Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Property Records, 1832-1870 that were transferred in accession 53810 under the title “Greensville County Dead Papers” and in adjacent boxes have undergone minimal processing. The remaining property records from this locality are still unprocessed and need review prior to use by researchers. All records remain tri-folded or in original bundles and may be fragile. Contact Archives Research services for availability.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Greensville County (Va.) Property Records, 1782-1957. Local government records collection, Greensville County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Acquisition Information

These records came to the Library of Virginia in a 2009 transfer of court papers from Greensville County under accession number 44478 and a 2023 transfer of court papers from Greensville County under accession number 53810.

Processing Information

Encoded by M. Long: September 2023.

Property Records, 1832-1870 that were transferred in accession 53810 under the title “Greensville County Dead Papers” and in adjacent boxes were processed using minimal processing standards: Locality records were organized by broad record category (election records, fiduciary records, etc.) with minimal other arrangement. These records have not been flattened, foldered, mended, or separated by individual record type (like summons, appraisements, etc.).

The remaining property records accessioned under the number 53810 and all property records accessioned under the number 44478 are still unprocessed.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: On presentation to the court, deeds were proved and recorded. If the deed was not witnessed, the grantor acknowledged the deed in open court. A few of the deeds include plats. Except for a few years early in the eighteenth century, slaves in Virginia were considered personal property and consequently were not usually sold by deed. However, they were often transferred in deeds of gift or were the property listed in mortgages and deeds of trust.

Deeds of bargain and sale are the most commonly recorded deed in which one individual sells property, usually land, but occasionally personal property, to another individual. Such deeds show the names of the grantor and grantee, the residence of both parties, a description of what is being sold, the consideration (or price), the location of the tract of land, the tract's boundaries, and any limitations on the property being sold. The deed was signed by the grantor, and possibly his wife or anyone else having a claim to the property, and by at least two witnesses. Appended to the deed may be a memorandum of livery of seisin, stating that the property has changed hands and that peaceful possession has taken place.

Deeds of gift are often found transferring property, either real or personal, from one individual to another "for love and affection." The degree of kinship, if any, between the grantor and grantee is sometimes stated.

Mortgages and deeds of trust were deeds where one party is indebted to another and transfers or mortgages property to a third party to secure the debt.

Processioners' returns record area 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 county court.

Lists of conveyances summarize real and personal property transactions recorded in the clerk's office. Entries record names of parties involved, form of conveyance, date of conveyance, type of property conveyed, and date conveyance was recorded in clerk's office.

Locality History: Greensville County was named either for Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene, commanding general of the Continental army in the South during part of the Revolutionary War, or for Sir Richard Grenville, leader of the Roanoke Island settlement of 1585. The county was formed from Brunswick County on 28 November 1780.

Scope and Content

Greensville County (Va.) Property Records, 1782-1957, consists of records documenting the sale, acquisition, transfer, and other forms of exchange of property, real and personal. A portion of the property records, 1832-1870, have undergone minimal processing. This has allowed for the documentation of specific record types and various trends found in this set of records. The remaining property records are completely unprocessed.

Property Records, 1832-1870 that have undergone minimal processing consist of the following:

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Related Material

See also Greensville County (Va.) Processioners Returns, 1796-1857 and Greensville County (Va.) Land Grant to Wiley Doyle, 1834 Oct. 11 at the Library of Virginia.

Additional Greensville County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Adjunct Descriptive Data