Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Hanover County (Va.) Court Papers, 1784-1871. Local government records collection, Hanover County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of records from Hanover County in an undated accession.

Processing Information

The Superior Court of Law judgment, circa 1825, McGeorge vs Spiller was previously describe in two separate records "Hanover County (Va.) Judgment, McGeorge vs Spiller exhibit, 1825 circa" and "King William County (Va.) Will of William McGeorge, 1822 Nov. 25." The judgment was combined with the previously undescribed Hanover County (Va.) Court Papers, 1784-1871, in order to connect this document to the remaining unprocessed judgments for the locality.

Currently the remaining judgments for Hanover County housed at the Library of Virginia are unprocessed and remain with the large "Court Papers" series. There are currently no plans as of 2024 to process this group of records.

Encoded by M. Mason, January 2024

Historical Information

Types of Courts:

Superior Court of Law

The Superior Court of Law was created in 1808. It met twice a year in each county, presided over by a circuit-riding General Court judge. Records were filed with the County Court. It had civil and criminal jurisdiction. The court ceased to exist in 1831.

County Court

The County Court was the original colonial court of adjudication and recordation, and it was the principal tribunal for the administration of local justice. The individual justices could act on small claims matters as well as criminal matters where imminent bodily harm was a possibility, there being an appeal to the full County Court, which met monthly. This court ceased to exist in 1904 and the recordation function was transferred to the circuit court.

Locality Note: Hanover County was named for King George I, who at the time of his accession to the English throne was elector of Hanover in Germany. The county was formed from New Kent County by an act passed in 1720 to take effect 1 May 1721. The county seat is Hanover.

Lost Locality Note: Most county court records of Hanover County, particularly deeds, wills, and marriage records, were destroyed by fire in Richmond on 3 April 1865, where they had been moved for safekeeping during the Civil War. The circuit court records were not moved to Richmond and were relatively unscathed. Consequently, there is a strong run of common law papers and chancery papers after 1831 that were generated by the circuit superior court of law and chancery and its successor, the circuit court.

Scope and Content

Hanover County (Va.) Court Papers, 1784-1871, consists largely of unprocessed records created by the Hanover Superior Courts and County Court; and one processed Superior Court of Law judgment, circa 1825, McGeorge vs Spiller.

Superior Court of Law judgment, circa 1825, McGeorge vs Spiller consist of a transcript of a decree, division of enslaved individuals, and the will of William McGeorge. These documents were filed with a chancery cause heard in King William County Court styled Elizabeth McGeorge, etc., vs Executor of William McGeorge. The division of enslaved individuals includes their names, value, and to whom they were given. The transcript of these records was filed as an exhibit in a common law case McGeorge vs Spiller heard in the Superior Court of Law for Hanover County.

The remaining court papers, 1784-1871, consists of Common Law Papers (including judgments and criminal records), and Court Papers (including fiduciary records and court suit papers). These records appear to be filed in Superior Court of Law and the County Court for the locality.

Arrangement

These Records are arranged into

Related Material

Additional Hanover County records are found in locality at the Hanover County Circuit Court.

Records related to free and enslaved people of Hanover County, King William County (Va.), and other localities are available through the Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative Digital Collection on the Library of Virginia website.

Hanover County is one of Virginia's Lost Record Localities. Additional Hanover County Court Records may be found at the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available at Virginia Memory.

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

Adjunct Descriptive Data