Records that survive
These are the record series the Library of Virginia has on microfilm for City of Lynchburg, 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 Book1805–1901
- General Index to Deeds1805–1983
- Release Deed Book1884–1894
Wills
- Will Book1809–1924
- General Index to Heirs1957–1983
Estates and guardianships
- Fiduciary Account Book1850–1983
Marriages, births and deaths
- General Index to Marriages1805–1983
- Index to Marriage Register1805–1853
- Marriage Bonds and Consents1805–1847
- Marriage Register1805–1983
- Marriage Bonds, Consents and Licenses1841–1861
- Marriage Record1847–1850
- Register of Births1853–1868
- Register of Deaths1853–1868
- Marriage Licenses, Consents and Ministers' Returns1862–1866
- Marriage Licenses and Consents1867–1901
Tax lists
- Liquor License Bond Book1893–1903
- Index to Financing Statements1966–1975
- Annexation Book1976
Court orders and minutes
- Minute Book1805–1827
- Order Book1805–1817
- Chancery Order Book1814–1973
- Index to Ended Chancery Causes1814–1982
- Chancery Cause, Tate v. Lynch1815
- Court Minute Book1815–1818
- Law Order Book1823–1982
- Chancery and Law Order Book1828–1870
- Judgment Lien Docket Book1844–1922
- Judge's Order Book1867–1870
- Judgment Lien Docket and Execution Book1982–1983
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Free Negro Register1805–1865
- Index to Free Negro Register1843–1865
Military and pensions
- Muster Roll1861–1865
- Muster Roll in the War with Germany1917–1918
Census
- Colored Population Registry1865
Bonds and oaths
- Bond Book1855–1973
- Circuit Court Bond Book1870–1928
County government and the poor
- Licenses Registered1813–1816
Schools
- School Board Minute Book1872–1920
See every volume and reel number at the Library of Virginia
Library of Virginia note: Unless otherwise noted these records are for the hustings or corporation court
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
- City of Lynchburg official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the circuit court clerk's office, and any online record search the independent city 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: City of Lynchburg 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, Lynchburg" 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: Became an independent city in 1902, separating from Campbell County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Campbell County
Records stay with the county that created them. The atlas dates this city's independence to 1902, when Virginia's new constitution separated every city from its county. Many older cities already kept some of their own court records (hustings court records, for example), so search both the city's records and the county's. 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 independent city sooner or later, as witnesses, jurors, road workers or parties to a suit.