Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Charles City County (Va.) Exemption Requests, 1861-1862. Local government records collection, Charles City County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court records from Charles City County.

Historical Information

Charles City County was named for King Charles I and was one of the original shires, or counties, first enumerated in 1634. The county seat is Charles City. Part of James City County was added to Charles City in 1721.

In accordance with an act passed by the General Assembly 1862 Feb. 18 and amended 1862 Oct. 1 providing a mode of exemption from military service, the county and corporation courts were directed to appoint a Board of Exemption. The board was charged with deciding all claims for military exemptions brought before it, "carefully and rigidly conforming to all the provisions of the Act of Assembly." On 1863 Feb. 13, the Governor issued an order directing that where no board had been appointed, the presiding justice of each county and corporation court, together with the two senior justices, constitute the board.

Records have been destroyed at various times. The most damage occurred during the Civil War when the records were strewn through the woods in a rainstorm. A few pre-Civil War volumes such as deed books, will books, minute books, and order books exist.

Scope and Content

Charles City County (Va.) Exemption Requests, 1862, consist of individual requests of persons who applied to be exempted from military service or by individuals requesting the exemption of a person. Names of the persons applying for exemption are given as well as the reason given for the exemption (mainly physical disability.)

Related Material

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:

• Charles City County (Va.) Board of Exemption.
• Charles City County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Recruitment and enlistment.

Geographical Names:

• Charles City County (Va.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records -- Virginia -- Charles City County.
• Military records -- Virginia -- Charles City County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data