Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Scott County (Va.) Marriage Licenses, 1815-1912. Local government records collection, Scott County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These licenses came to the Library of Virginia under accession number 42493.

Historical Information

Scott County was formed from Lee, Russell and Washington counties by a statute adopted on 24 November 1814. The county court first met on 14 February 1815. Scott County was named for General Winfied Scott, a native of Virginia, in recognition of his victories during the War of 1812. General Scott was later commanding general of the American army during the war with Mexico.

Prior to 1853, when the Commonwealth began recording vital statistics, Virginia marriages were recorded at the county or city level. Beginning in 1661, in order to be married by license, the groom was required to go before the county clerk and give bond with security that there was no lawful reason to prevent the marriage. The license, issued then by the clerk, was given to the minister who performed the service. Once the marriage service was performed, the minister submitted a return to the county clerk. Written consent from a parent or guardian was needed for individuals younger than twenty-one years.

These records were originally created by the County and Circuit Courts.

Scope and Content

Scott County (Va.) Marriage Licenses cover the years 1815-1912 and are compiled alpabetically from A-Y by surname. These licenses were issued by the county clerk.

Related Material

Additional Scott 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:

• Scott County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Public records--Virginia--Scott County.

Geographical Names:

• Scott County (Va.)--History.

Genre and Form Terms:

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

Added Entry - Corporate Name:

• Scott County (Va.) County Court.

Adjunct Descriptive Data