Records that survive
These are the record series the Library of Virginia has on microfilm for City of Portsmouth, 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 Book1858–1869
Wills
- Circuit Court Will Book1858–1913
- General Index to Wills, Etc1858–1950
- Will Book1858–1883
Estates and guardianships
- Audit Book1858–1878
- Guardians' Accounts1858–1878
- Inventories and Appraisements1858–1884
- List of Fiduciaries1858–1905
Marriages, births and deaths
- General Index to Marriages1858–1950
- Marriage Register1858–1901
- Register of Births1858–1896
- Register of Deaths1858–1896
Court orders and minutes
- Minute Book1858–1869
- Chancery Order Book1866–1874
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
- City of Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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, Portsmouth" 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 Norfolk County (extinct)
Check the parent county for earlier records: Norfolk 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.