Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Carroll County (Va.) "Register of Free Negroes", 1846-1860. Local government records collection, Carroll County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

This material came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Carroll County under accession number 52016.

Historical Information

Carroll County was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Maryland. It was formed from Grayson County in 1842, and part of Patrick County was added in 1856. The county seat is Hillsville.

An act passed by the Virginia legislature in 1803 required every "free Black" and "free persons of color" to be registered and numbered in a book to be kept by the county clerk.

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.

Carroll County (Va.) "Register of Free Negroes", 1846-1860, records the age, name, color, stature, marks or scars of registered "free Black" and "free persons of color" and in what court the person was emancipated or whether the person was born free. Some clerks recorded additional information not required by law such as a parent's name. There is no index.

Volume was also used to record names of individuals annpounced as candidates for county and district offices in 1895.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Related Material

Carroll County (Va.) "Register of Free Negroes", 1846-1860 is available at Virginia Untold: the African American Narrative digital collection .

Adjunct Descriptive Data