Record loss
Many loose papers are missing, but most record books survive. A 1787 fire destroyed mainly wills and estate records. In June 1864 Union troops set fire to a wagon carrying the court's books to safety, and many deed, will, order and fiduciary books were lost or damaged. Many earlier deeds and wills were recorded again after an 1884 act.
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 Rockingham 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
- Land Patents1739–1837
- General Index to Surveys1751–1936
- Land Grant Surveys 0-1 and1751–1790
- Survey Book1761–1876
- Land Entry Book1776–1954
- Survey Entry Book1776–1880
- Burned Deed Book1778–1863
- General Index to Deeds1778–1863
- Record of Land Surveys1782–1789
- Surveys1791–1948
- Land Treasury Warrants1796–1820
- Deed Book1805–1901
- Deed Records1814–1853
- Index to Deeds, etc1864–1910
- and 2 more series in the full listing
Wills
- Will Book1778–1913
- Index to Wills and Fiduciaries1789–1983
- Index to Will Book1864–1886
- Index to Wills1864–1979
- Wills and Settlements1867–1903
Estates and guardianships
- Administrators' Bond Book1778–1874
- Executors' Bond Book1778–1854
- Guardians' Bond Book1779–1864
- Fiduciary Bond Book1865–1909
- Fiduciary Settlement Book1871–1905
- Fiduciary Bonds1873–1903
- Receivers' Book1879–1906
- Fee Book1924–1970
Marriages, births and deaths
- Index to Marriage Register1778–1939
- Marriage Bonds1778–1847
- Marriage Register1778–1926
- Ministers' Certificates1781–1854
- Index to Register of Births1791–1795
- Marriage Licenses1860–1866
- Register of Births1862–1894
- Register of Deaths1862–1894
- Register of Deaths and Births1865–1866
- General Index to Marriages1968–1983
Tax lists
- Ledger of Revenue Stamps and Distribution1866–1869
Court orders and minutes
- Judgments and Orders1778–1804
- Minute Book1778–1878
- Order Book1789–1870
- Index to Ended Law Papers1809–1909
- Land Causes1810–1848
- Record of Land Causes1810–1884
- Record of Land Causes and Mills1817–1848
- Chancery Court Records1831–1865
- Chancery Memo Book1831–1864
- Chancery Minute Book1831–1868
- Chancery Order Book1831–1903
- Common Law Minutes1831–1845
- Index to Ended Causes1832–1883
- Index to Ended Chancery Causes1832–1977
- and 15 more series in the full listing
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Register of Free Negroes1807–1859
Military and pensions
- Rockingham County Militia Court Martial1814
- Civil War Veterans Records1860–1932
- Lists of Civil War Veterans1860–1864
- Muster Roll of Rockingham County1861–1865
- Confederate Pension Board Minute Book1900–1936
- Muster Roll in the War with Germany1917–1918
- Names of Discharged and Rejected Soldiers1917–1918
- List of Servicemen1918–1919
- Record of Returned Servicemen1918–1919
Bonds and oaths
- Officials' Bond Book1821–1955
- Commissioners' Bonds1888–1903
- Bond List1899–1905
- Notary Bond Book1974–1980
County government and the poor
- Minute Book1782–1863
- Board of the Overseers of the Poor Record Book1865–1870
- Board of Supervisors' Index to Minute Book1870–1892
- Board of Supervisors' Minute Book1870–1892
- Accounts of Overseers of the Poor1878–1879
- Road Board Book1895–1907
- Minutes of the Rockingham Planning Board1944–1946
- Minutes of the Harrisonburg City School Board1980–1982
Roads
- Road Surveyors' Book1820–1840
- The First1840–1843
See every volume and reel number at the Library of Virginia
Library of Virginia note: Reel 150 is not available through interlibrary loan
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
- Rockingham 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: Rockingham 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, Rockingham" 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: Augusta County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Augusta County
Later formed partly from Rockingham County: Page County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1778, 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.