A Guide to the Lists of Inhabitants of the Governor's Office, 1782-1785
A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Accession Number 34894
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia800 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
USA
Phone: (804) 692-3888 (Archives Reference)
Fax: (804) 692-3556 (Archives Reference)
Email: archdesk@lva.virginia.gov(Archives)
URL: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/
© 2002 By the Library of Virginia.
Processed by: Library of Virginia Staff
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Use Restrictions
Use microfilm (Miscellaneous Reel 1263).
Preferred Citation
Virginia Governor's Office, Lists of Inhabitants, 1782-1785. Accession 34894, State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Acquisition Information
No acquisition information available.
Processing Information
Collection was processed by Library of Virginia Staff and described in 2002. Collection was further updated in 2022.
Biographical/Historical Information
Lists of inhabitants were collected in accordance with several acts of the General Assembly, particularly those of May 1782 (Chapter XXIII) and May 1784 (Chapter XXXVIII). The returns dated 1782 and 1783 are for inhabitants (i.e. 'souls'), while those dated in 1784 and 1785 are for buildings. Occassionally includes a covering letter or forwarding note.Clerks of the county courts were responsible for collecting the lists from justices and transmitting them to the Governor. The exact disposition of the records after their transmittal to the Governor is unclear.
In 1908, the Bureau of Census published a compilation of these lists of the heads of households in Virginia from 1782-1785. "Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790" represented an attempt to reconstruct the 1790 census schedules for Virginia. The Lists of Inhabitants are especially important because Virginia's federal census schedules of 1790 were destroyed when the British sacked Washington during the War of 1812. Though incomplete, the Lists represent the most thorough records available for the reconstruction of the missing census.
Scope and Content Information
Lists of inhabitants, dated 1782 to 1785, for thirty-nine (39) Virginia counties and the town of Williamsburg. Information found in the lists for 1782 and 1783 include the name of the head of the household, the number of white inhabitants, and the number of enslaved people. The lists for 1784 and 1785 include the heads of households, the number of whites, and the number of dwelling houses and "outhouses."
Lists for the following counties and their year(s) are included in the collection: Albemarle (1785), Amelia (1782,1785), Amherst (1783,1785), Bedford (1783), Charlotte (1782-1783), Chesterfield (1783), Cumberland (1782,1784), Essex (1783), Fairfax (1782, 1785), Fluvanna (1782), Frederick (1782), Gloucester (1783-1784), Greenbrier (1783-1786), Greensville (1783, 1785), Halifax (1782, 1785), Hampshire (1782, 1784), Hanover (1782), Harrison (1785), Isle of Wight (1782), Lancaster (1783, 1785), Mecklenburg (1782), Middlesex (1783), Monongalia (1782), Nansemond (1783-1785), New Kent (1782, 1784), Norfolk (1782, 1784-1785), Northumberland (1782, 1784), Orange (1782, 1785), Pittsylvania (1782, 1785), Powhatan (1783), Prince Edward (1783, 1785), Princess Anne (1783, 1785), Richmond (1783), Rockingham (1784), Shenandoah (1783), Southampton (1783, 1785), Stafford (1785), Surry (1782, 1784), Sussex (1782), and Warwick (1782, 1784). There is also a list for the town of Williamsburg for 1782.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by county and chonologically therein.
Contents List
- Box 1
Folder 1
Albemarle, 1785
- Box 1
Folder 2
Amelia, 1782
- Box 1
Folder 3
Amelia, 1785
- Box 1
Folder 4
Amherst, 1783
- Box 1
Folder 5
Amherst, 1785
- Box 1
Folder 6
Bedford (totals only), 1783
- Box 1
Folder 7
Charlotte, 1782
- Box 1
Folder 8
Charlotte (totals only), 1783
- Box 1
Folder 9
Chesterfield, 1783
- Box 2
Folder 1
Cumberland, 1782
- Box 2
Folder 2
Cumberland, 1784
- Box 2
Folder 3
Essex, 1783
- Box 2
Folder 4
Fairfax, 1782
- Box 2
Folder 5
Fairfax, 1785
- Box 2
Folder 6
Fluvanna, 1785
- Box 2
Folder 7
Frederick, 1782
- Box 2
Folder 8
Gloucester, 1783
- Box 2
Folder 9
Gloucester, 1784
- Box 2
Folder 10
Greenbrier, 1783-1786
- Box 2
Folder 11
Greensville, 1783, 1785
- Box 2
Folder 12
Halifax, 1782
- Box 2
Folder 13
Halifax, 1785
- Box 2
Folder 14
Hampshire, 1782
- Box 2
Folder 15
Hampshire, 1784
- Box 2
Folder 16
Hampshire, 1784
- Box 3
Folder 1
Hanover, 1782
- Box 3
Folder 2
Harrison, 1785
- Box 3
Folder 3
Isle of Wight, 1782
- Box 3 Folder 4
- Box 3 Folder 5
- Box 3
Folder 6
Mecklenburg, 1782
- Box 3
Folder 7
Middlesex, 1783
- Box 3
Folder 8
Monongalia, 1782
- Box 3
Folder 9
Nansemond, 1783
- Box 3
Folder 10
Nansemond, 1784
- Box 3
Folder 11
Nansemond, 1785
- Box 3
Folder 12
New Kent, 1782
- Box 3
Folder 13
New Kent, 1784
- Box 3
Folder 14
Norfolk, 1782
- Box 3
Folder 15
Norfolk, 1784
- Box 3
Folder 16
Norfolk, 1785
- Box 4
Folder 1
Northumberland, 1782
- Box 4
Folder 2
Northumberland, 1784
- Box 4
Folder 3
Orange, 1782
- Box 4
Folder 4
Orange 1785
- Box 4
Folder 5
Pittsylvania, 1782
- Box 4
Folder 6
Pittsylvania, 1785
- Box 4
Folder 7
Powhatan, 1783
- Box 4
Folder 8
Prince Edward, 1783
- Box 4
Folder 9
Prince Edward, 1785
- Box 4
Folder 10
Princess Anne, 1783
- Box 4
Folder 11
Princess Anne, 1785
- Box 5
Folder 1
Richmond, 1783
- Box 5
Folder 2
Rockingham, 1784
- Box 5
Folder 3
Shenandoah, 1783
- Box 5
Folder 4
Southampton (total only), 1783
- Box 5
Folder 5
Southampton (totals only), 1785
- Box 5
Folder 6
Stafford, 1785
- Box 5
Folder 7
Surry, 1782
- Box 5
Folder 8
Surry, 1784
- Box 5
Folder 9
Sussex, 1782
- Box 5
Folder 10
Warwick, 1782
- Box 5
Folder 11
Warwick, 1784
- Box 5
Folder 12
Williamsburg City, 1782