Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Fairfax County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes, 1822-1861. Fairfax County (Va.) Reel 56, Local Government Records Collection, Fairfax County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items were microfilmed by the Administrative Services Division, Department of Environmental Management, Fairfax County, Virginia.

Historical Information

Fairfax County was formed from Prince William County in 1742.

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 county clerk.

Original wills and deeds as well as many other loose papers were destroyed during the Civil War; deed books for twenty-six of the fifty-six years between 1763 and 1819 are missing. Numerous pre-Civil War minute books are missing as well.

Scope and Content

Fairfax County (Va.) Registers of Free Negroes, 1822-1861, are two volumes, one covering 1822-1835 and the other 1835-1861. They record the registration number, 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 law. There is no index.

Related Material

See the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available at Virginia Memory.

For more information and a listing of lost records localities see Lost Records research note .

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Fairfax County (Va.). Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans -- Virginia -- Fairfax County.
• Free African Americans -- Virginia -- Fairfax County.

Geographical Names:

• Fairfax County (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Free negro and slave records -- Virginia -- Fairfax County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Fairfax County.
• Registers (lists) -- Virginia -- Fairfax County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data