Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

Use microfilm copies, Caroline County (Va.) Reels 64 and 80.

Preferred Citation

Caroline County (Va.) Marriage Bonds, Certificates and Consents Nos. 1-3, 1795-1860. Caroline County (Va.) Reels 64 and 80, Local government records collection, Caroline County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

Volume No. 3, 1819-1860 (465-693) was compiled in the Circuit Court Clerk's Office. It came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Caroline County.

Reel 64 was generated by a field operator, from the Virginia State Library's Microfilm Section, while filming in the Circuit Court Clerk's Office.

Reel 80 was generated by Backstage Library Works through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.

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 bond was pledged, with two or more sufficient securities (or witnesses), but no money was exchanged. The license, issued then by the clerk, was given to the minister who performed the service. The practice of bonding was discontinued in 1849, although in some communities bonds were pledged into the 1850s. This practice insured against legal action should the marriage not take place, if either party declined to go through with the union, or if one of the parties was found to be ineligible for marriage--if either the bride or groom was already married or was underage and lacked approval to wed. The marriage certificates record the names of both parties celebrating the rites of matrimony, the date of the marriage, the name of the minister who performed the ceremony and the minister's religious denomination.

According to Virginia law, individuals under the age of twenty-one needed the consent of a parent or guardian to marry. 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 to two witnesses; the consent was then delivered to the county clerk.

The original bonds, certificates and consents, from which these volumes were compiled, were created by the County Court.

Scope and Content

Caroline County (Va.) Marriage Bonds, Certificates and Consents Nos. 1-3, 1795-1860, record the original bonds of marriage between a bride and groom within the county. These volumes also contain original marriage consents and marriage certificates issued by individual ministers. All original marriage bonds, certificates and consents found in the Circuit Court Clerk's Office were numbered chronologically and placed in the pages of three volumes by means of an adhesive. The staff likely undertook this procedure to try and preserve the original documents. Because of the adhesive technique used, it is possible to view the back of all these documents. Volume Numbers 1 (1795-1805, 1-251) and 2 (1805-1819, 252-464) were the only volumes originally microfilmed. Volume No. 3 (1819-1860, 465-633) was filmed at a later date by a different vendor.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically and individual items are numbered consectively.

Related Material

Additional Caroline County Marriage 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:

• Christian sects--Virginia--Caroline County.
• Clergy--Virginia--Caroline County.
• Marriage--Virginia--Caroline County.

Geographical Names:

• Caroline County (Va.)--History.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records collection--Virginia--Caroline County.
• Marriage bonds--Virginia--Caroline County.
• Marriage certificates--Virginia--Caroline County.
• Marriage consents--Virginia--Caroline County.
• Marriage records--Virginia--Caroline County.

Added Entry - Corporate Name:

• Caroline County (Va.) County Court.

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Marriage Bonds, Certificates and Consents Nos. 1 and 2 are found in the Circuit Court Clerk's Office.