A Guide to the Caroline County (Va.) Processioner's Records, 1758-1840 #1177832

Library of Virginia

The Library of Virginia
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Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
USA
Email: archdesk@lva.virginia.gov(Archives)
URL: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/

Processed by: Library of Virginia staff

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Caroline County (Va.) Processioner's Records, 1758-1840. Local government records collection, Caroline County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Caroline County under the accession number 26675.

Caroline County was named for Caroline of Anspach, wife of King George II. It was formed from Essex, King and Queen, and King William Counties on 1 May 1728, and additional parts of King and Queen County were added in 1742 and in 1763. The county seat is Bowling Green.

Caroline County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Most loose records and deed books prior to 1836 and will books prior to 1853 were stolen, mutilated, and/or destroyed by Union troops who ransacked the courthouse in May 1864. A near-complete run of order books exists.

Two freeholders were appointed on order of the county court to procession or review the bounds of farms or tracts of land in each precinct in order to renew or replace old landmarks. This was originally a function of the church vestry, but was continued by the court after disestablishment. Persons who walked the boundaries were called processioners.

Scope and Content

Caroline County (Va.) Processioner's Records, 1758-1840 typically record an area of land processioned with geographical landmarks, roads, property lines noted, the names of the persons present, the date(s) when the processioning occurred, the names of the processioners, and the date that the return was recorded by the local court.

Related Material

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

Caroline County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Caroline County Court Records may be found in the "Virginia Lost Records Localities Digital Collection."