Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Use microfilm copy of the Powhatan County (Va.) Register of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1800-1820 and 1820-1865, Powhatan County (Va.) Reels 45 and 58.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Powhatan County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1800-1865, Powhatan County Reels 45 and 58. Local government records collection, Powhatan County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

Both volumes came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Powhatan County. Register of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1800-1820, was transferred under accession number 52618.

Historical Information

Powhatan County was named for the Indian chieftain who ruled the Native American inhabitants of tidewater Virginia in the early seventeenth century. It was formed from Cumberland County in 1777, and part of Chesterfield County was added later.

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.

Scope and Content

Powhatan County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1800-1865 are comprised of two volumes, one for the years 1800 to 1820 and one for the years 1820-1865. The registers 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 first volume also includes miscellaneous court notes and orders interspersed with the free negro registrations; it is unpaged and does not include an index. The second volume is 112 pages and includes an index.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Powhatan County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Free African Americans--Virginia--Powhatan County.
• Racially mixed people--Virginia--Powhatan County.

Geographical Names:

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

Genre and Form Terms:

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