Research Library

The Amherst County Museum & Historical Society operates a small genealogy library. It is free and open to the public during regular museum hours.

Resources

The genealogy collection at the Amherst County Museum & Historical Society focuses on information pertaining to local families and history. Our resources include:

• family files compiled by other genealogists
• files for family homes and farms compiled by researchers
• a listing of binders and published books focussing on various Amherst County families
• Amherst County census information
• Microfilm for the 1870 and 1880 Agricultural Census for Amherst County with a downloadable PDF index to the 1870 index and also an index to the 1880 Agricultural Census for Amherst County. Agricultural censuses provide information about the size of farm, how much was tilled and how much wasn't, the value of the land, the machinery and tools and the value and kind of livestock. Please note that a census of farms does not provide information about family relationships or how many live on the farm.
• abstracts of Amherst County wills and deeds (Baily Fulton Davis publications only through the mid 1800s)
• military rosters
• marriage bond lists
• general county histories
• church histories
• The David French Library: a collection of books about Virginia (recorded history and natural history) and Amherst County
• compact disks and oral history videotapes
• USGS quad maps available for reference use
• an index to places on the Gilmer map of 1864, with directions for gridding the map
• a guide to "Discover Amherst County," a supplement published once a year for the Amherst New Era-Progress during the 1980s and 1990s. These supplement contain articles about local businesses, people, churches, schools and organizations in Amherst County, many with historical interest. Please note that this is a guide only, and does not contain the text of the articles. The supplements with text are available for research in the research room.
• a listing of books by the subjects--colonial period, revolutionary period, nineteenth century and the Civil War, ethnic studies, counties closely related to Amherst, other counties in Virginia, church histories, published collected genealogical works, Lynchburg and the Amherst-Nelson area.
• a listing of brief sketches of other places of interest in Amherst County.