Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Goochland County (Va.) citizens' claims of property lost to British army, 1782. Local government records collection, Goochland County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Goochland County.

Historical Information

In June 1781, the British army under the command of General Charles Cornwallis entered Goochland County as part of a campaign to capture the Virginia General Assembly and Governor Thomas Jefferson. During their march through Goochland County, British troops confiscated or destroyed private property including Thomas Jefferson's Elk Hill estate.

The claims were made in response to an act passed by the General Assembly in May 1782 (chap. 10) to ascertain the losses and injuries sustained from the depradations of the enemy within the commonwealth. The act required counties to hold special courts or to appoint members of the court to collect information and proof of the various losses and injuries sustained during the Revolutionary War. The proceedings or reports and the supporting documentation were to be submitted to the governor and council, to be laid before the next general assembly.

Scope and Content

Goochland County (Va.) citizens' claims of property lost to British army, 1782, includes inventories made by citizens of Goochland County that record a listing of their property they claimed was confiscated or destroyed by the British army under the command of General Charles Cornwallis when they marched through Goochland County in June 1781. Information found in the inventories include name of property confiscated or destroyed, value of each piece of property, and name of individual making the claim. Examples of property found in the claims include slaves, horses, cattle, liquor, food, clothing, and saddles.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Goochland County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Personal property -- Virginia -- Goochland County.
• Slaves -- Virginia -- Goochland County.

Geographical Names:

• Goochland County (Va.) -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Claims -- Virginia -- Goochland County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Goochland County.