Record loss
Most of this locality's early records are gone. Some volumes were burned or damaged. Will books before 1699 and order books for 1794–1816 are missing, as are many loose papers before 1781.
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 Richmond 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 Book1692–1905
- General Index to Deeds1692–1915
- FOR ADDITIONAL DEEDS1724–1783
- FOR DEED BOOK1772–1779
- FOR PROCESSIONERS' RETURNS OF 1821 SEE ORDER BOOK NO1786–1789
- Processioners' Book1796–1817
- Plats1801–1888
- FOR PROCESSIONERS' RETURNS1838–1846
Wills
- General Index to Wills1699–1950
- Wills1699–1717
- Will Book1717–1929
- Will and Inventories1789–1794
Estates and guardianships
- Miscellaneous Records1699–1724
- Account Book1724–1931
- Guardians' Bonds1824–1850
- Record of Fiduciaries1850–1915
- Fiduciary Bond Book1871–1918
Marriages, births and deaths
- FOR MARRIAGE LICENSES1709–1716
- Marriage Bonds1750–1850
- Register of Marriages1802–1906
- Marriage Certificates1835–1901
- Register of Births1853–1917
- Register of Deaths1853–1895
Court orders and minutes
- Order Book1692–1904
- Miscellaneous Records1699–1724
- Criminal Trials1710–1754
- FOR ORDERS1773–1776
- Execution Book1786–1869
- Rule Book1786–1841
- Orders1795–1831
- Chancery Order Book1815–1924
- FOR COMMON LAW REFERENCES AND APPEARANCES, ETC1815–1827
- Justice's Execution Book1816–1896
- Issue Docket Book1817–1827
- Fee Book1831–1841
- FOR RULE BOOK1837–1841
- Process Book1840–1869
- and 5 more series in the full listing
Military and pensions
- Roster of Confederate Soldiers1861–1864
- List of Disabled Soldiers1889–1903
- List of Pensioners1902–1909
Bonds and oaths
- Special Commissioner's Report1896
- Officials' Bond Book1919–1952
County government and the poor
- Overseers of the Poor Minute Book1786–1842
- Overseers of the Poor Records1843–1856
- Board of Supervisors' Order Book1870–1920
- School Board Minute Book1879–1966
- Road Fee Book1880–1883
- Board of Supervisors' Road Book1898–1904
- Local Board of Review of Assessments1915–1938
Schools
- School District Collection Receipts1871
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
- Richmond 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: Richmond 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, Richmond" 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: Old Rappahannock County (now extinct)
Check the parent county for earlier records: Rappahannock County (Old)
Later formed partly from Richmond County: King George County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1692, 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.