Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Many of the business volumes are fragile and should not be handled, please check alternative formats for volumes that have been microfilmed. Please use microfilm if available.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

King William County (Va.) Business Records, 1855-1878. [include volume title]. Local government records collection, King William County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These records came to the Library of Virginia in transfers of court papers from King William County in 2022 under the accession numbers 53658.

Alternative Form Available

Please see King William County Microfilm index in the Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm available on the Library of Virginia website for full listing.

West Point Land Company Daybook, Ledgers, and Journal 1856-1878, is available as microfilm King William County (Va.) Reel 44.

Processing Information

Prior to 2024, the various business records in this collection were originally described as individual records, but they have been consolidated into one large business record for the locality.

The records in this collection were processed in 2022 by Greg Crawford. Efforts have been taken to identify chancery causes related to these business records as some of these records were used as evidence in court proceedings.

Encoded by J. Taylor, April 2024.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: Business Records, both volumes and loose records, are in some cases transferred to the Library of Virginia as components of court record transfers. These business records in some cases were simply stored in the local court building for safe keeping by business owners. In other cases, business records (particularly ledgers, account books, etc.) may have been filed in a court case as an exhibit. These business record exhibits appeared both in chancery causes and in judgments, these records serving as exhibits for business dissolution cases, debut suits, and contract disputes.

Locality History: King William County was named for William III and was formed from King and Queen County in 1701. Its area is 285.7 square miles, and the county seat is King William.

Lost Locality Notes: Created by an act of 1701 to take effect on April 11, 1702. Most records were destroyed by a courthouse fire on January 17, 1885. Only a few order books and deed books exist.

Scope and Content

King William County (Va.) Business Records, 1855-1878, is currently compromised of records created by the West Point Land Company. Represented records largely consists of journals, ledgers, and daybooks.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into one series:

Related Material

See also: King William County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1862-1938

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

King William County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional King William County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection found at the Library of Virginia web site.

Adjunct Descriptive Data