economy includes military installations, cattle, tobacco and peanut farming, and technology.^[6]

History of Virginia

The first English attempt at settlement was the Roanoke Colony in 1585. When a supply ship visited in 1590, all the colonists had disappeared. This event has led to the colony being referred to as the Lost Colony, and the fate of the 112 to 121 colonists remains one of America's oldest unsolved mysteries.^[7]

Jamestown, founded on May 14, 1607, by a group of about 100 people called the Virginia Company, was the first English settlement in North America to survive. The settlement was named after King James I.^[8] The early years of Jamestown were marked by famine, disease, and conflict with local Native American tribes. The settlement initially consisted of a wooden fort built in a triangle around a storehouse for weapons and other supplies, a church, and a number of houses.^[9] Jamestown was brought to the brink of failure in the first two years before the arrival of a new group of settlers and supplies in 1610.^[9] Tobacco became Virginia’s first profitable export, which helped the colony to survive and grow. A period of peace followed the marriage of colonist John Rolfe to Pocahontas, the daughter of an Algonquian chief. During the 1620s, Jamestown expanded from the area around the original James Fort into a New Town built to the east. Jamestown remained the capital of the Virginia colony until 1699.^[9]

Virginia joined the Confederacy during the American Civil War.^[10] After the Civil War, farming in Virginia changed dramatically due to emancipation.^[11] New industries emerged in Virginia’s cities like Richmond, Norfolk, Petersburg, Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, and Wheeling.^[12]

During the 20th century, political life in Virginia changed significantly with the abolition of the poll tax in the 1960s, the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the lowering of the voting age to 18 in 1970.^[13]

Demographics of Virginia^[14]

White: 64.95%
Black or African American: 19.01%
Asian: 6.74%
Two or more races: 5.86%
Other race: 3.09%
Native American: 0.28%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.06%

Most Common Surnames in Virginia

According to the Forebears.io website, the ten most common names in Pennsylvania are:

Johnson	67,213	1:122
Jones	64,990	1:126
Williams	60,130	1:136
Brown	55,504	1:147
Davis	44,932	1:182
Miller	36,296	1:225
Taylor	35,835	1:228
Smith	33,654	1:243
Harris	31,579	1:259
Wilson	29,186	1:280

Researching Family History in Virginia

Because of Virginia's proximity to Washington, D.C. it is important to note the availability of visits to the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. The Library of Virginia has a large genealogical collection that includes family Bibles, divorces, histories, biographies, and newspapers. The Virginia Historical Society has County records such as marriages, county court records, wills, censuses, land, militia lists, bounty lands, passenger lists, tax lists, poll lists, genealogies, newspapers, family Bibles, and African American genealogy. The John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library has an extensive collection of records from colonial British America.

Virginia county list

Accomack	Albemarle	Alexandria	Alleghany
Amelia	Amherst	Appomattox	Arlington
Augusta	Bath	Beach	Bedford
Bland,	Botetourt	Bristol	Brunswick
Buchanan	Buckingham	Buena Vista	Campbell
Caroline	Carroll	Charles	Charlotte
Charlottesville	Chesapeake	Chesterfield	Clarke
Colonial Heights	Covington	Craig	Culpeper
Cumberland	Danville	Dickenson	Dinwiddie
Emporia	Essex	Fairfax	Fairfax
Falls Church	Fauquier	Floyd	Fluvanna
Franklin	Franklin	Frederick	Fredericksburg
Galax	Giles	Gloucester	Goochland
Grayson	Greene	Greensville	Halifax
Hampton	Hanover	Harrisonburg	Henrico
Henry	Highland	Hopewell	Isle of Wight
James	King and Queen	King George	King William
Lancaster	Lee	Lexington	Loudoun
Louisa	Lunenburg	Lynchburg	Madison
Manassas Park	Manassas	Martinsville	Mathews
Mecklenburg	Middlesex	Montgomery	Nelson
New Kent	Newport News	Norfolk	Northampton
Northumberland	Norton	Nottoway	Orange
Page	Patrick	Petersburg	Pittsylvania
Poquoson	Portsmouth	Powhatan	Prince Edward
Prince George	Prince William	Pulaski	Radford
Rappahannock	Richmond	Richmond	Roanoke
Roanoke	Rockbridge	Rockingham	Russell
Salem	Scott	Shenandoah	Smyth
Southampton	Spotsylvania	Stafford	Staunton
Suffolk	Surry	Sussex	Tazewell
Virginia	Warren	Washington	Waynesboro
Westmoreland	Williamsburg	Winchester	Wise
Wythe	York

Explore more about Virginia

There are about 81 collections of records on MyHeritage.com that have valuable information about Virginia. These collections include Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940, Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, Virginia Newspapers, 1782-2008, and Arlington National Cemetery. There are many more in the Collection Catalog for Virginia.

References

[:0-1] 1.0 ^1.1 6 Nicknames for Virginia State and the History Behind Them

[:1-2] 2.0 ^2.1 45 Interesting Facts About Virginia

[3] Virginia Population 2024 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)

[:2-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Economy of Virginia Statistics and Data Trends: GDP ranking, unemployment rate, and economic growth | USAFacts

[5] Virginia Has Second Highest Concentration of Tech Workers

[6] What Are The Biggest Industries In Virginia?

[7] What Happened to the 'Lost Colony' of Roanoke?

[8] A Short History of Jamestown - Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)

[:3-9] 9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 Jamestown Colony - Facts, Founding

[10] The American Civil War in Virginia

[11] Rural Life in Virginia

[12] The Growth of Industry

[13] Twentieth Century

[14] Virginia Population 2024 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]