Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Use Restrictions

Use Microfilm (Miscellaneous Reel 1263).

Preferred Citation

List of Inhabitants of the Governor's Office, 1782-1785 Accession 34894, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

No acquisition information available. Acquired prior to 1905.

Historical Information

Lists of inhabitants were collected in accordance with several acts of the General Assembly, particularly those of May 1782 (Chapter XXIII) and May 1784 (Chapter XXXVIII). The returns dated 1782 and 1783 are for inhabitants (i.e. 'souls'), while those dated in 1784 and 1785 are for buildings. Occassionally includes a covering letter or forwarding note.

In 1908, the Bureau of Census published a compilation of these lists of the heads of households in Virginia from 1782-1785. "Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790" represented an attempt to reconstruct the 1790 census schedules for Virginia. The Lists of Inhabitants are especially important because Virginia's federal census schedules of 1790 were destroyed when the British sacked Washington during the War of 1812. Though incomplete, the Lists represent the most thorough records available for the reconstruction of the missing census.

Scope and Content

Lists of inhabitants, dated 1782 to 1785, for thirty-nine Virginia counties and the town of Williamsburg. Information found in the lists for 1782 and 1783 include the name of the head of the household, the number of white inhabitants, and the number of slaves. The lists for 1784 and 1785 include the heads of households, the number of whites, and the numbers of dwellng houses and "outhouses." Clerks of the county courts were responsible for collecting the lists from justices and transmitting them to the Governor. The exact disposition of the records after their transmittal to the Governor is unclear.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in alphabetical order order.