Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Prince Edward County (Va.) Election Records, 1754-1758, circa. Local Government Records Collection, Prince Edward County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These records were acquired in a transfer from the Prince Edward County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Historical Information

Prince Edward County was named in honor of Edward Augustus, a son of Prince Frederick Louis, a grandson of George II, and a younger brother of George III. The county was formed from Amelia County in 1753.

In colonial Virginia, only adult white men who owned property and a few who rented substantial farms were permitted to vote for representatives in the lower house of the General Assembly. The only elected officials in colonial Virginia were the members of the House of Burgesses. Even though voting was restricted to a minority of the population and an even smaller minority, the prosperous and better-educated members of the society, was represented in the General Assembly, politics was always a public event, and on election day many Virginians congregated to watch the voting and enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere.

Scope and Content

Prince Edward County (Va.) Election Records, 1754-1758, circa. The collection contains polls, or lists of votes, for candidates running for office in Prince Edward County. The lists contain the first and last name of each voter. The collection contains a poll for Abraham Venable, undated; polls for Mr. Walker and Joseph Morton, 1754 March 22; a poll for Charles Anderson, 1755 December 8; and polls for Abner Nash, Charles Anderson, and Peter LeGrand at the election of Burgesses, 1758 July 17.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Prince Edward County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Elections -- Prince Edward County (Va.) -- History -- 18th century.

Geographical Names:

• Prince Edward County (Va.) -- History -- 18th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Election records -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Voters' lists -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data