Spotsylvania County (Va.) List of Jurors Summoned to Court, 1853-1887

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

Summary

Creator:
Spotsylvania County (Va.) Circuit Court.
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Spotsylvania County (Va.) List of Jurors Summoned to Court, 1853-1887, is a comprehensive volume covering the names of individuals who attended and served on juries in both the county and circuit courts. During this time period, county residents served on grand juries, special grand juries, petit juries, juries held for coroners' inquests, juries held for creating new roads (road petitions) and as part of a venire (jurors were chosen from a group of county residents selected for jury duty.) The volume covers the month and year summoned, the names of the individual jurors, the amount paid by the Commonwealth to attend and serve, the amount paid by the county to attend and serve and to whom the certificate was delivered. By 1881, specific court cases are listed (mainly commonwealth but other civil cases as well.) Jurors who attended and served at coroners' inquests (having to do with the death of an individual) are recorded by 1883. In 1886, mileage payments (based on number of days attending and number of miles traveled) were included in the amount given to individual jurors as payment for his service to the county. These payments would then be certified by the Auditor of Public Accounts.

Biographical / historical:

Spotsylvania County was formed from Essex, King William, and King and Queen Counties by a statute adopted in 1720 to take effect on 1 May 1721. The county was named for Alexander Spotswood, lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1710 to 1722.

Created by an act of 1720 to take effect on May 1, 1721. Many loose county court papers prior to 1839, when the courthouse moved from Fredericksburg to Spotsylvania Courthouse, are missing. Volumes that record deeds, court orders, and wills exist. The district court, superior court, and circuit court records of Spotsylvania County from 1813 to 1889 are in Fredericksburg.

Acquisition information:
This original volume came to the Library of Virginia, under the accession number 36173, in a transfer of court records from Spotsylvania County.
Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically by month and year.

Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
1 v.