Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Arlington County (Va.) Coroners' Inquisitions, 1796-1902. Local government records collection, Arlington 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 records from Arlington County in an undated accession.

Processing Information

Arlington County Coroners' Inquisitions were processed and indexed as two separate units. The bulk of the records were processed in 2011 for the purpose of inclusion in Virginia Untold. Therefore, at the time of processing, pre-1865 records related to free and enslaved Black and multiracial individuals were isolated and indexed or the purposes of digitizing them for the digital project Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative. In May 2024, the remaining pre-1865 and post-1865 inquests were indexed by M. Long.

Encoded by S. Nerney, 2011; updated by M. Long, May 2024.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: A carry over from the British system, the separate office of coroner appeared in Virginia about 1660. The judicial duty of the office was to hold inquisitions in cases when persons met a sudden, violent, unnatural or suspicious death, or death without medical attendance. The law did not encourage the Coroner to be a medical professional until the 20th century, and only stipulated that the local court be responsible for the appointment. Although not reliant on profession, this system of affluent white men making the decisions largely ensured that only other white men served in this position for much of its history

Prior to the Civil War, the coroner would summon a jury of twelve white men, usually prominent citizens of that locality, to assist him in determining cause of death. The jury viewed the body of the deceased and heard the testimony of witnesses which did include both white and Black perspectives. This witness testimony was recorded and after seeing and hearing the evidence, and unlike other judicial proceedings, enslaved people could provide depositions in coroner's inquisitions, but still, an all-white jury delivered in writing to the coroner their conclusion concerning cause of death referred to as the inquisition. These causes of death would be determined by a white perspective and Black individuals were only consulted; they were never in a position to make decisions. After the Civil War, the process remained the same but the racial distinctions stipulating jury eligibility no longer remained. However, as appointments still continued and juror eligibility reserved for those "entitled to vote and hold office," the authority and influence in the hands of white citizens remained throughout the late 19th and early 20th century.

In 1877, an act of the General Assembly changed the number of jurors to six, and by 1926, only the coroner determined cause of death but they could require physicians to assist them with determining cause of death. Then in 1946, the General Assembly abolished the Coroner's office/ office of Coroner's Physician altogether, appointed instead a Chief Medical Examiner, and by 1950 transitioned to a statewide Office of the Chief Medical Examiner which now lives within the Department of Health.

If a criminal act was determined to be the cause of death, the coroner delivered the guilty person to the sheriff and the inquests would be used as evidence in the criminal trial. In this case, coroner's inquisitions were filed with the trial papers. If there was not a trial, coroner's inquisitions were filed separately and are more likely to appear in this collection as a standalone set of documents.

Locality History: 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.

Scope and Content

Materials in the Library of Virginia's collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

Coroners' Inquisitions contain graphic and in some cases violent or otherwise disturbing descriptions of death.

Arlington County (Va) Coroners' Inquisitions, 1796-1902, contains 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 these records include accidental, alcohol, drowning, homicide, injuries, infanticide, medical conditions, natural causes ("visitation by God"), and suicide.

Documents commonly found in coroners' inquisitions include the inquisition, depositions, and summons. Some inquisitions contain other documents such as exhibits. 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, and when, how, and by what means the deceased came to his or her death. If the coroner knew the deceased person to be Black or multiracial, the inquest should identify the person individual's legal status (free or enslaved). If the coroner knew the deceased person to be enslaved, the inquest often includes their name, their enslaver and the enslaver's residence. Information found in the depositions include the name of the deponent(s) and their account of the circumstances that led to the death of the deceased.

Records from Arlington County contain a fairly large number of inquests relating to free and enslaved Black and multiracial individuals. Regardless of race, due to proximity to the Potomac River and other large bodies of water, many deaths were the result of drownings. In some cases, these deaths were the result of intentional homicides or suicides, but more frequently the drownings were accidents resulting from intoxication, water-based professional occupations, or a combination of both factors.

Notable records include inquisitions for deaths resulting from Thomsonian medical practices, which encouraged patients to rely on herbal cures and rejected the use of licensed physicians, and deaths associated with soldiers stationed at nearby forts. One particularly well-documented case was the death of Griffin Burk, a black man who was killed when a group of soldiers from Fort Whipple fired into a crowded "colored dance house" in 1867.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Related Material

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

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

Adjunct Descriptive Data