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Virginia Genealogy Counties and independent cities* — Virginia genealogy with city* vs. county clerks, LVA free stacks, and research guides

Richmond* Genealogy

* Independent city (not a county). Series and offices differ from the surrounding county of the same name.

Edited by Avery J. Parker · Virginia Genealogy · Last reviewed June 29, 2026 · Continuously operated research hub (1997-origin site)

  • Formed 1782
  • Parent county / earlier Henrico / Chesterfield edges
  • County seat Richmond
  • Neighbors Henrico, Chesterfield, Richmond County Is Unrelated (Northern Neck)

Richmond* is a Virginia independent city—a separate recording jurisdiction from surrounding counties (Henrico, Chesterfield).

State capital independent city; do not conflate with Henrico County series. Always match the year of the event to the correct city or county office.

Start catalogs at Library of Virginia.

In-depth topics

Towns & communities

12 places — view all town pages

Richmond county seat Shockoe Church Hill The Fan Oregon Hill Manchester Scott's Addition Jackson Ward Carytown Southside Downtown Richmond Shockoe Bottom

History notes

Richmond* is an independent city and state capital. Its deed, will, and court series are not Richmond County (Warsaw). Capital-city directories and newspapers densify urban identity.

Civil War evacuation and occupation years disrupt continuity—log which office reopened when.

Newspapers

Title-by-title year ranges below are digitized holdings listed below (digitized issues), not always the full publication span. Open each title to confirm gaps. Mastheads and successors change often.

Statewide newspapers guide · newspaper portals · Chronicling America

Structured transcriptions

Searchable tables with book/page and microfilm-style citations for Richmond County. Rows are finding aids from published public abstracts—verify every line against film or the original before citing as evidence.

  • Richmond* deed finding-aid batch (method)
    12 searchable rows · Finding-aid practice batch; verify on Library of Virginia film / original clerk volumes for Richmond.
    Grantor Grantee Year Book:page
    PartyA01, Example PartyB01, Example 1790 A:10
    PartyA02, Example PartyB02, Example 1797 B:13
    PartyA03, Example PartyB03, Example 1804 C:16
    PartyA04, Example PartyB04, Example 1811 —
    PartyA05, Example 1818 —
    PartyA06, Example PartyB06, Example 1825 F:25

    Open full table & search

  • Richmond* finding-aid batch (parity expansion)
    20 searchable rows · Finding-aid practice / parity expansion; verify on Library of Virginia film for Richmond.
    Grantor Grantee Year Book:page
    Grantor01, Example Grantee01, Example 1760 A:5
    Grantor02, Example Grantee02, Example 1768 B:9
    Grantor03, Example Grantee03, Example 1776 C:13
    Grantor04, Example Grantee04, Example 1784 —
    Grantor05, Example 1792 —
    Grantor06, Example Grantee06, Example 1800 F:25

    Open full table & search

  • Sample: Richmond* deed index abstracts (method demo)
    3 searchable rows · Sample abstracts for demonstration; verify in Richmond City deed books / LVA microfilm.
    Grantor Grantee Year Book:page
    Sample, Grantor Sample, Grantee 1790 A:12
    Estate of Sample Sample, Purchaser 1810 B:40
    Sample, A Sample, B 1845 C:88

    Open full table & search

All transcription collections

Cemeteries & burial research

Starting points and portals—not a complete inventory of every graveyard in the county.

  • Hollywood Cemetery (and other Richmond city cemeteries)
    Richmond
    Major urban burial grounds; also search churchyards and later municipal cemeteries. Use obituaries + city directories.
    Find a Grave

Cemeteries research guide

Societies & repositories

  • Richmond Public Library
    library · Richmond
    Capital-city local history and newspaper access points.
  • Virginia Museum of History & Culture
    museum · Richmond
    Statewide history museum and research library (former Virginia Historical Society).
  • Richmond public library / local history desk
    library · Richmond
    Start with the independent city public library local history desk or Virginia room for Richmond*. Hours and catalog portals change—verify before visiting. Pair with Library of Virginia catalogs and Virginia Chronicle for newspapers.
  • Richmond historical / genealogical societies
    society · Richmond
    Search for active historical and genealogical societies serving Richmond (independent city). Names and websites change; VAGenWeb and Library of Virginia society lists are good discovery points.
  • Library of Virginia
    archive · Richmond
    Cornerstone state repository — patents, chancery, newspapers, manuscripts, and genealogy research rooms.
  • Library of Virginia
    archive · Richmond
    Primary state repository for historical and genealogical research.
  • Encyclopedia Virginia
    other · Online
    Published encyclopedia / historical essays useful for place and context research.
  • Virginia Memory
    archive · Online
    Digitized collections from the Library of Virginia and partners.

Full societies & libraries directory

Vital records

City registration paths; pair with churches and newspapers for earlier decades.

Census

City enumeration schedules; do not search only “Richmond County.”

Courthouse & contacts

Richmond City Circuit Court / city records offices. Confirm city-held vs. LVA film.

If not found here, try…

Virginia brick walls are often jurisdiction problems. When a deed, probate, or vital is missing here, try the parent district for the event year and neighboring counties for kin who lived across the line—not a substitute for later statewide birth/death registration.

  • Formed 1782
  • Parent / earlier jurisdiction Henrico / Chesterfield edges — check district-era records before this county existed (districts guide).

Neighboring counties (deeds, marriages, newspapers, and kin often cross the line):

Henrico Chesterfield Richmond County Is Unrelated (Northern Neck)

Also use Start here, the counties & formation guide, and local history news for recent heritage context.

What to do next

Stay in Richmond County only after the event year matches this courthouse. Otherwise open parents first.

Start here guide Free PDF checklist Cheatsheet bundle This week in Richmond history

Sources & further reading

Formation, place-names, and series notes on this hub will cite standard Virginia references. Always verify at the repository—fires and thin series vary by book and decade.

  • Encyclopedia Virginia
    State encyclopedia / published historical essays — search for Richmond County topics.
  • County formation & boundaries
    Virginia county formation and independent-city research — verify in Library of Virginia guides (this county formed 1782). See also the counties & formation guide when published.
  • Place-names & communities
    Virginia place-names, former communities, and watercourses (local histories + GNIS).
  • Library of Virginia
    Primary repository for county records, microfilm, catalogs, and research guides.
  • Virginia Chronicle / Chronicling America
    Historic newspaper directory and digitizations — confirm title runs before citing continuous coverage.
  • Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
    National newspaper directory + selected digitized pages.
  • FamilySearch Wiki · VAGenWeb
    Volunteer and wiki bibliographies—cross-check dates against archives and local inventories.

Prefer the state archives, published formation tables, and encyclopedia articles over anonymous web mirrors.