Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

IN PROGRESS: The majority of the Bedford County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1764, 1789, 1813-1821, 1857, are digitized and available through Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative Digital Collection on the Library of Virginia website. Please use digital images where possible.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Bedford County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1764, 1789, 1813-1821, 1857. Local government records collection, Bedford County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Bedford County (Va.) in 1984 under accession number 32103 and as part of an undated accession.

Processing Information

Starting in 2023, Library of Virginia archival staff in partnership with the Virginia Untold Project Manager began efforts to describe records related to free and enslaved Black and Multiracial people in a manner that improved the historical context of the records. In doing so, in some cases material once described within the "Free and Enslaved" record group for a locality may no longer be described within this record. When this has occurred, please see the Processing Information and Related Materials section for records that have been described separately.

"Free Negro" registrations, affidavits, and certificates were removed from this record in May 2025 and are now described in Bedford County (Va.) Records related to the Registration of Free Persons, 1803-1864.

These records were processed, scanned, and indexed by L. Neuroth and LVA staff for the purposes of digitizing them for the digital project Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative at an unknown date.

Encoded by S. Nerney: November 2005; updated by C. Collins: May 2025.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type:

Free and Enslaved Records:

The Free and Enslaved Records collection is comprised of miscellaneous records related to the regulation and policing of both enslaved and free Black and Multiracial people in Bedford County. The localities/local government authorities were largely responsible for enforcing laws that restricted the movement of enslaved and free Black and Multiracial people and the resulting documentation was often filed in the circuit courts. The ways in which local authorities enacted legal measures against or on behalf of enslaved and free Black and Multiracial people varied from locality to locality; therefore, records were not necessarily standardized or filed and retained in a consistent manner. This collection is topical and a means by which to compile miscellaneous documents related to free and enslaved people that are not established local government record types.

See: the Virginia Untold Record Types on the Library of Virginia website for additional context concerning "Free Negro" Tax Records and Requisitions for Public Use.

Locality History: Bedford County was named probably for John Russell, fourth duke of Bedford, who served as secretary of state for the southern department from 1748 to 1751 and had general supervision of colonial affairs. It was formed from Lunenburg County in 1753, and parts of Albemarle and Lunenburg Counties were added in 1755. The county court first met on 5 May 1754. The county seat is the town of Bedford.

Scope and Content

Materials in the Library of Virginia's collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

Bedford County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1764, 1789, 1813-1821, 1857, consist of "Free Negro" Tax Records, 1857; Requisitions for Public Use, undated; and additional records of various types, 1764, 1789, 1813-1821.

"Free Negro" Tax Records, 1857, undated, are comprised of a list of "free negroes," 1857, that documents the name, sex, age, and occupation of each individual, and a list of "negroes," undated, that includes the names of 54 individuals. A number, presumably tax related, is listed beside each name.

Requisitions for Public Use, undated, consist of around 17 lists, separated by district, that document the names of enslavers and the number of men between the ages of 18 and 55 each enslaved and hired. No enslaved persons are named. The lists also record the number of enslaved individuals "sent," presumably referring to the government's conscription of enslaved persons during the Civil War to work on military fortifications and other defensive works around the state. Each list includes a remarks column, which notes such information as the skillsets of enslaved individuals (e.g., Blacksmithing), where individuals were employed, when they were sent, and relevant injuries and illnesses, among other things. While the lists are undated, similar records in other Virginia localities were taken circa 1863.

Additional single items relating to the documentation of free and enslaved Black and Multiracial individuals in and around Bedford County, Va., include:

Account, undated, of salary payments related to the sale of enslaved persons. The enslaved persons named include Moses, Jeffrey, Janney, John, Patrick, Michael, and Tom.

Advertisement, 1764, wherein the sale of George, enslaved by Colonel Richard Callaway, was announced. A separate advertisement notes the upcoming sale of a white horse.

Letter, 1789, from Mary Banks to Capt. Bluford [Buford] concerning the sale of Cack, who was enslaved by Banks.

Two letters, 1821, regarding the hire of Kitt, enslaved by Charles Lambert, to Samuel Burks. In a letter to Lambert, Burks stated that "[Kitt] will not Seve [serve] me & wishes you to take him back Again" or hire him elsewhere. In the second letter, written in response to a letter from Meritt M. White regarding the hire of Kitt, Lambert asserts that he has "no authority" over Kitt since his hire to Burks, and that White must apply to Burks to hire Kitt.

List, undated, of individuals over 12 years of age enslaved by the estate of Timothy Rogers. The list includes the following names: Bob, Frank, Daniel, Tom, Phill, London, Sally, Clarissa, Sarah, Emeline, Amy, Mary, Aberilla, Harvy [Harvey], Maria [Mariah], Davy, Francis, Nancy, John, Martha, William, Frances [Francis], and Jesse. Additional documents record descriptive information about many of the individuals named, such as their age, complexion, height, and identifying marks or scars.

"List of slaves," 1813-1816, which records the names of enslavers and the number of persons over 16 each enslaved during the years 1813, 1814, 1815 and 1816.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged

Related Material

See also: Bedford County (Va.) Records related to the Registration of Free Persons, 1803-1864

Records related to free and enslaved people of Bedford County (Va.) and other localities are available through the Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative Digital Collection on the Library of Virginia website.

Additional Bedford County (Va.) Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Adjunct Descriptive Data