Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Amherst County (Va.) Certificates of Importation, 1814-1819, 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

Amherst County (Va.) Certificates of Importation, 1814-1819. Local government records collection, Amherst 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 Amherst County (Va.) in 2022 under accession number 53740.

Processing Information

Amherst County (Va.) Certificates of Importation were removed from the Amherst County (Va.) Deeds [under accession 53740] by E. Jordan in 2023. L. Neuroth later indexed the certificates for the purposes of digitizing them for the digital project Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative.

Encoded by M. Mason: August 2023; updated by C. Collins: December 2024.

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: Amherst County was named for Major General Jeffery Amherst, British commander in North America during the latter part of the French and Indian War and governor of Virginia from 1759 to 1768. It was formed from Albemarle County in 1761. Islands in the Fluvanna (now the James) River were added in 1770.

Scope and Content

Amherst 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.

This record set includes 3 certificates: a certificate, 1814 November, concerning the importation of Lucy, a multiracial woman, by William Roach; a certificate, 1819 February 15, concerning the importation of George, Syvia (or Silvy), Philis (or Phillis), Bob, Hester, Peter, Matildy, Randolph, and Patients (or Patience) by Solomon Day; and a certificate, 1819 February 15, concerning the importation of Westley by Jeremiah Franklin.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged

Related Material

See also: Amherst County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1816-1826

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

Additional Amherst 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