Records that survive
These are the record series the Library of Virginia has on microfilm for Rappahannock 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 Book1833–1905
- Division of Lands1833–1847
- General Index to Deeds1833–1952
- Release Deed Book1884–1909
Wills
- General Index to Wills1833–1967
- Will Book1833–1967
- Index to Wills Left w/ Clerk1928–1986
- General Index to Wills, Fiduciaries, Heirs, and Devisees1968–1986
Estates and guardianships
- Administrators' Bond Book1833–1850
- Administrators' with Will Annexed Bond Book1833–1850
- Executors' Bond Book1833–1850
- Guardians' Bond Book1833–1850
- Reports of Administrators1844–1851
- List of Fiduciaries1850–1908
- Accounts of Fiduciaries1851–1920
Marriages, births and deaths
- Register of Marriages1833–1939
- Register of Births1853–1870
- Register of Deaths1853–1891
- Marriage Certificates1861–1911
- Marriage Register1939–1986
Court orders and minutes
- Chancery Office Orders1833–1851
- Chancery Order Book1833–1925
- Common Law Order Book1833–1916
- General Index to Minute Book1833–1895
- Minute Book1833–1904
- Supplementary Reports related to Chancery Order Book1833–1846
- Supplementary Reports related to Minute and Order Book1833–1847
- Chancery Record Book1836–1843
- Land Causes1839–1849
- Record Book1839–1849
- Supplementary Reports related to Order Book1847–1858
- Clerks' Fiduciary Order Book1904–1986
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Register of Free Negroes1834–1863
Military and pensions
- WWII Induction and Discharge Records1942–1952
Census
- County Census Records1840
Roads
- Road Surveyors' Book1836–1852
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
- Rappahannock 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: Rappahannock 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, Rappahannock" 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: Culpeper County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Culpeper County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1833, 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.