Mathews County Genealogy Records

Mathews County sits on the Middle Peninsula of Virginia, bordered by the Chesapeake Bay and the Piankatank and East rivers. The county holds genealogy records dating from its formation in 1791, when it was carved from Gloucester County. Land records, marriage bonds, probate files, and court orders are maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk in Mathews. For researchers tracing watermen families and coastal Virginia ancestors, Mathews County offers a distinct and well-preserved archive.

Mathews County Circuit Court Clerk

The Mathews Circuit Court is part of the 9th Judicial Circuit. The current clerk is Hon. Elizabeth Anne Brown, who can be reached by email at ebrown@vacourts.gov. The clerk's office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The main phone number is (804) 725-2550.

The mailing and physical address is 10622 Buckley Hall Road Suite A, P.O. Box 463, Mathews, VA 23109. Use the P.O. Box for all mail correspondence. The clerk's office maintains the county's genealogy records including land deeds, marriage licenses, wills, probate files, and civil and criminal court orders from 1791 to the present.

The Virginia Courts Mathews Circuit Court page provides current contact information and courthouse details. Check this page for any updates to office hours before planning a visit. Mathews County is a small coastal county, and the courthouse is in the small county seat of Mathews.

Note: Earlier records for Mathews County families may also appear in Gloucester County, from which Mathews was formed in 1791. Check Gloucester for records predating 1791.

Genealogy Records Available in Mathews County

Mathews County was created in 1791 from Gloucester County and named for Thomas Mathews, a Revolutionary War general. The county's records start at its formation and cover land, marriage, probate, and court records from the late 18th century forward. The county's coastal location attracted watermen and maritime families, and many of the records here reflect that background with mentions of boats, fishing rights, and bay access in land and estate documents.

Statewide birth and death registration began in Virginia in 1912. Records from before that year are held at the clerk's office and at the Library of Virginia. The Library holds Mathews County materials on microfilm and has digitized some collections for online access. Their chancery records index covers Mathews County cases and is searchable by name with links to digital images of the original files.

The FamilySearch wiki for Mathews County lists available record types by date range and source. FamilySearch holds microfilm images of some county records. Census records for Mathews County begin in 1810. Personal property tax lists from the late 1700s are useful substitutes for earlier years. These records are available through FamilySearch and the Library of Virginia.

The Virginia Memory portal provides free access to digitized Virginia records including materials from Mathews County. This is worth searching before using subscription databases.

How to Search Mathews County Records

For online research, start with the Library of Virginia's chancery records index. Search by family name to find Mathews County cases from the 1800s and early 1900s. Digital images of the case files are free to view and often contain detailed genealogical testimony.

An in-person visit to the Mathews County courthouse gives you access to deed books, marriage license volumes, order books, and probate files in the public records room. Call the clerk at (804) 725-2550 before visiting to confirm current hours. The courthouse is in Mathews, the county seat, which is a small coastal town. Plan your trip with that in mind.

The Virginia Courts page for Mathews Circuit Court lists clerk contact details and courthouse information to help you plan a records visit.

Libraries and Research Resources

The Mathews Memorial Library holds local history and genealogy materials specific to the county. The library is a good starting point for background on county families before you search primary sources. Staff can point you to local publications and indexes that cover Mathews County genealogy.

The Virginia Genealogical Society maintains statewide resources including materials for Middle Peninsula counties like Mathews. Their library in Richmond holds family histories, court record abstracts, and indexed databases. The society's publications often cover smaller counties that are underrepresented in national databases.

Cemetery records for Mathews County are documented on Find A Grave. The county has many old churchyard cemeteries along the waterfront and in rural areas. Church records from local Episcopal, Baptist, and Methodist congregations can supplement civil records. The Library of Virginia holds microfilm copies of some church registers from the Middle Peninsula region.

Mathews County Record History

Mathews County was formed from Gloucester County in 1791. Before that date, the area was part of Gloucester, which was itself one of Virginia's older counties. Researchers tracing Mathews County families from the colonial period need to search Gloucester County records for the pre-1791 era. This is a common research pattern for Virginia counties formed in the late 18th century.

The county's small size and coastal isolation helped protect its records from some of the disruptions that affected other Virginia counties during the Civil War. The courthouse at Mathews did not suffer major record losses during that period. This means the county's records from 1791 forward are relatively intact, giving researchers a good base for genealogy work.

For researchers tracing watermen families and coastal Virginia ancestors, Mathews County is a distinct and valuable archive. The county's maritime background shows up in estate inventories, land records, and court orders in ways that are not seen in inland Virginia counties.

Nearby Counties

These counties are near Mathews County on the Middle Peninsula and surrounding areas. Each has its own Circuit Court Clerk and genealogy archive.