Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Amelia County (Va.) Bills of Sale and Deeds,1734-1864, involving enslaved and free Black and multiracial individuals are digitized and available through Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative Digital Collection on the Library of Virginia website. Please use digital images.

For Amelia County (Va.) Deed Books, 1734-1765, use microfilm Amelia County (Va.) Reels 1-4

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Amelia County (Va.) Deeds,1734-1914, Local government records collection, Amelia County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

Loose Deeds, 1734-1914, came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Amelia County in 2004 under accession 41505.

Deed Book 1 and bonds ,1734-1741, came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Amelia County in 1966 under accession 26511.

Index to Deeds, 1904-1914, came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Amelia County in under accession 34741.

Remaining material came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Amelia County in an undated accession.

Alternative Form Available

Deed Books microfilm Amelia County (Va.) Reels 1-4.

Processing Information

Bills of Sale and Deeds, 1743-1864, pertaining to enslaved and free Black individuals were removed from the larger Amelia County Va.) deeds record set and then processed and indexed as a distinct unit by Ed Jordan and Lydia Neuroth for the purposes of digitizing them for the digital project Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative. All other Deeds,1743-1864, pertaining to white and non-Black individuals are still unprocessed and remain in Series II.

Amelia (Va.) Deed Books, 1734-1765 [ Amelia county (Va.) Reel 1-4] were previous described separately as " Amelia (Va.) Deed Books, 1734-1765 " but were combined in July 2024 with the present descriptive record for improved context and accessibility.

Encoded by S. Bagley, March 2006 ; Updated by M. Mason, July 2024

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: Bills of sale are written agreements which convey title of property, including enslaved people, from seller to buyer. Under the system of chattel slavery, laws permitted enslavers to treat enslaved people as personal possessions in the same manner as livestock, farm equipment, or household items. Enslaved people could be bought or sold without regard to their personal relationships or free will. Bills of sale record the name of the seller, the names of enslaved people being sold and their price, and the name of the buyer. Given that they involved a property transaction, bills of sale were commonly recorded and filed with deeds in the local court. However, there was no official requirement that the transfer of an enslaved person be recorded unless necessary for legal purposes such as a court case or an estate settlement. Enslaved people could also be transferred through a deed of gift, there was no money transaction involved in this case, which distinguishes this record from a bill of sale. Enslavers and their family members often transferred enslaved people between themselves in this manner.

Deeds are written agreements which convey title of property, such as an enslaved person, from one individual to another. These include the voluntary transfer of enslaved people between family members with no financial transaction involved. Deeds include the names of the grantors, grantees, and enslaved people. Clerks proved, acknowledged, and recorded deeds in the local court.

Locality History: Amelia County was named for Amelia Sophia Eleanora, daughter of King George II. It was formed from Prince George and Brunswick Counties by an act passed in 1734 to take effect on 25 March 1735. The county court first met on 9 May 1735.

Scope and Content

Amelia County (Va.) Deeds, 1734-1914, consist of deeds of bargain and sale, deeds of gift, mortgages, bills of sale, and deeds of trust. Included are eight boxes of processed and indexed material consisting of bills of sale and deeds,1743-1864, involving free and enslaved Black individuals.

Deeds of bargain and sale are the most recorded deed in which one individual sells property, usually land, but occasionally personal property, to another individual. Such deeds show the names of the grantor and grantee, the residence of both parties, a description of what is being sold, the consideration (or price), the location of the tract of land, the tract's boundaries, and any limitations on the property being sold. The deed was signed by the grantor, and possibly his wife or anyone else having a claim to the property, and by at least two witnesses. Appended to the deed may be a memorandum of livery of seisin, stating that the property has changed hands and that peaceful possession has taken place.

Deeds of gift are often found transferring property, either real or personal including enslaved people, from one individual to another "for love and affection." The degree of kinship, if any, between the grantor and grantee is sometimes stated. Information recorded included name(s) of the grantor(s), grantee(s), and enslaved people. Deeds of gift were proved and recorded in the local court.

Mortgages and deeds of trust were deeds where one party is indebted to another and transfers or mortgages property to a third party to secure the debt.

Bills of sale are written agreements which convey title of property, such as an enslaved person, from seller to buyer. Bills of sale record the name of the seller, the names of enslaved persons being sold and their price, and the name of the buyer. Given that they involved a property transaction, bills of sale were commonly recorded and filed with deeds in the local court.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged

Related Material

See also: Amelia County (Va.) Deeds of Emancipation, 1767-1859

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

Additional Amelia County (Va.) court records can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia.Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Adjunct Descriptive Data