York County Death Index

York County death records are held by the Circuit Court Clerk in Yorktown and by the Virginia Department of Health's Office of Vital Records. The York County death index covers deaths from 1853 through the present. One of Virginia's oldest counties, York sits on the lower Virginia Peninsula between the York and James rivers and has maintained records going back to the colonial era. This page explains where death records are held, who can access them, and how to get copies.

York County Circuit Court Clerk

The York County Circuit Court Clerk's Office is in Yorktown, the county seat. The Clerk maintains probate records, wills, estate inventories, land records, marriage licenses, and court case files that support death index research in York County. The Circuit Court does not issue certified death certificates. Those must come from the Virginia Department of Health. Probate records filed after a death often include the date of death and heirs' names, and are accessible to the public through the Clerk's office.

York County is part of the 9th Judicial Circuit, which also includes James City County and the cities of Williamsburg and Poquoson. Online case searches for York County court records are available through the Virginia Online Case Information System at no cost. The system can be searched by party name or case number and covers civil, criminal, and probate cases. Land records for York County may also be accessible online through the Virginia Judiciary's land records portal.

Yorktown is a historic village and the county seat, but it is not an independent city. York County therefore covers the Yorktown area entirely. The county has grown significantly with the development of the Colonial Williamsburg region and the broader Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Researchers should note that York County borders the independent cities of Newport News and Poquoson, which have their own court clerks and separate death record systems. Families with ties to those cities may have records in multiple jurisdictions.

Virginia Death Records for York County

The Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records holds certified death certificates for York County deaths from June 1912 to the present. The state office is at 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23227. Walk-in hours run Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mail requests go to P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, VA 23218-1000. Phone: (804) 662-6200.

Each certified copy costs $12. Payment can be made by check, money order, credit card, mobile pay, or cash in person. Under Virginia Code Title 32.1, Chapter 7, death records become public 25 years after the date of death. Before that point, only immediate family members may request a copy. Eligible family members include the spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent of the deceased. A legible government-issued photo ID is required. VitalChek handles online orders with an extra processing fee.

York County is served by the Peninsula Health District, which covers York County, James City County, and the cities of Williamsburg, Poquoson, Newport News, and Hampton. The district's local offices can assist with vital records questions and direct you to the correct state office. Because York County sits in a densely populated area with multiple adjacent independent cities, researchers may need to check records in several jurisdictions when tracing Peninsula families from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Search the York County Death Index Online

The Virginia Online Case Information System (OCIS) allows free searching of York County court records by name or case number. Probate cases connected to deaths in the county appear in this system and can help confirm approximate death dates when certificates are still restricted. The OCIS covers all Virginia courts statewide and requires no registration.

The Library of Virginia holds York County death registers from 1853 to 1896 on microfilm. These are available through interlibrary loan. Each register entry lists name, race and sex, date and place of death, cause of death, age, occupation, marital status, and parents' names. For deaths during the gap period from 1897 to June 1912, researchers should check church records, cemetery transcriptions, and newspaper obituaries from the York County and Williamsburg area.

Ancestry for Virginians is free for Virginia residents with a library card and includes Virginia Death Records 1912-2014 and Death Registers 1853-1911, both of which cover York County records. FamilySearch has free Virginia Deaths and Burials 1853-1912 and Virginia Death Certificates 1912-1987. The Virginia Genealogical Society Death Index of Virginia, 1853-1896, is a useful finding aid before ordering from the Library of Virginia.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Colonial National Historical Park (which administers the Yorktown Battlefield) hold significant historical collections related to the York County region. For deaths before 1853, church records from York County's colonial-era congregations are an important source. Several churches in the county date back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and their burial registers are among the oldest surviving vital records in Virginia. The Williamsburg Regional Library also maintains local history and genealogy collections that can supplement the official death index.

York County Death Records: Historical Research

York County is one of the original eight shires created in Virginia in 1634, originally named Charles River County and renamed York County in 1642 or 1643. The county has one of the longest continuous record-keeping histories in the United States. Yorktown, the county seat, was a significant colonial port and the site of the decisive 1781 battle that effectively ended the Revolutionary War. Records from York County going back to the colonial period survive at the Library of Virginia and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Death records in York County follow the standard Virginia statewide pattern. Official registration ran from 1853 to 1896, stopped from 1897 through May 1912, and resumed in June 1912. Before 1853, no official state death registration existed. For the colonial period, church records and county court order books are the main sources for death-related information. Several colonial-era Anglican and later Episcopal congregations maintained burial registers, some of which have been transcribed and published. The county's colonial records are unusually well preserved compared to many other Virginia counties.

York County courthouse records have survived better than average for Virginia, partly because the county did not experience the courthouse fires that destroyed records elsewhere. The Library of Virginia holds York County materials on microfilm, including land records, wills, and court order books dating back to the seventeenth century. Federal mortality census schedules from 1850 to 1880 are at the Library of Virginia and cover York County residents who died in the twelve months before each census date.

For deaths after 1954, the Library of Virginia's death index by year and certificate number is searchable through Ancestry for Virginians and covers deaths through 2014. Once you find the certificate number, you can submit a VDH request with that information to get the certified copy without extensive searching. The close proximity of York County to the Colonial Williamsburg area means that many local families also appear in James City County and Williamsburg City records, and researchers should check all three jurisdictions when tracing Peninsula families.

Nearby Counties and Cities

These jurisdictions border or sit near York County. Each has its own Circuit Court and vital records resources.