Petersburg (Va.) Ministers' Returns, 1850-1872

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:

Petersburg (Va.) Ministers' Returns, 1850-1872, Local government records collection, Petersburg Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Summary

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

Petersburg (Va.) Ministers' Returns, 1850-1872, Local government records collection, Petersburg Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Petersburg (Va.) Ministers' Returns, 1850-1872, record marriages performed by ministers and submitted to local court to be certified. Information recorded included name of minister, name of church the minister served, name of bride and groom, date of marriage, and date marriage was submitted to court by minister.

Biographical / historical:

Petersburg was formed from parts of Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Chesterfield Counties. A garrison and fur trading post called Fort Henry was established there in 1645 on the site of the Indian town Appamattuck. The present name, suggested in 1733 by William Byrd (1674-1744), honors Peter Jones, Byrd's companion on expeditions into the Virginia backcountry. Petersburg was established in 1748 and incorporated as a town in 1784. In the latter year the towns of Blandford, Pocahontas, and Ravenscroft were added to Petersburg. It was incorporated as a city in 1850.

Prior to 1780 marriages could only be performed legally in Virginia by ministers of the Church of England, who were required to record marriages in the parish register. After 1780, dissenting ministers were also permitted to conduct marriages. In order to have a record of all marriages, ministers were required to sign a certificate to be filed with the county clerk. Initially, ministers sent marriage certificates to the clerk every three months; beginning in 1784, marriage certificates were returned annually. The law was rarely enforced, and ministers’ returns were sometimes late, incorrect, incomplete, or, in many instances, not made at all. County clerks compiled a register of marriages based, in part, on ministers’ returns.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer from Petersburg Circuit Court under the accession number 52919.
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
1 v.