Administrative Information

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Prince Edward County (Va.) Unrecorded and Recorded Deeds and Wills, 1749-1874. Local Government Records Collection, Prince Edward County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in transfer of court papers from Prince Edward County under the accession number 43640.

Historical Information

Prince Edward County was named in honor of Edward Augustus, a son of Prince Frederick Louis, a grandson of King George II, and a younger brother of King George III. The county was formed from Amelia County in 1753. The county court first met on 8 January 1754.

Scope and Content

Prince Edward County (Va.) Unrecorded and Recorded Deeds, 1755-1871, consist of deeds of bargain and sale, deeds of gift, mortgages, deeds of trust, and articles of agreements both recorded and unrecorded. Recorded deeds were proved and recorded in deed books. Unrecorded deeds were never proved and recorded in deed books. A few of the deeds include plats. Except for a few years early in the eighteenth century, slaves in Virginia were considered personal property and consequently were not usually sold by deed. However, they were often transferred in deeds of gift or were the property listed in mortgages and deeds of trust. Collection includes deeds recorded in the County Court and District Court of Prince Edward County.

Prince Edward County (Va.) Unrecorded and Recorded Wills, 1749-1874. The wills record the deceased's plan for how his or her estate was to be divided among his or her heirs following his or her death. Information commonly recorded in wills include the name of the deceased, also referred as the testator; names of heirs; a listing of real and personal property (including slaves) and how it was to be divided among the heirs; names of individuals who were to be the will's executors; the date will was written; and the date will was recorded at the court house. The collection also includes wills not recorded in will books.

Deeds of bargain and sale are the most commonly recorded deed in which one individual sells property, usually land, but occasionally personal property, to another individual. Such deeds show the names of the grantor and grantee, the residence of both parties, a description of what is being sold, the consideration (or price), the location of the tract of land, the tract's boundaries, and any limitations on the property being sold. The deed was signed by the grantor, and possibly his wife or anyone else having a claim to the property, and by at least two witnesses. Appended to the deed may be a memorandum of livery of seisin, stating that the property has changed hands and that peaceful possession has taken place.

Deeds of gift are often found transferring property, either real or personal, from one individual to another "for love and affection." The degree of kinship, if any, between the grantor and grantee is sometimes stated.

Mortgages and deeds of trust were deeds where one party is indebted to another and transfers or mortgages property to a third party to secure the debt.

Related Material

Deed Books (1754-1902), Indices to Deeds (1754-1916), and District Court Deed Book (1789-1816) for Prince Edward County can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Will Books (1753-1917), Indices to Will Books (1754-1915), and District Court Will Books (1791-1829) for Prince Edward County can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Additional Prince Edward County Wills (1754-1906) 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:

• Prince Edward County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans -- History.
• Land subdivision -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Slaveholders -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Slavery -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Slaves -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.

Geographical Names:

• Prince Edward County (Va.) -- History.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Deeds -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Land records -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Mortgage deeds -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Wills -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data