Thomas Balch Library’s special collections include a wide variety of rare and unique materials. These include:
Archives and Manuscripts • Book Indices • Cemetery Records • Census Records • Deeds and Wills • Genealogies and Family Histories
Historic House Files • Maps • Microforms • Military Collections • Newspapers • Oral Histories • Rare Books • Tax Rolls • Vertical Files
Visual Collections • Vital Records
Archives and Manuscripts: Include Loudoun town and county records, personal papers, and business, organizational and club records. Collection materials include diaries, correspondence, account books, minutes and ordinances. Collection guides are available. Disposable earphones for patrons to purchase for use with audio-visual archival collections are available for $1.00.
Book Indices: Some popular books in the collection of Thomas Balch Library were published or produced without indices or tables of contents, limiting their usefulness. Volunteers and staff have created indices of select items to facilitate research.
Cemetery Records: Online index of more than 200 local cemeteries. Files with photographs of tombstones available on-site.
Census Records: Federal census returns available on microfilm 
include Loudoun County 1810-1930, all Virginia counties 1810-1930, and selected adjacent Maryland counties. Online access to all U.S. census records is available on-site.
Deeds and Wills: Published indexes available as well as microfilm of actual documents for most years up to 1904. More recent years available at courthouse.
Genealogies and Family Files: Books and collections of genealogies and other information emphasizing Loudoun families. Online resources provide access to national and international genealogical information. Indices for the : Family Files Collection, Series 1, ca.1984-2018 (M 0150, VC 0002) and Family Files Collection, Series 2, 2019 – (M 0200), as well as Family Bible Records are available.
Maps: Historical and current maps of Loudoun County, its towns, and nearby counties. On-site access to database index of holdings and to the digital Virginia Sanborn Maps. An index (updated September 2019) is available.
Microforms: Church Records, County and Town Minutes and Ordinances, Manuscripts and Monographs, Newspapers, Virginia Census and Vital Records. An index is available.
Military Collection: Print and archival information about the Colonial period, American Revolution, War of 1812, American Civil War, and World Wars I and II.
Newspapers: Click on the following link to access a list of the Loudoun County newspapers accessible on microfilm . Here you can access an index of names appearing in historic newspapers: Loudoun County Newspaper Index
Note: We are updating our newspaper index! An up-to-date listing of articles associated with last names A-I (posted August 22, 2013), articles associated with last names J-R (posted August 12, 2015), and articles associated with last names U-Z (posted June 18, 2018) are available. More updates will follow as quickly as possible.
Oral Histories: From 1970’s to the present including many sponsored by the Black History Committee documenting African American experiences in Loudoun County, including Charles P. Clark, John Divine, and J. Dabney Simpson. An index of interviewees (updated August 2010) and a collection guide for Student Oral History Collection (M 008) are available. Disposable earphones are available for purchase, or patrons may bring their own earphones to use with audio-visual archival collections. Please contact us for additional details.
Rare Books: Including publications by historical figures in Loudoun County, such as Margaret Mercer (Popular Lectures on Ethics; Or, Moral Obligation; For the Use of Schools), Samuel Mcpherson Janney (Memoirs Of Samuel M. Janney, Late Of Lincoln, Loudoun County, Va., A Minister In The Religious Society Of Friends), William Wirt (The Letters Of The British Spy) and Thomas Balch (International Courts Of Arbitration).
Tax Rolls for Loudoun County: Tithables 1758-1786, Personal Property 1782-1850, and Land Tax Rolls 1782-1870 are available on microfilm .
Vertical Files: Biographical, Church, and Historical Articles, clippings, and photographs about Loudoun County residents, local congregations, and local history. Vertical files are divided into three specific sections:
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Visual Collections: Includes over 13,000 indexed images dating from late 1800s to the present, illustrating local history. Collection highlights include works of Loudoun County photographers Russell Gregg (1930s and 1940s), Winslow Williams (1940s and 1950s), Lewis-Edwards Architectural Survey photographs (1970s), and Historic Postcards. Additional information and collection guides are available.
Thomas Balch Library Visual Collections are now searchable online!
Visit our Visual Collections Catalog
We are transitioning content to our new visual collections catalog. This is an on-going process and content will be added continuously. Check back often. For assistance or questions, please contact us 703-737-7195.
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Vital Records: Indexes for Births 1853-1896, Deaths 1853-1896, and Marriages 1757-1935 are available in print and on microfilm
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