Records that survive
These are the record series the Library of Virginia has on microfilm for Amherst 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
- Deed Book1761–1903
- General Index to Deeds1761–1924
- Plat Book1761–1930
- Land Warrants1783–1906
- Land Entry Book1787–1944
- List of Deeds Recorded in the Clerk's Office1845–1850
- Deeds of Release Book1885–1905
Wills
- General Index to Wills, Fiduciaries, etc1761–1944
- Will Book1761–1925
Estates and guardianships
- John Cabell's Estate Account Book1809–1834
- John A. Rowan's Estate Account Book1843–1854
- Fiduciary Accounts1893–1904
Marriages, births and deaths
- Index to Marriage Register1763–1900
- Marriage Bonds and Consents1763–1853
- Marriage Register1763–1977
- Ministers' Returns, Marriage Certificates and Marriage Register1791–1860
- General Index to Marriage Registers1854–1970
- Index to Marriages1854–1949
Court orders and minutes
- Order Book1766–1904
- General Index to County Court Rule Book1786–1789
- General Index to County Court Order Book1787–1822
- Minute Book1804–1839
- General Index to Order Book1830–1831
- Chancery Orders1831–1904
- Common Law Order Book1831–1908
- General Index to Chancery Orders1831–1977
- General Index to County Court Minute Book1832–1835
- Chancery Order Book1870–1873
- Record Book1871–1902
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Register of Free Negroes1822–1864
- Loose Free Negro Papers1844–1860
Military and pensions
- Confederate Pension Board Minutes1900–1901
Bonds and oaths
- Justice of the Peace Commissions1787
- Bond Book1869–1977
County government and the poor
- Minute Book1844–1870
- Board of Supervisors' Minute Book1870–1907
- General Index to Supervisors' Minute Book1870–1977
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
- Amherst 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: Amherst 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, Amherst" 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: Albemarle County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Albemarle County
Later formed partly from Amherst County: Nelson County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1761, 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.