Isle of Wight County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records , 1796-1860

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:

[IN PROCRESS] Isle of Wight County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1796-1860, are digitized and available through Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative Digital Collection on the Library of Virginia website. Please use digital images.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Isle of Wight County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1796-1860. Local government records collection, Isle of Wight County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia

Summary

Extent:
digital images
Creator:
Isle of Wight County (Va.) Circuit Court
Abstract:
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Isle of Wight County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1796-1860. Local government records collection, Isle of Wight County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia

Background

Scope and content:

Isle of Wight County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1806-1860, consists of "Free Negro" Tax Records, 1806-1860; "Runaway" Records, 1834,1854 ; and various other record types, 1796-1849.

"Free Negro" Tax Records, 1806-1860, include 39 items comprised of largely of returns by the commissioner of revenue concerning free Black individuals who are considered "delinquent" in paying their taxes. These records also include list of Black individuals to be hired out due to nonpayment of taxes.

"Runaway" Records,1834,1854, includes records for Caleb and Willis.

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

A letter, 1836, written on behalf of Easther Hollowy, a Black woman traficked into slavery by "Beazely" [possibly Beasely and Woods]; pass,1841, for Thomas Verlines to travel through Isle of Wight for work; promissory note, 1841, of Sam English, a free Black man; three tax exemptions, [1844], 1849, 1849; two bonds, 1796, to keep Ephraim, Daniel ,Polly ,Lucresia, and Dick, all free persons, from becoming chargeable to the parish; and lastly a list of presumably enslaved people with ages, undated [possibly ca. 1861].

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 Bedford 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

Locality History:Isle of Wight County was named probably for the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. It was first known as Warrosquyoake for an Indian tribe living in the area whose name means "swamp in a depression of land," and was one of the original shires, or counties, first enumerated in 1634. The present name was given in 1637. Parts of Nansemond County were added in 1769 and 1772. The county seat is Isle of Wight.

Acquisition information:
Digital images of Isle of Wight Free and Enslaved records created by Library of Virginia Staff and are part of accession 54744.
Custodial history:

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Isle of Wight County (Va.) Circuit Court in 2013. Original documents returned at request of Circuit Court Clerk of Isle of Wight County in 2015.

Processing information:

After Local Records Staff completed the processing, indexing and digitization for Isle of Wight County records included in Virginia Untold, the records were returned to the locality by request of the clerk. At that time, the box barcodes and descriptive records were deleted, while the digital images remained in Virginia Untold. In 2025, the Virginia Untold Project Manager and Local Records Staff decided to recreate these descriptive records and assign digital barcodes to the images to help with internal tracking and to provide researchers with extended context for these records.

Encoded by M. Mason, May 2026

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged

  • Series I: Free and Enslaved Records, 1796-1860.

Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
.