Additional Resources

Online Resources on Stafford history, ancestry, and tourist attractions:

Print Resources for Historical Research of Stafford County:

Conner, Albert Z. 

• A History of Our Own:  Stafford County, Virginia
  Virginia Beach, VA:  Donning Company Publishers, 2003.
  
  This is the best overall history of Stafford County that has been compiled.
  
• Seizing Destiny: The Army of the Potomac’s “Valley Forge” and the Civil War Winter that Saved the Union.
  CA:  Savas Beatie, 2016. 
  
  A carefully researched study of the re-building of the demoralized Union Army after its defeat at Fredericksburg while they lay camped in Stafford County during the brutally cold winter of 1863.

Conner, Jane H. 

• Birthstone of the White House and Capitol
  Virginia Beach, VA:  Donning Company Publishers, 2005. 
  
  An excellent history of Aquia freestone and the role Government Island played in the construction of the White House and U. S. Capitol.
  
• Lincoln in Stafford
  Stafford, VA:  Parker Publishing, 2006. 
  
  Details Abraha Lincoln’s visits to Stafford County during the Civil War.
  
• Sinners, Saints, and Soldiers in Civil War Stafford
  Stafford, VA:  Parker Publishing, 2009. 
  
  Details the Civil War-era visits to Stafford of Gen. Daniel Sickles, Princess Agnes Salm-Salm, Clara Barton, Walt Whitman, Dr. Mary O. Walker, and Gen. O. O. Howard.

Dodd, Anita L. and Lee, Amanda

• Then & Now:  Stafford County
  Charleston, SC:  Arcadia Publishing, 2007. 
  
  A fascinating photographic documentary of some of Stafford’s earlier buildings and what they looked like in 2007.

Eby, Jerrilynn

• 45^th Regiment of Virginia Militia, Stafford. County, Virginia, 1781 – 1856
  Westminster, MD:  Heritage Books, Inc., 2011. 
  
  Abstracts of militia activities and militiamen compiled from the annual reports filed with the State.
  
• Land of Herrings and Persimmons:  People and Places of Upper Stafford County, Virginia. 
  Berwyn Heights, MD:  Heritage Books, Inc., 2015. 
  
  A heavily documented study of land tracts, mills, industries, and families from Potomac Run northward to Chappawamsic Run.
  

• Land of Hogs and Wildcats:  People and Places of Lower Stafford County, Virginia
  Berwyn Heights, MD:  Heritage Books, Inc., 2013.
  
  A heavily documented study of land tracts, mills, industries, and families from Potomac Run southward to the Rappahannock River, including a compilation of all known early land patents situated within the present bounds of Stafford County.
  
• Laying the Hoe:  A Century of Iron Manufacturing in Stafford County, Virginia. 
  Westminster, MD:  Heritage Books, 2003. 
  
  Includes a transcription of the only known surviving business ledger from Accokeek Furnace, which spans from 1749 – 1760.
  
• Men of Mark:  Officials of Stafford County, Virginia, 1664 – 1991 
  Westminster, MD:  Heritage Books, Inc., 2012. 
  
  A compilation of elected and appointed officials who served Stafford County, plus lists of post offices, post masters, and those who held retail, tavern, liquor, and ferry licenses.  Also includes job descriptions for most positions.
  

• Stafford County, Virginia Court Record Book, 1749 – 1755
  Berwyn Heights, MD:  Heritage Books, Inc., 2016. 
  
  This important volume was stolen during the Civil War and was returned from a New Jersey archives in 2011.  The author abstracted and indexed the original material, making it of use to researchers.
  

• Stafford County, Virginia Estate Accounts, 1764 – 1822
  Berwyn Heights, MD:  Heritage Books, Inc., 2022. 
  
  The original volume was stolen during the Civil War and was returned by a private owner in New Mexico to Stafford County in 2021.  The author transcribed and indexed the volume, making it of use to researchers.
  

