Record loss
Many loose papers are missing, but most record books survive. A fire in the clerk's office on 25 October 1710 caused some losses. Deed, will and order books survive from 1650.
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 Northumberland 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
- Deeds1650–1652
- Record Book1652–1852
- Processioners' Reports1795–1846
- Maps and Plats1823–1901
- Deed Book1852–1906
- Oyster Inspectors Reports1871–1877
- General Index to Deeds1877–1920
- Release Deeds1884–1891
- Oyster Plat Book1893–1911
- Survey of Oyster Grounds1894
Wills
- Will Book1847–1912
Estates and guardianships
- ESTATE ACCOUNTS PRIOR TO 1847 SEE Land Records1650–1652
- Estate Papers1761–1950
- Guardianship Accounts1788–1923
- Estate Book1847–1915
- Administrators' Bonds1848–1850
- Register of Fiduciaries1850–1879
- Guardians' Accounts1862–1899
- Fiduciary Book1870–1957
- General Index to Inventories1870–1916
- Index to Fiduciary Accounts1870–1916
- Administrators' Bond Book1891–1902
- Record of Fiduciaries1917–1956
- Fiduciary Inventory Book1943–1954
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Records1735–1850
- List of Marriage Bonds1788–1817
- Marriage Bonds and Consents1788–1851
- Births of Negroes1841–1857
- Record of Marriages1850–1853
- Birth Register1853–1896
- Death Register1853–1895
- Register of Births and Deaths1853–1862
- List of Births1865–1894
- List of Deaths1865–1875
- Marriage Licenses and Consents1865–1903
- Marriage Licenses1867–1870
- Marriage Bonds and Licenses1871–1873
- Marriage Register1957–1976
Court orders and minutes
- FOR ORDERS1650–1652
- Order Book1652–1871
- Index to Surnames Neale/Waddy in Order Book1678–1830
- Fee Book1717–1860
- Minute Book1718–1797
- Dockets1748–1836
- Various Court Records1772–1870
- Memorandum Book1787–1848
- Petitions for Judgment1787–1789
- Miscellaneous Papers1789–1833
- Orders, Deeds [Wills] etc1789–1849
- Petition Dockets1789–1813
- Various Loose County Records1789–1905
- Writs of Inquiry1800
- and 7 more series in the full listing
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Register of Free Negroes1803–1858
- Record of Food and Clothing Issued to Negroes at1844–1849
Military and pensions
- Pension Board Records1900–1926
Bonds and oaths
- Commissions1798–1869
- Bond Book1848–1850
- List of Licenses Issued1848–1868
- Oyster License Bond Book1866
Elections
- Polls1796–1852
- Election Records1852–1899
- List of Voters1854–1861
- Commissioners of Election Board1865
County government and the poor
- Proceedings of the School Commissioners1823–1837
- Overseers of the Poor Minute Book1842–1856
- Minutes of Overseers of the Poor1865–1870
- Board of Supervisors' Record Book1870–1969
- Record of the Local Board of Review of Assessment1915–1942
Roads
- Road Papers1839–1892
Schools
- Deputy Sheriff's Papers1856–1870
- School Census1900
See every volume and reel number at the Library of Virginia
Library of Virginia note: NOTE: Prior to 1847, Deeds, Wills, and Estate Accounts were all recorded in a single series of volumes entitled "Record Books", except for a volume dating 1650 - 1652, entitled "Deeds & Orders" (which contains no wills). Prior to 1749, the above mentioned volumes are not indexed in the General Index to Deeds, the General Index to Wills, or the General index to Fiduciary Accounts.
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
- Northumberland 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: Northumberland 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, Northumberland" 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 Northumberland County: Lancaster County, Westmoreland County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1645, 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.