Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Spotsylvania County (Va.) Orphans' Account Book, 1759-1777. Local government records collection, Spotsylvania County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

This volume was created by the staff of the Virginia State Library's (now the Library of Virginia) Archives Division.

Historical Information

Spotsylvania County was formed from Essex, King William, and King and Queen Counties by a statute adopted in 1720 to take effect on 1 May 1721. The county was named for Alexander Spotswood, lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1710 to 1722.

The original records were created by the County Court.

Created by an act of 1720 to take effect on May 1, 1721. Many loose county court papers prior to 1839, when the courthouse moved from Fredericksburg to Spotsylvania Courthouse, are missing. Volumes that record deeds, court orders, and wills exist. The district court, superior court, and circuit court records of Spotsylvania County from 1813 to 1889 are in Fredericksburg.

Scope and Content

Spotsylvania County (Va.) Orphans' Account Book dates from 1759-1777. Since ca. 1660 guardians have been required to file a yearly account with the clerk of the court. These accounts are sometimes called orphans' accounts.

Related Material

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

Spotsylvania County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Spotsylvania 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.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Spotsylvania County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Public records--Virginia--Spotsylvania County.

Geographical Names:

• Spotsylvania County (Va.)--History--18th century

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records--Virginia--Spotsylvania County.

Added Entry - Corporate Name:

• Spotsylvania County (Va.) County Court.

Adjunct Descriptive Data