Hanover County Genealogy Records

Hanover County holds some of Virginia's richest genealogy records, with documents going back to 1720 when the county was first formed. Researchers looking for family history in east-central Virginia will find land records, marriage registers, probate files, and court orders at the Circuit Court Clerk's office in the town of Hanover. The county's colonial roots and intact record set make it one of the top destinations for genealogy work in the state.

Hanover County Circuit Court Clerk

The Circuit Court Clerk's office in Hanover is the primary source for genealogy records in this county. The office holds marriage records beginning in 1720, land records from 1724, court records from 1732, and probate records from 1733. That depth of coverage is rare. Few Virginia counties can offer unbroken records from before 1750, and Hanover is one of them. The courthouse sits in the town of Hanover, which remains one of the few colonial-era courthouses still in active use in Virginia.

You can visit the clerk's office in person to search deed books, will books, marriage registers, and other bound volumes. Staff are available during regular business hours to help you locate the right record series. For older records, you may need to work through handwritten indexes and original bound volumes. The FamilySearch wiki for Hanover County has a good summary of record dates and available collections to help you plan your research trip.

Note: Birth and death certificates after 1912 are not held at the clerk's office. For those, contact the Virginia Department of Health Office of Vital Records in Richmond.

Genealogy Records in Hanover County

Hanover County was created on November 26, 1720 from New Kent County and named for the Electorate of Hanover in Germany. The county sits in east-central Virginia, not far from Richmond, and has been a farming and trading hub since the colonial period. That long settled history means the records here go deep. Statewide birth and death registration began in Virginia in 1912, but Hanover's local records capture family events long before that date.

Marriage records begin in 1720. Land records start in 1724. Court records run from 1732. Probate records, which include wills, estate inventories, and administration bonds, begin in 1733. These four record sets together give you a nearly complete picture of family life in the county from its founding forward. If your ancestors owned land, married, died with property, or appeared in court in Hanover County, the records are likely still there.

The Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory digital collections hold chancery records for Hanover County. These records cover inheritance disputes, debt cases, and other civil matters that often contain rich family detail. Many colonial records for Hanover survive and have been noted by researchers as unusually complete for a Virginia county of this age.

The Hanovercounty.gov website serves the county government, and the clerk's office maintains records under the general framework of Virginia Code Title 17.1, which governs court clerks and their record-keeping duties statewide.

How to Search Hanover Genealogy Records

In-person research at the Hanover courthouse is the most thorough approach. The clerk's office is set up for public access, and older volumes are available in the reading room. You will want to arrive with names, date ranges, and any known record types in mind. Staff can direct you to the right books or indexes, but the actual searching falls to you.

The Library of Virginia in Richmond holds microfilm and digital copies of many Hanover County records. Their online catalog lets you search from home before making a trip. The Library's Chancery Records Index is especially useful for Hanover, covering records that touch on family property and inheritance in ways that other record types don't. For marriage bonds and land deeds, FamilySearch has digitized some Hanover County materials that can be searched online at no cost.

The Hanover County government maintains records for more recent transactions. For older genealogy work, the courthouse and the Library of Virginia are your two best sources. Cross-referencing both will give you the most complete picture of any given family line.

Libraries and Local Research Resources

The Hanover County government website at hanovercounty.gov offers information on county services and can help you find contact details for the clerk's office. The Hanover County Public Library system also maintains local history collections that can supplement courthouse research, including old newspapers and family files donated by local researchers.

The Virginia Genealogical Society has published guides and indexes for Hanover County records and holds a library collection in Richmond. Their quarterly publication and member resources include material on Hanover County families going back to the colonial era. For cemetery records, Find A Grave has a substantial number of Hanover County burials documented by volunteers, including older church and farm cemeteries that are hard to locate any other way.

Hanover County is close to Richmond, so researchers can easily combine a visit to the county courthouse with a trip to the Library of Virginia or the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, both of which hold Virginia-wide genealogy collections with strong Hanover content.

Hanover County Record History

The Hanover County government image from hanovercounty.gov shows the county's official web presence where administrative records and court links are maintained today.

Hanover County has not experienced major record losses of the type seen in many Virginia counties during the Civil War. The old courthouse in the town of Hanover dates to 1735 and has been in nearly continuous use since then. This physical continuity is one reason the record set is so intact. Many of the original deed books and will books from the 1700s are still held at the courthouse rather than transferred elsewhere, which makes in-person research particularly rewarding.

Because the county was carved from New Kent County in 1720, researchers tracing families who were in the area before that date should also check New Kent County records. Some families appear in both counties depending on the year and where boundary lines fell. The Library of Virginia has guidance on how to navigate these boundary shifts when searching pre-1720 family history in east-central Virginia.

Virginia vital records law under Code Title 32.1 governs access to birth and death records statewide. Older clerk-held records in Hanover are generally open to the public. The clerk's office can advise on what requires a fee or certified copy request.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Hanover. Each maintains its own genealogy records at the Circuit Court Clerk's office.