Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Orange County (Va.) Petitions for Re- Enslavement  , 1861, are digitized and available through Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative Digital Collection on the Library of Virginia website. Please use digital images.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Orange County (Va.) Petitions for Re- Enslavement  , 1861. Local government records   collection, Orange County Court Records  . The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These records   came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Orange County in an undated accession.

Processing Information

Orange County (Va.) Petitions for Re- Enslavement   were previously described with the Orange County (Va.) Free   and Enslaved   Records   but were removed to the present Orange County (Va.) Petitions for Re- enslavement   for discoverability purposes.

These records   have been scanned and indexed by LVA staff for the purposes of digitizing them for the digital project Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative.

It is believed the peitions for re- enslavement   currently in this collection were removed from the Orange County (Va.) Judgments and processed by Jim Watkins around 2009.

Encoded by M. Mason: April 2024

Historical Information

Context of Record   Type: Petitions for Re- enslavement   contain petitions of free   Black individuals choosing to be re- enslaved  . An act passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1806 required formerly enslaved   people to leave the commonwealth within twelve months of being granted their freedom. Individuals were forced to leave behind family, friends, and community that remained enslaved  . In addition, many emancipated people did not have the financial means or social support to move to a free   state. One option to preserve family and relationships was to return to slavery  . In 1856, the Virginia legislature passed an act allowing free   Black individuals who desired to remain in the commonwealth to petition for re- enslavement  . Only a small number of free   Black Virginians petitioned the courts to re- enslave   themselves to an enslaver   of choice, and an even smaller percentage succeeded. Many petitioners chose enslavers   they knew well or who owned a spouse or family member. These petitions include the petitioner's name, previous enslaver  , means of emancipation, and new desired enslaver  .

Locality History Note: Orange County, according to most accounts, was named for William of Orange, the Dutch prince who became King William III of England in 1688. It is more probable, however, that it was named for William IV, prince of Orange-Nassau, who married Anne, eldest daughter of King George II, in 1734-the year that Orange County was formed from Spotsylvania County.

Scope and Content

Orange County (Va.) Petitions for Re- Enslavement  , 1861, contains one petition of Nicolas Poindexter requesting to be re- enslaved   choosing Betty C. Towles as his enslaver  . The reasons for Nicholas' petition are not documented.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged

Series I: Petitions for Re- Enslavement  , 1861, arranged chronologically

Related Material

See also: Orange County (Va.) Free   and Enslaved   Records  , 1738-1865

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

Additional Orange County (Va.) court records   can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia.Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records   on Microfilm."

Adjunct Descriptive Data