Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

Due to the fragile nature of the volumes, patrons of the Library of Virginia are encouraged to use microfilm copy, Russell County (Va.) Reel 25.

Preferred Citation

Russell County (Va.) Marriage Registers, 1853-1908. Russell County (Va.) Reel 25, Local government records collection, Russell County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These volumes came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Russell County.

Microfilm Reel 25 was generated by the Genealogical Society of Utah while in the Russell County Circuit Court Clerk's Office.

Historical Information

Russell County was named for General William Russell, a Clinch Valley pioneer and the member of the House of Delegates who introduced the legislation forming the county from Washington County in 1786.

In 1853, the General Assembly passed a law requiring the systematic statewide recording of vital statistics. The marriage register, still compiled by the county clerk from ministers' returns and other original marriage records, became more standardized and comprehensive. In Virginia, a statewide index or marriage records was compiled from 1853-1935.

The original marriage licenses, from which these volumes were compiled, were created by the County Court until 1904. After this date, marriages were recorded by the Circuit Court.

Created in 1786. The first marriage register and most loose papers were lost in a fire in the clerk’s office in 1872. Volumes that record deeds, court orders, and wills (except Will Book 1) exist

Scope and Content

Russell County (Va.) Marriage Registers, 1853-1908, are divided into two separate volumes. The first volume covers 1853-1886. The second volume covers 1886-1908. Because of the adoption of a more standardized format, both volumes contain the following information: the date and place of marriage, the full names of both parties, the age and condition before marriage of both parties, their places of birth, their places of residence, their parents names, the occupation of the husband, the name of the person performing the ceremony and a special remarks section which often included consent information and whether or not the couple were "colored." African American marriages are noted in both volumes from 1867-1908. There are two volumes titled "General Indexes to Marriage Licenses, 1853-1930, " that cover these registers among other volumes and are found on Microfilm Reel 25. The information contained within these registers is also found in a single volume in the Russell County Circuit Court Clerk's Office-- labeled Marriage Register No. 2. This volume also appears on Microfilm Reel 25. Marriage Register No. 1 was destroyed by fire.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by month, day and year.

Related Material

The single volume, Marriage Register No. 2 and indexes are found in the Russell County Circuit Court Clerk's Office.

Russell County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Russell Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the Lost Records Localites Database found on the Library of Virginia's web site.

Additional Russell County Marriage Records can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Additional Russell County Marriage Records can also be found on microfilm on the Library of Virginia's web site under "Vital Statistics." Additional records are noted in the collection guide "Birth and Marriage (Husband-Wife) Indexes, a statewide index from 1853-1935.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Russell County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans--Employment--Virginia--Russell County.
• African Americans--Marriage--Virginia--Russell County.
• African Americans--Virginia--Russell County.
• Clergy--Virginia--Russell County.
• Marriage--Virginia--Russell County.
• Occupations--Virginia--Russell County.

Geographical Names:

• Russell County (Va.)--History.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records--Virginia--Russell County.
• Marriage records--Virginia--Russell County.
• Marriage registers--Virginia--Russell County.

Added Entry - Corporate Name:

• Russell County (Va.) County Court.

Adjunct Descriptive Data