Collections : [Library of Virginia]

Accomack County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1744, 1786-1796, 1820-1872, consist of contracts or agreements binding out white, Black, or multiracial children, sometimes those who were orphaned, to learn a particular trade or craft. These indentures may be written agreements between the family of the apprentice and those responsible for the indentured. In many cases this includes the direct involvement of the Overseers of the Poor. They typically contain the name of the person or institution binding out, the person to whom bound, the name of the person being indentured, the length of the apprenticeship, and the responsibilities of the person taking on the indenture.

Accomack County (Va.) Birth and Death Records, 1912-1918, consist of birth and death records.

The Accomack County (Va.) Board of Overseers of the Poor Record Book is one volume dated 1820-1857 (bulk 1820-1846). The minutes are for Accomack and St. George's Parishes. The minutes give the names of people receiving financial support, food, and clothing, as well as binding children as apprentices, and the burial of the deceased. Records concerning the poorhouse are included. The minutes also include the details of the collection of the levy for the poor and how the money was spent. The minutes include lists of insolvents for 1818-1845. There is an index at the back of the book.

Accomack County (Va.) Commissioner of Wrecks Records, 1842-1880 (bulk 1846-1850), contain correspondence and accounts pertaining to the salvage and sale of cargo from four shipwrecks along the coast of Accomack County between 1846 and 1850. The correspondence consists mostly of letters written to Thomas Cropper, a commissioner of wrecks, or wreck master, and attorney, pertaining to his work as a commissioner of wrecks in Accomack County. The records document the value of the cargo salvaged and the amount owners recovered. The letters include information about the ships and shipwrecks.

Materials in the Library of Virginia's collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

Accomack County (Va.) Declarations for Revolutionary War Pensions, 1829-1833; undated, primarily record the declarations of individuals seeking to obtain Revolutionary War pensions provided by various acts of Congress. The applicants present detailed testimony of their time of service during the Revolutionary War. Information found in the declarations include date and location applicants entered into service, names of military companies they served in, names of military commanders they served under, names of fellow soldiers they served with, length of service, their age, and their place of birth. The predominant portion of the declarations are narratives of their tours of duty during the Revolutionary War with emphasis on battles they fought. The declarations also include affidavits from witnesses who could verify information provided by applicants.

Accomack County (Va.) Deeds, 1701-1838 (bulk 1737-1820) predominantly consist of deeds of bargain and sale, deeds of gift, mortgages, and deeds of trust. On presentation to the court, deeds were proved and recorded. If the deed was not witnessed, the grantor acknowledged the deed in open court. A few of the deeds include plats.

Accomack County (Va.) County District Court Judgments (Freedom Suits), 1790-1808, consist of suits initiated by slaves seeking to gain their freedom in the district court. Cases are identified by style of suit consisting of plaintiff and defendant names. Surnames of others involved in a suit, including secondary plaintiffs and defendants, witnesses, deponents and affiants, and family members with surnames different from the plaintiff or defendant are indexed. Also identified are names of slaves and slaveowners identified in suit as well as whether slave(s) won their freedom. Predominant documents found in freedom suits include petitions, records of suits, depositions, affidavits, wills, among other items. Information found in documents include slave's argument for freedom, acquisition of slaves by slaveowners, slave ancestry, and relationship between slaves and slaveowners.

Accomack County (Va.) District Court Papers, 1789-1808, consist of civil suits and commonwealth causes that were heard in the District Court of Accomack and Northampton Counties. The majority of cases in this record series relate to matters of debt. Documents commonly found in civil suits include declarations or narratios that explain the plaintiff's complaint, executions, affidavits, and depositions. Suits may include exhibits such as wills, plats, deeds, indentures, estate inventories, and business records. Names of slaves are commonly found in the District Court papers. Additional types of suits heard by the District Court include land ejectment suits and petitions for freedom made by slaves.

Accomack County (Va.) Executor, Administrator, and Orphan bond books, 1727-1790, consists of one Executor and Administrator bond book, 1727-1728; three Executor bond books, 1771, 1777, 1780; and one Orphan bond book, 1766, 1788-1790. Executors and administrators were required to take out a bond with the justices of the court in order to guarantee proper execution of their positions. The obligation was made binding by a money guarantee. The bonds show the names of the administrator or executor and their sureties, the date, amount and condition of the obligation, name of the orphan, and signatures.