• They Called Stafford Home:  The Development of Stafford County, Virginia from 1600 until 1865. 
  Westminster, MD:  Heritage Books, Inc., 2007. 
  
  This is an easy-to-read history of the better-known properties and industries in early Stafford.
  

Eby, Jerrilynn an MacGregor, Alaric R.

• The Great Rock of Aquia:  The Freestone Industry of Stafford County, Virginia and Beyond. 
  Berwyn Heights, MD:  Heritage Books, Inc., 2021. 
  
  This meticulously detailed and documented study of the Aquia freestone industry examines the history of the industry from the mid-17th century to modern times.  Dozens of local quarries are recorded as are the names of workers – Black, White, bond, and free.  The book includes a list of sites at which Aquia stone was used in nine states and the District of Columbia.

Fitzgerald, Ruth Coder

• A Different Story:  A Black History of Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spotsylvania, Virginia 
  Unicorn Books, 1979. 
  
  A well-researched and readable study of local residents of African descent, their stories and trials.

Fleming, Edith C. 

• A History of Brooke. 
  Self-published, undated.
  
  This is one of the very few resources available for the Brooke area of Stafford.  Much of the material comes from personal reminiscences of Mrs. Fleming and from her family and her husband’s family who lived in the area for years.  Copies of this volume are not easily located because of the limited print run, but it should be available in the Central Rappahannock Regional Library’s Virginiana Room in the downtown Fredericksburg branch.
  

King, George H. S. 

• The Register of Overwharton Parish, Stafford County, Virginia, 1723-1758 
  Easley, SC:  Southern Historical Press, Inc., 1986. 
  
  Abstracts of the surviving 18th century records of the Parish of Overwharton with important genealogical and historical notes.
  
• The Register of Saint Paul’s Parish, 1715-1798, Stafford County, Virginia 1715-1776, King George County, Virginia 1777-1798 
  Easley, SC:  Southern Historical Press, 1986. 
  
  Abstracts of the surviving 18th century records of the Parish of Saint Paul’s with historical notes.

Moncure, Thomas M. and Pynn, Molly

• The Story of Aquia Church 
  Fredericksburg, VA:  Cardinal Press, 2000. 
  
  A thorough discussion of the history of Aquia Church, which is considered by architectural historians to be one of the finest surviving examples of colonial architecture.  The authors also examine the role of the church in colonial government.

Musselman, Carl P. and Musselman, Mildred H.  Musselman-Powell & Bowling

• Families of Spotsylvania & Stafford Counties, Virginia 
  Fredericksburg, VA:  Bookcrafters, 1993. 
  
  This book includes many of Stafford’s 19th and 20th century families and is very well documented.

Musselman, Homer D. 

• Stafford County in the Civil War
  Lynchburg, VA:  H. E. Howard, Inc., 1995. 
  
  A quick reference to the Stafford men known to have been in Confederate service.
  
• Veterans and Cemeteries of Stafford County, Virginia
  Fredericksburg, VA: Bookcrafters, 1993. 
  
  This has long been the primary source for information about Stafford’s cemeteries, both church and family plots.  The Stafford Cemetery Committee is building on this work, but it remains an excellent resource.

Scheel, Eugene

• Historical Map of Stafford County, Virginia
  
  A must for anyone interested in Stafford’s history.  The map skillfully combines historic and modern sites.

Schools, Norma

• Virginia Shade:  An African American History of Falmouth, Virginia 
  Bloomington, IN:  iUniverse, Inc., 2012. 
  
  A valuable resource for information about Falmouth’s Black residents, especially during the mid-19th century.  The volume is very well researched and illustrated.

Watkins, C. Malcolm

• The Cultural History of Marlborough, Virginia 
  Washington, DC:  Smithsonian Institution Press, 1968. 
  
  An excellent resource on the history of the Marlborough area, published as a result of the Smithsonian’s archeological explorations both there and at the early courthouse sites on the opposite side of Potomac Creek.