Record loss
Many loose papers are missing, but most record books survive. Tarleton's British raid on Charlottesville in 1781 destroyed every order book but the first, along with many loose papers from 1748 to 1781.
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 Albemarle 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
- Surveyors' Book1744–1853
- General Index to Deeds1748–1917
- Deed Book1758–1917
- Unrecorded Deeds1785–1909
- [Old] Deeds for Further Proof1785–1863
- District Court Deed Book1790–1806
- Superior Court Deed Book1807–1832
- Release Deeds1919–1920
Wills
- General Index to Wills1744–1930
- Wills and Deeds1748–1752
- Will Book1752–1919
Estates and guardianships
- Fiduciary Book1858–1924
- Inventories and Accounts of Sales1877–1973
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Bonds1780–1853
- Record of Marriage Bonds1780–1805
- Marriage Register1806–1903
- Marriage Bonds, Consent Papers1853–1858
- Register of Births1853–1861
- Register of Births and Deaths1853–1868
- Register of Deaths1853–1861
- General Index to Marriage Registers1854–1940
- Index to Marriage Register1854–1893
- Marriage Bonds, Marriage Licenses, Certificates of Marriage, Consent Papers1858–1865
- Marriage Licenses, Marriage Certificates, Minister's Returns, Consent Papers1865–1911
- Marriage Licenses1869–1913
- Marriage Licenses, Marriage Certificates1873–1898
Court orders and minutes
- Order Book1744–1831
- Commonwealth Causes1749–1922
- Law Order Book1809–1904
- Minute Book1830–1866
- Chancery Order Book1831–1903
- Index to Ended Causes1832–1939
- Index to Orders and Minutes1842–1904
- Clerk's Minute Book1904–1974
- Index to Ended Law Causes1922–1938
Bonds and oaths
- Bond Book1899–1902
County government and the poor
- Board of Supervisors' Minute Book1870–1892
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
- Albemarle 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: Albemarle 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, Albemarle" 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: Goochland County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Goochland County
Later formed partly from Albemarle County: Amherst County, Buckingham County, Fluvanna County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1744, 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.