Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Franklin County (Va.) Land Records, circa 1784-1917. Local government records collection, Franklin County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Franklin County.

Historical Information

Franklin County was named for Benjamin Franklin and was formed from Bedford and Henry Counties in 1785.

Scope and Content

Franklin County (Va.) Land Records, circa 1784-1917, include deeds, plats, articles of agreement, processioners' returns, and miscellaneous land related records. The deeds, plats, and articles of agreement were exhibits in Franklin County court proceedings. They were separated from Franklin County court cases at the courthouse at some point prior to transfer to the Library of Virginia. The court cases they were removed from are found in Franklin County Determined Causes, 1789-1937, stored at the Library of Virginia.

On presentation to the court, deeds were proved and recorded. If the deed was not witnessed, the grantor acknowledged the deed in open court. A few of the deeds include plats. Except for a few years early in the eighteenth century, slaves in Virginia were considered personal property and consequently were not usually sold by deed. However, they were often transferred in deeds of gift or were the property listed in mortgages and deeds of trust.

Processioners' returns record area processioned with geographical landmarks, roads, property lines noted, the names of the persons present, the date(s) when the processioning occurred, the names of the processioners, and the date that the return was recorded by the county court.

Related Material

Deed Books and Indices to Deeds for Franklin County can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm .

Additional Franklin County Land Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm .

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Franklin County (Va.)--Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans--History
• Land subdivision--Virginia-- Franklin County
• Land use surveys--Virginia--Franklin County
• Slaveholders--Virginia--Franklin County
• Slavery--Virginia--Franklin County
• Slaves--Virginia--Franklin County

Geographical Names:

• Franklin County (Va.)--History

Genre and Form Terms:

• Deeds--Virginia--Franklin County.
• Land Records--Virginia--Franklin County.
• Local government records--Virginia--Franklin County.
• Plats--Virginia--Franklin County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data