Records that survive
These are the record series the Library of Virginia has on microfilm for Essex 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
- General Index to Wills and Deeds1691–1798
- Deeds1695–1826
- Records [Deeds1695–1700
- Deeds Etc1704–1711
- Land Trials1711–1818
- Deeds, Etc1718–1721
- Deeds, Bonds1721–1724
- Deeds etc1724–1805
- Deed Book1754–1901
- General Index to Deeds1791–1936
- Processioners' Returns1796–1856
- Plat Book1820–1978
- Oyster Plat Book1892–1978
Wills
- Wills1665–1846
- Will Book1681–1904
- General Index to Wills1717–1903
- General Index to Wills and Fiduciary Accounts1717–1978
- Wills, Inventories, Settlements of Estates1717–1721
- General Index to Wills and Deeds1721–1798
- Wills, Bonds, Inventories1722–1730
Estates and guardianships
- Orphans' Accounts1731–1760
- Guardians' Book1761–1888
- Record of Fiduciaries1870–1956
- Fiduciary Bond Book1900–1919
- Fiduciary Accounts1945
Marriages, births and deaths
- Index to Register of Marriages1804–1853
- Marriage Bonds1804–1850
- Marriage Register1804–1934
- Register of Marriage Bonds1804–1853
- Ministers' Returns1850–1854
- Register of Marriage Licenses1850–1860
- Index to Births1856–1917
- Index to Register of Deaths1856–1916
- Register of Births1856–1916
- Register of Deaths1856–1916
Court orders and minutes
- General Index to Court Orders1684–1728
- Orders Etc1692–1695
- Records [Orders Etc1692–1695
- Orders1695–1801
- FOR ORDERS [ORIGINAL]1699–1702
- FOR ORDERS [TRANSCRIPT]1699–1702
- Order Book1716–1904
- Orders Book1754
- Record of Appeals1809–1821
- Chancery Order Book1831–1978
- Law Order Book1831–1905
- Order1833–1836
- Office Judgments1834–1866
- Index to Chancery Suits1850–1948
- and 4 more series in the full listing
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Free Negro Register1810–1861
Military and pensions
- Record of Confederate Veterans and County Involvement1861–1909
Bonds and oaths
- Commissioners' Bond Book1884–1923
- Special Commissioners' Bond Book1912–1956
County government and the poor
- Sheriffs' Returns1762–1768
- Overseers of the Poor Minute Book1843–1849
- School Board Minutes1872–1921
- School Board Ledger1873–1880
- Electoral Board Minutes1884–1924
Schools
- District Clerk's Returns of School Census1910–1915
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
- Essex 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: Essex 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, Essex" 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: Old Rappahannock County (now extinct)
Check the parent county for earlier records: Rappahannock County (Old)
Later formed partly from Essex County: Caroline County, Spotsylvania County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1692, 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.