Montgomery County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1823-1863

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:

Montgomery County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1823-1863. Local Government Records Collection, Montgomery County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Summary

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

Montgomery County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1823-1863. Local Government Records Collection, Montgomery County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Montgomery County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1823-1863, record the registration number, age, name, color, stature, marks or scars, and in what court the person was emancipated or whether the person was born free. Some clerks recorded additional information, not required by law. The collection contains two volumes, A Register of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1823-1847, and a Register of Free Negroes Commencing September 1848, containing a total 127 registrations.

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.

Biographical / historical:

Montgomery County was named for Richard Montgomery, who was killed in the American assault on Quebec late in 1775. It was formed from Fincastle County in 1776, and parts of Botetourt and Pulaski Counties were added later.

Acquisition information:
This microfilm was created by the Virginia State Library's (now the Library of Virginia) Archives Division from the original court records found in the Montgomery County (Va.) Circuit Court Clerk's Office 22 May 1987.
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
1 microfilm reel