Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Arlington County (Va.) Certificates of Importation, 1792-1853, are digitized and available through Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative Digital Collection on the Library of Virginia website. Please use digital images.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Arlington County (Va.) Certificates of Importation, 1792-1853. Local government records collection, Arlington County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Arlington County (Va.) as part of an undated accession.

Arlington County (Va.) Reel No. 226 was filmed in July 1986.

Alternative Form Available

One Arlington County (Va.) Certificate of Importation is available on microfilm, Arlington County (Va.) Reel No. 226.

Processing Information

One folder Arlington County (Va.) Certificates of Importation was originally described as part of the Arlington County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1788, 1801-1802, 1850-1860, but was removed to the present Arlington County (Va.) Certificates of Importation, 1792-1853, record to enhance discoverability in February 2025.

During the redescription process, Local Records staff reviewed Arlington County (Va.) Reel No. 226 and found a duplicate certificate of importation.

These records were processed, scanned, and indexed by E. Jordan, L. Neuroth, and LVA staff for the purposes of digitizing them for the digital project Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative circa 2018.

Encoded by G. Crawford: April 2020; updated by C. Collins: February 2025.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: In 1778, Governor Patrick Henry enacted legislation preventing importation of enslaved people into the commonwealth. Those that did bring their enslaved people were required to register them with the county court and sign a certificate of importation agreeing that they were not bringing enslaved people into the commonwealth with the intent to sell. The enslaved person is sometimes named, but not always, and occasionally information is given as to age, birthdate, and the state from which the individuals were moving. According to Section 3 of the act "every slave imported into this commonwealth contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, shall upon such importation become free." By this clause, those enslaved people who were brought into Virginia illegally could pursue their freedom in the local courts.

Locality History: 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. An urban county, Arlington contains no incorporated towns or cities. The county courthouse is in the county.

Scope and Content

Arlington County (Va.) Certificates of Importation, 1792-1853, sometimes entitled certificates of nonimportation, contain information whereby an enslaver swears that they have not imported the enslaved person from Africa and that the enslaver has not brought the enslaved person into Virginia with the purpose of selling the enslaved person. The enslaved person is sometimes named, but not always, and occasionally information is given as to age, birthdate, and the state the individuals are moving from.

These records are comprised of about 137 certificates of importation. A number of certificates identify from whence the enslaved persons transported into Arlington County (then Alexandria County) were removed. Some individuals arrived from other Virginia localities, like Fairfax County, while others were transported from states such as Maryland and North Carolina. One certificate of importation, 1801, is written on the back of a bill of sale. The bill of sale mentions an unnamed woman and Dick, Bill, and Lett, her children, who were sold to William Riley (or Reily) by Ann and Maria Burnes. The same enslaver [Riley] filed the certificate of importation written on the bill of sale’s verso, but the enslaved individuals mentioned in the bill of sale are not referenced by name in the certificate of importation.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged

Related Material

See also: Arlington County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1788, 1801-1802, 1850-1860

Records related to free and enslaved people of Arlington County (Va.) and other localities are available through the Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative Digital Collection on the Library of Virginia website.

Additional Arlington County (Va.) Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Adjunct Descriptive Data