Records that survive
These are the record series the Library of Virginia has on microfilm for Highland 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 Book1847–1904
- Entry Book1847–1912
- General Index to Deeds1847–1981
- Surveyors' Book1847–1910
- Caveat Book1849–1920
- Release Deed Book1884–1925
Wills
- General Index to Wills1859–1981
- Will Book1859–1924
Estates and guardianships
- General Index to Fiduciary Records1847–1930
- Inventories and Appraisements1847–1922
- Fiduciary Settlement Book1855–1912
Marriages, births and deaths
- Index to Register of Marriages1847–1975
- Register of Marriages1847–1975
- Index to Registers of Birth, Death1853–1917
- Register of Births1853–1917
- Register of Deaths1853–1917
Court orders and minutes
- Order Book1847–1870
- Chancery Order Book1848–1981
- Common Law Order Book1848–1921
Military and pensions
- Civil War Index to Local People1861–1865
- Induction1917–1979
County government and the poor
- Record Book1847–1861
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
- Highland 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: Highland 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, Highland" 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: Bath County, Pendleton County (W.Va.)
Check the parent county for earlier records: Bath County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1847, 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.