Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Madison County (Va.) Deeds, 1793-1944. Local Government Records Collection, Madison County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in transfer of court papers from Madison County.

Historical Information

Madison County was named for James Madison, a prominent Virginian and a member of Congress in 1792 when the county was formed from Culpeper County.

Scope and Content

Madison County (Va.) Deeds, 1793-1944, consist of deeds of bargain and sale, deeds of gift, mortgages, deeds of trust, and deeds of emancipation. On presentation to the court, deeds were proved and recorded. If the deed was not witnessed, the grantor acknowledged the deed in open court. A few of the deeds include plats. Except for a few years early in the eighteenth century, slaves in Virginia were considered personal property and consequently were not usually sold by deed. However, they were often transferred in deeds of gift or were the property listed in mortgages and deeds of trust.

Deeds of bargain and sale are the most commonly recorded deed in which one individual sells property, usually land, but occasionally personal property, to another individual. Such deeds show the names of the grantor and grantee, the residence of both parties, a description of what is being sold, the consideration (or price), the location of the tract of land, the tract's boundaries, and any limitations on the property being sold. The deed was signed by the grantor, and possibly his wife or anyone else having a claim to the property, and by at least two witnesses. Appended to the deed may be a memorandum of livery of seisin, stating that the property has changed hands and that peaceful possession has taken place.

Deeds of gift are often found transferring property, either real or personal, from one individual to another "for love and affection." The degree of kinship, if any, between the grantor and grantee is sometimes stated.

Mortgages and deeds of trust were deeds where one party is indebted to another and transfers or mortgages property to a third party to secure the debt.

The collection includes additional record types that were recorded in deed books such as powers of attorney, bills of sale, leases, agreements, liens, and bankruptcy documents.

Arrangement

Chronological

Related Material

Deed Books and Indices to Deeds for Madison County can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Additional Madison County Land Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Madison County (Va.) Circuit Court

Subjects:

• African American--History
• Land subdivision--Virginia-Madison County
• Slaveholders--Virginia--Madison County
• Slavery--Virginia--Madison County
• Slaves--Virginia--Madison County

Geographical Names:

• Madison County (Va.)--History

Genre and Form Terms:

• Deeds--Virginia--Madison County
• Land records--Virginia--Madison County
• Local government records--Virginia--Madison County
• Mortgage deeds--Virginia--Madison County

Adjunct Descriptive Data