Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth, Registers of justices, 1818-1858. Accession 36148. State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

Transferred prior to 1905.

Biographical Information

The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth has evolved from early colonial times when there existed a Secretary of the Colony. Thomas Nelson held the position of the first Secretary of Virginia in 1776. Early Secretaries were elected by the public. An Act of the General Assembly in 1920 changed the election to a joint vote of the General Assembly. In a 1930 Act the duties of the Secretary were redefined with the Secretary of the Commonwealth serving as the ex officio secretary of the Governor, as custodian of many official State records, and as keeper of the Greater and Lesser Seals of the Commonwealth. The office of the Secretary has gradually acquired other functions, such as: service of out-of-state civil process; appointment and regulation of notaries public; and registration and oversight of lobbyists. The Office became a gubernatorial appointment subsequent to a 1958 Act of the Assembly. The Secretary of the Commonwealth is under the jurisdiction of the Governor's Office. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor for a term of four years. Currently the Secretary of the Commonwealth is responsible for gubernatorial appointments, clemency and restoration of civil rights requests and extraditions. Additional activities include: serving as ex officio Secretary to the Governor; serving as keeper of the seals of the Commonwealth; compiling and publishing the annual Blue Book; commissioning and regulating notary publics, including the publication of a Notary Handbook and conduct of disciplinary hearings; promulgating the lobbying disclosure requirements, registration of lobbyists, and recording of lobbying reports; servicing the civil process of out-of-state defendants and other parties; and authenticating and certifying the records of the courts and of any state agency.

Scope and Content

Registers of justices, 1818, 1820-1858, listing justices of the peace for counties and cities in Virginia. Many registers also include the names of county and Superior Court clerks, coroners, notary publics, sheriffs, and surveyors. Each list contains name, date commissioned, date qualified, and additional remarks. The additional remarks note if the person had died or resigned and some include personal statements on the justices (ie: they didn't do much business with the court or they never showed up for work). The lists are arranged chronologically, and thereunder alphabetically by county/city with oversize material arranged to the rear.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged chronologically.