Cumberland County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1850-1861

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:

Use microfilm copy, Cumberland County (Va.) Reel 89.

Preferred citation:

Cumberland County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1850-1861. Cumberland County (Va.) Reel 89, Local government records collection, Cumberland County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Summary

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

Cumberland County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1850-1861. Cumberland County (Va.) Reel 89, Local government records collection, Cumberland County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Cumberland County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1850-1861, is a list of marriages celebrated in the county and recorded by the county clerk. The register is very basic and includes only the date of the license and the names of the persons for whom the marriage license was issued. The volume contains only eight numbered pages. Marriages between free negroes or free persons of color are noted in parentheses between 1850 and 1859.

Biographical / historical:

Cumberland County formed from Goochland County in 1749. The county was named for William Augustus, duke of Cumberland, third son of King George II.

Prior to 1853, when the Commonwealth began recording vital statistics, Virginia marriages were recorded at the county or city level. Beginning in 1661, in order to be married by license, the groom was required to go before the county clerk and give bond with security that there was no lawful reason to prevent the marriage. The license, then issued by the clerk, was given to the minister who performed the service. Written consent from a parent or guardian was needed for individuals younger than twenty-one years.

The original marriage records, from which this volume was compiled, were created by the County Court.

Acquisition information:

This item came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Cumberland County.

Microfilm Reel 89 was generated by Backstage Library Works through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.

Physical location:
State Records Center - Archives Annex, Library of Virginia
Physical description:
1 v. (8 p.); 1 microfilm reel