Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Newport News, City of/Warwick County (Va.) Processioner's Records, 1883-1889. Local government records collection, Newport News, City of/Warwick 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 the City of Newport News.

Historical Information

Newport News was located in Warwick County, which is now extinct. Warwick County was named either for Robert Rich, earl of Warwick, a prominent member of the London Company, or for the county of Warwick in England. The county was originally called Warwick River and was one of the original shires, or counties, first enumerated in 1634. The shorter name was adopted in 1643. Warwick County became extinct in 1952, when it became the city of Warwick. The new city was consolidated with the city of Newport News in 1958 and took the latter's name. The origin of the name is uncertain but the phrase "Newportes News" appeared in documents as early as 1619 and probably commemorated Christopher Newport, who made five voyages to Virginia between 1607 and 1619. Newport News was a small settlement until late in the nineteenth century, when it became the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The Old Dominion Land Company bought land there in 1880 and began laying out a new village in October. Newport News was incorporated as a city by act of the General Assembly in 1896 without ever having been incorporated as a town.

Warwick County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. County court records were destroyed at several times, with most destruction occurring during the Civil War. The clerk's office was burned on December 15, 1864. County court minute books and loose records from 1787 to 1819 were destroyed by the fire. Additional records were burned on April 3, 1865, in Richmond, where they had been moved for safekeeping during the Civil War.

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

Newport News, City of/Warwick County (Va.) Processioner's Records, 1883-1889 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.

Arrangement

Chronological.

Related Material

Additional Newport News, City of/Warwick 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."

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

Adjunct Descriptive Data