Richmond, City of (Va.) Fiduciary Bond Books, 1852-1970 circa

Access and use

Location of collection:
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:

Richmond, City of (Va.) Fiduciary Bond Books, 1852-1970 circa. Local government records collection, Richmond, City of (Va.) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Richmond, City of (Va.) Circuit Court.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Richmond, City of (Va.) Fiduciary Bond Books, 1852-1970 circa. Local government records collection, Richmond, City of (Va.) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Richmond, City of (Va.) Fiduciary Bond Books, 1852-1970 circa, inlcudes bonds filed in the local Richmond City Chancery, Circuit, and Hustings Courts, by trustees, administrators, executors, guardians, and committees holding them responsible for the faithful discharge of the duties of their office.

Biographical / historical:

Richmond, City of (Va.), located between Henrico and Chesterfield Counties, was named by William Byrd (1674–1744), who envisioned the development of a city at the falls of the James River and with the help of William Mayo laid out the town in 1737. The name probably came from the English borough of Richmond upon Thames, which Byrd visited on several occasions. Richmond was established in 1742 and in 1779 was designated the capital of Virginia effective 30 April 1780. It was incorporated as a town, although stiled the city of Richmond, in 1782 and was incorporated as a city in 1842. It served as the capital of the Confederacy from mid-1861 to April 1865. Richmond was enlarged by the annexation of Manchester (or South Richmond) in 1910, and by the addition of Barton Heights, Fairmount, and Highland Park in 1914. Further annexations from Chesterfield County occurred in 1942 and 1970.

Established in 1742; incorporated as a town, although stiled the city of Richmond, in 1782. During the burning of Richmond on April 3, 1865, during the Civil War, Richmond circuit court judge John A. Meredith led efforts to save the circuit court records found at the State Court House. Rescuers successfully removed all the papers that were necessary to pending suits and many of the order books, but all of the wills and deed books were lost. Records of the superior court and circuit superior court of law and chancery were also destroyed. Most of the pre–Civil War Hustings Court records exist.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court records from Richmond, City of.
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
108 volumes