Shenandoah County (Va.) Free Negro Registration of Henry Roy, 1833 Nov. 11.

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Shenandoah County (Va.) Free Negro Registration of Henry Roy, 1833 Nov. 11. Local government records collection, Shenandoah County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Summary

Creator:
Shenandoah County (Va.) Circuit Court.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Shenandoah County (Va.) Free Negro Registration of Henry Roy, 1833 Nov. 11. Local government records collection, Shenandoah County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Shenandoah County (Va.) Free Negro Registration of Henry Roy, 1833 Nov. 11. The registration includes a physical description of Roy and gives his age as 37 years. It indicates that Roy recovered his freedom by the verdict of a jury in the Shenandoah County Court.

Biographical / historical:

Shenandoah County was named for the Shenandoah River, which passes through the county. Shenandoah is an Indian word meaning beautiful daughter of the stars. The county was named Dunmore when it was formed from Frederick County in 1772. The present name was adopted in 1778.

An act passed by the Virginia legislature in 1803 required every free negro or mulatto to be registered and numbered in a book to be kept by the county clerk. Certificates and registrations of free negroes usually include the name of the free person, sometimes their age and a brief physical description, and a statement based either on another person's knowledge or on other official documentary evidence seen by the certifier that this person was either born free or was emancipated. If born free, reference is sometimes made to parents. If emancipated, emancipating owner, place and date of emancipation, and prior registration as a free negro are usually mentioned. Occasionally the register number is given; this number corresponds to the entry number in the register of free negroes kept by the clerk of court at the courthouse.

Acquisition information:
This item came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Shenandoah County.
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
1 p.