Records that survive
These are the record series the Library of Virginia has on microfilm for Northampton 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
- FOR ORIGINAL DEEDS1632–1645
- FOR TRANSCRIPT OF DEEDS1632–1645
- Index to Deeds1632–1917
- Deeds, Wills, Etc1645–1725
- Deeds, Wills1654–1668
- Deeds, Etc1668–1915
- Deeds1692–1859
- FOR OTHER DEEDS1702
- FOR DEEDS1707–1733
- Plat Book1763–1946
- Surveyors' Record1784–1833
- Processioners' Returns1795–1887
- Deeds Etc1838–1842
- Oyster Plats1892–1907
Wills
- FOR EXPLANATION OF VOLUME REFERENCES IN ROMAN NUMERALS USED IN GENERAL INDEX TO WILLS1632–1733
- FOR ORIGINAL WILLS1632–1645
- FOR TRANSCRIPT OF WILLS1632–1645
- General Index to Wills1632–1973
- FOR WILLS1645–1725
- [Wills] Order Book1664–1683
- FOR ONE WILL ONLY1680
- Wills1708–1923
- Wills, Deeds, Etc1711–1733
- Wills, Etc1717–1853
- Wills, Inventories, Divisions, Etc1750–1754
- Wills Etc1783–1822
- FOR VOLUME 33-A AS REFERRED TO IN GENERAL INDEX SEE SUPERIOR COURT WILL BOOK1811–1830
- Superior Court Will Book1811–1830
- and 4 more series in the full listing
Estates and guardianships
- Orphans' Accounts1731–1850
- Accounts of Fiduciaries1848–1920
- Index to Heirs and Estates Reporting Heirs1912–1913
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Bonds1706–1853
- Marriage Register1706–1922
- Ministers' Returns1723–1854
- Typed List of Marriage Licenses1806–1831
- General Index to Marriage Registers1853–1922
- Register of Births1853–1870
- Register of Deaths1853–1870
- Marriage Consents1857
- Marriage Licenses1866–1877
Tax lists
- Tithables1662–1664
Court orders and minutes
- Order Book1632–1904
- Orders, Wills, Deeds, Etc1632–1640
- Orders, Deeds, Wills, Etc1640–1645
- Records [Orders, Deeds, Wills, Etc.]1640–1645
- FOR ORDERS1645–1683
- FOR ADDITIONAL ORDERS1655–1657
- Orders1655–1698
- Orders, Wills, Etc1698–1710
- Land Causes1754–1867
- Minute Book1754–1783
- Judgments1785–1789
- Rule Book1786–1810
- Court Orders1816–1831
- Complete Record [Pleas, Superior Court]1819–1883
- and 3 more series in the full listing
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Register of Free Negroes1840–1847
County government and the poor
- School Trustee Electoral Board Minute Book1904–1972
- School Superintendents' Records1915–1955
- School Board Minutes1922–1972
Schools
- Commissioner of Accounts Record Book1860–1904
See every volume and reel number at the Library of Virginia
Library of Virginia note: Note: The volumes of Northampton County records covered by the Index to Deeds, 1632 - 1732, and the General Index to Wills, 1632 - 1733, are referred to in the indices by Roman numerals, without further identification. The following enumeration gives the full title of each volume referred to by a Roman numeral, followed by the reel number for the microfilm of the volume. I Order Book I [Orders, Wills, Deeds, Etc. No 1], 1632 - 1640 c (Transcript) (REEL 1) II Records [Orders, Deeds, Wills, Etc. No. 2], 1640 - 1645 c (Transcript) (REEL 2) III Deeds, Wills, Etc., No. 3, 1645 - 1651 c (REEL 3) IV Deeds, Wills, Etc., No. 4, 1651 - 1654 c (REEL 3) V Deeds, Wills, Etc., No. 5, 1654 - 1655 [1656] c (REEL 4) VII Deeds, Wills, Etc., No. 7, 8, 1655 [1654] - 1668 c (REEL 5) IX Deeds, Wills, Etc., 1657 - 1666 c (REEL 4) X [Wills] Order Book No. 9, 1664 - 1674 (REEL 26) XI Deeds, Etc., 1668 - 1680 c (REEL 5) XII [Wills] Order Book No. 10, 1674 - 1679 (REEL 27) XIII [Wills] Order Book No. 11, 1678 - 1683 (REEL 27) XIV Deeds, Wills, Etc., No. 11, 1680 - 1692 c (REEL 5) XV Order Book & Wills, No. 12, 1683 - 1689 (REEL 27) XVI Deeds & Wills No. 12, 1692 - 1707 c (REEL 5) XVII Orders & Wills No. 13, 1689 - 1698 (REEL 27) XVIII Orders, Wills, Etc., No. 14, 1698 - 1710 (REEL 27) XIX Wills No. 19, 1708 - 1717 (REEL 28) XXI (For single entry to XXI See same page no. in XXIV) XXI-R Wills, Deeds, Etc., 1711 - 1718 c (REEL 29) XXII Wills, Etc., No. 15, 1717 - 1725 (REEL 29) XXIII & XXIII-R Deeds, Wills, Etc., 1718 - 1725 c (REEL 5) XXIV & XXIV-R Wills, Deeds Etc. No 26, 1725 - 1733 (REEL 29)
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
- Northampton 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: Northampton 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, Northampton" 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: One of the original eight shires of 1634
Later formed partly from Northampton County: Accomack County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1634 (original shire), 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.