Record loss
Most of this locality's early records are gone. Records were lost when the courthouse was set on fire in 1787, when it partly burned in 1862, and in the Richmond fire of 3 April 1865.
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 New Kent 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 Book1864–1923
- General Index to Deeds1864–1912
- Processioners' Report1867
- Processioners' Book1880–1881
- Surveyors' Book1880
- Surveys of Oyster Grounds1892–1904
- Caveat Book1923–1946
Wills
- Wills and Inventories1863–1865
- General Index to Wills1864–1907
- Will Book1864–1955
- General Index to Heirs or Devisees1965–1977
- General Index to Wills and Fiduciaries1965–1977
Estates and guardianships
- Administrators' Bond Book1830–1841
- Executors' Bond Book1830–1850
- List of Fiduciaries1850–1870
- Fiduciary Bond Book1865–1930
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Bonds1858–1865
- Marriage Register1865–1977
- Register of Births1865–1888
- Register of Deaths1865–1886
Tax lists
- Fee Book1850–1870
- Land Tax Book1863–1865
- Record of Local Board of Review of New Kent County1890–1917
Court orders and minutes
- Court Papers1823–1824
- Clerk's Fee Book1824–1862
- Minute Book1836–1863
- Loose Chancery Causes1840–1864
- Judgment Docket1850–1873
- Order Book1860–1867
- Chancery Order Book1865–1923
- Common Law Order Book1865–1904
- General Index to Judgment Lien Dockets1866–1916
- Judgment Lien Docket1866–1952
- General Index to Judgments1964–1977
- General Index to Law Order Book1964–1977
Military and pensions
- Muster Roll in the War with Germany1917–1918
- World War One Memorial Record1917–1919
- Induction and Discharge Records1941–1977
Bonds and oaths
- Officials' Bond Book1870–1907
County government and the poor
- Overseers of the Poor Minute Book1865–1870
- Local Board of Review Minute Book1915–1922
- Board of Equalization Minute Book1925–1926
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
- New Kent 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: New Kent 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, New Kent" 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: York County
Check the parent county for earlier records: York County
Later formed partly from New Kent County: Hanover County, King and Queen County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1654, 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.