Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Staunton (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1845-1861, 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

Staunton (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1845-1861. Local government records collection, Staunton (Va.) 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 Staunton (Va.) as part of an undated accession.

Processing Information

Starting in 2023, Library of Virginia archival staff in partnership with the Virginia Untold Project Manager began efforts to describe records related to free and enslaved Black and multiracial people in a manner that improved the historical context of the records. In doing so, in some cases material once described within the "Free and Enslaved" record group for a locality may no longer be described within this record. When this has occurred, please see the Processing Information and Related Materials section for records that have been described separately.

Bills of Sale were removed from this record in November 2024 and are now described in Staunton (Va.) Bills of Sale, 1823.

"Free Negro" Registrations and related materials were removed from this record in October 2024 and are now described in Staunton (Va.) Records related to the Registration of Free Persons, 1810-1864.

Deeds of Emancipation were removed from this record in November 2024 and are now described in Staunton (Va.) Deeds of Emancipation, 1811, 1817.

These records have been processed, scanned, and indexed by C. OBrion, L. Neuroth, and other LVA staff for the purposes of digitizing them for the digital project Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative.

Encoded by C. OBrion: July 2007; updated by C. Collins: November 2024.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type:

Free and Enslaved Records

The Free and Enslaved Records collection is comprised of miscellaneous records related to the regulation and policing of both enslaved and free Black and Multiracial people in Staunton. The localities/local government authorities were largely responsible for enforcing laws that restricted the movement of enslaved and free Black and multiracial people and the resulting documentation was often filed in the circuit courts. The ways in which local authorities enacted legal measures against or on behalf of enslaved and free Black and multiracial people varied from locality to locality; therefore, records were not necessarily standardized or filed and retained in a consistent manner. This collection is topical and a means by which to compile miscellaneous documents related to free and enslaved people that are not established local government record types.

See: the Virginia Untold Record Types on the Library of Virginia website for additional context concerning "Free Negro" Tax Records.

Locality History: Staunton, in Augusta County, was named, according to most authorities, for Rebecca Staunton, wife of Sir William Gooch, lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1727 to 1749. Staunton was laid out in 1748 at the site of the Augusta County courthouse and was established as a town in 1761. It was incorporated as a town in 1801 and as a city in 1871.

Scope and Content

Staunton (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1845-1861, consist of "Free Negro” Tax Records, 1845-1861.

“Free Negro” Tax Records, 1845-1861, are comprised of four lists of “free negroes” living in Staunton. The lists document the name of each individual and their occupation. However, a couple lists note additional information, such as each individual’s age, sex, place of residence, and evidence of freedom. The first list, 1845, includes 21 names; the second list, 1851, includes 38 names; the third list, 1855, includes 41 names; and the fourth list, 1861, includes 51 names. Several individuals appear on multiple, if not all, of the lists. The “free negro” lists were compiled by the Commissioner of the Revenue for tax purposes.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged

Related Material

See also: Staunton (Va.) Bills of Sale, 1823

See also: Staunton (Va.) Commonwealth Causes and Criminal Papers, 1807-1919, for criminal cases related to free and enslaved Black and multiracial individuals.

See also: Staunton (Va.) Deeds of Emancipation, 1811, 1817

See also: Staunton (Va.) Records related to the Registration of Free Persons, 1810-1864

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

Additional Staunton (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