A Guide to the Petersburg (Va.) Writs of Habeas Corpus, 1842-1865 Petersburg (Va.) Writs of Habeas Corpus, 1842-1865

A Guide to the Petersburg (Va.) Writs of Habeas Corpus, 1842-1865

A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Barcode numbers: 0007823207

Library of Virginia

The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
USA
Phone: (804) 692-3888 (Archives Reference)
Fax: (804) 692-3556 (Archives Reference)
Email: archdesk@lva.virginia.gov(Archives)
URL: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/

Processed by: Library of Virginia staff

Repository

The Library of Virginia

Barcode numbers

0007823207

Title

Petersburg (Va.) Writs of Habeas Corpus, 1842-1865

Physical Characteristics

1 box

Collector

Petersburg (Va.) Circuit Court

Location

Library of Virginia

Language

English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Petersburg (Va.) Writs of Habeas Corpus, 1842-1865. Local government records collection, Petersburg (City) 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 the city of Petersburg.

Historical Information

Petersburg was formed from parts of Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Chesterfield counties. A garrison and fur trading post called Fort Henry was established in 1645 on the site of the Indian village of Appamattuck. The present name, suggested in 1733 by William Byrd II, honors Peter Jones, Byrd's companion on expeditions into the Virginia backcountry. Petersburg was established in 1748 and incorporated as a town in 1784. In the latter year the towns of Blandford, Pocahontas, and Ravenscroft were added to Petersburg. It was incorporated as a city in 1850. Petersburg was enlarged by annexation from both Prince George and Dinwiddie counties in 1972.

Scope and Content

Petersburg (Va) Writs of Habeas Corpus, 1842-1865, consist primarily of writs of habeas corpus involving minors who fraudulently enlisted in the Petersburg Company of Virginia Volunteers for the Mexican-American War, as well as individuals who claimed to be illegally conscripted into Confederate military service. The collection includes additional writs of habeas corpus for arrests that involved free and enslaved persons, individuals detained in debt cases, and civilians held on military charges during the Civil War.

A writ of habeas corpus is directed to a person detaining another and commanding him to produce the body of the person detained. The purpose is to test the legality of the detention or imprisonment.