Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Shenandoah County (Va.) Justice of the Peace Records, 1845-1920, Local government records collection, Shenandoah County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a shipment of court papers from Shenandoah County.

Historical Information

Shenandoah County was named for the Shenandoah River, which passed through the county. Shenandoah is an Indian word meaning beautiful daughter of the stars. The county was named Dunmore when it was formed from Frederick County in 1772. The present name was adopted in 1778. Its area is 507 square miles, and the county seat is Woodstock.

First known as commissions, the Justice of the Peace office originated with the county quarterly court in 1623. Commanders of Plantations (1607-1629) were predecessors of the commissioners, who since 1662 have been called justices of the peace. They have traditionally had both civil and criminal jurisdiction, and have served other functions, including performing coroners' and lunacy inquisitions. Until 1869 justices served both as judges of the county court and as individual justices; since then they have had only the latter function.

Scope and Content

Shenandoah County (Va.) Justice of the Peace Records, 1845-1920, consist of Cases Disposed, Execution Dockets, Judgment and Execution Books, and Receipts for Papers.

Related Material

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

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Shenandoah County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Public records--Virginia--Shenandoah County.

Genre and Form Terms:

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

Adjunct Descriptive Data