Record loss
Many loose papers are missing, but most record books survive. Most loose papers before the Revolution are missing. Deed, will and order books survive, because the clerks removed them in both the Revolution and the Civil War.
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 counties 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 York 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
- Deeds, Orders, Wills1633–1740
- Deeds and Bonds1694–1729
- Deeds1729–1777
- Deed Book1777–1902
- General Index to Deeds1777–1973
- Plat1788
- Processioners' Record Book1795–1908
- Land Office Grants1850–1854
- Plat Book1868–1983
- Plats1868–1951
- Record of Release Deeds1885–1926
- Oyster Plat Book1892–1954
Wills
- FOR WILLS1633–1746
- Wills1745–1811
- General Index to Wills1811–1942
- Will Book1811–1909
- Index to Wills Filed for Safekeeping1958–1972
- General Index to Will Book1972–1973
Estates and guardianships
- Guardians' Account Book1736–1846
- Guardians' Bond Book1849–1875
- Fiduciary Register1877–1922
- Fiduciary Bond Book1891–1907
- Fiduciary Order Book1943–1964
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Bonds and Consents1772–1849
- List of Marriages1785–1823
- Ministers' Returns1794–1851
- Marriage Register1854–1973
- Register of Births and Deaths1856–1858
Tax lists
- Oyster Fee and Tax Book1887–1892
Court orders and minutes
- Judgments and Orders1746–1814
- Land Causes1746–1854
- Order Book1765–1904
- Court Records1787–1793
- Witness Payment Book1809–1828
- Chancery Order Book1831–1925
- Clerk's Order Book1834–1901
- Minute Book1851–1859
- Common Law Order Book1865–1878
- Convict Register1889–1951
- General Index to Judgment Lien Docket and Execution Book1917–1973
- General Index to Ended Cases1950–1973
- Judgment Lien Docket1973
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Register of Free Negroes1798–1850
Bonds and oaths
- Bond Book1892–1915
County government and the poor
- Sheriff's Execution Book1789–1795
- Overseers of the Poor Minute Book1857–1870
- Board of Supervisors' Minute Book1870–1939
- Electoral Board Minute Book1904–1945
- Local Board of Review Minute Book1915–1948
- Finance Board Minute Book1932–1956
- School Board Minute Book1936–1950
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
- York 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: York 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, York" 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: One of the original eight shires of 1634
Later formed partly from York County: Gloucester County, Lancaster County, New Kent County, Northumberland County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1634 (original shire), 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.