Record loss
Most of this locality's early records are gone. Original wills, deeds and many loose papers were destroyed in the Civil War. Deed books are missing for 26 of the 56 years from 1763 to 1819, and many minute books are gone.
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 Fairfax 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 Book1742–1835
- General Index to Deeds1742–1866
- Record of Surveys1742–1856
- Loose Papers [Land Grants]1747
- FOR A GROUP OF DEEDS1778–1822
- FOR A FEW DEEDS1781–1782
- Land Record [Deed Book1835–1902
- Grantor Index to Deeds1866–1932
Wills
- General Index to Wills1742–1855
- Will Book1742–1866
- Index to Wills, Etc1855–1951
Marriages, births and deaths
- Loose Papers [Marriage Bond, Marriage Consents]1788
- Marriage Register1853–1933
- Register of Births1853–1869
- Register of Deaths1853–1869
Court orders and minutes
- Minute Book1749–1902
- Order Book1749–1852
- Fee Book1788
- Land Causes1788–1832
- FOR MINUTE BOOK1822–1823
- Chancery Order Book1847–1904
- Common Law Order Book1852–1905
- Clerk's Correspondence1863
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Free Negro Register1822–1861
Military and pensions
- Muster Roll1861–1865
- WWI Muster Roll1917–1918
Bonds and oaths
- Bond Book1752–1782
County government and the poor
- Road Book1866–1904
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
- Fairfax 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: Fairfax 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, Fairfax" 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: Prince William County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Prince William County
Later formed partly from Fairfax County: Arlington County, Loudoun County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1742, 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.