Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Mecklenburg County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes, 1809-1865. Mecklenburg County (Va.) Reel 52, Local Government Records Collection, Mecklenburg County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items were microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah at the courthouse in Mecklenburg County.

Historical Information

Mecklenburg County was formed from Lunenburg County in 1764.

An act passed by the Virginia legislature in 1803 required every free negro or mulatto to be registered and numbered in a book to be kept by the county clerk.

Scope and Content

Registers of Free Negroes, 1809-1865, of Mecklenburg County list the registration number, age, name, color, stature, marks or scars, and in what court the person was emancipated or whether the person was born free. Some clerks recorded additional information not required by law. Volume 1 covers the years 1809-1841 and Volume 2 covers 1841-1865. Each volume has a separate index at the beginning of the volume.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Mecklenburg County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans--Virginia--Mecklenburg County.
• Free African Americans--Virginia--Mecklenburg County.

Geographical Names:

• Mecklenburg County (Va.)--History--19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Free negro and slave records--Virginia--Mecklenburg County.
• Local government records--Virginia--Mecklenburg County.
• Registers (lists)--Virginia--Mecklenburg County.