Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Arlington County (Va.) Certificates of Importation, 1792-1853. Local Government Records Collection, Arlington County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Arlington County.

Historical Information

Arlington County was originally named Alexandria County. It was formed from a portion of Fairfax County that Virginia in 1789 ceded to the federal government for use as the site of a new national capital. In 1801 the area officially became part of the District of Columbia, although Congress named it Alexandria County. By an act of 9 July 1846, Congress returned the county to Virginia, and the General Assembly extended the commonwealth's jurisdiction over the region effective 20 March 1847. By an act of assembly passed 16 March 1920, the county's name was changed to Arlington, the name of the Custis family mansion (the home of Robert E. Lee), which is located in the county. An urban county, Arlington contains no incorporated towns or cities. The county courthouse is in the county.

Beginning in 1778, slaveholders who brought slaves into Virginia were required to register the slaves with the county court and sign an oath agreeing not to bring slaves into the Commonwealth with the intent of selling them. Certificates of importation,

Scope and Content

Arlington County (Va.) Certificates of Importation, 1792-1853, sometimes entitled certificates of nonimportation, contain information whereby an enslaver swears that (s)he has not imported the enslaved person from Africa and that (s)he has not brought the enslaved person into Virginia with the purpose of selling the enslaved person. The enslaved person is sometimes named, but not always, and occasionally information is given as to age, birthdate, and the state the individuals are moving from.

Related Material

Additional Arlington County Court Records 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:

• Arlington County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans--History.
• Slaveholders--Virginia--Arlington County.
• Slavery--Virginia--Arlington County.
• Slaves--Virginia--Arlington County.

Geographical Names:

• Arlington County (Va.)--History.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records--Virginia--Arlington County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data