Cumberland County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1753-1865

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

Summary

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

Background

Scope and content:

Cumberland County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1753-1865, consist of "Free Negro" Tax Records, 1837-1861; Patrol Records, 1759-1860; Requisitions for Public Use, 1862-1865; Runaway Records, 1839; and additional single records, circa 1753-1855.

"Free Negro" Tax Records, 1837-1861, include eight lists of "Free Negroes" compiled for tax purposes. To varying extents, the lists record each person's name, as well as their age, sex, occupation, and residence. These records also contain a list, 1851, which documents the names of "Free Negroes" to be hired out for the delinquent payment of their taxes.

Patrol records, 1759-1860, are comprised of patrol accounts, claims, and returns. The records document the names of the patrollers, the dates/hours of their service, the compensation they received, and, in some instances, the area(s) to be patrolled. Patrols were instructed "to patrole and visit all negroes, quarters, and all other suspected places, of unlawfully assemblys of negroes, and all other disorderly persons." Additionally, these records include orders directing that patrollers be paid for their services.

Requisitions for Public Use, 1862-1865, include two lists, 1863-1865, that record the names of enslavers who were required to send one or more enslaved men to work on Confederate fortifications, and a list, 1865, of enslavers who failed to comply with orders to send enslaved men to work on Confederate fortifications. These records also contain a letter, circa 1863, from John R. Polmore to Captain William A. Perkins explaining his reasons for not sending an enslaved person to work on Confederate fortifications, and a list, 1862, of free persons detailed for hospital service in Farmville, Virginia.

Runaway Records, 1839, undated, consist of an appraisement, undated [1831 written on the back with pencil], of Bridget Johnson, who was enslaved by Edmund Valentine of Augusta County. Johnson was confined to jail for self-emancipating. These records also include a certificate, 1839, in which William Mcashan (or McAshan) verifies that William, "a negro slave," had self-emancipated, and was most likely enslaved by Conrad Peters of Monroe County, Virginia [now Monroe County, West Virginia].

Additional single items relating to the documentation of free and enslaved Black and Multiracial individuals in and around Cumberland County, Va., include:

Account (or county claim), 1854, submitted by Henry Flippen for making a coffin for Jappea (or Jassea) Brown, "a free negro."

Certificate, undated [1809 written on the back in pencil], listing the ages of Elisha, James, Edith, Jesse, Jane, Siller, Elizabeth, and Juggey, Free Chloe’s children.

Deed of trust, 1824, between Jacob G. Mosby and David Molloy and Willis Wilson, in which Mosby agreed that Molloy and Wilson should sell Billy Bumpus, Tom, Anna, and George if he was unable to pay his debt to Hobson & Crump.

Depositions, circa 1753, regarding the circumstances in which Luce and Abraham, who were enslaved by Thomas Walton, were given to Patty and Edward Mosby, Walton's daughter and son-in-law, after their marriage.

Documents, 1851, recorded as a grand jury presentment and a list of "Free Negroes" presentable. The grand jury presentment alleges that a number of "free negroes" residing in the County of Cumberland and the state of Virginia were doing so "against the law." The list, compiled and submitted to the court by the commissioner of revenue, records the name and age of each person, and whether they resided in the upper district or lower district.

Fiduciary record, undated [circa 1790 written on the document], dividing the persons enslaved by the Mason family among various family members. The record names Betsy, Magdalin (or Magdalen), Sarah Mason, Lucy, and Sarah.

List, undated [1815 written on the back with pencil], of persons enslaved by the estate of Benjamin Weber (or Webber). The following individuals are named: Old Charles, Young Charles, George, Phill, Sam, Prince, Benja, Lacey, Kilso (or Kelso), Patsey, Agness, Ginny, Betsey, Sally, Billy, and Moses.

Motion, 1825, of Creed Taylor to permit Sam Short, a "free man of color," to carry a gun. In the motion, Taylor attests to Short’s honesty and orderliness. The motion for a permit was granted.

Three orders, 1846, 1855, summoning justices of Cumberland County to adopt an Act of Assembly "prohibiting free negroes from selling or bartering any agricultural products, without having a certificate in writing, from some respectable white person of the county."

Biographical / historical:

Context for Record Type:

Free and Enslaved Records

The Free and Enslaved Records collection is comprised of miscellaneous records related to the regulation and policing of both enslaved and free Black and Multiracial people in Cumberland County. The localities/local government authorities were largely responsible for enforcing laws that restricted the movement of enslaved and free Black and Multiracial people and the resulting documentation was often filed in the circuit courts. The ways in which local authorities enacted legal measures against or on behalf of enslaved and free Black and Multiracial people varied from locality to locality; therefore, records were not necessarily standardized or filed and retained in a consistent manner. This collection is topical and a means by which to compile miscellaneous documents related to free and enslaved people that are not established local government record types.

See: the Virginia Untold Record Types on the Library of Virginia website for additional context concerning "Free Negro" Tax Records, Requisitions for Public Use, and Runaway Records.

Locality History: Cumberland County was named for William Augustus, duke of Cumberland, third son of King George II. It was formed from Goochland County in 1749. The county seat is Cumberland.

Acquisition information:
These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Cumberland County (Va.) as part of an undated accession.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged

  • Series I: Free and Enslaved Records, 1753-1865, arranged loosely by record type then chronologically.

Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
.45 cu. ft. (1 box)