A Guide to the U.S. District Court Admiralty Judgments and Decrees, 1803-1845 U.S. District Court Admiralty Judgments and Decrees, 1803-1845
Barcode numbers 1145591, 1043595, 1043596
A Collection in the Library of Virginia
Barcode numbers: 1145591, 1043595, 1043596
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia 800 East Broad Street Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000 USA Phone: (804) 692-3888 (Archives Reference) Fax: (804) 692-3556 (Archives Reference) Email: archdesk@lva.virginia.gov(Archives) URL: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/
U.S. District Court Admiralty Judgments and Decrees, 1803-1845. Local Government Records Collection, Alexandria/Arlington
County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.
Acquisition Information
These records were acquired in a transfer from the Arlington County (Va.) Circuit Court.
The U.S. Constitution gave admiralty and maritime jurisdiction to the federal courts. Those few cases of admiralty jurisdiction
not taken into the federal court system were given to the newly created state district courts. The U.S. District Court for
the District of Columbia met at the courthouse in Alexandria, then a part of the District of Columbia.
Arlington County was originally named Alexandria County. It was formed from a portion of Fairfax County that Virginia in 1789
ceded to the federal government for use as the site of a new national capital. In 1801 the area officially became part of
the District of Columbia, although Congress named it Alexandria County. By an act of 9 July 1846, Congress returned the county
to Virginia, and the General Assembly extended the commonwealth's jurisdiction over the region effective 20 March 1847. By
an act of assembly passed 16 March 1920, the county's name was changed to Arlington, the name of the Custis family mansion
(the home of Robert E. Lee), which is located in the county.
U.S. District Court Admiralty Judgments and Decrees, 1803-1845, are records of admiralty and maritime actions that came under
the jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court, District of Columbia. The cases pertain to libel in admiralty, debt, the collection
of duties, and other maritime issues. Court records are comprised of citations, exhibits, such as bills of lading and accounts,
depositions, orders, and decrees.