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Library of Virginia
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Arlington County (Va.) Coroners' Inquisitions, 1796-1902. Local government records collection, Arlington County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA 23219.
These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court records from Arlington County.
Arlington County was originally named Alexandria County. It was formed from a part of Fairfax County that was ceded to the U.S. government in 1789 but was returned to Virginia in 1846. The county name was changed in 1920 to Arlington, the name of the Custis family mansion (former home of Robert E. Lee), which is located in the county.
The separate office of coroner appeared in Virginia about 1660. The judicial duty of the office is to hold inquisitions in cases when persons meet sudden, violent, unnatural or suspicious death, or death without medical attendance. The coroner would summon a jury to assist him in determining cause of death. Prior to November 1877, the jurors numbered twelve. Between November 1877 and March 1926, the jurors numbered six. The jury viewed the body of the deceased and heard the testimony of witnesses. The coroner was required to write down witness testimony. After seeing and hearing the evidence, the jury delivered in writing to the coroner their conclusion concerning cause of death referred to as the inquisition. After March 1926, only the coroner determined cause of death. He could require physicians to assist him with determing cause of death. If a criminal act was determined to be the cause of death, the coroner was to deliver the guilty person to the sheriff and the coroners' inquests would be used as evidence in the criminal trial.
Arlington County (Va) Coroners' Inquisitions, 1796-1847, 1862-1869, 1872, 1879, 1885, 1902, are investigations into the deaths of individuals who died by a sudden, violent, unnatural or suspicious manner, or died without medical attendance. Causes of death found in coroners' inquisitions include murder, infanticide, suicide, exposure to elements, drownings, train accidents, and natural causes, or as commonly referred to in the 19th century, visitation by God. Documents commonly found in coroners' inquests include the inquisition, depositions, and summons. Information found in the inquisition include the name of the coroner, the names of the jurors, the name and age of the deceased if known, gender and race of the deceased, where the deceased was from, if known, and when, how, and by what means the deceased came to his or her death. If the deceased was African American, the inquest would identify the deceased as a slave or free person if known. If the deceased was a slave, the inquest would include, if known, the name of the slaveowner and the slaveowner's residence. Information found in the depositions include the name of the deponent and his or her account of the circumstances that led to the death of the deceased.
Chronological by date coroner filed inquisition in the court.
Fell 18 ft from upper part of New Theater to stage and received a wound to head and broke his neck.
Put in bag w/ stones and drowned.
A slave of George N. Lyles of Alexandria, Peter and Ned, another black man, were rolling a tierce of whiskey across the river, fell through the ice, and both drowned. Inquest was for Peter only.
Cause of death cannot be determined because the body is but a skeleton.
Death caused by compound fracture in right leg received when jumping from the building he had been burglarizing in order that he may evade detection.
Death caused by a blow to head from brick received while violently resisting being taken by peace officers and trying to escape.
Death caused by suicide by drowning. She belonged to George Gordon of the town of Alexandria.
Death by effects of being struck on back of the head with a hearth stone at the hand of her mother because she was "saucy." Classified as murder.
Aged about sixteen years old, death caused by suicide by hanging after a fight w/ her mistress where blows were exchanged and after the master threatened to punish her if she did not behave better. Hired to Joseph Myers but lived in the house of Jacob Shuck.
Death by visitation of God and the effects of hard drinking of spirituous liquors and excessive heat of weather in addition to being corpulent.
Death by suicide by tying himself up and drowning himself
Death by a combination of a beating, a fall, infirmity, and drinking spirituous liquors.
Accidental death by being suffocated and smothered while mother having a fit.
Death caused by being frozen to death in stockyard after ran away to avoid being whipped by mother.
Death caused by being frozen to death in a privy.
Death caused by accidentally falling and being caught in the cog wheel and wallower of Thomas Swann Jr.'s plaister mill.
Death caused by accidentally falling and being caught in the cog wheel and wallower of Thomas Swann Jr.'s plaister mill. John is described only as a negro with no surname or owner mentioned.
Death caused by a visitation of God and cruel and negligent treatment by her mother, Lucy Jones, and Hezekiah Scott.
Death caused by a blow from a heavy post when part of a house fell down.
Slave of Doctor Murphy, his death caused by being struck by lightning.
Death caused by her clothes taking fire.
Death caused by undue use of the "Thompsonian Practise."
Death caused by a violent and malicious act of its mother.
Death caused by the infelicitous treatment of a Thompsonian practitioner.
Death caused by a wound inflicted by some sharp cutting instrument in the hands of his son aged 12.
Death caused by a minie ball fired by some unknown party in a negro riot. Extensive depositions.
Death caused by the accidental discharge of a gun while duck hunting. He was shot in the back by George Hoskins.
Death caused by accidental drowning by falling in ice house full of fifteen feet of water.
Death caused by accidental poisoning from phosphoric acid. The child had eaten something given to her by her friend Ella Shackelford which was alleged to be preserves but which was supposed to be taken from refuse swept from the store of Edward Querin that contained the ends of phosphoric matches.
A resident of the Freedmen's Village, her death caused by appendicitis.