Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia© 2006 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.
Processed by: Eddie Woodward
Collection is open to research.
Use microfilm copy, Rappahannock County (Va.) Reel 32.
Rappahannock County (Va.) Reel 32, Local Government Records Collection, Rappahannock County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.
The microfilm copy of these records was generated by The Library of Virginia's Imaging Services Branch.
There have been two Virginia counties named Rappahannock. The first was created from Lancaster in 1656 and became extinct in 1662 when it was divided into Essex and Richmond counties. The present county was formed from Culpeper County in 1833.
An act passed by the Virginia legislature in 1803 required every free negro or mulatto to be registered and numbered in a book to be kept by the city clerk.
The Rappahannock County (Va.) Register of Free Negroes, 1834-1863, lists the age, name, color, stature, marks or scars, in what court the person was emancipated or whether the person was born free. Some clerks recorded additional information not required by the law. The register is indexed.
Additional Rappahannock County Free Negro and Slave Records can be found in the Local Government Records Collection and on microfilm at The Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."