Albemarle County

Albemarle County location. Albemarle County was established on 4 September 1744, and it was named for William Anne Keppel, second Earl of Albemarle, who was titular governor of Virginia 1734-54. When the county was formed from the western part of Goochland, the boundaries included the counties of Buckingham, Amherst, Nelson, Fluvanna, and parts of Appomattox and Campbell. The Blue Ridge was the western boundary line. Today the county contains approximately 751 square miles.

The Albemarle court remained at Scottsville until 1761, at which time Albemarle was divided, Buckingham and Amherst were formed, and part of Louisa was added to Albemarle. The county seat was moved to Charlottesville, which had been established in 1762 and named for Queen Charlotte, wife of George III of England. The site, near the center of the county, was purchased from Colonel Richard Randolph, and was laid off in lots with two acres reserved for the public square where the courthouse and jail were to be located. In 1779 and 1780, the town was described as having Ã¢â‚¬Å“a courthouse, one tavern and about a dozen housesÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â?

Albemarle County Seal Albemarle County is well known for its architectural masterpieces, JeffersonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Monticello and the University of Virginia. The first board of the University had three distinguished members: James Monroe, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson, each of whom served s President of the United States, and all of whom were frequently present in Albemarle Courts. Their portraits, together with a framed copy of the Preamble and the signatures to the Constitution, and MonroeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s statement of the Monroe Doctrine, hang on the south wall of the courtroom.

The courthouse stands in the center of the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Courthouse Historic District, which has been recognized by the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,881 kmÃ‚Â² (726 miÃ‚Â²). 1,872 kmÃ‚Â² (723 miÃ‚Â²) of it is land and 9 kmÃ‚Â² (4 miÃ‚Â²) of it (0.49%) is water.

Albemarle County Courthouse
Court Square
501 East Jefferson Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Phone: (434) 972-4083
Phone: (434) 972-4085
Fax: (434) 293-0298

Family History Center
Hydraulic Road
Charlottesville, Albemarle, Virginia, United States
Phone: 434-975-3866
Hours: T, Th 9am-9pm
Closed: Two weeks at Christmas

You can also access the courthouse through this Website.

General

Albemarle County Homepage
Census Bureau Profile
Albemarle County Wikipedia
E-Podunk
NACo

Genealogical

African American Genealogy Group of Charlottesville/Albemarle
Albemarle County RootsWeb
Albemarle County US GenWeb Archives
Albemarle County VaGenWeb Project
Albemarle County “Olden Times”
Albemarle County Vital Records

Historical

Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society
Depression History, Albemarle/Charlottesville
National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) - Meets in Charlottesville
American Memory - Built in America - Albemarle County images from the Library of Congress
Albemarle County Storms (1950-2006)

Free Online Research Sources

Albemarle County Census Records
Albemarle County Confederate Units
WW II Casualties Army and Air Force
Index to 1722-1858 Albemarle patents (Placed)

Cemeteries

USGS GNIS Albemarle County Cemeteries
African American Cemeteries in Albemarle County
Albemarle County Political Graveyard
Albemarle County Find a Grave

Funeral Home Obituaries Online