Record loss
Many loose papers are missing, but most record books survive. Many loose papers from the 1700s were badly damaged by water and pests. The deed, will and order books survive.
Before you give up, try these:
- The Library of Virginia's Lost Records Localities Digital Collection: copies of deeds, wills and other records from this place that turned up as evidence in other courts' files.
- Land tax and personal property tax books, which begin in 1782. Copies went to the state, so they often survived when the courthouse records didn't.
- The records of the parent county and neighboring counties, where families often bought land, went to court or married.
- Chancery suits, church records, newspapers, Bible records and military pension files. See Burned Counties.
Records that survive
These are the record series the Library of Virginia has on microfilm for Accomack County, with the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps; it doesn't mean every year in between survives.
Land and deeds
- Deeds, Wills Etc1663–1737
- General Index to Deeds1663–1904
- Grantee Index to Deeds1663–1969
- Grantor Index to Deeds1663–1969
- Vestry Orders [Processioners Returns of Accomack Parish]1723–1784
- Deeds1737–1963
- Processioners' Returns1764–1895
- Surveyors' Record1784–1945
- Parish Records1787–1819
- Plat Book1800–1984
- Conveyance Book1884–1920
- Lands Sold for Taxes to Others than the Commonwealth1885–1951
- Oyster Plats1894–1924
Wills
- General Index to Wills1663–1922
- Wills1737–1920
Estates and guardianships
- Orphans' Accounts1741–1850
- William Taylor1762–1772
- William Taylor Account Book1766–1769
- Fiduciary Accounts1780–1903
- Executors' Bonds1784–1962
- Administrators' Bonds1785–1925
- Guardians' Bonds1792–1943
- Orphans' Bonds1798–1810
- Orphans' Record Book1808–1819
- Inventories1828–1903
- Record of Fiduciaries1850–1969
- General Index to Bonds1948–1979
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Contract1738
- Marriage Bonds1774–1836
- Marriage Register1805–1925
- Marriage License Bonds [Abstracts]1832–1841
- Marriage Bonds [Licenses and Bonds]1836–1841
- Marriage Licenses1850–1917
- Register of Deaths1853–1870
- Register of Births1854–1892
- Marriage Licenses and Bonds1917–1919
Tax lists
- Personal Property Tax Lists1783–1793
- Levy Papers1805–1856
Court orders and minutes
- Orders1666–1848
- Land Causes1727–1891
- [Court] Minutes1729–1730
- Order Book1789–1904
- Witness Book1793–1820
- Complete Record District Court [for Accomack and1794–1809
- Minute Book1795–1896
- Common Law Order Book1805–1978
- Complete Records1826–1872
- Complete Record [Land Causes]1827–1830
- Chancery Order Book1831–1931
- General Index to Judgment Lien Docket1891–1916
- Judgment Docket1891–1916
- Defendants Index to Judgment Dockets1903–1979
- and 5 more series in the full listing
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- List of Free Negroes1804
- Register of Free Negroes1807–1863
Military and pensions
- Second Regiment Records1823–1849
- Retakes for Muster Roll [Civil War and World War I]1861–1865
- World War Memorial Records1919–1967
- General Index to Induction and Discharge WWII Records1941–1946
Bonds and oaths
- Apprenticeship Indentures1786–1872
- Constables' Bonds1824–1852
- Officials' Bonds1828–1956
- Ordinary Bonds1832–1859
- Special Commissioners' Bonds1905–1937
- General Index to Bonds1948–1979
Elections
- Polls for Congress1815
- Ballots1836–1860
County government and the poor
- Overseers of the Poor Record Book1820–1857
- Board of Supervisors' Minute Book1919–1929
See every volume and reel number at the Library of Virginia
Source: Library of Virginia, County and City Records on Microfilm. Reels marked for interlibrary loan can be borrowed through your local library.
Where to find the records
- Accomack County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the circuit court clerk's office, and any online record search the county offers.
- The circuit court clerk's office
Virginia's deed, will and marriage books are usually kept by the clerk of the circuit court for the county or city, though many older records have been moved to the Library of Virginia. Call before you visit; hours and access to older volumes vary.
- Library of Virginia: Accomack County records on microfilmfree
Every filmed volume with its years and reel number. Use the reels in Richmond; many can be borrowed through interlibrary loan.
- Library of Virginia: Chancery Records Indexfree
Search equity court suits by name. They're rich in family detail: estate divisions, heirs and land disputes. Many localities' suits are scanned and free to view.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Virginia, Accomack" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Northampton County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Northampton County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1663, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Start with the deed and will books: they name relatives, neighbors and land. Then try the court order books, which mention almost everyone in the county sooner or later, as witnesses, jurors, road workers or parties to a suit.