Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Caroline County (Va.) Orders, 1862-1863, and Minutes of the Board of Exemption, 1862. Caroline County (Va.) Reel 79. Local government records collection, Caroline County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

The court orders and minutes of the board of exemption were loaned for microfilming by the Caroline County clerk of circuit court. The microfilm was generated by OCLC through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program under the accession number 43971. The original volume is housed at the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center (call number 2004-040-004).

Historical Information

Caroline County was named for Caroline of Anspach, consort of George II. It was formed from Essex, King and Queen, and King William Counties in 1728, and additional parts of King and Queen were added in 1742 and 1762.

In accordance with an act passed by the General Assembly 1862 Feb. 18 and amended 1862 Oct. 1 providing a mode of exemption from military service, the county and corporation courts were directed to appoint a Board of Exemption. The board was charged with deciding all claims for military exemptions brought before it, "carefully and rigidly conforming to all the provisions of the Act of Assembly." On 1863 Feb. 13, the Governor issued an order directing that where no board had been appointed, the presiding justice of each county and corporation court, together with the two senior justices, constitute the board.

Most loose records and deed books prior to 1836 and will books prior to 1853 were stolen, mutilated, and/or destroyed by Union troops who ransacked the courthouse in May 1864. A near-complete run of order books exists.

Scope and Content

Caroline County (Va.) Orders, 1862-1863, are court orders from the county court of various business conducted before the court such as the appointment of officials, the county levy, lists of insolvents, adminstrator's bonds, proving of wills, the purchase of salt for the county, reports of runaway slaves housed in the jail, overseer of the poor meetings and other county business. The information is recorded by court meeting date. There is no index.

Caroline County (Va.) Minutes of the Board of Exemption, 1862, are arranged by the meeting date of the board. The record consists mainly of entries of persons who applied to be exempt from military service. Names of the persons applying are given as well as the reason given for the exemption which were mainly old age, physical infirmity, or having furnished a substitute. Certain county officials were also exempt from military duty. Following the minutes there are 4 pages of lists of persons who had applied, the reason they request the exemption, and the decision of the board. These names may be the same as those in the minutes or they may be additional applicants for exemption. There is no index.

Arrangement

Orders found on frame numbers 4-32. Minutes of the Board of Exemption are on frame numbers 33-44.

Related Material

See the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available at Virginia Memory.

For more information and a listing of lost records localities see Lost Records research note .

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Caroline County (Va.). Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Confederate States of America -- Army -- Recruitment, Enlistment, etc.
• Public records -- Virginia -- Caroline County.

Geographical Names:

• Caroline County (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Judicial records -- Virginia -- Caroline County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Caroline County.
• Military records -- Virginia -- Caroline County.
• Minutes -- Virginia -- Caroline County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data