Colonial Williamsburg & Ancestry.com Partner to Digitize 800 000 York County Records

Colonial Williamsburg’s John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library has launched its most ambitious digital-history project to date: scanning nearly 800 000 court-record entries from York County, Virginia, spanning 1633 to 1815. The multi-year effort, funded through a new partnership with Ancestry.com, will put deeds, wills, estate inventories, civil suits, and criminal cases online for researchers worldwide.

Why York County?

Eighteenth-century York County included much of present-day Williamsburg and Yorktown. Its records survive almost intact, whereas neighboring archives were lost in Civil War fires. For historians, genealogists, and descendants of both free and enslaved Virginians, the collection offers an unparalleled window into daily life, property ownership, and community networks.

What’s in the Collection?

• Deeds & Land Grants – Track property transfers over nearly three centuries.
  
  
• Probate Files – Wills and inventories reveal family ties and material culture.
  
  
• Court Orders – Civil disputes, apprenticeships, and freedom suits.
  
  
• Slave Name Index – About 80 000 entries document enslaved individuals by first name, owner, and date, critical data for African-American family research.
  
  

Project Timeline & Access

Rockefeller Library staff and Ancestry technicians have already digitized 147 000 index cards. Scanning continues through 2025, with final uploads expected by early 2026. Finished images and transcriptions will appear on both Colonial Williamsburg’s Digital Library and Ancestry’s searchable databases, free to onsite researchers and Ancestry subscribers worldwide.

Community Impact

• Classroom Gold – Teachers gain primary sources for lessons on colonial government, slavery, and everyday life.
  
  
• Tourism Boost – Genealogy tourists can pair digital finds with in-person archive visits, adding new travel dollars to the Historic Triangle.
  
  
• Inclusive Storytelling – Interpreters will weave newly uncovered names and narratives into living-history programs, enriching the visitor experience.
  
  

Final Take