Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Shenandoah County (Va.) Free Negro Registration of Henry Roy, 1833 Nov. 11. Local government records collection, Shenandoah County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

This item came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Shenandoah County.

Historical Information

Shenandoah County was named for the Shenandoah River, which passes through the county. Shenandoah is an Indian word meaning beautiful daughter of the stars. The county was named Dunmore when it was formed from Frederick County in 1772. The present name was adopted in 1778.

An act passed by the Virginia legislature in 1803 required every free negro or mulatto to be registered and numbered in a book to be kept by the county clerk. Certificates and registrations of free negroes usually include the name of the free person, sometimes their age and a brief physical description, and a statement based either on another person's knowledge or on other official documentary evidence seen by the certifier that this person was either born free or was emancipated. If born free, reference is sometimes made to parents. If emancipated, emancipating owner, place and date of emancipation, and prior registration as a free negro are usually mentioned. Occasionally the register number is given; this number corresponds to the entry number in the register of free negroes kept by the clerk of court at the courthouse.

Scope and Content

Shenandoah County (Va.) Free Negro Registration of Henry Roy, 1833 Nov. 11. The registration includes a physical description of Roy and gives his age as 37 years. It indicates that Roy recovered his freedom by the verdict of a jury in the Shenandoah County Court.

Related Material

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

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Shenandoah County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Free African Americans--Virginia--Shenandoah County.
• Slavery--Law and legislation--Virginia--Shenandoah County.

Geographical Names:

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

Genre and Form Terms:

• Free negro and slave records--Virginia--Shenandoah County.
• Free negro registrations--Virginia--Shenandoah County.
• Local government records--Virginia--Shenandoah County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data