Powhatan County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1800-1865

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:

Use microfilm copy of the Powhatan County (Va.) Register of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1800-1820 and 1820-1865, Powhatan County (Va.) Reels 45 and 58.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Powhatan County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1800-1865, Powhatan County Reels 45 and 58. Local government records collection, Powhatan County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Summary

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

Powhatan County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1800-1865, Powhatan County Reels 45 and 58. Local government records collection, Powhatan County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Powhatan County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1800-1865 are comprised of two volumes, one for the years 1800 to 1820 and one for the years 1820-1865. The registers 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 first volume also includes miscellaneous court notes and orders interspersed with the free negro registrations; it is unpaged and does not include an index. The second volume is 112 pages and includes an index.

Biographical / historical:

Powhatan County was named for the Indian chieftain who ruled the Native American inhabitants of tidewater Virginia in the early seventeenth century. It was formed from Cumberland County in 1777, and part of Chesterfield County was added later.

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.

Acquisition information:
Both volumes came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Powhatan County. Register of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1800-1820, was transferred under accession number 52618.
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
2 vol. and 2 microfilm reels