A Guide to the Caroline County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1852-1857 Caroline County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1852-1857 1104917

A Guide to the Caroline County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1852-1857

A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Barcode number: 1104917


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Repository
The Library of Virginia
Barcode number
1104917
Title
Caroline County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1852-1857
Physical Characteristics
1 v.
Collector
Caroline County (Va.) Circuit Court.
Location
State Records Center - Archives Annex, Library of Virginia
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Caroline County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1852-1857. Local government records collection, Caroline County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Acquisition Information

This item came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers.

Historical Information

Caroline County was formed from Essex, King and Queen, and King William counties on 1 May 1728, and additional parts of KIng and Queen County were added in 1742 and 1763. The county was named for Caroline of Anspach, wife of King George II.

Most loose records and deed books prior to 1836 and will books prior to 1853 were stolen, mutilated, and/or destroyed by Union troops who ransacked the courthouse in May 1864. A near-complete run of order books exists.

Prior to 1853, when the Commonwealth began recording vital statistics, Virginia marriages were recorded at the county or city level. Beginning in 1661, in order to be married by license, the groom was required to go before the county clerk and give bond with security that there was no lawful reason to prevent the marriage. The license, issued then by the clerk, was given to the minister who performed the service. Written consent from a parent or guardian was needed for individuals younger than twenty-one years. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, officials were especially concerned about females under the age of 16 marrying without consent. County clerks were not authorized to issue a marriage license without certificate (permission) from the parent, master or guardian. In the nineteenth century, a parent or guardian could give consent verbally to the clerk of the court, or provide written consent in front of one or two witnesses; the consent was then delivered to the county clerk.

The original marriage records, from which this volume was compiled, were created by the County Court.

Scope and Content

Caroline County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1852-1857, includes an alphabetical and chronological listing of marriage licenses and consents issued in Caroline County. Included in these listings are the names of both parties and the date when the marriage license was issued. Individual consents are glued or paper clipped in the proper alphabetical and chronological order. An additional entry for the surname "C" is found on the last page of the volume. Intended marriages between "free negroes or free persons of color" ar noted--such as between Robert Nelson Freeman and Betsy Ann Studdy (with consent given for Miss Studdy) in March 1867.

Arrangement

Arranged alpabetically and chronologically by intended groom's surname.

Related Material

Additional Caroline County Court Records can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm"

See the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available at Virginia Memory.

For more information and a listing of lost records localities see Lost Records research note .

Index Terms

    Corporate Names:

  • Caroline County (Va.) Circuit Court.
  • Subjects:

  • Free African Americans--Marriage--Virginia--Caroline County.
  • Free African Americans--Virginia--Caroline County.
  • Marriage--Virginia--Caroline County.
  • Geographical Names:

  • Caroline County (Va.)--History--19th century.
  • Genre and Form Terms:

  • Local government records--Virginia--Caroline County.
  • Marriage consents--Virginia--Caroline County.
  • Marriage records--Virginia--Caroline County.
  • Marriage registers--Virginia--Caroline County.
  • Added Entry - Corporate Name:

  • Caroline County (Va.) County Court.

Significant Places Associated With the Collection

  • Caroline County (Va.)--History--19th century.