A Guide to the Chesterfield County (Va.) Coroner's Inquisitions, 1783-1914 (bulk 1870-1904)

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

[IN PROCESS] Chesterfield County (Va.) Coroners' Inquisitions, 1783-1914, are digitized and available through the Library of Virginia Digital Discovery as the Coroners' Inquisitions Digital Collection

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Chesterfield County (Va.) Coroners' Inquisitions, 1783-1914 (bulk 1870-1904). Local government records collection, Chesterfield County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA 23219.

Acquisition Information

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

Processing Information

Chesterfield County Coroners Inquisitions were processed around 2013 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 March 2025 the remaining pre-1865 inquests as well as the remaining post-1865 inquests were also indexed by M. Mason.

Encoded by J. Porter, 2013; Updated by M. Mason, March 2025

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: Chesterfield County was named for Philip Dormer Stanhope, fourth earl of Chesterfield, British statesman and diplomat, and was formed from Henrico County in 1749. Its area is 446 square miles, and the county seat is Chesterfield.

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.

Chesterfield County (Va) Coroner's Inquisitions, 1783-1914 (bulk 1870-1904), 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.

The bulk inquests range 1870-1914, a large portion of the inquests consist of deaths deemed to be accidental drownings around the James River. Additionally, there are many deaths related to accidental death related to railroads including the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad, later the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Many of the death referenced in these inquests occurred in what it now Richmond (Va.), notably several deaths around Forest Hill Park, the granite quarries along the southern bank of the James River, and other areas in present day south side Richmond.

Inquests of note include:

Death of Lucy, an enslaved women, 1812 January 8 :

The inquest states Lucy, a Black woman, enslaved by Henry Winfrees, although severely whipped, they (the jurors) "do not believe that to have been sufficient to have occasioned her death". The same jurors filed a protest document to their original inquest revising their opinion of the cause of death of Lucy. The jurors state the following "Upon Mature Deliberation of our inquiry we are of the opinion that we have made an improper return and are now induced to believe that the abuse which the said Lucy received was the means of her death and therefore pray the inference of the court on behalf of the Commonwealth that they may direct another inquest be taken on the body aforesaid in order that complete justice may be done in the case aforesaid and we hope that the court will receive this as our protest against our own acting and doing while under solemn oath."

Death of Robert Mendum, 1829 January 12:

Robert Mendum, a prisoner scheduled for execution on the 19 of January, was found lying dead in his apartment or rooms of the public jail of the county after dying from suicide.

Death of William Willis, 1876 January 1:

William Willis died due to exposure while in a naked condition after being cruelly treated by Ellen Randal. William Willis was in the custody of Abraham and Ellen Randal for two years and William was driven from the house by Ellen Randal through fear.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in to

Series I: Coroners Inquisitions, 1783-1914, chronological by date coroner filed inquisition in the local court.

Related Material

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