Search

Start Over Creator Virginia General Assembly

Legislative Petitions of the General Assembly, 1776-1865

Virginia General Assembly

The Legislative Petitions of the General Assembly are housed in 370 boxes and are arranged in five series. Series have been designated for Counties, Cities, Kentucky Counties, Miscellaneous (Chronological), and Miscellaneous (Alphabetical). The Counties & Cities are arranged in alphabetical order by locality, then chronological. The Kentucky petitions are arranged in chronological order. There are two series for miscellaneous petitions, one arranged in chronological order - Miscellaneous (Chronological), and one arranged in alphabetical order - Miscellaneous (Alphabetical). Petitions to the General Assembly were the primary catalyst for legislation in the Commonwealth from 1776 until 1865. Public improvements, military claims, divorce, manumission of slaves, division of counties, incorporation of towns, religious freedom, and taxation were just some of the concerns expressed in these petitions. The petitions often contain hundreds of signatures and are a useful tool in genealogical research. Frequently, the petitions contain supplementary support documents useful in research including maps, wills, naturalizations, deeds, resolutions, affidavits, judgments, and other items.

  1. Library of Virginia

Content Warning

ARVAS is an aggregator of archival resources. ARVAS does not have control of the descriptive language used in our members’ finding aids.

Finding aids may contain historical terms and phrases, reflecting the shared attitudes and values of the community from which they were collected, but are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical or mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

Many institutions and organizations are in the process of reviewing and revising their descriptive language, with the intent to describe materials in more humanizing, inclusive, and harm-reductive ways. As members revise their descriptive language, their changes will eventually be reflected in their ARVAS finding aids.

Limit your search