Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

Use microfilm copy, Petersburg (Va.) Reels 47, 73, and 123.

Preferred Citation

Petersburg (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1794-1865. Local government records collection, Petersburg City Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from the City of Petersburg. Register of Free Negroes, 1793-1850 were transferred to Library of Virginia under accession number 52919. The microfilm reels were generated by the Library of Virginia's Imaging Services Branch and by OCLC through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.

Historical Information

Petersburg was formed from parts of Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Chesterfield Counties. A garrison and fur-trading post called Fort Henry was established there in 1645 on the site of the Indian village Appamattuck. The present name, suggested in 1733 by William Byrd, honors Peter Jones, Byrd's companion on expeditions into the Virginia backcountry. Petersburg was established in 1748 and incorporated as a town in 1784. In the later years the towns of Blandford, Pocahontas, and Ravenscroft were added to Petersburg. It was incorporated as a city in 1850. Petersburg was enlarged by annexation from both Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties in 1972.

Scope and Content

Petersburg (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1794-1865, consist of 6 separate volumes dated 1749-1918, 1819-1832, 1831-1839, 1839-1850, 1850-1858, and 1859-1865. The registers list the registration number, age, name, color, stature, marks or scars, and what court the person was emancipated or whether the person was born free. Some clerks recorded additional information not required by the law. Additional information, such as names of spouses or parents or county of birth, is sometimes included. The registrations are entered in chronological order and indexed by last name. Each volume has a separate index.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Petersburg (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans -- Employment -- Virginia -- Petersburg.
• African Americans -- Virginia -- Petersburg.
• Free African Americans -- Virginia -- Petersburg.
• Freedmen -- Virginia -- Petersburg.
• Racially mixed people -- Virginia -- Petersburg.

Geographical Names:

• Petersburg--History.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Free negro and slave records -- Virginia -- Petersburg.
• Free negro registers -- Virginia -- Petersburg.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Petersburg.
• Registers (lists) -- Virginia -- Petersburg.