Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Montgomery County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1823-1863. Local Government Records Collection, Montgomery County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

This microfilm was created by the Virginia State Library's (now the Library of Virginia) Archives Division from the original court records found in the Montgomery County (Va.) Circuit Court Clerk's Office 22 May 1987.

Historical Information

Montgomery County was named for Richard Montgomery, who was killed in the American assault on Quebec late in 1775. It was formed from Fincastle County in 1776, and parts of Botetourt and Pulaski Counties were added later.

Scope and Content

Montgomery County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1823-1863, record the registration number, age, name, color, stature, marks or scars, and in what court the person was emancipated or whether the person was born free. Some clerks recorded additional information, not required by law. The collection contains two volumes, A Register of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1823-1847, and a Register of Free Negroes Commencing September 1848, containing a total 127 registrations.

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.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Montgomery County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Appalachian Region--History--19th century.
• Free African Americans--Virginia--Montgomery County.
• Racially mixed people--Virginia--Montgomery County.

Geographical Names:

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

Genre and Form Terms:

• Free negro and slave records--Virginia--Montgomery County.
• Local government records--Virginia--Montgomery County.
• Registers (lists)--Virginia--Montgomery County.