Record loss & where to begin
Hanover County’s clerk reports that many deed, court, and will records burned in Richmond on April 3, 1865, after being moved there for safekeeping. The county also describes possible loss of suit papers and marriage licenses at its clerk’s office. Source: Hanover County genealogy and history guide.
Useful surviving resources
- The county identifies deed, plat, will, and marriage holdings dating from 1865 and provides an online name index.
- The county directs researchers to chancery suit papers covering 1831–1913 through the Library of Virginia.
- Its guide describes an 1866 register of marriages of freedpeople, a specific resource to consider for relevant research.
Use the county’s access page for its index and repository instructions. These date ranges describe listed collections, not uninterrupted evidence for every person or year.
Plan your search
- Choose an event, locality, and short date range before searching.
- Record the exact collection title and any gaps in its coverage.
- Search relevant associates as well as the principal name; a case may be indexed under another party.
- Follow a promising index entry to the record itself. Cite the volume, page or image, and repository.
Read the burned-records research guide →
Sources & review date
- Hanover County Circuit Court: genealogy and history
- Library of Virginia: Lost Records Localities search guidance
Source listings checked August 30, 2026. This is an original research guide, not a transcription of the records or a complete inventory. Confirm current access arrangements with the repository.
Local historical organization
Hanover County Historical Society: Local history programs, publications and preservation resources.