Record loss
Most of this locality's early records are gone. Records were lost in courthouse fires in 1828 and 1833, and again when Union troops burned the courthouse on 10 March 1864.
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 King and Queen 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
- Plat Book1822–1981
- Deed Book1864–1903
- General Index to Deeds, Wills, ect1864–1953
- General Index to Deeds1865–1953
- Processioners' Report Book1867–1868
- Oyster Inspectors' Report1884–1892
- Release Deed Book1884–1907
- Oyster Plats1898–1979
- Agricultural Chattel Deed of Trust Index and Book1946–1965
- Recorded Instruments1967–1974
Wills
- Will Book1831–1946
- General Index to Wills1841–1981
Estates and guardianships
- Accounts, Administrations, Appraisements, and Inventories1844–1921
- Guardians' Account Book1857–1919
- Fiduciary Bond Book1863–1981
- List of Fiduciaries1863–1911
- Clerks' Fiduciary Order Book1904–1941
- Record of Fiduciaries1952–1979
Marriages, births and deaths
- General Index to Marriages1860–1980
- Register of Births1864–1871
- Marriage Certificates1867–1903
- Marriage Register1871–1976
- Marriage Consents and Certificates1917–1927
Tax lists
- Debtor Index to Financing Statements1966–1980
Court orders and minutes
- Order Book1831–1858
- Common Law Order Book1854–1908
- Minute Book1858–1904
- Chancery Order Book1859–1905
- Clerk's Fiduciary Order Book1941–1981
Military and pensions
- Minutes of the Board of Exemptions1862–1863
- WWI Draft Papers [Loose]1917–1918
Bonds and oaths
- Commissioners' Bond Book1886–1927
- Officials' Bond Book1947–1972
County government and the poor
- Road Book1875–1894
- Minutes of the County Finance Board1932–1965
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
- King and Queen 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: King and Queen 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, King and Queen" 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: New Kent County
Check the parent county for earlier records: New Kent County
Later formed partly from King and Queen County: Caroline County, King William County, Spotsylvania County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1691, 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.