Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Halifax County (Va.) "Registers of Free Negroes," 1802-1831 , is digitized and available through Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative Digital Collection on the Library of Virginia website. Please use digital images.

Halifax County (Va.) "Registers of Free Negroes," 1831-1853, is 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

Halifax County (Va.)Records Related to the Registration of Free Persons, 1802-1853 [include series or volume information], Local government records collection, Halifax County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va..

Acquisition Information

Digital Images of the Registers came to the Library of Virginia in 2025 under accession number 54603.

Alternative Form Available

"Register of Free Negroes" are available on microfilm as Halifax County (Va.) Reel 83a and Reel 205

Processing Information

Halifax County (Va.) "Registers of Free Negroes," 1802-1831 and 1831-1853 were originally described as "Halifax County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes, 1802-1853" but retitled Halifax County (Va.)Records Related to the Registration of Free Persons, 1802-1853 in December 2025.

The microfilm copy of these records was generated by The Library of Virginia's Imaging Services Branch.

Encoded by S. Nernery, 2006; Updated by M. Mason, December 2025

Historical Information

Context for Record Type:

"Free Negro" Registers

In 1793, the Virginia General Assembly specified that "free Negroes or mulattoes" were required to be registered and numbered in a book to be kept by the town clerk, which shall specify "age, name, colour, and stature, by whom, and in what court the said negro or mulatto was emancipated; or that such negro or mulatto was born free." The process was extended to counties in 1803. Although some clerks were already recording such features, an 1834 Act of Assembly made it a uniform requirement to record identifying marks and scars and the instrument of emancipation, whether by deed or will. This bound register often coincided with a loose certificate containing largely the same identifying information. Both the registration system and the process of renewal was enforced differently in the various Virginia localities. Thus, the information found in these registers may differ from year to year and across localities.

The register books resulting from the administration of the 1793 and 1803 Act of Assembly are evidence of Virginia legislators' reaction to a quickly growing free Black and Multiracial population in Virginia in the post Revolutionary War period. Acts such as these allowed white officials to police the activities and movement of free Black community members throughout the state thereby restricting their autonomy.

Locality History: Halifax County was named for George Montagu Dunk, second earl of Halifax, who was president of the Board of Trade from 1748 to 1761. It was formed from Lunenburg County in 1752. Halifax County regained the city of South Boston on 1 July 1995, when the latter relinquished its city status.

Scope and Content

Halifax County (Va.) Records Related to the Registration of Free Persons, 1802-1853, includes two "Register of Free Negroes," 1802-1853

"Registers of Free Negroes," 1802-1831 of Halifax County lists the registration number, age, name, color, stature, marks or scars, in what court the person was emancipated or whether the person was born free. Some clerks recorded additional information not required by law. The register is 86 pages with about 197 entries no. 1-197. There are some conservation issues with the volume including faded text and degradation of the iron gall ink making the text difficult to read on some pages. There is no index.

"Registers of Free Negroes," 1831-1853, of Halifax County lists the registration number, age, name, color, stature, marks or scars, in what court the person was emancipated or whether the person was born free. Some clerks recorded additional information not required by law. The register is about 170 pages with about 360 entries no. 198-558. There are some conservation issues with the volume including faded text and degradation of the iron gall ink making the text difficult to read on some pages. There is no index.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged

Related Material

See Also: Halifax County (Va.)Free and Enslaved Records

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

Additional Halifax 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

Original "Registers of Free Negroes,"1802-1831 and 1831-1853 are housed at the Halifax County Circuit Court.