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Southampton County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1750-1853, is two separate volumes--labeled Part I and II. Part I covering pages 1-359, 1750-1826, records the date of the marriage bond, the names of both parties, the names of the parents or guardians present and the names of the security or witnesses in attendance. Between 1800-1825, pages 137-354, there are numerous entries for marriages between "free persons of color"--sometimes also designated with FN for free negro. At the beginning of this volume, there is a contents list and notes for both volumes--such as variant spellings of first and last names are found in parentheses.

Southampton County (Va.) Ministers' Returns, 1817-1846, records the returns made by individual ministers of marriages performed within the county. The majority of returns are in the form of lists which record when the marriage license was obtained, the date of marriage and the names of both parties. In the process of preparing and sending the returns, the name of the minister and sometimes the minister's denomination are also recorded. Marriages between "people of color or free negroes" are noted between 1818-1846. A two page index (B-W) is found at the front of the volume. The entries indicate the surname of the minister, the year or years of his returns and the corresponding page numbers. The pages of this volume are extremely fragile and must be handled with great care.

Southampton County (Va.) Ministers' Returns, 1850-1853, records the returns made by individual ministers of marriages performed within the county. Returns are in the form of lists which record the date of marriage and names of both parties and individual certificates which record the date of marriage and date when certificate was issued. In the process of preparing and sending the returns, the name of the minister and the minister's denomination are also recorded. By 1853, more information was included the certificates from individual ministers such as the ages of the parties, where the parties resided, the occupation of the husband, the status of parties before marriage and where parties were married. In addition, the parents' names of both parties and the birthplaces of both parties were also noted. Marriages between "free negroes" are found from 1851-1853 on pages 3-4, 11 and 14. As noted in the historical section, these returns were not always completed and sent in a timely fashion. As a result, there were marriages performed in 1848 and 1849. In one instance, a marriage was performed in October 1845 ( p. 5) but was not returned until July 1851. The volume also includes an internal index arranged by the surname of the groom (A-W.)