Records that survive
These are the record series the Library of Virginia has on microfilm for Charlotte 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 Book1765–1902
- Entry Book1765–1805
- General Index to Deeds1765–1904
- Processioners' Book1813–1875
- Surveyor's Book1875–1894
- Release Deed Book1885–1889
Wills
- General Index to Wills1765–1904
- Will Book1765–1917
Estates and guardianships
- Guardians' Accounts1765–1880
- Bond Book1850–1920
- Fiduciary Register1850–1904
- Guardians' Accounts Book1872–1920
- General Receivers' Reports1878–1897
- Fiduciary Order Book1904–1946
Marriages, births and deaths
- Abstracts of Marriage Bonds1765–1850
- Marriage Bonds1774–1853
- Marriage Register1782–1923
- Index to Register of Births1853–1861
- Index to Register of Deaths1853–1861
- Register of Births1853–1870
- Register of Deaths1853–1870
- Marriage Licenses1860–1912
Court orders and minutes
- Form Book1716–1767
- Loose Papers1764–1870
- General Index to Minute [Order] Book1765–1904
- Order Book1765–1904
- County Court Cases1773–1774
- Common Law Order Book1809–1909
- Land Causes1818–1871
- Plea Book1826–1828
- Chancery Order Book1831–1904
- Minute Book1831–1941
- Clerk's Order Book1887–1977
- Memorandum Book1972–1974
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Register of Free Negroes1794–1865
Military and pensions
- Regimental Order Book1860–1868
- Minutes of Board of Military Exemptions1861–1865
- Muster Roll1861–1865
Bonds and oaths
- Commissioner's Bond Book1875–1940
County government and the poor
- Commissioner of Revenue Memorandum Book1806–1858
- Board of Supervisors' Minute Book1870–1913
- Minutes of Madison Road Board1917–1924
See every volume and reel number at the Library of Virginia
Library of Virginia note: Reels 74 - 103 are not available through interlibrary loan
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
- Charlotte 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: Charlotte 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, Charlotte" 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: Lunenburg County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Lunenburg County
Later formed partly from Charlotte County: Appomattox County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1764, 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.